Common English Grammar Mistakes That You Should Avoid
If you can’t convey your thoughts in writing while using the English language, you may find it hard to pass off as a genuine intellect to others you come into contact with. Learning English grammar is important in proving your intelligence, and there are many tests of such intelligence to be aware of.
Possession is a common theme in the English language. When you are showing possession with “your,” don’t confuse it with “you’re” or “you are.” Many people, even native speakers, will forget this rule. An example with both words in a sentence would be “The book is yours, but you’re required to keep it clean.” If it helps you at all, mentally replace the contraction with the phrase “you are” to see if it fits correctly.
“There” and “their” is another grammar just waiting to happen. When you use “there” you are indicated a location, while “their” is used to shown ownership of some sort. This one is easy to get down, and an example sentence would be “There are three brothers in the family, but each of their personalities is different.”
Sometimes even the professionals can get tripped up on the proper usage of some words. “Effect” and “affect” is a pair of words that tend to do this. When you use the two words, always remember that “affect” is going to be a verb, and it will do action in a sentence, such as “Germs affect health.” On the other hand we have “effect,” which is a noun or adjective, and is used in a case such as “The effect of being sick is missing school or work.”
Don’t fret if you are having problems with some of the more advance English grammar rules. Some take time and practice, while others involve actually learning how words sound. An example is with “a” and “an.” We use “an” when the word succeeding it sounds like it has a vowel sound. You would type “an hour,” for instance. Just looking at the word you may get confused, since “hour” starts with an “h” – but with practice you can avoid such errors.
The American youth typically get the difference between “good” and “well” wrong. If asked how you are feeling, and you wish to convey you are doing well, you do not say “I am doing good.” Instead you would say “I am doing well,” since well is a noun, while “good” is an adjective. Obviously the context would be out of place.
In Conclusion
The English language is a tough one to master. Don’t give up in your struggle to succeed in English, and in as little as a year it’s safe to say you can have the majority of the language down. Keep up with your practice and you will see results.
Learn more about Learn English Online and Online English Tests.
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