Use of the wrong Grammar

Using according to my opinion, instead of in my opinion.

Don’t say: According to my opinion, she’s right.

ü  Say: In my opinion, she’s right.

Avoid using the phrase as I think instead of I think. 

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using one and a half, instead of half past one, etc.

Don’t say: Lessons begin at eight and a half.

ü  Say: Lessons begin at half past eight.

In telling time, say half past one, half past two, half past three, etc. 

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using a day, etc., instead of one day, etc.

Don’t say: A day they went sight-seeing in Florence.

ü  Say: One day they went sight-seeing in Florence.

Use one with day, night, morning, evening, and afternoon, when the one means on a certain …..

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using a double negative.

Don’t say: She says she is not afraid of nobody.

ü  Say: She says she is not afraid of anybody.

ü  Or: She says she is afraid of nobody

In English, two negatives are equal to an affirmative statement. Should avoid using two negative words in the same clause.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Misuse of the gerund to express the purpose.

Don’t say: I come here for learning English.

ü  Say: I come here to learn English.

Express the purpose by using the infinitive, not the gerund.

Use of the wrong Grammar

The unrelated participle.

Don’t say: Being in a hurry, the door was left open.

ü  Say: Being in a hurry, he left the door open.

Take care to provide the logical subject relating to the participle phrase.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Mixing up one form of verb with another.

Don’t say: It’s better to enjoy yourself when you are young rather than wasting time worrying about the future.

ü  Say: It’s better to enjoy yourself when you are young rather than to waste time worrying about the future.

Don’t mix one form of verb with another. If the first verb in a comparision is in the infinitive, the second must also be in the infinitive.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using the passive infinitive (to be + past participle) instead of the active (to + infinitive).

Don’t say: English isn’t easy to be learned.

ü  Say: English isn’t easy to learn.

The adjectives easy, difficult, hard, heavy, good, etc., are generally followed by the active infinitive.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using home instead of at home.

Don’t say: In the afternoon I stay home.

ü Say: In the afternoon I stay at home.

Use the phrase at home to mean in the house. With such verbs as come or go no preposition is necessary. E.g. He wants to go home.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using the more instead of most.

Don’t say: The more people will agree with me.

ü Say: Most people will agree with me.

Use most when you mean the majority of.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using from after the comparative instead of than.

Don’t say: Amy is taller from her brother.

ü Say: Amy is taller than her brother.

Adjectives (or adverbs) in the comparative are followed by than and not by from.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using one other instead of another.

Don’t say: Please give me one other book.

ü Say: Please give me another book.

Another is formed from an and other, but instead of being written an other, it is written as one word another.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using who? or what? instead of which.

Don’t say: Who of the two boys is the taller?

ü Say: Which of the two boys is the taller?

Using the interrogative pronoun which? for both people and things, asks for one out of a definite number.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using who, whom, or which after the superlative, instead of that.

Don’t say: It’s the best which I have seen.

ü Say: It’s the best (that) I have seen.

Use the relative that (not who, whom, or which) after a superlative. It can, however, be omitted.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using the relative pronoun which for persons.

Don’t say: I’ve a brother which is at school.

ü Say: I’ve a brother who is at school.

Only use which as a relative pronoun for animals or things. The right pronoun to use for people is who (whose, whom).

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using hisself or theirselves instead of himself or themselves.

Don’t say: He hisself said that he will not go.

ü Say: He himself said that he will not go.

The reflexive pronouns, third person, are himself and themselves, and not hisself and theirselves.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using hisself or theirselves instead of himself or themselves.

Don’t say: They fell down and hurt theirselves.

ü Say: They fell down and hurt themselves.

The reflexive pronouns, third person, are himself and themselves, and not hisself and theirselves.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using an object pronoun in a double genitive.

Don’t say: A friend of him told us the news.

ü Say: A friend of his told us the news.

We use the double genitive when we want to emphasize the person who possesses rather than the thing which he possesses. A friend of his is simply another way of saying one his friends.

Use of the wrong Grammar

Using the subject pronoun after between.

Don’t say: It’s a secret between you and I.

ü Say: It’s a secret between you and me.

Between is a preposition, and all prepositions take the objective case after them.

Using the objective case after the verb to be

Using the objective case after the verb to be.

Don’t say: It was him.

ü Say: It was he.

The pronoun coming after the verb to be must be in the nominative case, and not in the objective in written composition.

Confusion of gender

Don’t say: The door is open, please shut her.

ü Say: The door is open, please shut it.

In English only names of people and animals have gender (masculine or feminine). Inanimate things are neuter, and take the pronoun it in the singular.

Use of the wrong tense

Using the infinitive instead of a finite verb.

Don’t say: Sir, to go home to get my book.

ü Say: Sir, may I go home to get my book.

The infinitive simply names an action without reference to person, number or time. Therefore, it can’t make sense without the help of a finite verb.

Use of the wrong tense

Using a wrong tense with an improbable condition.

Don’t say: If he would/’d ask me, I would/’d stay.

ü Say: If he asked me, I would/’d stay.

Express an improbable condition by the past tense and use the conditional in the main clause. This use of the past tense doesn’t indicate a time but a degree of probability.