This is a list of ten grammar mistakes you should never make as a consistent writer. It makes it easier to write your work because you already know how to write it correctly, and it saves your editor typing time. These 10 mistakes, hints, and corrections come from Steven Frank's "The Pen Commandments: A Guide For The Beginning Writer."
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#1. "I" vs. "me"
Mistake: My parents give an allowance to my brother and I.
Hint: When in doubt, kick the other one out. If you kick out "my brother and," you're left with "My parents give an allowance to..." The answer is easy to hear: they given an allowance to me.
Correction: My parents give an allowance to my brother and me.
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#2. "Her" vs. "she"
Mistake: Her and me studied for our grammar test together.
Hint: When in doubt, kick the other one out. Her studied? Me studied? Not very hard.
Correction: She and I studied four our grammar test together.
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#3. "It's" vs. "its"
Mistake: The dog lost it's bone.
Hint: It's is a contraction of it is, not the possesive form of it. The possesive for of it is its.
Correction: It's a shame that the dog lost its bone.
#4. "You're" vs. "your"
Mistake: Your my best friend.
Hint: Your is the possesive form of you. You're is a contraction of you are.
Correction: You're my best friend, which is why I'm asking if I may borrow your car.
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#5. "Everybody"
Mistake: Everybody does their own thing.
Hint: Everybody means "every single body," so it has it take a singular possesive pronoun (his or her). If you think it's sexist to write his, try writing around the situation: We all get to do our own thing.
Correction: Everybody gets to do his own thing, or her own thing, but not their own thing.
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#6. “There” vs. “their” vs. "they're"
Mistake: The girls left they're purses over their. There so forgetful.
Hint: There is an adverb meaning not here, as in “over there.” Their is the possesive form of they, as in “their hair.” They're is the contraction of they are.
Correction: The girls left their purses over there. They're so forgetful.
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#7. “Hopefully”
Mistake: Hopefully you’ll master these ten basic lessons.
Hint: Hopefully is an adverb meaning “full of hope.” Who is full of hope in the sentence, you or I? You don’t master the lessons hopefully; you master them diligently or doggedly or meticulously.
Correction: I hope you’ll master these ten basic lessons.
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#8. “Badly” vs. “bad” & “good” vs. “well”
Mistake: Billy felt badly because he got an F on his grammar test.
Hint: Feel, in context of how you feel about something, is an emotion verb, not an action verb. (Grammar books call it a linking verb.) It takes an adjective, not an adverb. You feel happy today, or sad, or good or bad. But you don’t feel badly unless someone cuts off your hands. The only exception is your health. When you are healthy, you don’t feel good. You feel well. And whn you’re sick, you don’t feel bad, you feel unwell (or lousy or miserable). The good and bad feelings are the emotional ones; the well and unwell ones are physical.
Correction: [b]Billy felt bad because he got an F on his grammar test. He didn’t feel well because he got the flu.
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#9. “Lay” vs. “lie”
Mistake: I’m tired. I’m going to lay down.
Hint: Lay is the past tense of the verb lie, as in “lie down.” In the present tense, you lie down, or out in the sun, or on the couch. Lay also happens to be the present tense of the verb lay, as in “lay the money on the table.” (The past tense of this verb is laid). After the chicken lay down for a nap, it got up and laid an egg.
Correction: I’m tired. I’m going to lie down.
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#10. “Aggravate” vs. “irritate”
Mistake: These rules are so aggravating!
Hint: The verb aggravate means to “intensify or increase.” The verb irritate means “to annoy.” All these grammar rules might aggravate your headache, but if you don’t learn them, you will irritate your reader.
Correction: These rules are so irritating!
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