Grammar can be one of the trickiest parts of learning English. Even advanced ESL learners often struggle with rules that don’t always seem logical. The good news? Most mistakes are common and easy to fix. Here are 20 grammar mistakes ESL learners often make—and simple tips to avoid them.
1. Mixing Up “He/She/It” With Verbs
❌ She go to school every day.
✅ She goes to school every day.
👉 Fix: Add -s to verbs in the present simple when using he, she, it.
2. Forgetting Articles (a, an, the)
❌ I want apple.
✅ I want an apple.
👉 Fix: Use a/an for general singular nouns, and the for specific nouns.
3. Wrong Word Order in Questions
❌ You like pizza?
✅ Do you like pizza?
👉 Fix: Use Do/Does + subject + verb in present simple questions.
4. Using the Wrong Prepositions
❌ I’m good in English.
✅ I’m good at English.
👉 Fix: Learn common preposition collocations (good at, interested in, afraid of).
5. Confusing “Since” and “For”
❌ I have lived here since five years.
✅ I have lived here for five years.
👉 Fix: Use since for a starting point, for for a duration.
6. Plural and Uncountable Nouns
❌ She gave me many informations.
✅ She gave me a lot of information.
👉 Fix: Don’t pluralize uncountable nouns (information, advice, furniture).
7. Overusing the Present Continuous
❌ I am knowing the answer.
✅ I know the answer.
👉 Fix: Don’t use -ing with stative verbs (know, like, want, believe).
8. Past Tense Confusion
❌ Yesterday I go to the park.
✅ Yesterday I went to the park.
👉 Fix: Memorize irregular verbs—they don’t follow the -ed rule.
9. Subject–Verb Agreement
❌ My friends is happy.
✅ My friends are happy.
👉 Fix: Singular subjects → singular verbs; plural subjects → plural verbs.
10. Misusing “Will” and “Going to”
❌ I will going to the party tonight.
✅ I am going to the party tonight.
👉 Fix: Use going to for planned actions, will for decisions made on the spot.
11. Double Negatives
❌ I don’t know nothing.
✅ I don’t know anything.
👉 Fix: In English, avoid double negatives. Use anything, anybody, ever instead.
12. Wrong Use of “Much” and “Many”
❌ I have much friends.
✅ I have many friends.
👉 Fix: Use many with countable nouns, much with uncountable nouns.
13. Overusing “Very”
❌ It’s very hot, very nice, very interesting.
✅ It’s extremely hot. It’s fascinating.
👉 Fix: Use stronger adjectives to avoid repetition (amazing, wonderful, freezing).
14. Misplacing Adverbs
❌ She speaks English good.
✅ She speaks English well.
👉 Fix: Use adverbs (well, quickly, slowly) to describe verbs.
15. Using “There” Instead of “It”
❌ There is raining outside.
✅ It is raining outside.
👉 Fix: Use it for weather, time, and distance.
16. Forgetting the Past Participle
❌ I have ate breakfast.
✅ I have eaten breakfast.
👉 Fix: In perfect tenses, use have/has + past participle.
17. Wrong Use of Comparative and Superlative Forms
❌ This book is more better.
✅ This book is better.
👉 Fix: Don’t double comparative forms (more better, most easiest).
18. Misusing “Too” and “Enough”
❌ I’m enough tall to play basketball.
✅ I’m tall enough to play basketball.
👉 Fix: Place enough after adjectives, but too before them.
19. Forgetting the -ed in Past Regular Verbs
❌ Yesterday I walk to school.
✅ Yesterday I walked to school.
👉 Fix: Regular verbs in the past need -ed (played, watched, worked).
20. Confusing “Say” and “Tell”
❌ He tell me he was tired.
✅ He told me he was tired.
👉 Fix: Use say + words (She said hello). Use tell + person (She told me a story).
✅ Final Tip: Practice and Review Often
Making mistakes is part of the learning process! The key is to notice them, learn the rule, and practice daily. With patience, your grammar will improve naturally.
📝 Quick Grammar Practice Quiz
Test yourself on the mistakes above! Choose the correct option for each sentence.
1. She ___ to school every day.
a) go
b) goes
c) going
2. I want ___ apple.
a) a
b) an
c) the
3. ___ you like pizza?
a) Do
b) Does
c) Did
4. I’m good ___ English.
a) in
b) on
c) at
5. I have lived here ___ 5 years.
a) since
b) for
c) from
6. She gave me much ___ about the exam.
a) informations
b) information
c) informationses
7. Yesterday I ___ to the park.
a) go
b) goes
c) went
8. My friends ___ happy.
a) is
b) are
c) was
9. I don’t know ___.
a) nothing
b) anything
c) nobody
10. He ___ me he was tired.
a) say
b) told
c) telling
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