Most Common Grammar Mistakes

Common Grammar Mistakes

I'm just curious to know what common grammar mistakes we English learners make the most?

Also, does it depend on where you are from (China vs Germany or Spain)?

I've heard that your mother tongue can influence the grammar mistakes that you make. Is that true Ola?

I would just like to know what common grammar mistakes to watch out for so I can avoid them.

If you do know some common mistakes that we learners make, could you share some tips on how to fix or solve those problems?

Thanks Ola!

Comments for Most Common Grammar Mistakes

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Nov 02, 2010

Interesting Question
by: Ola Zur

That's an interesting question and a useful one, too.

First of all, for sure, your mother tongue can definitely influence the grammar mistakes you make.

Here is an example:
I once heard a Swedish person (with good English!) say: "He learns me". What she really meant to say was "He teaches me". The problem in her case was that in Swedish the verb "learn" has the meaning of "teach" too. But when you translate it into English, you get into trouble :-)

This example has to do with vocabulary usage, but similar things can happen with purely grammar matters. I had students say "girl pretty" instead of "pretty girl" just because this is how you say it in their mother tongue.

Now, regarding your second question, I know an excellent article that deals exactly with this subject. It's called The 10 Most Common ESL Mistakes, and it's quite useful :-)

Ola Zur is the editor of www.really-learn-english.com, an illustrated guide to English.

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