problem in grammar essay

30 Common Grammar Mistakes to Avoid

When somebody else finds a grammar mistake in your work, it can be embarrassing. But don’t let it get to you—we all make grammar mistakes.

Common grammar mistakes include punctuation and syntax errors and incorrect word choices. Grammar mistakes often make it difficult for readers to understand a piece of writing; this is why writers should try to avoid them.

The goal is to have polished, clear, mistake-free writing, so we’ll look at some of the most common mistakes so you know how to identify, fix, and avoid them.

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What is a grammar mistake?

A grammar mistake is any incorrect usage of a word or piece of punctuation in writing. In other words, it’s a deviation from established grammatical rules. Grammar rules serve to make writing easier for readers to understand, so when a writer makes one of the common grammar mistakes below, or any other grammar mistake, they risk their work being misunderstood.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that not all deviations from grammatical rules are mistakes. Language is continuously evolving, so a phrase or word choice that’s regularly used today may have been a grammar mistake in the past. And there are instances where breaking grammar rules actually improves your writing . Understanding the most common grammar mistakes, why we make them, and how to correct them can help you navigate evolving language and effective rule-breaking as you develop your writing skills.

30 common grammar mistakes

1 your vs. you’re, 2 who vs. whom, 3 who’s vs. whose, 4 affect vs. effect, 5 who vs. that, 6 that vs. which, 7 i.e. vs. e.g., 8 then vs. than, 9 each and every, 10 more than vs. over.

11 Less vs . fewer

12 Me vs. I

13 a lot vs. allot vs. alot, 14 farther vs. further, 15 like vs. such as, 16 may vs. might, 17 past vs. passed, 18 based off vs. based on, 19 compliment vs. complement, 20 misplaced modifiers, 21 passive voice, 22 possessive nouns, 24 semicolons, 25 title capitalization, 26 apostrophes, 27 punctuation’s place in parentheses, 28 incomplete comparisons, 29 em dash vs. en dash vs. hyphen, 30 subject/verb agreement, 30 common grammar mistakes explained.

Much like to and too , your and you’re are homophones . That means they sound the same when spoken aloud but have two different meanings.

Your is a possessive pronoun. It indicates that something belongs to a singular second person.

You forgot your backpack at school yesterday.

You’re is a contraction of you are .

You’re expected to arrive no later than 6 p.m.

Who is the subject of a sentence, whereas whom is the object of a sentence.

Who will be hosting the party this weekend?

To whom should I send the package?

Who’s is a contraction of who is . Whose is the possessive form of who , a relative pronoun.

Who’s ready for the exam on Friday?

Whose laptop is this?

Affect is a verb that means “to cause an effect.” Effect is a noun that refers to a result.

How will a heat wave affect your vacation plans?

An increased budget will have a major effect on hiring.

Who refers to a person. That refers to an inanimate object. However, that can also refer to a group of people in cases where the group, rather than its members, is emphasized.

My brother is the one who solved the mystery.

I took a course that changed my perspective on climate change.

We’re part of an organization that promotes native plant cultivation.

That is used to introduce a clause that adds necessary information to a sentence. Which is used to introduce a clause that adds detail but isn’t critical to the sentence.

One of my dogs, the one that ate a rock, needs to see a vet .

My other dog, which is a terrier, also needs to see the vet.

I.e. is short for id est and is used to clarify statements. E.g. is short for exempli gratia and is used to provide examples.

I’ll be late again tomorrow ( i.e. , my car is still in the shop).

Additionally, a comma should follow these abbreviations, and they should be enclosed in parentheses.

I’ve read lots of novels over the past year ( e.g. , A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Fault in Our Stars ).

Then indicates when something will happen. Than is used to compare people or things.

First we’ll go over the homework; then we’ll watch the presentation.

Our cousins are taller than us.

Each refers to two items. Every refers to three or more items. Additionally, each refers to the individual items in a group, while every refers to the group as a whole.

Each of my children made me a Mother’s Day card.

Every one of my coworkers is going to the dinner.

More than indicates the literal quantity of things being discussed. Over can indicate an object’s physical position or a figurative amount larger than another mentioned in the same sentence.

She owns more than ten jackets.

We’re going to come in over our budget.

11 Less vs. fewer

Less is used to describe an abstract or otherwise uncountable amount of items. Fewer is used for countable numbers of items.

The students had less time to work on the assignment today.

If fewer people used disposable water bottles, there would be less plastic in landfills.

I and me are both first-person singular pronouns. Use I when you’re the subject of the sentence and me when you’re the object of the sentence.

It was almost midnight, so I didn’t stop to pick up my shoe.

You want me to dance with you?

A lot can be a pronoun or an adverb. It means “often” or “a large amount.” Allot is a verb that means “to distribute.” Alot is not a word. Avoid it in your writing.

There were a lot of jellyfish.

We were allotted two notebooks and five pens each.

Farther refers to literal distance. Further means “more.”

The island looked farther away than ever.

We want no further communication with your company.

Like is used to make a comparison, while such as is used to provide specific examples.

The couch has black and white spots like a dalmatian.

We have many pizza toppings, such as peppers, pineapple, and pepperoni.

Generally, may is used in the present tense to ask for permission and to indicate something that is likely to happen. Might is used with the past tense and to describe things that are either unlikely or didn’t happen.

May I bring a guest to the book signing?

There might have been time for discussion, but the fire alarm went off.

Past refers to something that has already happened. It can be a noun, an adjective, a preposition, or an adverb. Passed is a verb.

Our grandfather told us stories about the past .

The SUV passed on our right.

This is an example of language evolving, and perhaps one day, based off will be considered grammatically correct. But currently, based on is considered to be the correct phrasing. Both of these phrases are used to indicate the facts or circumstances that drove a specific decision or conclusion.

Based on the rain in the forecast, I decided not to water my garden today.

Another version of this phrase, based off of , is never correct.

A compliment is a kind word or bit of praise for another person or thing. To complement someone or something means to enhance their skills or assets with other skills or assets.

I liked Dara’s presentation, so I paid her a compliment .

Dara’s background in UX design complements my front-end development experience.

A misplaced modifier is a word or phrase that’s too far away from the noun it’s modifying. A misplaced modifier can make a sentence confusing for readers. Here is an example of a sentence with a misplaced modifier, which is bolded:

My sister adopted another cat named Ghost .

So she has two cats named Ghost now?

Here is a corrected version of this sentence:

My sister adopted another cat and named her Ghost .

The passive voice isn’t inherently incorrect, but many writers use it when the active voice would be a more accurate, clearer choice.

Passive voice: Breakfast was prepared by me .

Active voice: I prepared breakfast .

Possessive nouns are versions of nouns that show ownership. Often, they use apostrophes .

For a singular possessive noun, the apostrophe goes before the s .

Maryam ’s notebook .

For a plural possessive noun, the apostrophe goes after the s .

The student s’ grades.

That said, there are different schools of thought about what to do when a singular possessive noun ends in the letter s . Some say the apostrophe goes at the end, without adding an s .

That’s Jame s’ car.

Chicago style stipulates that when a name ending in s becomes possessive, you add an apostrophe and an s .

That’s James ’s car.

Commas are versatile punctuation marks, so it’s easy to use them incorrectly. Commas are used to create short pauses within sentences, such as to separate items in a list, distinguish independent clauses, or note appositives .

I went to the store for butter , flour , and milk.

I went to the store for butter flour and milk.

Semicolons are most frequently used to separate independent clauses within a sentence. They’re also used to separate items in a serial list when those items contain punctuation of their own.

Amalia is taking twenty credits this semester ; her goal is to graduate early.

I need the weather statistics for the following cities: London, England ; Paris, France ; and Perth, Scotland.

Although it can vary between style guides, the general rules for title capitalization are:

• Articles are lowercase unless they’re the first or last word of the title
• Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are always capitalized

The Cat in the Hat

T hings F all A part

Apostrophes create a few types of words:

• Contractions ( she did = she’d )
• Singular possessive nouns ( Jason’s )
• Shortened colloquial words ( it was = ’twas )

In some cases, they also create plurals.

Remember to dot your is .

Remember to dot your i’s .

When it comes to parentheses and other punctuation, there are a couple of rules to follow.

• If the text in parentheses is a complete sentence and is separate from surrounding sentences, the period goes inside the parentheses.
• Additionally, a phrase that could stand alone as a complete sentence can also be contained inside another complete sentence.

My house has blue trim. (My neighbor’s house has blue trim, too.)

My house has blue trim (my neighbor’s house has blue trim, too).

My house has blue trim (with white windows) and a green door.

Question marks and exclamation marks are the exceptions to the rule. When they’re part of a parenthetical passage enclosed in another sentence, they always go inside the parentheses, whether it’s a complete sentence or a fragment.

Dimo got lost on the way to his interview (but he wasn’t late so they never knew!).

• Use commas after parentheses, not before.

Because parenthetical text usually relates to what’s directly before it, it shouldn’t follow a comma. However, it’s completely normal to place a comma after parentheses, without a space.

The party was too quiet , (the DJ canceled) so Gina brought out her guitar.

The party was too quiet (the DJ canceled), so Gina brought out her guitar.

When you make a comparison in your writing, you need to mention both (or all) of the things you’re comparing.

My car is faster than my cousin’s car.

An incomplete comparison is a comparison that fails to mention one or more of the things being compared.

My car is faster.

Em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens are frequently mixed up. Here is a quick look at them:

Hyphen: –

Use an em dash when another type of punctuation, like parentheses or a pair of commas, doesn’t quite capture the tone you need. Em dashes have a quick, casual connotation, so they’re often used to indicate an aside or sudden tone change in a sentence.

They are afraid of two things — spiders and senior prom.

En dashes are used to show date and time ranges. They can also be used to link complex compound adjectives when both halves are hyphenated or when one of the parts is a multi-word noun or an open compound adjective.

We’re open Monday – Saturday.

The Nobel Prize – winning author will be reading from her book at the library tonight.

Hyphens are used to connect words. Often, this is to create a compound modifier , which is a multi-word adjective.

Celeste Ng just finished writing her most attention – grabbing novel yet.

Hyphens can also connect two surnames.

Anya Taylor-Joy walked the red carpet last night.

In any sentence, the subject and verb need to be in the same tense.

My classmates hopes our teacher will be back soon.

My classmates hope our teacher will be back soon.

Avoid common grammar mistakes with Grammarly

All of the rules, tricks, and tips for using grammar correctly can be a lot to remember, and Grammarly can help. Grammarly checks your writing for common spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. And now, with Grammarly’s generative AI assistance, you can get support with all stages of the writing process: ideation, composition, revision, and comprehension. Grammarly’s generative AI features are available when you download Grammarly

Top 20 Errors in Undergraduate Writing

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The Top Twenty: A Quick Guide to Troubleshooting Your Writing

Readers judge your writing by your control of certain conventions, which may change depending on your audience, purpose, and writing situation.  For example, your instructor may or may not mark errors in your paper if he’s more concerned with its argument or structure than he is with sentence-level correctness; he could also decide an error is not serious.  Some instructors may even see the errors listed below as stylistic options. However, a large-scale study by Andrea Lunsford and Karen Lunsford (2008) found that these errors are the most likely to attract readers’ negative attention.  Before handing in your papers, proofread them carefully for these errors, which are illustrated below in the sentences in italics.  

THE TOP TWENTY

1. wrong word.

Wrong word errors take a number of forms. They may convey a slightly different meaning than you intend ( compose instead of comprise ) or a completely wrong meaning ( prevaricate  instead of procrastinate ). They may also be as simple as a wrong preposition or other type of wrong word in an idiom.

Use your thesaurus and spell checker with care. If you select a word from a thesaurus without knowing its precise meaning or allow a spell checker to correct spelling automatically, you may make wrong-word errors. If prepositions and idioms are tricky for you, look up the standard usage.

Here are a couple of wrong word examples:

Did you catch my illusion to the Bible?

Illusion means “an erroneous perception of reality.” In the context of this sentence,  allusion was needed because it means "reference.”

Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene is a magnificent sixteenth-century allergy.

A spell checker replaced allegory with allergy.

2. Missing Comma after an Introductory Element

Use a comma after every introductory element—whether word, phrase or clause—to clarify where it ends and the rest of the sentence begins. When the introductory element is very short, you can skip the comma, but including it is never wrong.

Without a comma after the introductory element, it’s hard to see the location of the subject (“they”) in this sentence:

Determined to make their flight on time they rose at dawn.

3. Incomplete or Missing Documentation

Documentation practices vary from discipline to discipline.  But in academic and research writing, it’s a good idea to always cite your sources: omitting documentation can result in charges of plagiarism.

The examples below follow MLA style.  In this example, the page number of the print source for this quotation must be included.

The Social Media Bible defines social media as the “activities, practices, and behaviors among communities of people who gather online to share information, knowledge, and opinions using conversational media.”

And here, the source mentioned should be identified because it makes a specific, arguable claim:

According to one source, it costs almost twice an employee’s salary to recruit and train a replacement. 

Cite each source you refer to in the text, following the guidelines of the documentation style you are using. 

4. Vague Pronoun Reference

A pronoun (e.g., he, this, it) should refer clearly to the noun it replaces (called the antecedent).  If more than one word could be the antecedent, or if no specific antecedent is present, edit to make the meaning clear.

In this sentence, it possibly refers to more than one word:

If you put this handout in your binder, it may remind you of important tutoring strategies .

In some pronoun usage, the reference is implied but not stated.  Here, for example, you might wonder what which refers to:

The authoritarian school changed its cell phone policy, which many students resisted.

To improve this sentence, the writer needs to make explicit what students resisted.

5. Spelling

Even though technology now reviews much of our spelling for us, one of the top 20 most common errors is a spelling error.  That’s because spell checkers cannot identify many misspellings, and are most likely to miss homonyms (e.g., presence/presents), compound words incorrectly spelled as separate words, and proper nouns, particularly names. After you run the spell checker, proofread carefully for errors such as these:

Vladmir Putin is the controversial leader of Russia.

Every where she walked, she was reminded of him.

6. Mechanical Error with a Quotation

When we quote other writers, we bring their voices into our arguments.  Quotation marks crucially show where their words end and our own begin. 

Quotation marks come in pairs; don’t forget to open and close your quotations.  In most documentation styles (e.g., MLA Style), block quotations do not need quotations marks.  Consult your professor’s preferred style manual to learn how to present block quotations. 

Follow conventions when using quotation marks with other punctuation. Here, the comma should be placed inside the quotation marks:

"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction", Virginia Woolf argues.

7. Unnecessary Comma

We often have a choice about whether or not to use a comma.  But if we add them to our sentences when and where they are not needed, then we may obscure rather than clarify our meaning.

Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements that are necessary to the meaning of the words they modify.  Here, for example, no comma is needed to set off the restrictive phrase  of working parents , which is necessary to indicate which parents the sentence is talking about.

Many children, of working parents, walk home from school by themselves.

Do not use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) when the conjunction does not join parts of a compound sentence.  In this example, no comma is needed before the word  and  because it joins two phrases that modify the same verb, applies.

  This social scourge can be seen in urban centers, and in rural outposts.

Do not use a comma before the first or after the last item in a series.

The students asked their TAs to review, the assignment rubric, a sample paper and their comments, before the end of the quarter.

Do not use a comma between a subject and verb.

Happily, the waiters, sat down during a break.

Do not use a comma between a verb and its object or complement.

On her way home from work, she bought, a book at the bookstore.

Do not use a comma between a preposition and its object.

On her way home from work, she bought a book at, the bookstore.

8. Unnecessary or Missing Capitalization

Capitalize proper nouns and proper adjectives, the first words of sentences, and important words in titles, along with certain words indicating directions and family relationships. Do not capitalize most other words. When in doubt, check a dictionary.

Financial Aid is a pressing concern for many University Students.

9. Missing Word

If you read your work outloud before submittingit, you are more likely to notice omitted words.  Be particularly careful not to omit words from quotations.

Soccer fans the globe rejoiced when the striker scored the second goal.

10. Faulty Sentence Structure

If a sentence starts out with one kind of structure and then changes to another kind, it will confuse readers.

The information that families have access to is what financial aid is available and thinking about the classes available, and how to register.

Maintain the grammatical pattern within a sentence.  Each sentence must have a subject and a verb, and the subjects and predicates must make sense together.  In the example above, thinking about the classes available does not help the reader understand the information families have access to.  Parallel structures can help your reader see the relationships among your ideas.  Here’s the sentence revised:

Families have access to information about financial aid, class availability, and registration.

11. Missing Comma with a Nonrestrictive Element

A nonrestrictive phrase or clause provides additional information that is not essential to the basic meaning of the sentence.  Use commas to set off a nonrestrictive element.

David who loved to read history was the first to head to the British Library.

The clause  who loved to read history does not affect the basic meaning of the sentence.  The clause could be taken out and the reader would still understand that David was the first to head to the British Library.  

12. Unnecessary Shift in Verb Tense

Verbs that shift from one tense to another with no clear reason can confuse readers.

Martin searched for a great horned owl.  He takes photographs of all the birds he sights.

13. Missing Comma in a Compound Sentence

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses.  When the clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), use a comma before the conjunction to indicate a pause between the two thoughts.

Miranda drove her brother and her mother waited at home.

Without the comma, a reader may think at first that Miranda drove both her brother and her mother.

14. Unnecessary or Missing Apostrophe (including its/it's)

To make a noun possessive, add either an apostrophe and an s (Ed's phone) or an apostrophe alone (the girls’ bathroom). Do not use an apostrophe in the possessive pronouns ours, yours, and hers. Use its to mean belong to it; use it's only when you mean it is or it has.

Repeated viral infections compromise doctors immune systems.

The chef lifted the skillet off it’s hook.  Its a fourteen-inch, copper skillet.

15. Fused (run-on) Sentence

A fused sentence (also called a run-on) joins clauses that could each stand alone as a sentence with no punctuation or words to link them. Fused sentences must be either divided into separate sentences or joined by adding words or punctuation.

The house was flooded with light, the moon rose above the horizon.

He wondered what the decision meant he thought about it all night.

16. Comma Splice

A comma splice occurs when only a comma separates clauses that could each stand alone as a sentence. To correct a comma splice, you can insert a semicolon or period, connect the clauses with a word such as and/or/because, or restructure the sentence.

The students rushed the field, they tore down the goalposts. 

17. Lack of pronoun/antecedent agreement

Pronouns typically must agree with their antecedents in gender (male or female, if appropriate) and in number (singular or plural). Many indefinite pronouns, such as everyone and each, are always singular.  However,  they can be used to agree with a singular antecedent in order to use inclusive or gender-neutral language.  When antecedents are joined by or or nor, the pronoun must agree with the closer antecedent. A collection noun such as team can be either singular or plural, depending on whether the members are seen as a group or individuals.

Every guest left their shoes at the door.

18. Poorly Integrated Quotation

Quotations should be logically and smoothly integrated with the writing around them, the grammar of the quotation complementing the grammar of the neighboring prose.  They usually need to be introduced (with a signal phrase) rather than dropped abruptly into the writing.

An award-winning 2009 study of friendship "understanding social networks allows us to understand how indeed, in the case of humans, the whole comes to be greater than the sum of its parts" (Christakis and Fowler 26).

"Social networks are intricate things of beauty" (Christakis and Fowler xiii). Maintaining close friendships is good for your health.

19. Missing or Unnecessary Hyphen

A compound adjective requires a hyphen when it modifies a noun that follows it.

This article describes eighteenth century theater.

A two-word verb should not be hyphenated. 

The dealers want to buy-back the computers and refurbish them.

20. Sentence Fragment

A sentence fragment is part of a sentence that is presented as if it were a complete sentence.  The following illustrate the ways sentence fragments can be created:

Without a subject

The American colonists resisted British taxation.  And started the American Revolution.

No complete verb

The pink geranium blooming in its pot.

Beginning with a subordinating word

We visited the park. Where we threw the Frisbee.

These 20 most common errors can be avoided in your writing if you reserve time to proofread your final draft before submission.

Works Cited

Lunsford, Andrea A. and Karen J. Lunsford.  “Mistakes are a Fact of Life: A National Comparative Study.”   CCC 59 (2008) 781-806.

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• Knowledge Base
• How to structure an essay: Templates and tips

How to Structure an Essay | Tips & Templates

Published on September 18, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction , a body , and a conclusion . But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body.

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Table of contents

The basics of essay structure, chronological structure, compare-and-contrast structure, problems-methods-solutions structure, signposting to clarify your structure, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay structure.

There are two main things to keep in mind when working on your essay structure: making sure to include the right information in each part, and deciding how you’ll organize the information within the body.

Parts of an essay

The three parts that make up all essays are described in the table below.

Order of information

You’ll also have to consider how to present information within the body. There are a few general principles that can guide you here.

The first is that your argument should move from the simplest claim to the most complex . The body of a good argumentative essay often begins with simple and widely accepted claims, and then moves towards more complex and contentious ones.

For example, you might begin by describing a generally accepted philosophical concept, and then apply it to a new topic. The grounding in the general concept will allow the reader to understand your unique application of it.

The second principle is that background information should appear towards the beginning of your essay . General background is presented in the introduction. If you have additional background to present, this information will usually come at the start of the body.

The third principle is that everything in your essay should be relevant to the thesis . Ask yourself whether each piece of information advances your argument or provides necessary background. And make sure that the text clearly expresses each piece of information’s relevance.

The sections below present several organizational templates for essays: the chronological approach, the compare-and-contrast approach, and the problems-methods-solutions approach.

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The chronological approach (sometimes called the cause-and-effect approach) is probably the simplest way to structure an essay. It just means discussing events in the order in which they occurred, discussing how they are related (i.e. the cause and effect involved) as you go.

A chronological approach can be useful when your essay is about a series of events. Don’t rule out other approaches, though—even when the chronological approach is the obvious one, you might be able to bring out more with a different structure.

Explore the tabs below to see a general template and a specific example outline from an essay on the invention of the printing press.

• Thesis statement
• Discussion of event/period
• Consequences
• Importance of topic
• Strong closing statement
• Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages
• Background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press
• Thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation
• High levels of illiteracy in medieval Europe
• Literacy and thus knowledge and education were mainly the domain of religious and political elites
• Consequence: this discouraged political and religious change
• Invention of the printing press in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg
• Implications of the new technology for book production
• Consequence: Rapid spread of the technology and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible
• Trend for translating the Bible into vernacular languages during the years following the printing press’s invention
• Luther’s own translation of the Bible during the Reformation
• Consequence: The large-scale effects the Reformation would have on religion and politics
• Summarize the history described
• Stress the significance of the printing press to the events of this period

Essays with two or more main subjects are often structured around comparing and contrasting . For example, a literary analysis essay might compare two different texts, and an argumentative essay might compare the strengths of different arguments.

There are two main ways of structuring a compare-and-contrast essay: the alternating method, and the block method.

Alternating

In the alternating method, each paragraph compares your subjects in terms of a specific point of comparison. These points of comparison are therefore what defines each paragraph.

The tabs below show a general template for this structure, and a specific example for an essay comparing and contrasting distance learning with traditional classroom learning.

• Synthesis of arguments
• Topical relevance of distance learning in lockdown
• Increasing prevalence of distance learning over the last decade
• Thesis statement: While distance learning has certain advantages, it introduces multiple new accessibility issues that must be addressed for it to be as effective as classroom learning
• Classroom learning: Ease of identifying difficulties and privately discussing them
• Distance learning: Difficulty of noticing and unobtrusively helping
• Classroom learning: Difficulties accessing the classroom (disability, distance travelled from home)
• Distance learning: Difficulties with online work (lack of tech literacy, unreliable connection, distractions)
• Classroom learning: Tends to encourage personal engagement among students and with teacher, more relaxed social environment
• Distance learning: Greater ability to reach out to teacher privately
• Sum up, emphasize that distance learning introduces more difficulties than it solves
• Stress the importance of addressing issues with distance learning as it becomes increasingly common
• Distance learning may prove to be the future, but it still has a long way to go

In the block method, each subject is covered all in one go, potentially across multiple paragraphs. For example, you might write two paragraphs about your first subject and then two about your second subject, making comparisons back to the first.

The tabs again show a general template, followed by another essay on distance learning, this time with the body structured in blocks.

• Point 1 (compare)
• Point 2 (compare)
• Point 3 (compare)
• Point 4 (compare)
• Advantages: Flexibility, accessibility
• Disadvantages: Discomfort, challenges for those with poor internet or tech literacy
• Advantages: Potential for teacher to discuss issues with a student in a separate private call
• Disadvantages: Difficulty of identifying struggling students and aiding them unobtrusively, lack of personal interaction among students
• Advantages: More accessible to those with low tech literacy, equality of all sharing one learning environment
• Disadvantages: Students must live close enough to attend, commutes may vary, classrooms not always accessible for disabled students
• Advantages: Ease of picking up on signs a student is struggling, more personal interaction among students
• Disadvantages: May be harder for students to approach teacher privately in person to raise issues

An essay that concerns a specific problem (practical or theoretical) may be structured according to the problems-methods-solutions approach.

This is just what it sounds like: You define the problem, characterize a method or theory that may solve it, and finally analyze the problem, using this method or theory to arrive at a solution. If the problem is theoretical, the solution might be the analysis you present in the essay itself; otherwise, you might just present a proposed solution.

The tabs below show a template for this structure and an example outline for an essay about the problem of fake news.

• Introduce the problem
• Provide background
• Describe your approach to solving it
• Define the problem precisely
• Describe why it’s important
• Indicate previous approaches to the problem
• Present your new approach, and why it’s better
• Apply the new method or theory to the problem
• Indicate the solution you arrive at by doing so
• Assess (potential or actual) effectiveness of solution
• Describe the implications
• Problem: The growth of “fake news” online
• Prevalence of polarized/conspiracy-focused news sources online
• Thesis statement: Rather than attempting to stamp out online fake news through social media moderation, an effective approach to combating it must work with educational institutions to improve media literacy
• Definition: Deliberate disinformation designed to spread virally online
• Popularization of the term, growth of the phenomenon
• Previous approaches: Labeling and moderation on social media platforms
• Critique: This approach feeds conspiracies; the real solution is to improve media literacy so users can better identify fake news
• Greater emphasis should be placed on media literacy education in schools
• This allows people to assess news sources independently, rather than just being told which ones to trust
• This is a long-term solution but could be highly effective
• It would require significant organization and investment, but would equip people to judge news sources more effectively
• Rather than trying to contain the spread of fake news, we must teach the next generation not to fall for it

Signposting means guiding the reader through your essay with language that describes or hints at the structure of what follows.  It can help you clarify your structure for yourself as well as helping your reader follow your ideas.

The essay overview

In longer essays whose body is split into multiple named sections, the introduction often ends with an overview of the rest of the essay. This gives a brief description of the main idea or argument of each section.

The overview allows the reader to immediately understand what will be covered in the essay and in what order. Though it describes what  comes later in the text, it is generally written in the present tense . The following example is from a literary analysis essay on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

Transitions

Transition words and phrases are used throughout all good essays to link together different ideas. They help guide the reader through your text, and an essay that uses them effectively will be much easier to follow.

Various different relationships can be expressed by transition words, as shown in this example.

Because Hitler failed to respond to the British ultimatum, France and the UK declared war on Germany. Although it was an outcome the Allies had hoped to avoid, they were prepared to back up their ultimatum in order to combat the existential threat posed by the Third Reich.

Transition sentences may be included to transition between different paragraphs or sections of an essay. A good transition sentence moves the reader on to the next topic while indicating how it relates to the previous one.

… Distance learning, then, seems to improve accessibility in some ways while representing a step backwards in others.

However , considering the issue of personal interaction among students presents a different picture.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

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The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

An essay isn’t just a loose collection of facts and ideas. Instead, it should be centered on an overarching argument (summarized in your thesis statement ) that every part of the essay relates to.

The way you structure your essay is crucial to presenting your argument coherently. A well-structured essay helps your reader follow the logic of your ideas and understand your overall point.

Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:

• The alternating method, where you compare your subjects side by side according to one specific aspect at a time.
• The block method, where you cover each subject separately in its entirety.

It’s also possible to combine both methods, for example by writing a full paragraph on each of your topics and then a final paragraph contrasting the two according to a specific metric.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

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20 Most Common Grammar Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

By Hannah Yang

Whether you’re writing an email, an article, or an entire book, you want to make sure your writing is free of grammatical errors.

So what are the most common grammatical errors in the English language, and how do you make sure you steer clear of them in your own writing?

To keep your writing professional and polished, you can use ProWritingAid’s grammar checker .

Read on to learn the 20 most common grammar mistakes you should look out for when you’re editing your own work.

1. Run-On Sentences

2. sentence fragments, 3. grammatical errors involving apostrophes, 4. inconsistent pronouns, 5. lack of subject–verb agreement, 6. misplaced periods, 7. dangling modifiers, 8. mixing up hyphens and dashes, 9. unnecessary commas, 10. mixing up adverbs and adjectives, 11. unclear antecedents, 12. misusing present participles, 13. mixing up i.e. and e.g., 14. mixing up “who” and “whom”, 15. mixing up “between” and “among”, 16. inconsistent verb tenses, 17. incomplete comparisons, 18. mixing up “me,” “myself,” and “i”, 19. mixing up similar words, 20. mixing up homonyms.

A run-on sentence is a sentence that contains multiple independent clauses that aren’t joined together with proper punctuation. Often, run-on sentences will use commas where there should be periods, or omit necessary conjunctions like “and” or “where.”

Incorrect: “We went to the movie theater today, we saw a comedy about two people getting into scrapes.”

There are multiple ways to fix a run-on sentence. The simplest is to break up the independent clauses into multiple smaller sentences. Alternatively, you can add conjunctions between the independent clauses to tie them together. Finally, you can replace the comma with an em-dash or a semicolon.

Correct Option #1 (replacing the comma with a period): “We went to the movie theater today. We saw a comedy about two people getting into scrapes.”

Correct Option #2 (adding a conjunction): “We went to the movie theater today, where we saw a comedy about two people getting into scrapes.”

Sentence fragments occur when you write an incomplete sentence. Every sentence in the English language needs to have a subject and a verb. Every time you omit either the subject or the verb, you create a sentence fragment, which is another common grammar mistake.

Incorrect: “She ran to her bedroom. And wept into her pillowcase.”

You can fix a sentence fragment either by attaching it to another sentence or by inserting the missing subject or verb.

Correct Option #1: “She ran to her bedroom and wept into her pillowcase.”

Correct Option #2: “She ran to her bedroom. She wept into her pillowcase.”

A common mistake is to put an apostrophe in the wrong place, or to omit one where you should have one.

Here’s a quick guide to some situations where many writers tend to misplace apostrophes.

Apostrophes with Contractions

You need an apostrophe when you create a contraction, such as “won’t,” “don’t,” or “isn’t.”

Incorrect: “He couldnt remember why he’d come here.”

Correct: “He couldn’t remember why he’d come here.”

Apostrophes with Possessives

You usually need to use an apostrophe to make a noun possessive.

Incorrect: “My mothers house is bigger than mine.”

Correct: “My mother’s house is bigger than mine.”

The exception is for the word “its.” You don’t need to use an apostrophe to make the pronoun “it” possessive.

Incorrect: “Look at that tree! It’s leaves are so red.”

Correct: “Look at that tree! Its leaves are so red.”

Apostrophes with Plurals

You should never use an apostrophe to make a noun plural. If you’re talking about a group of people or things, you don’t need an apostrophe before the “s.”

Incorrect: “My dog’s are named Missy and Woof.”

Correct: “My dogs are named Missy and Woof.”

For a more detailed guide to apostrophes, check out our article on how to use apostrophes correctly .  

Make sure that your pronouns match the nouns they’re referring to. Even the most experienced writers will sometimes use the wrong pronouns, so keep an eye out for this common mistake.

Incorrect: “It’s every man for themselves out here.”

Correct: “It’s every man for himself out here.”

In every sentence, the subject and the verbs should agree in number. That means that if the sentence has only one subject, it should use a singular verb (such as “She is”). If the sentence has multiple subjects, it should use a plural verb (such as “They are”).

Incorrect: “The box full of books, which my wife brought home last week, are still sitting in the garage.”

Correct Option #1 (singular “box”): “The box full of books, which my wife brought home last week, is still sitting in the garage.”

Correct Option #2 (plural “books”): “The books, which my wife brought home last week, are still sitting in the garage.”

Subject–verb agreement rules can be hard to remember—along with all the other grammar rules. Luckily ProWritingAid’s grammar checker will show you thousands of possible grammar corrections so you don’t have to remember all the rules yourself.

Make your writing error-free with a free ProWritingAid account.

Confusion about where to put the period at the end of a sentence is common when you have quotation marks, parentheses, or some other type of punctuation at the end of the sentence.

Here’s a quick rundown on where to put the period when you’re also using other punctuation.

Periods with Quotation Marks

When you have quotation marks at the end of a sentence, the period should be placed before all closing quotation marks.

Incorrect: “She said, ‘I hate eating turnips ’. ”

Correct: “She said, ‘I hate eating turnips .’ ”

Periods with Parentheses

Periods with parentheses can be very tricky. When part of a sentence falls inside parentheses and part falls outside, the period goes outside the closing parenthesis.

Incorrect: “I’m happy with my life (at least for now .) ”

Correct: “I’m happy with my life (at least for now ). ”

On the other hand, when a whole sentence falls inside the parentheses, the period goes inside the closing parenthesis.

Incorrect: “Do you like chicken? (I’m talking about the food, not the animal ). ”

Correct: “Do you like chicken? (I’m talking about the food, not the animal .) ”

A modifier is a phrase that gives more information about a word in the sentence.

Make sure your modifiers attach to the right word. If they’re incorrectly attached, the sentence might end up being confusing or even funny.

Incorrect: “ Fluffy and well-bred, I loved playing with my new puppy.”

Correct: “I loved playing with my new puppy , which was fluffy and well-bred .”

A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words together. For example, you need a hyphen to write the words “merry-go-round,” “mother-in-law,” and “sixty-four.”

Incorrect: “We want to hold a princess — themed party for our kid next year.”

Correct: “We want to hold a princess - themed party for our kid next year.”

A dash is longer than a hyphen. You use a dash to indicate a pause in a sentence, like a semicolon or a comma. For example: “We’d love to see you tonight—come over any time after eight.”

Incorrect: “I hate cats - they make me sneeze.”

Correct: “I hate cats — they make me sneeze.”

You might find yourself inserting a comma in a part of the sentence where you don’t need one. Make sure it’s a necessary comma before you use it, or else your writing will appear less polished and professional.

Incorrect: “She loves to ski , because her whole family would go on ski trips together when she was little.”

Correct: “She loves to ski because her whole family would go on ski trips together when she was little.”

Another mistake is to use an adjective when you should be using an adverb. Remember that adjectives are used to modify nouns and pronouns. You should always use an adverb, not an adjective, to modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

Incorrect: “He seems like a real sweet guy.”

Correct: “He seems like a really sweet guy.”

Whenever you use a pronoun, like “he,” “she,” or “they,” you should make sure the reader knows exactly which person each pronoun is referring to.

An antecedent is a word that establishes the person the pronoun refers to, such as “Tom” or “Susie” or “the girl in the red dress.” Make sure your antecedents are clear so your reader can figure out which person or subject each pronoun refers to.

Incorrect: “When Sarah finally met her long-lost sister, she was crying in a subway station.”

Correct: “Sarah was crying in a subway station when she finally met her long-lost sister.”

Often, writers will use a present participle (a verb that ends in -ing ) for an action that isn’t simultaneous to the other actions in the sentence. Misusing present participles can make your writing clunky and confuse the reader.

Incorrect: “ Unlocking the door, she walked inside and started doing her homework.”

Correct: “ After unlocking the door, she walked inside and started doing her homework.”

Many people mix up “i.e.” and “e.g.,” especially in professional settings. I often have to look up the difference! Remember that the term “i.e.” means “in other words,” while “e.g.” means “for example.”

You should use “e.g.” to provide examples of something you’ve said.

Incorrect: “Please pack all the personal belongings you’ll need on the trip, i.e. toiletries, clothing, snacks, etc.”

Correct: “Please pack all the personal belongings you’ll need on the trip, e.g. toiletries, clothing, snacks, etc.”

You should use “i.e.” to clarify something you’ve said, or to rephrase it in other words.

Incorrect: “I am a vegetarian, e.g. I don’t eat meat.”

Correct: “I am a vegetarian, i.e. I don’t eat meat.”

Many writers confuse “who” and “whom.” As a rule of thumb, “who” should be used to describe someone performing an action (“Who sent this email?”), while “whom” should be used to describe someone on the receiving end of an action (“To whom should I send this email?”)

Incorrect: “ Who do you like more?”

Correct: “ Whom do you like more?”

Always make this correction in formal writing. However, in informal settings, “who” is acceptable and even sometimes preferred.

Another common mix-up involves the words “between” and “among.”

The word “between” is used to refer to two or more things that are clearly distinct from one another.

Incorrect: “There’s an intense rivalry among these two schools.”

Correct: “There’s an intense rivalry between these two schools.”

The word “among” is used to refer to multiple things that aren’t clearly distinct because they’re part of a group of people or objects.

Incorrect: “That’s put the cat between the pigeons.”

Correct: “That’s put the cat among the pigeons.”

Inconsistent verb tenses are a common mistake for fiction writers. I can’t count the number of times I’ve written a story in past tense and accidentally slipped into present tense.

Make sure you choose a single tense and stick to it.

Incorrect: “I wake up in the morning and grabbed a bite to eat.”

Correct Option #1 (present tense): “I wake up in the morning and grab a bite to eat.”

Correct Option #2 (past tense): “I woke up in the morning and grabbed a bite to eat.”

An incomplete comparison is one that doesn’t explain what you’re comparing something against. To avoid confusing the reader, you should always complete your comparisons.

Incorrect: “I’m much happier now.”

Correct: “I’m much happier now than I was in college .”

Many writers, especially in business settings, will make the mistake of using the wrong pronouns when there are multiple subjects or objects in the sentence.

As a rule of thumb, you should always use the same pronouns you would use if you had only one subject or object.

Incorrect Option #1: “Michael and me are proud to present our new project.”

Incorrect Option #2: “Michael and myself are proud to present our new project.”

Correct: “Michael and I are proud to present our new project.”

This is because you would say “ I am proud to present my new project.” and not “ Me / Myself am proud to present my new project.”

There are many words that are easy to confuse with one another, even though they don’t sound exactly the same.

Common mistakes include “affect” vs. “effect,” “except” vs. “accept,” “lose” vs. “loose,” “assure” vs. “insure” vs. “ensure,” and “ compliment” vs. “complement .”

Here’s a quick guide to the differences between these commonly confused words.

Affect vs. Effect

“Affect” is a verb that means “to make a difference to.” For example: “The storm affected over 300 houses.”

“Effect” is a noun that means the result of an action. For example: “Taking illegal drugs can have fatal effects .”

Except vs. Accept

“Except” is a preposition that means “not including.” For example: “Everyone got a Valentine’s Day card except me.”

“Accept” is a verb that means to welcome or to consent to receive. For example: “Did you accept the payment?”

Mixing up except and accept happens often. The good thing is that ProWritingAid doesn’t only correct typical grammar errors, it’ll also highlight possibly confused words like except and accept .

Use the right words with a free ProWritingAid account.

Lose vs. Loose

“Lose” is a verb that means to fail to win, or to cease to have. For example: “Did you lose your keys again?”

“Loose” is an adjective that means not tight. For example: “My daughter has her first loose tooth.”

Assure vs. Insure vs. Ensure

“Assure” is a verb that means to guarantee or convince. For example: “My sister assured me that she would take care of it.”

“Insure” is a verb that means to arrange for compensation in the event of damage or injury. For example: “Was the house insured before the fire?”

“Ensure” is a verb that means to make sure or to make certain. For example: “Please ensure that you’ve locked all the doors.”

Compliment vs. Complement

“Compliment” is a verb or noun that means praise or admiration. For example: “Thank you for the kind compliment !”

“Complement” is a verb or noun that means a thing that completes or enhances. For example: “Those new shoes really complement your outfit.”

Homonyms are words that sound exactly the same but are spelled differently and mean different things. You should be careful to use the one that you mean.

Common mistakes include “there” vs. “their,” “to” vs. “two” vs. “too,” “then” vs. “than,” and “whether” vs. “weather.”

Here’s a quick guide to the differences between these commonly confused homonyms.

There vs. Their

“There” is an adverb that means “in that place.” For example: “Look over there !”

“Their” is a determiner that means “belonging to or associated with.” For example: “Don’t touch their food without asking them first.”

  To vs. Two vs. Too

“To” is a preposition that means “approaching” or “in the direction of.” For example: “Are you on your way *to *school?”

“Two” is a number. For example: “I packed you two sandwiches.”

“Too” is an adverb that means “in addition” or “excessively.” For example: “You drink way too much caffeine!”

Then vs. Than

“Then” is an adverb that means “at that time” or “after that.” For example: “And then what happened?”

“Than” is a conjunction used in comparisons. For example: “You’re taller than your brother.”

Weather vs. Whether

“Weather” is a noun that describes the state of the atmosphere. For example: “How’s the weather today?”

“Whether” is a conjunction that expresses a choice between different options. For example: “Have you decided whether you want to ski or snowboard?”

There you have it: the 20 most common grammar mistakes in the English language.

Are there any grammar mistakes you tend to make often? Let us know in the comments.

Take your writing to the next level:

20 Editing Tips from Professional Writers

Whether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas., this guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers..

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Hannah Yang

Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.

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Home > Blog > Tips for Online Students > Tips for Students > 10 Common Grammar Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Writing

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10 Common Grammar Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Writing

Updated: June 19, 2024

Published: May 9, 2021

Everyone makes grammar errors from time to time, but some mistakes are more tricky to identify than others. Even the most seasoned writer will fumble and use “less” instead of “fewer,” or accidentally use the passive voice instead of active.

If you want to improve your overall writing skills, the best way to begin is to learn the rules of grammar. The rules can be difficult to remember, especially if English isn’t your first language. However, once you’re aware of the most common grammar mistakes, it’ll be easier for you to spot them in your own writing and correct them.

There are tons of grammar errors we could cover, but let’s take a look at some of the most common grammar mistakes with some examples.

10 Most Common Grammar Mistakes to Look Out For

After going through this list, you may realize you’ve made a few of these mistakes in the past! Not to worry, it’s never too late to learn something new and correct yourself.

1. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

A mistake a lot of people make when writing is that the subject and the verb don’t match. The verb and subject need to match in number, meaning in singular or plural. If the subject is one person, the verb must agree and reflect that. Here’s an example.

Incorrect : Our dogs is running in the park.

Correct : Our dogs are running in the park.

2. Sentence Fragments

An incomplete sentence is called a sentence fragment. If the sentence is missing an independent clause or a complete verb, it is considered incomplete and is therefore incorrect. The most common way sentence fragments occur is when the meaning of a second sentence is based on a previous sentence. For example:

Incorrect : I don’t like to eat brussel sprouts. Because I dislike the taste.

Correct : I don’t like to eat brussel sprouts because I dislike the taste.

3. Misuse of Contractions and Apostrophes

A lot of people struggle with knowing when to use a contraction or apostrophe. Whether the contraction is “its” vs “it’s,” “your” vs “you’re,” or “they’re” vs “their” vs “there.”

As a rule, anything that uses an apostrophe indicates possession or a contraction. If you can say “it is” or “it has” instead of “it’s” in a sentence and it still makes sense, then you need an apostrophe. Similarly for contractions, if you can say “you are” in a sentence, then you know you should be using “you’re” instead of “your.” Let’s have a look at some examples.

Incorrect : Its cold outside today.

Correct : It’s [it is] cold outside today.

Incorrect : I don’t understand why your mad, their the ones who made a mistake.

Correct : I don’t understand why you’re [you are] mad, they’re [they are] the ones who made a mistake.

4. Passive Voice

It’s common to see a passive voice when the object is put at the beginning of a sentence as opposed to at the end. When the object is at the beginning, then the verb is happening to the object instead of the object causing the verb.

In order to correct this mistake, the sentence needs to be changed to become active. This is a very common mistake, even for experienced writers, and it’s often difficult to pick up on. Here are some examples:

Passive : The baby was held by its mother.

Active : The mother was holding her baby.

Passive : The wall was painted by Jennifer.

Active : Jennifer painted the wall.

5. Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier is a phrase, clause, or even a word that is separate from the word it’s meant to describe or modify. It makes the sentence sound awkward and can be confusing to read. If your sentence isn’t clear about exactly what is being modified, then chances are there’s a mistake in there.

Incorrect : Checking in his bag, the book was not found.

Correct : Checking in his bag, he didn’t find his book.

Incorrect : After breaking her leg, it was hard to walk.

Correct : After breaking her leg, Jane found it hard to walk.

6. Comma Splice

When you connect two independent sentences with a comma instead of using a period or a coordinating conjunction, it’s called a comma splice. It’s common for a lot of writers to make the mistake of inserting a comma when using transition words, like however, furthermore, alternatively, etc. Comma splices can sometimes be fixed by using a semicolon but unless you’re a punctuation expert , it’s best to correct it with a period or coordinating conjunction.

Here’s an example:

Incorrect : Jesse was tired, he went to sleep.

Correct : Jesse was tired. He went to sleep.

Also correct : Jesse was tired, so he went to sleep.

7. Run-on Sentences

Another common grammar mistake is using run-on sentences. This happens when two complete sentences are made into one sentence. It can be corrected by using punctuation such as a period, comma, or semicolon and also by using coordinating conjunctions. It’s important to note that just because a sentence is long, doesn’t mean it’s a run-on sentence.

Incorrect : My favorite pizza topping is mushrooms they are really tasty I also like pizza with olives.

Correct : My favorite pizza topping is mushrooms because they are really tasty. I also like pizza with olives.

Also correct : My favorite pizza topping is mushrooms; they are really tasty. I also like pizza with olives.

8. Ending a Sentence in a Preposition

A preposition indicates that another word will follow, so when you end a sentence with a preposition, it automatically sounds awkward or unnatural. For example:

Incorrect : Which dress did you decide to go to the party in?

Correct : In which dress did you decide to go to the party?

Some people argue that it’s ok to end a sentence in a preposition in casual writing and in other situations. The rules of grammar can sometimes change with the times, so it’s best to stay on top of the most current accepted rules.

9. Wordiness

As a general rule, don’t use a lot of words to say a little. If you can properly explain something in a few words, there’s no need to inflate your sentence with extra words. It can confuse the meaning of your sentence so the main message isn’t accurately conveyed. This is really common in student essays and assignments when a student is trying to meet a certain word count — however, it’s not a good strategy to use.

Wordy : A little bit of rain falling from the sky is necessary in order for plants and flowers to grow.

Better : A bit of rain is necessary for plants and flowers to grow.

10. Wrong Word Usage

There are tons of commonly misused words that people often get mixed up when writing.  Many of these words are homophones, meaning they sound the same but have different meanings. Some of them have similar meanings but can’t be used interchangeably.

Here are just a few commonly misused words:

• Accept vs Except: Both words have different meanings but sound similar.

Incorrect : She expected the offer from the university.

Correct : She accepted the offer from the university.

• Affect vs Effect: Affect is used as a verb, while effect refers to the change itself and is a noun.

Incorrect : The book really effected me.

Correct : The book really affected me.

Also correct : The book had an effect on me.

• Fewer vs Less: If an item is quantifiable, meaning you’re able to count them, use fewer. When it’s not countable, use less.

Correct : There were fewer students in class than yesterday.

Correct : I drink less water than you do.

• Number vs Amount: The concept here is the same. Number is used when you can count something, and amount is used when referring to something that can’t be counted.

Correct : The number of shark attacks is increasing.

Correct : There is a large amount of snow outside.

The Bottom Line

While there are dozens of other common grammar mistakes to go over, the ones listed here should give you a good overview of mistakes to stay away from. If you’re a student and you’re worried about your writing skills or you think it can be improved, seek out help from academic advisors.

At University of the People, we have student support advisors who can help you with your writing skills.

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