Common grammar mistakes are not only easy to make, but are also easy to be noticed. While applying for employment, dropping a proposal, conversing with a customer, or trading an outlook, the silliest mistakes can destroy the agreement. Making common grammar mistakes not only makes us look unprofessional and careless, but also hampers our impression.
The present article ‘Common Grammar Mistakes’ provides some useful tips for recognising and differentiating between some common words that are usually put into wrong use accidentally. This article will help you to avoid making future common grammar mistakes in your papers.
Tips to Avoid Common Grammar Mistakes
In the following are discussed some common grammar mistakes made by people and how to avoid them in the future.
Your or You’re
‘Your’ is used to refer to someone else’s belongings, property or characteristics, etc. E.g., ‘Congratulations. Your hard work has achieved you great successes’.
‘You’re’ is the short for ‘you are’. It is used to refer to someone in person. E.g., ‘You’re formally invited to the party’ or ‘You’re one the best students of our school’.
Avoid committing common grammar mistakes like ‘Your welcome’, which in the correct form should be ‘You’re welcome’.
Their, There or They’re
‘Their’ is used while referring to something that belongs to someone else. E.g., ‘Their enthusiasm was simply irresistible’ or ‘Their apartment was sold last week’.
‘There’ is used in regard to a location. E.g., ‘I will place the table over there’ or ‘There is the red pen you were searching’.
‘They’re’ is the short for ‘they are’. It used to refer to some people as a whole. E.g., ‘They’re joining our team this summer’ or ‘They’re going on a long vacation’.
Loose or Lose
‘Loose’ is the opposite of ‘tight’. E.g., ‘Kindly repair the loose handle’ or ‘My trousers are fitting loose’.
‘Lose’ is the opposite of ‘win’. E.g., ‘I feel that the Red team will lose this match or ‘Do not lose your hope’.
Its or It’s
‘Its’ is a domineering form of ‘it’. E.g., ‘The dog is wagging its tail’ or ‘The wall is losing its paint’.
‘It’s’ is the short of ‘it is’. E.g., ‘It’s going to rain tonight’ or ‘It’s dangerous to play with a knife’.
Affect or Effect
‘Affect’ is used to refer to some kind of influence. E.g., ‘The new Professor is affecting the students’ enthusiasm in a positive way’ or ‘Cigarette smoking can harmfully affect the smokers’.
‘Effect’ is used to refer to some result or outcome. E.g., ‘The lecture had a remarkable effect on the students’ or ‘The effects of the new invention are extremely valuable’.
Than or Then
‘Than’ is used to refer to something that is being compared. E.g., ‘My doll-house is better than yours’ or ‘John is more intelligent than Jack’.
‘Then’ is used to refer to something that is time-related. E.g., ‘I am looking forward to meeting you then’ or ‘Edit your paper first and then proofread it’.
The above discussed tips offer guidance to avoid making common grammar mistakes while writing a research or academic paper. Do not hurry. Always take out some time to cross-check your paper. Re-read and edit your paper, or ask someone else to proofread it for you. These common grammar mistakes may seem irrelevant at first, but your intellect will be questioned when these errors are noticed. Hence, always be careful and patient to create an error-free paper.
