Parsing: 23 common mistakes in writing English and how to avoid them

Even if you have been learning English for many years, you probably make mistakes from time to time when writing. I found an interesting post with a selection of more than two dozen common errors and tips on how to avoid them. I present the translation of this useful material.

1. They're vs. Their vs. There

“Their” and “there” are homophones, that is, words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings. Errors in these words are most often made when you type quickly. The general rule in this particular case is that “there” is the opposite of “here” and refers to a place, and “their” describes possession. Well, "they're" - just an abbreviation of "they are" or "they were"). A little more about these three homophones can be found here .
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2. Your vs. You're

As in the previous case, here we are talking about two homophones, which at once complicates things. In order not to make a mistake here, one has to remember that the word “your” means possession, and “you're” is simply a short for “you are”.

Examples:

This is your decision.

Wow, you're so fast!

3. Its vs. It's

This is more complicated and errors are made more often than in the previous two. “Its” is like “your” or “their” means possession, and “It's” is the abbreviation for “it is”, but a huge number of people think that since there is an apostrophe in this abbreviation, then this form speaks of possession. This is not true.

4. Could / would / should of

A mistake that non-native speakers often make. Its root is how to pronounce the phrase "could have". When they try to reduce it to “could've,” it sounds like could of "- and people write what they hear, and this is a mistake. Here it is important to remember that the could / should / should be reduced with the addition of the particle 've, no" of ”is not here.

False : We could have been there right now.

True : We could have been there right now.

5. To vs. two vs. too

And again homophones. People get confused in these three words, because they sound exactly the same. Wherein:

• “To” is used in the infinitive form of the verb, or it makes sense “towards” when it comes to movement.
• “Too” means “also”.
• “Two” is just a word for the number 2.

Wrong : Let's go too the party.

True : Let's go to the party.

6. Then vs. than

Extremely popular puzzle for language learners. Here it is important to remember that “than” is used in comparisons, whereas “then” means something that happens later in time.

Examples:

She was a better player than him

We will go to school first, then to the playground.

7. Peek vs. Peak vs. Pique

A more subtle case of the use of homophones. Here, many people do not even know the meaning of words, why errors occur. The word “peek” means “look at something”, “peak” is the highest point of something (mountain peak), and the most difficult thing in this example is “pique” means “to provoke, to intrigue”.

To memorize these words, a mnemonic rule was invented:

• You have to reach some threshold. (To reach the peak, you need to overcome the obstacle).
• If you are a peer at something, you are peeking. (If you peer into something, you look).
• If you have some questions about it. (If you are intrigued by something, then you have questions).

8. Who vs. Whom vs. Whose vs. Who's

"Who vs. Whom ”is one of the most common“ homophonic ”errors. Beat these words on Google and see tens of millions of results in the issue. On this page it is painted in detail. If we talk about ways to avoid problems with these words briefly, then the rule is this: if the object or person committing the action can be replaced by “he" or "she", then you should use "who", if it suits him better "Or" her ", it is true to use" whom. "



In turn, the word “whose” is used to describe ownership, while “who's” is short for “who is”:

Whose car is that?

Who's calling the customer today?

9. Who vs. That

Dealing with this pair can be very difficult. Both words are used in descriptions, but when it comes to people, you need to use "who":

Bad : Jane is a marketer that has a huge experience in working with international customers.

Good : Jane is a marketer who has a huge experience in working with international customers.

When it comes to an inanimate object, that is used:

Good : Buy one day.

10. Alot vs. A lot vs. Allot

Millions of people really think that the word "alot" exists, and it is not. Therefore, it should simply not be used. If you want to say something about something “a lot”, then use “a lot”.

In turn, the word “Allot” exists in reality, although it is used less frequently. It means “select part of something” or “distribute something.” Example of use:

Allot five minutes for each startup pitch. (“Allocate five minutes for each startup presentation”).

11. Into vs. In to

In these words, too, often make mistakes / typos. To avoid this, you need to keep attention and remember that “into” describes movement, and “in to” can be used in many different ways, and often these two words refer to different words. For example, in the phrase “call in to a game” the particle “in” is part of a verb.

So if you need to write a sentence where something or someone moves, you should use "into".

12. Lose vs. Loose

Another pair of homophones. They sound identical, but the values ​​differ dramatically. Remember: “loose” is a verb that means to lose or not to succeed in the task. You can lose the game (lose a game) or lose your wallet.

In turn, “loose” is an adjective that means “not very tight / tied”. So if we are talking about a game in which someone could not win, or an object that cannot be found, then use the word with one letter o - “lose”.

13. Affect vs. Effect

In the case of these words, they confuse meaning and make mistakes when they talk about changes provoked by some events:

Wrong : That book effected me strongly.

The truth is that “effect” is a verb denoting the very fact of the change:

Correct : That new play had a significant effect on the audience.

If you need to say something that has an impact, then “affect” is used:

That's right : That book affected me so much!

14. Do's and Don'ts

In these words the whole problem is in apostrophes - especially in the word “don'ts”. Mostly mistakes are made in his case:

False : Five Do's and Dont's of content creation.

At the same time, there are two approaches and style of writing the word “do's”. For example, The Chicago Manual of Style suggests this spelling: “dos and don'ts”.

15. Me vs. I

The differences between “me” and “I” themselves are understandable to the vast majority of language learners, but when it comes to using them in sentences, difficulties may arise.

False : When you finish the report, send it to John and I.

True : When you finish the report, send it to John and me.

To understand which word to use, you need to find the subject in the sentence. In the example above, there are two of them - I and John. But the word I should not be the subject, for this more suitable "me".

16: Run-on Sentences and Comma Splice

Let's move on to more difficult grammatical errors. The concept of a run-on sentence occurs when you take two independent sentences and combine them into one without the use of punctuation marks and conjunctions. The comma splice error is similar, but in this case the two independent sentences are separated by a comma, whereas a union is also needed there.

Here are some possible solutions to this problem:

1. Separate sentences with a full stop.
2. Instead of a comma, use a semicolon.
3. Use “and” or “but” interconnects to replace the comma.
4. For the same purpose, subordinate unions would be suitable, like “although,” “if,” “since.”
5. A more elegant solution is to replace the comma with a comma with the transitional word (("however," moreover ", etc.)

False : he was five.

True : John is very good at football. When he was five. (You can use either of the five fixes above you like).

17. Mistakes in the coordination of pronouns

Sometimes people forget that pronouns must be consistent in number with the nouns they refer to. If the noun is singular, then the pronoun relating to it should not be plural.

Wrong : Everybody should take their lunch box.

True : Everybody should take his lunch box.

18. Errors with apostrophes

In English, apostrophes are often used to express possession. However, there are also possessive pronouns (my, mine, his, her, their, etc.) after which apostrophes are not used.

Wrong : I parked next to his' car.

True : I parked next to his car.

Important: in the word "it's" the apostrophe has nothing to do with possession, it is simply a contraction from "it is."

False : Its a warm day for December.

True : It's a warm day for December.

19. Mistakes in the coordination of verbs and subjects

If you are writing a sentence in the present tense, the subject in the sentence must be consistent with the verb. If the subject is singular, then the verb must be in the singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb associated with it must be the same.

Wrong : These cars are good for newbies.

True : These cars are good for newbies.

20. Dangling modifiers

In order for your text to be understandable, the word modifier in English must follow immediately after it. Otherwise, you’ll get the phrase “When I was approaching the station, my hat flew off”.

False : He saw a puppy and a kitten on the way to the office.

True : He saw a puppy and a kitten.

21. Using 'They' to describe a company

There is often a situation on the Internet when people use the word “they” when describing a company or business. The logic of this is clear - the organization is presented as a kind of association of people, about which you can say "they". It sounds logical, but in fact the word “company” or “business” is the only number. Therefore, to use in their case, you need the word "it", and not at all "they."

False : Apple later this year.

True : Apple iPhone later this year.

22. Incomplete comparisons

Uncritical stylistic mistake, but still a mistake that makes the text less solid. Take a look at an example:

False : Our new software is more reliable, and robust.

Here we have an explicit comparison, there is an object that is compared by three parameters. However, there is not the most important thing - the second object, which is being compared. In short, our new software is faster, more reliable and stable than what? What other software, the previous version of our program, something else?

The rule is such that during comparisons there should always be two objects - the one that is being compared, and the one with which the first is being compared.

23. Mistakes with possessive nouns

Usually, after possessive nouns there is an apostrophe, but where exactly to put it is not always clear. Example:

All of the boy’s toys were broken.

In this sentence, it is not entirely clear whether the apostrophe says that there is a certain boy whose toys have broken, or the word “all” at the beginning indicates the fact that there are many such boys.

Here are some rules to keep in mind:

1. If you have a plural noun, the apostrophe comes after the letter “s” (The boys' toys).
2. If the sentence has a noun in the singular and it ends in “s”, then the apostrophe is placed after “s” (Example: the school bus' yellow color).
3. If the noun in the singular does not end with “s”, then the apostrophe is used in combination with “s” and goes before the letter (The boy's toys).

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And what other common mistakes in writing in English do you know?