10 Examples of Bad Grammar To Avoid

There are countless grammar guidelines in the English language. From English classes at home on misplaced modifiers and topic/verb agreement to rules on double negatives, there are lots of guidelines right here on  so that you can follow when writing absolutely anything. However, one of the best ways to be taught correct grammar is to evaluate examples of unhealthy grammar.

Verb Tense Errors

 occur whenever you use the mistaken verb tense. They are one of the most frequent grammar mistakes. The verb tense tells the reader of your sentences when the motion is happening - in the past, the current or the future. You have to be constant on verb tense, until there's some reason to make a change to a different tense. Some examples of verb tense errors embody:

• 
  

  
  I stroll to the shop and I bought milk. Walk is a present tense verb. Bought is a previous tense verb. "Bought" should be "buy," or "walk" must be "walked," since these two events happen at the identical time.

  
  


• 
  

  
  I will eat fish for dinner and drank milk. "Will eat" is a future tense verb, however "drank" is a previous tense verb. Since the dinner goes to happen in the future, it is not attainable that the milk was drunk already.

  
  


• 
  

  
  We all eat the fish after which made dessert. "Eat" is a present tense verb, but "made" is previous tense.

  
  

I walk to the store and I purchased milk. Walk is a gift tense verb. Bought is a past tense verb. "Bought" must be "purchase," or "stroll" should be "walked," since these two occasions happen at the same time.

I will eat fish for dinner and drank milk. "Will eat" is a future tense verb, however "drank" is a previous tense verb. Since the dinner goes to occur in the future, it is not attainable that the milk was drunk already.

Anna and Mike goes snowboarding. "Anna and Mike" are plural. "Is" is singular. The sentence ought to read, "Anna and Mike are going snowboarding."

Matt like fish. "Matt" is singular; "like" is plural. The sentence ought to read, "Matt likes fish."

We enjoys horror films. "We" is a plural pronoun. The sentence should learn, "We take pleasure in horror motion pictures."

For extra help with subject/verb settlement, check out our  and our . Once you've studied up, tackle our  to examine on your progress!

Pronoun Errors

Pronouns take the place of nouns in sentences. In order to keep away from a grammar error, the  that it's changing. Some examples of unhealthy grammar that happen due to noun/pronoun agreement errors include:

• 
  

  
  Anna and Pat are married; he has been together for 20 years. "Anna and Pat" are plural, whereas "he" is singular. The sentence should learn, "Anna and Pat are married; they have been collectively for 20 years."

  
  


• 
  

  
  I fed all of her fish, then cleaned its tank. In this sentence, "its" takes the place of the plural phrase "all of her fish." It ought to use a plural pronoun, as in, "I fed all of her fish, then cleaned their tank."

  
  


• 
  

  
  When the ladies on the group got to the resort, they dropped off her luggage. "Girls on the group" and "they" verify that this sentence has a plural topic, so the singular "her" in "her luggage" is wrong. The sentence should read, "When the girls on the staff obtained to the lodge, they dropped off their luggage."

  
  

Anna and Pat are married; he has been collectively for 20 years. "Anna and Pat" are plural, whereas "he" is singular. The sentence ought to read, "Anna and Pat are married; they've been collectively for 20 years."

I fed all of her fish, then cleaned its tank. In this sentence, "its" takes the place of the plural phrase "all of her fish." It ought to use a plural pronoun, as in, "I fed all of her fish, then cleaned their tank."

When the girls on the staff obtained to the resort, they dropped off her baggage. "Girls on the staff" and "they" confirm that this sentence has a plural subject, so the singular "her" in "her luggage" is wrong. The sentence ought to read, "When the ladies on the staff obtained to the hotel, they dropped off their luggage."

To double examine this challenging side of English grammar, take a look at 

Double Negatives

 are a basic example of poor grammar. Some examples embrace:

• 
  

  
  I can't hardly believe what she mentioned. "Can't" and "hardly" are each unfavorable constructions. The correct type is both, "I can't consider what she stated" or, "I can hardly imagine what she said."

  
  


• 
  

  
  I don't need no pudding. Technically speaking, since two negatives cancel one another out, saying, "I don't need no pudding" signifies that you do need pudding. Instead, the sentence ought to read, "I don't want pudding" or, "I don't need any pudding."

  
  


• 
  

  
  I won't do nothing. In English, saying "I received't do nothing" is synonymous with "I will do something." To categorical a unfavorable, the sentence ought to learn "I will do nothing."

  
  

I can't hardly believe what she said. "Can't" and "hardly" are each negative constructions. The correct form is both, "I can't believe what she mentioned" or, "I can hardly believe what she said."

Because I ate dinner. This is a sentence fragment as a result of it doesn't specific a complete thought. What happened because you ate dinner?

I by accident. You accidentally what? Lacking a verb and an object, the reader merely doesn't understand what the sentence is meant to say.

Jumped excessive. This is a sentence fragment as a result of the reader does not know who jumped excessive.

• 
  

  
  I went to the store I got milk and cookies. Both "I went to the shop" and "I got milk and cookies" are independent clauses. To keep away from a run-on sentence, either link the two with a semicolon - "I went to the shop; I obtained milk and cookies" - or break them into two separate sentences.

  
  


• 
  

  
  We drove all day within the van, we drove 206 miles to get to our cabin. This is a textbook comma splice. "We drove all day in the van" and "We drove 206 miles to get to our cabin" could be standalone sentences and should not be joined with a easy comma.

  
  


• 
  

  
  We got to the cabin and we unpacked our things and we constructed a campfire and we made dinner and we slept beneath the celebs. This is an instance of , the overuse of conjunctions: in this case, the phrase "and" is used four instances. Polysyndeton is usually a deliberate literary gadget, however in this case, it's merely overextending the sentence.

  
  

I went to the shop I obtained milk and cookies. Both "I went to the shop" and "I received milk and cookies" are independent clauses. To avoid a run-on sentence, both link the two with a semicolon - "I went to the store; I received milk and cookies" - or break them into two separate sentences.

We drove all day within the van, we drove 206 miles to get to our cabin. This is a textbook comma splice. "We drove all day within the van" and "We drove 206 miles to get to our cabin" could be standalone sentences and should not be joined with a simple comma.

• 
  

  
  Frustrated, the chairs took me forever to arrange. A modifier should all the time be as shut as attainable to the thing it modifies. Since the speaker within the sentence is frustrated (not the chairs), the sentence ought to put the speaker and the modifier closer together. For example, "I was annoyed by how long the chairs took me to arrange."

  
  


• 
  

  
  When they have been lastly all together, students draped the chairs in bunting. This is a traditional dangling modifier, because the phrase "once they had been lastly all collectively" might modify "college students" or "chairs."

  
  


• 
  

  
  Sleeping within the orchard, a serpent stung me. Remember how we stated misplaced modifiers may occur to anyone, even experts? That's William Shakespeare himself with a dangling modifier: was the serpent or the speaker sleeping in the orchard?

  
  

Frustrated, the chairs took me endlessly to set up. A modifier should always be as shut as potential to the factor it modifies. Since the speaker within the sentence is pissed off (not the chairs), the sentence ought to put the speaker and the modifier nearer collectively. For example, "I was annoyed by how long the chairs took me to set up."

When they have been lastly all collectively, college students draped the chairs in bunting. This is a classic dangling modifier, because the phrase "after they have been lastly all together" could modify "students" or "chairs."

Sleeping in the orchard, a serpent stung me. Remember how we mentioned misplaced modifiers could happen to anyone, even consultants? That's William Shakespeare himself with a dangling modifier: was the serpent or the speaker sleeping in the orchard?

Modifiers may be difficult, which is why we've invested plenty of time and work into explaining them. We have loads of , plus recommendation on . Need assist with  particularly? No problem! Have a have a look at these  too.

Apostrophes

As apostrophes serve two essential and really totally different features in English - either to kind a conjunction or to make a phrase possessive - they are often very simple to make use of incorrectly.

• 
  

  
  The girls's soccer sport was delayed by rain. This is the classic error in forming a possessive with an apostrophe. Plural nouns require only an apostrophe to be possessive, not an apostrophe and an "s." The sentence should learn, "The girls' soccer sport was delayed by rain."

  
  


• 
  

  
  The staff' striker scored the profitable aim. This error is the reverse of the above. Even although there are multiple ladies, there is only one staff, so it's handled as singular. Thus, the sentence ought to check with the staff's striker."

  
  


• 
  

  
  Its the team's first win this season.  will be the most commonly confused words in English. And, all of it comes right down to an apostrophe. "Its" means "belonging to it." "It's" is a contraction of "it's." Remember, until you possibly can replace it with the words "it is," it must be spelled "its."

  
  

The ladies's soccer game was delayed by rain. This is the basic error in forming a possessive with an apostrophe. Plural nouns require only an apostrophe to be possessive, not an apostrophe and an "s." The sentence ought to read, "The women' soccer recreation was delayed by rain."

The group' striker scored the successful goal. This error is the reverse of the above. Even though there are multiple girls, there is only one group, so it's treated as singular. Thus, the sentence ought to discuss with the team's striker."

Its the staff's first win this season.  may be the mostly confused phrases in English. And, it all comes down to an apostrophe. "Its" means "belonging to it." "It's" is a contraction of "it is." Remember, except you possibly can substitute it with the words "it's," it ought to be spelled "its."

There's extra to apostrophe use in English than is addressed in this quick article. Explore the subject in depth by studying these  and examples of .

Overuse of Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase is a phrase starting with a preposition. They're basic to written English. In reality, "to written English" is itself a prepositional phrase! They are usually used to add context (as above) or to offer further data. However, like all grammatical construct, prepositional phrases could be misused. Consider this sentence:

With malice towards none, towards future dietary decisions, past any need for alternate meals, I made a sandwich.

This is a deliberately foolish - we'd say  - example of a real drawback in writing. Using too many prepositional phrases weighs down your writing without adding something essential.

Read our in-depth analysis of  for extra on this subject.

Confusing Words

English is rich in , ,  and just plain confusing word decisions. Learning these sometimes subtle differences is the mark of a real grasp of the language.

• 
  

  
  Since your going out, you should examine the climate on you're telephone. This sentence has "your" and "you're" backward. "Your" is a possessive; it means "one thing belonging to you." "You're" is a contraction; it means "you're."

  
  


• 
  

  
  There automotive broke down so their hitching a journey to they're class. The writer has confused , an adverb which means "at that place"; , an adjective meaning "belonging to them"; and "," a contraction of the pronoun "they" and the verb "are."

  
  


• 
  

  
  Can they ride house with you? I received't drive them as a result of my car is in the store. The distinction between "can," "may," and "will" is commonly disregarded in dialog, but essential to get proper in formal writing. In English, "can" refers to precise bodily capability. "May" is commonly used to ask an individual for their permission. "Will" signifies that one thing is assured to occur. The sentence above ought to read, "May they journey residence with you? I can't drive them as a result of my automotive is in the shop."

  
  

Since your going out, you need to examine the weather on you're phone. This sentence has "your" and "you're" backward. "Your" is a possessive; it means "something belonging to you." "You're" is a contraction; it means "you are."

There automotive broke down so their hitching a journey to they're class. The writer has confused , an adverb which means "at that place"; , an adjective that means "belonging to them"; and "," a contraction of the pronoun "they" and the verb "are."

Can they experience home with you? I received't drive them because my automobile is in the store. The distinction between "can," "could," and "will" is commonly disregarded in conversation, however essential to get right in formal writing. In English, "can" refers to actual bodily capacity. "May" is usually used to ask an individual for their permission. "Will" signifies that one thing is assured to happen. The sentence above should read, "May they experience house with you? I can't drive them because my automotive is in the shop."

We've collected some repeat offenders in terms of  Take a take a look at our list and a few of the strangeness of English ought to become clearer for you.

Checking Your Grammar

These are just a few of the numerous examples of dangerous grammar. The finest method to make sure your individual writing is freed from poor grammar is to learn the grammar guidelines for the completely different parts of speech and how they fit together.

For more evaluation of special sorts of grammatical errors, take a look at our !