If you’re looking for a way to improve your writing, the best way is to master the fundamentals. So, here are the 5 common grammar mistakes that students make and how to prevent them.
I’ve noticed that there are many older students (middle school and high school) who don’t know crucial grammar rules. Some college students can be put into this category as well.
I say this because, in the first tutorial that I have with my students, I like to give them a writing prompt (just so I can see where their writing is at).
And more times than not, when I receive the writing back, it’s full of grammatical errors.
The mistakes aren’t even complex errors, such as wordy sentences or incorrect essay format or poor sentence structure.
The majority of the time, they’re simple rules -rules that are learned in elementary school- that are broken.
So, since so many make students make these grammatical mistakes, I figured I would go over them to help you.
Hopefully, this will prevent you from making them and/or help you recognize the errors that you have been making so that you can abolish them from your writing.
Let’s get to it:
The 5 Commonly Made Grammar Mistakes
Sentence Fragments
Sentence fragments occur when a sentence is missing a subject or a predicate.
Essentially, the sentence doesn’t complete a thought. The subject is what or who the sentence is about and the predicate is what the subject is doing.
For example, if a sentence starts with “A young puppy…” this part of the sentence is the subject (what it’s about). And if it ends with “…barked loudly all night.” this part would be the predicate (what the subject is doing).
All complete sentences require both parts. If you forget to add one part, it becomes a fragment, which is a grammatical mistake.
So, make sure you tell the reader who/what the sentence is about and what they are doing.
Run-On Sentences
Run-on sentences are a common grammar mistake.
This error happens when you write two complete sentences (or thoughts) together, but don’t connect them properly (you forget to add a punctuation mark or a conjunction word).
For example, “I went to school I forgot my research project.”
If you read this sentence closely, you’ll notice that there are two sentences in it. And because it’s not connected properly, it’s a run-on.
To fix it, I can either add a semicolon to the end of the first thought (after the word “school”), add a conjunction word there, or add a period there and make two separate sentences.
To ensure that you avoid this error, make sure you thoroughly proofread all of your work. If something doesn’t sound right, re-read it and try to fix it.
Comma Splice
Comma splices are mistakes that are made when you use a comma to try to fix a run-on sentence.
Thus, don’t use a comma to fix a run-on. You’ll just be attempting to fix a grammatical error by creating another one. Use one of the other methods I shared instead.
Here’s an example of what a comma splice looks like:
“I went to school, I forgot my research project.”
If you want to learn more about these two grammar mistakes, click here to read a blog post that explains the two in more detail and with more examples.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb agreement errors happen when you use the incorrect verb tense to describe a noun.
For example, if I wrote a sentence that says, “The coyotes is running in the wild,” it would be a grammatical mistake.
The reason why is because the word “coyotes” is plural (more than one). But the word “is” is singular (one), so the two words don’t agree with each other.
To fix it, you would change the verb to the correct tense (“is” becomes “are”).
Here’s another example: The kid jump into the puddle.”
The reason why this is a grammatical mistake is that the word “kid” is singular. The word “jump,” in this form, is plural. To make it singular, you have to add an “s” to it (“jumps”).
Here’s another tip -when writing, keep in mind that with action verbs:
- In the singular tense, add an “s” to the verb. Ex. Billy “writes.”
- In the plural tense, write the word regularly. Ex. Billy and Kim “write.”
Double Negatives
Double negatives happen when you use two negative words in a sentence.
In this case, negative words are: no, not, never, no one, nothing, none, nobody, and nowhere.
For an example of what this type of sentence looks like, read this:
“There is never no way to keep that coyote from coming into our yard.”
To fix it, change the second negative word to “any.”
So, the fixed or correct sentence would look like this:
“There is never any way to keep that coyote from coming into our yard.”
How to Improve Grammar Skills
To prevent any one of these mistakes (or all of them) from appearing on your final product, you have to proofread and edit.
Again, if something looks off, re-read it a couple of times and see how you can fix it.
That’s all you have to do.
These are the most common grammar mistakes that students of all levels make and I’m sure you have as well (or else, why would you be reading this article?).
Two of the best ways to prevent yourself from making them are by practicing the rules with grammar workbooks and by applying the rules to your writing.
These are the most effective methods because the workbook will teach you the rules and how to correctly use them and the application of the rules in your writing will help you remember the rules, its usage, and what it reads like.
Final Thoughts On The Common Grammar Mistakes
Grammar can be a thorn in the butt.
But it’s necessary to know and understand them because it’s the fundamentals of writing.
Proper writing requires correct grammar. You won’t be able to describe, explain or communicate well if your grammar is all out of whack.
Hence, you should buy yourself a grammar workbook, start reviewing and practising the rules (mastering the fundamentals), and then mindfully proofreading your work and fixing these mistakes.