Common mistakes in English

1. A collective noun usually takes a singular verb, but when it denotes the
individual members of the group as a whole a plural verb is used.

Example- The class were divided in their opinions.

2. When ‘number’ is preceded by ‘the’, it denotes a unit and is singular; when it

is preceded by ‘a’ it means several or many and is plural.

Example- The number of pupil is increasing.

A number of pupils are absent today.

3. In English, the plural must be used with anything greater than one, even if it
is than two.

Example- I read it in one and a half hours.

4. A question tag or tag question (also known as tail question) is

a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement or an imperative is
turned into a question by adding an interrogative fragment (the "tag").

The basic structure of a tag question is:

positive negative
statement tag

Snow is white, isn't it?

 negative positive
statement tag

You don't like me, do you?

6. ‘Beside’ means ‘by the side of’ and ‘besides’ means ‘in addition to’.

Example- He was standing just beside me.

We study French besides English.

7. The pronoun ‘one’ must be followed by ‘one’s’.

Example- One must finish his task in time. Incorrect
One must finish one’s task in time. Correct

8. When a singular and a plural noun are joined by ‘or’, ‘nor’, the pronoun must be
plural.
Example- Either the engineer or his mechanics failed in his duty. Incorrect
Either the engineer or his mechanics failed in their duty. Correct

9. If pronouns of different persons are to be used together in a sentence, the

serial order of persons should be as follows; second person + third + first person in
a good normal sentences. But in fault is to be confessed, the order will be; first
person + second person + third person.

Example- You, he and I have finished the work. Normal sentences

I, you and he are to blame. Confession

Ram, I and you have finished our studies. Incorrect

You, Ram and I have finished our studies. Correct

 10. Use of ‘less’ and ‘fewer’

Example- ‘Less’ denote quantity and ‘fewer’ denote number.

No less than fifty persons were killed. Incorrect

No fewer than fifty persons were killed. Correct

11. Use of elder, older.

‘Older’ refers to persons as well as things and is followed by ‘than’.

Example- Rahim is elder than all other boys of this area. Incorrect

Rahim is older than all other boys of this area. Correct

‘Elder’ is used for members of the family.

Suresh is my older brother. Incorrect

Suresh is my elder brother. Correct

12. Normally ‘than’ is used in the comparative degree, but with words like superior,
inferior, senior, junior, prior, anterior, posterior and prefer ‘to’ is used.

Example- Shelley is junior than Wordsworth. Incorrect

Shelley is junior to Wordsworth. Correct

I prefer reading than sleeping. Incorrect

I prefer reading to sleeping. Correct

13. When ‘as well as’, ‘along with’, together with’, ‘no less than’, ‘in addition to’ and
‘not’ and ‘with’ join two subjects, the verb will be according to the first subject.

Example- Rahim, as well as his ten friends, are going. Incorrect

Rahim, as well as his ten friends, is going. Correct

 The teacher, along with the students, were going. Incorrect

The teacher, along with the students, was going. Correct

14. ‘Lest’ must be followed by ‘should’.

Example- Read regularly lest you will fail. Incorrect

Read regularly least you should fail. Correct

15. The case of the noun or pronoun preceding or succeeding the verb ‘to be’
should be the same.

Example- It is him who came to see us. Incorrect

It is he who came to see us. Correct

It is me who caught the thief. Incorrect

It is I who caught the thief. Correct

16. When two or more adjectives are used to show the qualities of the same man

or thing, al the adjectives must be in the same degree.

Example- Sima is more intelligent and wise than Rita. Incorrect

Sima is more intelligent and wiser than Rita. Correct

17. The following verbs and phrases should be followed by gerund which is a
verbal noun: ‘enjoy’, ‘admit’, ‘deny’, ‘appreciate’, ‘regret’, ‘avoid’, ‘consider’, ‘stop’,
‘looking forward to’, ‘accustomed to’, ‘is used to’, ‘do not mind’, ‘object to’, etc.

Example- I am looking forward to receive your replay. Incorrect

I am looking forward to receiving your replay. Correct

He is used to work hard. Incorrect

 He is used to working hard. Correct

18. Adverb ‘as’ is not used with verbs like ‘appointed’, ‘elected’, ‘considered’, ‘called’,
but it is used with ‘regard’,

Example- He was elected as President of our society. Incorrect

He was elected President of our society. Correct

I regard Rahim my friend. Incorrect

I regard Rahim as my friend. Correct

19. After the verb ‘doubt’ ‘that’ should not be used. ‘if’ or ‘whether’ should be used
in its place.

Example- I doubt that Ravi will come. Incorrect

I doubt if Ravi will come. Correct

20. There are certain common errors which should be avoided.

(a) ‘The two first’ is a meaningless expression for it implies that two things may be
first. We should say ‘the first two’.
The two first chapters of the novel are dull. Incorrect
The first two chapters of the novel are dull. Correct
(b) ‘Only’ should be placed immediately before the word it qualifies.
He only lost his ticket in the stampede. Incorrect
Only he lost his ticket in the stampede. Correct
(c) An infinitive verb should not be spit.
I request you to kindly help me. Incorrect
I request you kindly to help me. Correct
(d) Care should be taken in the use of verbs.
The doctor saw the pulse of the patient. Incorrect
The doctor felt the pulse of the patient. Correct
He told the truth. Incorrect
He spoke the truth. Correct
Do not speak a lie. Incorrect
Do not tell a lie. Correct
Our team made a goal. Incorrect
Our team scored a goal. Correct
He is taking a bath. Incorrect
He is having a bath. Correct
I tell my prayers in the morning. Incorrect
I say my prayers in the morning. Correct

21. Rule 3. The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the
noun or pronoun closest to it.
Examples:
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.

22. In sentences beginning with here or there, the true subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.
NOTE:
The word there's, a contraction of there is, leads to bad habits in informal
sentences like There's a lot of people here today, because it's easier to say "there's"
than "there are." Take care never to use there's with a plural subject.

23. When ‘number’ is preceded by ‘the’, it denotes a unit and is singular; when it is
preceded by ‘a’ it means several or many and is plural.
Example- The number of pupil is increasing.
A number of pupils are absent today.

24. If the two subjects indicate the same person or thing, the verb will be singular.
Example- The Vice Chancellor and chairman were present at the meeting.
(Incorrect)
The Vice Chancellor and chairman was present at the meeting.
(Correct)
My friend, guide and benefactor has come. (Correct)

25. If there are words like each, every, no before the subject, the verb will be
singular.
Example- Every boy and girl knows this.
Every man, woman and child is to be educated.
No friend and no relative cares for me.

26. When there is a relative pronoun between verb and the subject, the verb will be
according to the number and person of the antecedent of the relative pronoun.
Example- A country, that has large population, faces economic problems.
27. When there are two antecedents of the relative pronoun, the person and
number of the verb will be according to the nearest antecedent.
Example- I am the person who helps the poor.

28. If the apposition is used after the subject, the verb will be according to the
pronoun before the apposition.
Example- I, Kamal, am a student.
You, boy, are very intelligent.

29. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are
connected by and.
Example: A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
But note these exceptions:
Exceptions:
Bread and butter is good for health.
The bed and breakfast was charming.
If the two subjects express one single idea, the verb will be singular. (Parcel
subject)

30. Among and Between: A subtle difference

Between is used for two persons or things.
1. Distribute these sweets between the two children.
2. There is a good understanding between him and her.
Among is used for more than two persons or things.
1. The boys were fighting among themselves in the absence of their teacher.
2. Among his friends, John was the most boisterous.

31. Me/myself/I
The matter of how to refer to oneself causes all manner of conundrums,
particularly when referring to another person in the same sentence. Here’s how to
remember whether to use “me”, “myself” or “I”.

The rules:
When referring to yourself and someone else, put their name first in the sentence.
Choose “me” or “I” by removing their name and seeing which sounds right.
For example, with the sentence “John and I are off to the circus”, you wouldn’t say
“me is off to the circus” if it was just you; you’d say “I am off to the circus”.
Therefore when talking about going with someone else, you say “John and I”.
You only use “myself” if you’ve already used “I”, making you the subject of the
sentence.

How not to do it:

Me and John are off to the circus
Myself and John are going into town
Give it to John and I to look after

How to do it properly:
John and I are off to the circus
John and I are going into town
Give it to John and me to look after
I’ll deal with it myself I thought to myself

32. Who/whom

The rules:
“Who” refers to the subject of a sentence; “whom” refers to the object.
“Who” and “whom” work in the same way as “he” or “him”.
“Who did this? He did” – so “who” is correct. “Whom should I invite? Invite him” –
so “whom” is correct.
“That” is often used incorrectly in place of “who” or “whom”. When referring to a
person, you should not use the word “that”.

How not to do it:

Who shall I invite?
Whom is responsible?
He was the only person that wanted to come

How to do it properly:
Whom shall I invite?
Who is responsible?
He was the only person who wanted to come

33. Affect/effect

The rules:
Affect is a verb – “to affect” – meaning to influence or have an impact on
something.
Effect is the noun – “a positive effect” – referring to the result of being affected by
something.
There is also a verb “to effect”, meaning to bring something about – “to effect a
change”. However, this is not very commonly used, so we’ve left it out of the
examples below to avoid confusion.

How not to do it:

He waited for the medicine to have an affect
They were directly effected by the flooding

How to do it properly:
He waited for the medicine to have an effect
They were directly affected by the flooding
34. Misplaced Or Dangling Modifier
A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from
the word it modifies or describes. Sentences with this error can sound awkward,
ridiculous, or confusing. A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a
word not clearly stated in the sentence.

Example 1:
Incorrect: While walking on the sidewalk, Mary found a sparkly girl’s bracelet.
Correct: While walking on the sidewalk, Mary found a girl’s sparkly bracelet.
Example 2:
Incorrect: After finally setting off on the trail, the morning felt more exciting.
Correct: After finally setting off on the trail, he felt the morning was more exciting.

35. Vague Pronoun Reference

A pronoun can replace a noun, and its antecedent should be the person, place, or
thing to which the pronoun refers. A vague pronoun reference (including words
such as it, that, this, and which) can leave the reader confused about what or to
whom the pronoun refers.
Example 1:
Incorrect: When Jonathan finally found his dog, he was so happy. (The dog or
Jonathan?)
Correct: Jonathan was so happy when he finally found his dog.
Example 2:
Incorrect: Don felt a lot of anger and bitterness as a result of Marie’s decision. This
is what ended everything. (What ended everything? Don’s anger and bitterness or
Marie’s decision?)
Correct: Don felt a lot of anger and bitterness as a result of Marie’s decision. Her
choice ended everything.