It doesn’t matter how many degrees you have or how many books you’ve read, you have to admit it—English is hard. And sometimes even the best of us get confused by grammar. So, here are 10 of the most common grammar errors that trip people up. We’ll go through each one and explain the mistakes, so you can avoid these pitfalls.
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Its, It’s
Here’s the deal—“its” is possessive like “the cat loves its toy” and you don’t need an apostrophe to show that. But “it’s” is a contraction that stands for “it is” or sometimes even “it has.” For example, “it’s a sunny day” needs an apostrophe because you’re shortening “it is.” If you get confused, just remember to replace the apostrophe form with “it is” to check if it fits.
Affect, Effect
“Affect” and “effect” can be a pain to remember but there is a simple way to keep them straight. “Affect” is a verb so it’s an action. For example, “that movie really affected my mood.” “Effect” is a noun and is the end result of something. Like, “the effect of that movie was pretty strong.” Action versus outcome—that’s the clue to getting these words right.
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Then, Than
Many people muddle up “then” & “than,” which means they write sentences like – “I would rather eat chocolate then eat a spider.” You should use “then” when you’re talking about time, like – “we went to dinner, then we saw a movie.” “Than” is what you use for comparisons such as – “I am taller than my sister.”
Time gets “then,” comparisons get “than.”
Fewer, Less
Just when do you use “fewer” and when do you use “less?” Well, it depends on whether the noun you’re talking about is uncountable or countable. Use “fewer” when it’s something you can count like “I have fewer apples than you.” You should use “less” when you’re talking about a bulk amount you can’t count easily like “less water.”
Who, Whom
Some people overuse “whom” to sound intelligent but it actually has the opposite effect! You’re meant to use “who” when you’re talking about the subject of the sentence, which means the person doing the action. For example, “who wants pizza?” “Whom” is for the object of the sentence such as in “whom did you call?” If that sounds difficult, then try to remember this—when you can answer the question with “him,” you should use “whom.”
Me, Myself, I
Many people get personal pronouns wrong and if you’re one of these people, listen up. “I” is for when you are doing something such as “I went to the store.” “Me” is for when something is being done to you like “He gave me a gift.” You only use “myself” when you did something by yourself or when you want to emphasize it’s you & only you—such as, “I did it myself.”
Lay, Lie
Don’t worry if you’ve ever been confused about “lay” versus “lie”—it gets most of us. Whenever you’re placing something somewhere, you need to use “lay.” For example, we say “lay the book on the table” because the word requires an object. On the other hand, “lie” is what you do when you recline or rest somewhere, as in “I’m going to lie down for a bit.” Remember—you “lay” something down and “lie” yourself down.
Compliment, Complement
Who knew that changing a single letter could get so confusing? “Compliment” is when you praise someone but “complement” is about something that completes or goes well with something. As such, you can “compliment” a person on their cooking and talk about how the potatoes “complemented” the meat well.
Stationary, Stationery
Here are two more words with just a letter difference between them! “Stationary” means not moving like “the car was stationary at the light.” “Stationery” refers to writing materials such as paper. A good trick to remember the difference is that “stationery” has an “e” like “envelope” so if it’s about writing supplies, you should stick an “e” in there.
Advice, Advise
Here’s the lowdown—”advice” is a noun that means a suggestion for what to do. So, you’d say something like “She gave me great advice.” However, “advise” with an “s” is a verb that means the act of giving suggestions like “I advise you to take her advice.” It’s only a letter difference but it could completely change the meaning of your sentence!
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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