While English is technically a mash-up of other languages, it’s the most difficult to learn. There’s a lot of rules to memorize and words that sound similar but are spelled two different ways.
It’s no surprise that Americans themselves have a hard time writing. What they learn in school doesn’t match for what the real world has in store for them.
In order to get ahead, you’ll need to hone in on your writing skills. The best way to do that is to understand the common mistakes in English. Once you know them, it’ll be easier to overcome.
Ready to find out what those mistakes are? Let’s get into it!
I vs. Me After Proposition
Probably one of the most common mistakes in English are these two personal pronouns. This gets confusing to some because sentences often include other people in them.
For example, writing, “He went to the mall with Kevin and I” is incorrect. Instead, it should be written as “He went to the mall with Kevin and me.”
If you eliminate the third person which in this case would be Kevin, it would read, “He went to the mall with me.” Just because you added a third or even fourth person doesn’t change the pronoun.
Effect vs. Affect
These words sound exactly the same but have different meanings. When they have different meanings, it can transform a sentence completely.
“Effect” is a noun. “An effect” is a result or consequence of an action.
An example would be: “This article has an effect on me.” You’d be stating that the article influenced you in some way.
“Affect”, on the other hand, is a verb. “To affect” means to create a difference or to have an impact on something.
For example: “This rainy weather affects my plans.” You realize that the rain has an impact on the things you planned to do.
Whom vs. Who
Often overlooked, these two pronouns have significant differences. One refers to a subject in the sentence while the other refers to an object. Can you guess which one fits where?
“Who” refers to the subject while “whom” refers to the object. When talking about a person, it’s important to never use the word “that”.
When writing sentences that use “she” or “he”, you can replace it with “who”. Instead of writing “her” or “him”, use “whom”.
A good example of “who” would be: “Who would like an invite to the party?”
An example of “whom” would look something like this: “Whom should I be talking to about this matter?”
Then vs. Than
This is another one of those cases where the words sound exactly the same but couldn’t differ more in terms of definition.
To put it simply, “than” is used to compare one subject to another. “Then” is related to time. This could be in terms of explaining instructions or planning an event.
To use “than” in a sentence, it would look like this: “Dogs are cuter than cats.”
For “then”, a good example would be: “We’ll go to the store first then to the restaurant.”
To vs. Too
These words are often confused with one another because people think they both mean the same thing. Unfortunately, they don’t.
“To” is a form of a verb. “Too” is another word for “as well” or “also” or it’s relating to something being excessive.
An example of “to” is: “We need to talk.”
Whereas as an example of “too” would be: “It’s too cold to go outside”. Or when used in replace of “as well”, it’d be: “I feel that way, too.”
Learning the most common grammar mistakes ESL Learners make can help you get ahead.
Wrapping Up on Five Common Mistakes in English
Learning English is complicated enough. Don’t let yourself falter because you aren’t understanding it right away.
Practice makes perfect and when you don’t give up, you’ll succeed. If you find yourself needing more help, contact us today to find a package that’s right for you!