Master common grammar errors students make in Classes 6-8. Learn to identify and correct mistakes in subject-verb agreement, tenses, prepositions, articles, and sentence structure.
✅ Recommended for: Class 6-8 (Foundation) | Class 9-10 (Revision)
1. Why Do Students Make These Errors?
Grammar errors often occur because students apply rules from their native language to English, misunderstand grammar rules, or mix up similar-sounding words. Recognizing patterns in these errors helps in avoiding them.
| Error Type | Common Mistake | Correct Version | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject-Verb Agreement | He go to school. | He goes to school. | Third person singular needs 's' |
| Wrong Tense | I am seeing him yesterday. | I saw him yesterday. | Past action needs past tense |
| Double Negative | I don't know nothing. | I don't know anything. | Two negatives make positive meaning |
| Wrong Preposition | I am good in English. | I am good at English. | Fixed preposition combination |
2. Top 10 Common Error Categories
| Category | Error Example | Correction | Rule | When to Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Its vs It's | The dog wagged it's tail. | The dog wagged its tail. | Its = possessive, It's = It is/has | Writing possessives |
| 2. Your vs You're | Your going to be late. | You're going to be late. | Your = possessive, You're = You are | Contractions |
| 3. There/Their/They're | There going to there house. | They're going to their house. | There=place, Their=possessive, They're=They are | Homophones |
| 4. Then vs Than | She is taller then him. | She is taller than him. | Then=time, Than=comparison | Comparisons |
| 5. Affect vs Effect | The medicine will effect him. | The medicine will affect him. | Affect=verb, Effect=noun (usually) | Cause and result |
| 6. Fewer vs Less | I have less books than you. | I have fewer books than you. | Fewer=countable, Less=uncountable | Quantities |
| 7. Me vs I | Me and my friend went shopping. | My friend and I went shopping. | Remove "my friend and" to test | Subject position |
| 8. A vs An | He is a honest man. | He is an honest man. | An before vowel sounds, not just vowels | Articles |
| 9. Since vs For | I have been here since two hours. | I have been here for two hours. | Since=point in time, For=duration | Time expressions |
| 10. Who vs Whom | Who did you give the book? | Whom did you give the book? | Who=subject, Whom=object | Questions |
3. Subject-Verb Agreement: Detailed Rules
| Rule | Incorrect Example | Correct Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular subjects take singular verbs | The list of items are long. | The list of items is long. | Subject is "list" (singular), not "items" |
| Two singular subjects connected by "and" take plural verb | Bread and butter are my breakfast. | Bread and butter is my breakfast. | Exception: When two items form one unit |
| Collective nouns can be singular or plural | The team are playing well. | The team is playing well. | Team as unit = singular; Team members = plural |
| Either/or, Neither/nor: verb agrees with nearest subject | Either the students or the teacher are wrong. | Either the students or the teacher is wrong. | "Teacher" (singular) is nearest subject |
| Indefinite pronouns (everyone, somebody) are singular | Everyone have their own book. | Everyone has his or her own book. | Everyone = singular, needs singular verb |
| Money, time, distance = singular | Ten dollars are too much. | Ten dollars is too much. | Amounts as single units take singular verbs |
4. Common Tense Errors & Corrections
| Tense Error | Wrong Sentence | Correct Sentence | Rule Applied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Continuous for habitual actions | I am going to school every day. | I go to school every day. | Habit = Simple Present |
| Present Perfect with definite past time | I have seen him yesterday. | I saw him yesterday. | Definite past time = Simple Past |
| Past Perfect misuse | After he ate lunch, he had gone out. | After he ate lunch, he went out. | Sequential past actions = Simple Past for both |
| Since with wrong tense | I am living here since 2020. | I have been living here since 2020. | Since + Present Perfect Continuous |
| Future in time clauses | I will call you when I will reach. | I will call you when I reach. | Time clauses use present tense for future |
5. Preposition & Article Common Mistakes
| Error Type | Common Wrong Usage | Correct Usage | Memory Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good at vs Good in | She is good in mathematics. | She is good at mathematics. | People are "good at" subjects |
| Depend on (not of) | It depends of the weather. | It depends on the weather. | Always "depend on" |
| Discuss (no preposition) | Let's discuss about the project. | Let's discuss the project. | "Discuss" is transitive - no preposition |
| Reach (no preposition) | We reached to the station. | We reached the station. | "Reach" is transitive |
| A vs An before "h" | It is a hour-long class. | It is an hour-long class. | Silent "h" = use "an" |
| The before unique things | Moon is very bright tonight. | The moon is very bright tonight. | Unique objects need "the" |
| No article before meals | I have the breakfast at 8. | I have breakfast at 8. | General meals = no article |
🎯 Common Grammar Errors Challenge
Identify and correct the errors in these sentences.
1. Each of the students have completed their homework.
Reason: "Each" is singular, needs singular verb "has" and singular pronoun "his or her".
2. The data shows that children learns faster when they're having fun.
Reason: "Data" is plural (datum is singular). "Children" is plural, needs plural verb "learn".
3. Neither Ram nor his friends is coming to the party.
Reason: With "neither/nor", the verb agrees with the nearest subject ("friends" - plural).
4. She is taller then me, but I am more stronger in studies.
Reason: "Than" for comparisons, not "then". "More stronger" is double comparative - just "stronger".
5. I have been living in Delhi since five years.
Reason: "Since" for point in time, "for" for duration. "Five years" is a duration.
7. Memory Aids & Quick Tips
Its vs It's Trick:
• If you can replace it with "it is" or "it has", use it's
• If it shows possession (like his, her, their), use its
• Example: The cat licked its paws. (Can't say "The cat licked it is paws")
• Example: It's raining today. (Can say "It is raining today")
Subject-Verb Agreement Shortcuts:
1. Find the real subject (ignore prepositional phrases)
2. Singular subject + singular verb (adds 's' in present tense)
3. Plural subject + plural verb (no 's' in present tense)
4. Test: "He/She/It" = singular, "They" = plural
5. Words ending in -one, -body, -thing are always singular
Common Preposition Fixes:
• Good at (not in) subjects/skills
• Interested in (not for)
• Different from (not than)
• Depend on (not of)
• Arrive at (building), Arrive in (city/country)
Learn these as fixed pairs
📝 Practice Common Grammar Errors
Master common grammar errors with our comprehensive worksheet covering all error types!
Go to Common Grammar Errors WorksheetIncludes answer key • Subject-verb agreement • Tense errors • Preposition mistakes • Article errors • Homophones
