Common English Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Anuradha Balachandran

Consultant

Making mistakes while learning English is normal, but some errors are more common than others. These mistakes can affect communication and fluency. In this blog, we will highlight common English mistakes and provide simple solutions to fix them.

1. Using the Wrong Verb Tense

Incorrect: "I go to the market yesterday." Correct: "I went to the market yesterday."

Solution:

Learn the correct tense for different situations.
Practice speaking and writing in different tenses.

2. Misplacing Adverbs

Incorrect: "She speaks fluently English." Correct: "She speaks English fluently."

Solution:

Remember that adverbs usually come after the verb but before an adjective

3. Incorrect Subject-Verb Agreement

Incorrect: "She go to work early." Correct: "She goes to work early."

Solution:

Match the verb with the subject correctly.
Pay attention to singular vs. plural forms.

4. Confusing "Your" and "You're"

Incorrect: "Your welcome." Correct: "You're welcome."

Solution:

"Your" = Possession (e.g., "Your book is on the table.")
"You're" = "You are" (e.g., "You're doing great!")

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5. Overusing "Very"

Incorrect: "She is very very happy." Correct: "She is extremely happy."

Solution:

Use stronger adjectives like thrilled, delighted, enormous instead of adding "very."

6. Double Negatives

Incorrect: "I don’t know nothing about it." Correct: "I don’t know anything about it."

Solution:

Avoid using two negatives in the same sentence.
Replace "nothing" with "anything."

7. Wrong Preposition Usage

Incorrect: "I am good in English." Correct: "I am good at English."

Solution:

Learn preposition rules by reading and listening to native speakers.

8. Incorrect Pronoun Usage

Incorrect: "Me and my friend went to the store." Correct: "My friend and I went to the store."

Solution:

"I" is used as the subject, and "me" is used as the object.

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9. Forgetting Articles (A, An, The)

Incorrect: "She is teacher." Correct: "She is a teacher."

Solution:

"A" is used before consonant sounds.
"An" is used before vowel sounds.
"The" is used for specific things.

10. Using "Since" Instead of "For"

Incorrect: "I have been waiting since two hours." Correct: "I have been waiting for two hours."

Solution:

Use "since" for a specific point in time.
Use "for" for a duration of time.

Avoiding these common English mistakes will help you sound more fluent and natural. Keep practicing, stay patient, and don't be afraid to make mistakes! Every mistake is a step toward improvement.

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Originally published Feb 1, 2025

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