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Grammar & Style - Common Mistakes Cheatsheet

A comprehensive cheat sheet addressing common grammar and style mistakes in writing. Covering topics from subject-verb agreement to proper use of commas and apostrophes, this guide provides clear explanations and examples to help improve your writing skills.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Basic Agreement

Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.

Correct: The dog barks.
Incorrect: The dog bark.

Compound subjects joined by ‘and’ usually take a plural verb.

Correct: John and Mary are going to the store.
Incorrect: John and Mary is going to the store.

When subjects are joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

Correct: Neither the students nor the teacher is here.
Correct: Neither the teacher nor the students are here.

Indefinite Pronouns

Singular indefinite pronouns (e.g., everyone, someone, nobody) take singular verbs.

Correct: Everyone is ready.
Incorrect: Everyone are ready.

Plural indefinite pronouns (e.g., several, few, both) take plural verbs.

Correct: Several are coming.
Incorrect: Several is coming.

Some indefinite pronouns (e.g., some, any, all, most) can be singular or plural, depending on the noun they refer to.

Correct: Some of the pie is gone. (singular)
Correct: Some of the cookies are gone. (plural)

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns (e.g., team, family, committee) can be singular or plural, depending on whether they are acting as a unit or as individuals.

Acting as a unit (singular): The team is playing well.
Acting as individuals (plural): The team are arguing among themselves.

Pronoun Agreement & Usage

Pronoun Agreement

A pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent.

Correct: The student finished his homework.
Incorrect: The student finished their homework.

Use singular pronouns with singular indefinite pronouns.

Correct: Everyone should bring his or her own lunch.
Correct (gender-neutral): Everyone should bring their own lunch.

Pronoun Case

Subjective pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) are used as subjects of verbs.

Correct: He and I went to the store.
Incorrect: Him and me went to the store.

Objective pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) are used as objects of verbs or prepositions.

Correct: The teacher gave the books to her and me.
Incorrect: The teacher gave the books to she and I.

Possessive pronouns (mine, his, hers, ours, theirs) show ownership.

Correct: The car is theirs.
Incorrect: The car is their’s.

Who vs. Whom

‘Who’ is used as a subject; ‘whom’ is used as an object.

Correct: Who is at the door? (subject)
Correct: To whom did you give the book? (object)

Tip: If you can replace ‘who/whom’ with ‘he/him’, use ‘who’ if ‘he’ works and ‘whom’ if ‘him’ works.

Commonly Confused Words

Affect vs. Effect

‘Affect’ is usually a verb meaning to influence.

Correct: The weather affects my mood.

‘Effect’ is usually a noun meaning a result or consequence.

Correct: The effect of the medicine was immediate.

‘Effect’ can also be a verb, meaning to bring about or accomplish (less common).

Correct: The new policy effected positive change.

Its vs. It's

‘Its’ is a possessive pronoun.

Correct: The dog wagged its tail.

‘It’s’ is a contraction of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.

Correct: It’s raining outside.

There, Their, and They're

‘There’ indicates a place or existence.

Correct: The book is over there.
Correct: There are many stars in the sky.

‘Their’ is a possessive pronoun.

Correct: They love their parents.

‘They’re’ is a contraction of ‘they are’.

Correct: They’re going to the park.

Punctuation Pitfalls

Comma Splices

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined only by a comma.

Incorrect: The sun was shining, the birds were singing.

Correct by using a semicolon, a conjunction, or by making two separate sentences.

Correct: The sun was shining; the birds were singing.
Correct: The sun was shining, and the birds were singing.
Correct: The sun was shining. The birds were singing.

Apostrophe Errors

Use apostrophes to indicate possession.

Correct: The dog’s bone.
Correct: The students’ books.

Do not use apostrophes for simple plurals.

Incorrect: The dog’s are playing.
Correct: The dogs are playing.

Use apostrophes to indicate contractions.

Correct: It’s a beautiful day.
Correct: They’re going home.

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that does not clearly modify the word it is intended to modify.

Incorrect: Walking down the street, the building was very tall. (Who was walking?)
Correct: Walking down the street, I noticed the building was very tall.
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