{"id":1123,"date":"2021-02-12T12:10:23","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T12:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.alison.com\/?p=1123"},"modified":"2024-08-07T10:52:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T09:52:52","slug":"8-most-common-english-grammar-mistakes-we-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/8-most-common-english-grammar-mistakes-we-make","title":{"rendered":"8 Most Common English Grammar Mistakes We Make"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to language, it’s easy to make English grammar mistakes, even as native speakers. Here are the 8 most commonly made errors to watch out for.<\/p>\n

1. The Missing Comma<\/h2>\n

\"\"A comma is used after an introductory word, phrase, or clause. This gives a pause after the introductory element and delivers the message<\/a> without confusion. Example: In case you didn’t know,<\/b> I’m on leave next week.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. The Apostrophe Catastrophe<\/h2>\n

\"\"Use “It’s” when the word means “It is” or “It has”. Example: I don’t believe it’s<\/strong> been a week!<\/em> Use “Its” when something is belonging to it. Example: The pillow looks great with its<\/strong> new cover.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. The Four W’s<\/h2>\n

\"\"Now that’s tricky. Let’s break it down<\/a>, shall we? “Who” is used to identify a living pronoun. Example: Who<\/strong> baked this cake?<\/em> “Whom” is used to describe someone on the receiving end of an action. Example: Whom<\/strong> did we hire for the position?<\/em> “Whose” is used to assign ownership to someone. Example: Whose<\/strong> jacket is this?<\/em> “Who’s” is the contraction of “Who is” or “Who has”.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. Two Dots Don’t Make a Right<\/h2>\n

\"\"A colon is used after a complete sentence to introduce a word, phrase, clause, list or a quotation. It’s used to signal that what follows next will prove or explain the former statement. Example: There’s an increase in the number of people taking up online courses for three reasons: learning from the comfort of their home, increase their knowledge and skills<\/a> at their own pace, boosts their r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Fewer vs Less – What’s The Difference?<\/h2>\n

\"\"They are both the opposite for “more”, but the usage is different<\/a>. Use “Fewer” when the items are countable like books, cars, pens, etc. Example: There are fewer<\/strong> cars in the parking area.<\/em> Use “Less” when the items are not countable like sand, love, time, etc. Example: This glass has less<\/strong> water.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. A Lot Of “Alot” Mistakes!<\/h2>\n

\"\"A lot of people use “Alot” (pun intended), but “Alot” is not a word<\/a>! Yes, you heard it right. If you want to describe a vast number of things, use “A Lot”. Example: I have a lot<\/strong> of things to do.<\/em> If you allocate or keep a certain portion for something, then you use “allot”. Example: I allot<\/strong> two hours a day for learning.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

7. The Spelling Slip-Up<\/h2>\n

\"\"They sound exactly the same, but they have very different meaning<\/a>. “Compliment”<\/strong> is a polite expression of praise or admiration. “Complement”<\/strong> is something that contributes extra features or improves something.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8. The Semicolon Stumble<\/h2>\n

\"\"A semicolon connects two independent clauses. The two clauses make sense on their own, but if they’re interrelated, you use a semicolon to connect them. Example: Call me tomorrow;<\/strong> I’ll let you know by then.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to language, it’s easy to make English grammar mistakes, even as native speakers. Here are the 8 most commonly made errors to watch out for. 1. The Missing Comma A comma is used after an introductory word, phrase, or clause. This gives a pause after the introductory element and delivers the message […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1137,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[26,65,327],"class_list":["post-1123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alison-in-action","tag-communication","tag-english","tag-languages","match-height"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/8-most-common-english-grammar-mistakes-1024x640.jpg","featured_category":"Alison in Action","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1123"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6104,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123\/revisions\/6104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}