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语法 | 20 Most Common Grammatical Mistakes (11-20)
We’ve met this one before, too; it’s another example of those pesky homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings.
The rules:
Use “there” to refer to a place that isn’t here – “over there”.
We also use “there” to state something – “There are no cakes left.”
“Their” indicates possession – something belonging to them.
“They’re” is short for “they are”.
Hownotto do it:
Their going to be here soon
We should contact they’re agent
Can we use there boat?
Their is an argument that says
How to do it properly:
They’re going to be here soon
We should contact their agent
Can we use their boat?
There is an argument that says
Homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings...
12. Fewer vs. LessThe fact that many people don’t know the difference between “fewer” and “less” is reflected in the number of supermarket checkout aisles designated for “10 items or less”. The mistake most people make is using “less” when they actually mean “fewer”, rather than the other way round.
The rules:
“Fewer” refers to items you can count individually.
“Less” refers to a commodity, such as sand or water, that you can’t count individually.
Hownotto do it:
There are less cakes now
Ten items or less
How to do it properly:
There are fewer cakes now
Ten items or fewer
Less sand
Fewer grains of sand
“Fewer” refers to items you can count individually. “Less” refers to a commodity, such as sand or water, that you can’t count individually.
13. Amount vs. NumberThese two work in the same way as “less” and “fewer”, referring respectively to commodities and individual items.
The rules:
“Amount” refers to a commodity, which can’t be counted (for instance water).
“Number” refers to individual things that can be counted (for example birds).
Hownotto do it:
A greater amount of people are eating more healthily
How to do it properly:
A greater number of people are eating more healthily
The rain dumped a larger amount of water on the country than is average for the month
It’s easy to see why people get this one wrong, but there’s no reason why you should.
The rules:
“To” is used in the infinitive form of a verb – “to talk”.
“To” is also used to mean “towards”.
“Too” means “also” or “as well”.
“Two” refers to the number 2.
Hownotto do it:
I’m to hot
It’s time two go
I’m going too town
He bought to cakes
How to do it properly:
I’m too hot
It’s time to go
I’m going to town
He bought two cakes
Confusion between “then” and “than” probably arises because the two look and sound similar.
The rules:
“Than” is used in comparisons.
“Then” is used to indicate something following something else in time, as in step-by-step instructions, or planning a schedule (“we’ll go there then there”).
Hownotto do it:
She was better at it then him
It was more then enough
How to do it properly:
She was better at it than him
It was more than enough
We’ll go to the baker first, then the coffee shop
These two abbreviations are commonly confused, and many people use them interchangeably. However, their uses are very different.
The rules:
I.e. means “that is” or “in other words”. It comes from the Latin words “id est”.
E.g. means “for example”. It comes from the Latin words “exempli gratia”.
Only use “i.e.” and “e.g.” when writing informally. In formal documents, such as essays, it is better to write out the meanings (“for example” or “that is”).
Hownotto do it:
He liked many different cheeses, i.e. cheddar, camembert and brie.
He objects to the changes – e.g. he won’t be accepting them.
How to do it properly:
He liked many different cheeses, e.g. cheddar, camembert and brie.
He objects to the changes – i.e. he won’t be accepting them.
It’s an easy enough mistake to make given how similar these two words look and sound, but there’s a simple explanation to help you remember the difference.
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.
Hownotto 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
This mistake is now so common that it’s almost accepted as an alternative, but if you really want to speak English properly, you should avoid it.
The rules:
“Invite” is a verb – “to invite”. It refers to asking someone if they’d like to do something or go somewhere.
“Invitation” is a noun – “an invitation”. It refers to the actual message asking someone if they’d like to do something or go somewhere.
Hownotto do it:
I haven’t responded to her invite yet.
She sent me an invite.
How to do it properly:
I haven’t responded to her invitation yet.
She sent me an invitation.
I’m going to invite her to join us.
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.
Hownotto 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
Another conundrum arising from confusion over how to refer to people. There are lots in the English language!
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”. You can work out which you should use by asking yourself the following:
“Who did this?Hedid” – so “who” is correct. “Whom should I invite? Invitehim” – 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”.
Hownotto 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
Who vs. Whom vs. Whose
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