Common mistakes to avoid

There are certain grammatical rules in the English language that are commonly overlooked. These are small mistakes that can be easily avoided if you know what to avoid. This lesson will take a closer look at these common mistakes.

A, An, and The

“A,” “An,” and “The” all classify as articles in the English language. There are two types of articles:

  • Definite articles
  • Indefinite articles

Articles define a noun as specific or unspecific.

Definite Articles

In English, The is known as a definite article.

The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns. For example:

  • Let’s have a look at the following code example.

Here, the is highlighting a specific code example.

  • I was happy to see the policeman who saved my dog.

Here, we are talking about a particular policeman who saved the cat.

Indefinite Articles

In English, A/An are known as indefinite articles.

A/An refer that the noun modified is indefinite and can refer to any member of the group. For example,

  • Somebody call a policeman!"

This refers to any policeman. We don’t need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.

  • When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!

Here, we’re talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there’s only one we’re talking about here.

Will vs. Would

Many times, people get confused with the use of will and would as they are used in very similar situations. Therefore, it is important to distinguish the two.

We use will:

  • to express beliefs about the present or future

John will be in his office

  • to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do

We’ll see you tomorrow.

  • to make promises, offers and requests.

We’ll come and see you next week.

would is the past tense form of will. Because it is a past tense, it is used:

  • to talk about the past

We use would as the past of will, to describe past beliefs about the future:

I thought we would be late, so we would have to take the train.

  • to talk about hypotheses (when we imagine something)

It would be very expensive to stay in a hotel.

  • for politeness.

Would you mind carrying this?

Can vs. Could

Another set of verbs that get often confused are can and could.

The key differences between can and could are:

Can is used with the main verb to express the ability of a person to do something.

  • I can pay my bills.
  • She cannot afford that college.

Could is used to express a slight possibility or the possibility in the past.

  • She could have consulted a better doctor.
  • We could take a bus.

Both can and could are used to ask for permission and also request something, can is more informal one, which is used when we are talking to our friends, relatives or acquaintances. However, when talking to strangers, we can use could, to ask for permission or request politely.

Can vs. May

These two verbs are quite often confused due to their similar meaning.

"Can" expresses that the subject has the physical and/or mental capability to do something.

  • I can go to the store, but I choose not to.
  • I can solve this math problem.

“May” expresses that the subject is asking for permission. It implies that there could be an action in the future, but it is not for certain.

  • May I go to the store with you?
  • May I take the day off of work?

Pronoun- Antecedent disagreement

Pronoun antecedent mistakes occur when the pronouns of the sentence do not agree with the antecedent.

Antecedent is the noun pronoun replaces.

For example,

-> Sarah and Shawna went to the store, but she could not find what she was looking for.

In this sentence, we cannot figure out who couldn’t find what she was looking for, Sarah or Shawna?

This is an example of a sentence where the pronoun and the antecedent do not agree.

The correct way to write this sentence would be,

Sarah and Shawna went to the store, but they could not find what they were looking for.