There are many types of grammatical errors that a person can make in writing or speaking. Here are some common examples:
Subject-verb agreement errors
These errors occur when the subject of a sentence does not agree with the verb in terms of number. For example, “The dogs is barking” instead of “The dogs are barking.”
Subject-verb agreement examples:
Incorrect: Each of the boys have a different opinion.
Correct: Each of the boys has a different opinion.
Incorrect: The news from the war front are terrible.
Correct: The news from the war front is terrible.
Incorrect: The committee have not reached a decision.
Correct: The committee has not reached a decision.
Incorrect: My brother and I is going to the beach.
Correct: My brother and I are going to the beach.
Incorrect: The team of doctors was divided in their opinions.
Correct: The team of doctors were divided in their opinions.
Incorrect: The number of students who failed the test were high.
Correct: The number of students who failed the test was high.
Incorrect: Mathematics are a challenging subject.
Correct: Mathematics is a challenging subject.
Incorrect: The staff at the hospital is taking a break.
Correct: The staff at the hospital are taking a break.
Use of Pronoun Errors
These errors occur when pronouns are used incorrectly or do not agree with the noun they are referring to. For example, “Me and him went to the store” instead of “He and I went to the store.”
Pronoun errors examples:
Incorrect: He and me went to the store.
Correct: He and I went to the store.
Incorrect: Her and him are going to the party.
Correct: She and he are going to the party.
Incorrect: Me and my friends went to the beach.
Correct: My friends and I went to the beach.
Incorrect: John and him are working on the project.
Correct: John and he are working on the project.
Incorrect: Us girls are going out tonight.
Correct: We girls are going out tonight.
Incorrect: Me and him are going to start a business.
Correct: He and I are going to start a business.
Incorrect: The teacher gave the homework to my friend and I.
Correct: The teacher gave the homework to my friend and me.
Incorrect: They invited Jane and he to the party.
Correct: They invited Jane and him to the party.
Incorrect: Me and my brother both play football.
Correct: My brother and I both play football.
Incorrect: The dog followed Tom and I home.
Correct: The dog followed Tom and me home.
Run on sentence examples and corrections
A run-on sentence error occurs when a sentence includes two or more independent clauses that are not properly joined or separated. A run-on sentence error can result in a sentence that is too long or confusing to understand, as the ideas are not presented in a clear and organized manner. The error can be corrected by properly punctuating the sentence or by separating the clauses into separate sentences. Run-on sentences are also called fused sentences.
Run-on sentence examples:
Incorrect: I went to the store I bought some milk.
Correct: I went to the store and bought some milk.
Incorrect: She is a doctor she works at the hospital.
Correct: She is a doctor who works at the hospital.
Incorrect: The party was fun everyone had a good time.
Correct: The party was fun, and everyone had a good time.
Incorrect: He ate a sandwich he drank some soda.
Correct: He ate a sandwich and drank some soda.
Incorrect: The movie was long it was also boring.
Correct: The movie was long and boring.
Incorrect: The teacher explained the lesson students listened.
Correct: The teacher explained the lesson, and the students listened.
Incorrect: The weather was nice we decided to go for a walk.
Correct: The weather was nice, so we decided to go for a walk.
Incorrect: He wants to go to the beach she wants to go to the mountains.
Correct: He wants to go to the beach, and she wants to go to the mountains.
Incorrect: The cat slept all day it woke up and played all night.
Correct: The cat slept all day, but it woke up and played all night.
Incorrect: She studied for the exam she passed it with flying colors.
Correct: She studied for the exam and passed it with flying colors.
Misplaced modifiers
Misplaced modifiers refer to words, phrases, or clauses that are not placed in the correct position in a sentence and modify the wrong word or words, leading to confusion or unintended meanings. Here are some examples of sentences with misplaced modifiers:
Misplaced modifiers examples:
Incorrect: I saw a man walking the dog in the park with a telescope.
Correct: Walking the dog in the park, I saw a man with a telescope.
Incorrect: The doctor examined the patient with a stethoscope who was coughing.
Correct: The doctor who was coughing examined the patient with a stethoscope.
Incorrect: We ate pizza and drank soda on paper plates with our hands.
Correct: We ate pizza and drank soda with our hands on paper plates.
Incorrect: The teacher gave the assignment to the students that was due tomorrow.
Correct: The teacher gave the assignment that was due tomorrow to the students.
Incorrect: I found a gold watch in the park yesterday for my brother.
Correct: Yesterday, I found a gold watch in the park for my brother.
In each of these examples, the misplaced modifier leads to ambiguity or confusion about what the sentence is trying to convey. By moving the modifier to the correct position, the intended meaning becomes clearer.
Double negatives
A double negative sentence error is a grammatical error that occurs when two negative words are used in the same sentence, leading to a positive meaning that is opposite to the intended meaning. Here are some examples of sentences with double negative errors:
Double negatives examples:
Incorrect: I don’t have no money.
Correct: I don’t have any money.
Incorrect: She didn’t say nothing about the party.
Correct: She didn’t say anything about the party.
Incorrect: We can’t find no one to help us.
Correct: We can’t find anyone to help us.
Incorrect: I can’t eat none of this pizza.
Correct: I can’t eat any of this pizza.
Incorrect: I didn’t do nothing wrong.
Correct: I didn’t do anything wrong.
In each of these examples, the use of double negatives makes the sentence unclear or contradictory. By removing one of the negative words, the sentence becomes clearer and the intended meaning is conveyed.
Incorrect verb tense
This occurs when the tense of a verb does not match the time frame of the sentence. For example, “Yesterday, I go to the store” instead of “Yesterday, I went to the store.”
Incorrect verb tense examples
Incorrect: Yesterday, I gone to the store.
Correct: Yesterday, I went to the store.
Incorrect: She is always coming to class late.
Correct: She always comes to class late.
Incorrect: He had been writing the report for three hours when he realize he made a mistake.
Correct: He had been writing the report for three hours when he realized he had made a mistake.
Incorrect: They will have been studying for the exam since Monday.
Correct: They will have been studying for the exam since Monday.
Incorrect: I was listening to music when my friend calls me.
Correct: I was listening to music when my friend called me.
Incorrect: She have been practicing her piano for two hours.
Correct: She has been practicing her piano for two hours.
Incorrect: I have ate breakfast already.
Correct: I have already eaten breakfast.
Incorrect: They was walking in the park when it starts to rain.
Correct: They were walking in the park when it started to rain.
Incorrect: The train leaves at 3 pm, so we needs to hurry.
Correct: The train leaves at 3 pm, so we need to hurry.
Confusing homophones
These are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. For example, “their” and “there,” “you’re” and “your,” or “it’s” and “its.”
Examples:
Incorrect: He wrote a tail about a dog.
Correct: He wrote a tale about a dog.
Incorrect: The flower had a sent that filled the room.
Correct: The flower had a scent that filled the room.
Incorrect: I herd the news on the radio.
Correct: I heard the news on the radio.
Incorrect: He was too weak to bare the pain.
Correct: He was too weak to bear the pain.
Incorrect: Their going to the party tonight.
Correct: They’re going to the party tonight.
Incorrect: She road her bike to the store.
Correct: She rode her bike to the store.
Incorrect: The hair on his neck stood up, as if he was afraid.
Correct: The hare on his neck stood up, as if he was afraid.
Incorrect: We need to by some groceries on our way home.
Correct: We need to buy some groceries on our way home.
Incorrect: She can’t except the fact that he’s gone.
Correct: She can’t accept the fact that he’s gone.
Incorrect: He ate a peace of cake for dessert.
Correct: He ate a piece of cake for dessert.
Types of Grammatical Errors | Image
