10 Common English Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Are you tired of making the same English language mistakes over and over again? Do you want to improve your English skills and sound more confident when speaking or writing in English? Look no further! Here are 10 common English mistakes and tips on how to avoid them.
1. Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect: "The team are going to the store." Correct: "The team is going to the store."
Remember, when the subject is a singular noun, use a singular verb.
2. Your vs. You're
Incorrect: "You're car is nice." Correct: "Your car is nice."
Your is a possessive adjective, while you're is a contraction of "you are".
3. Affect vs. Effect
Incorrect: "The rain will effect the crops." Correct: "The rain will affect the crops."
Affect is a verb, while effect is a noun.
4. Then vs. Than
Incorrect: "I'm taller then my sister." Correct: "I'm taller than my sister."
Then is used for time, while than is used for comparisons.
5. Who's vs. Whose
Incorrect: "Who's book is this?" Correct: "Whose book is this?"
Who's is a contraction of "who is", while whose is a possessive adjective.
6. Lay vs. Lie
Incorrect: "I'm going to lay down." Correct: "I'm going to lie down."
Lay is a transitive verb, while lie is an intransitive verb.
7. Me vs. I
Incorrect: "My friend and me are going to the movies." Correct: "My friend and I are going to the movies."
Me is an object pronoun, while I is a subject pronoun.
8. Borrow vs. Lend
Incorrect: "Can you lend me your bike?" Correct: "Can you borrow my bike?"
Borrow means to take something from someone, while lend means to give something to someone.
9. Assure vs. Ensure vs. Insure
Incorrect: "I insured that the door was locked." Correct: "I ensured that the door was locked."
Assure means to make someone confident, ensure means to make certain, and insure refers to insurance.
10. All ready vs. Already
Incorrect: "I'm all ready to go." Correct: "I'm already ready to go."
All ready means completely prepared, while already means something has happened before the expected time.
By avoiding these common English mistakes, you'll be well on your way to improving your language skills and sounding more confident when speaking and writing in English.
