Can You Spot the Grammar Mistake in These Sentences?

Grammar can be tricky, even for native English speakers. Many common mistakes slip through the cracks, making writing or speech sound awkward or unclear. In this blog post, we'll test your grammar skills with a fun challenge: Can you spot the grammar mistake in these sentences? See if you can identify the errors, and read the explanations to brush up on your grammar knowledge!

Why Grammar Matters

Understanding grammar is key to clear and effective communication. While casual conversations may not require perfect grammar, using the correct forms can make you sound more professional and confident. Plus, mastering grammar helps in writing essays, emails, and even social media posts. So, let's dive into some tricky sentences and see how you fare!

Sentence 1: “He gave the book to Sarah and I.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using I instead of me.

Corrected Sentence: “He gave the book to Sarah and me.”

Explanation:
The rule here is to use me when it’s the object of a sentence. An easy trick is to remove the other person’s name and see if the sentence makes sense: “He gave the book to me” sounds correct, while “He gave the book to I” does not.

Sentence 2: “Its a beautiful day outside.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using Its instead of It's.

Corrected Sentence: “It’s a beautiful day outside.”

Explanation:
It’s is a contraction for it is, while its is a possessive pronoun. In this sentence, we need the contraction to indicate that “it is” a beautiful day.

Sentence 3: “She should of called me earlier.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using should of instead of should have.

Corrected Sentence: “She should have called me earlier.”

Explanation:
Should of is a common mistake caused by the contraction should’ve, which sounds similar to should of. The correct form is should have because it’s a modal verb that pairs with have.

Sentence 4: “Each of the students have their own desk.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using have instead of has.

Corrected Sentence: “Each of the students has their own desk.”

Explanation:
Each is singular, so it should be followed by has instead of have. Even though students is plural, each makes the subject singular.

Sentence 5: “Between you and I, this is a secret.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using I instead of me.

Corrected Sentence: “Between you and me, this is a secret.”

Explanation:
The word between is a preposition, and prepositions should be followed by object pronouns like me, him, or her, not subject pronouns like I.

Sentence 6: “She is more taller than her brother.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using more taller instead of just taller.

Corrected Sentence: “She is taller than her brother.”

Explanation:
More and -er are both comparative forms, so using them together is redundant. You only need one: taller.

Sentence 7: “There is less people at the event this year.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using less instead of fewer.

Corrected Sentence: “There are fewer people at the event this year.”

Explanation:
Use fewer for countable nouns (like people) and less for uncountable nouns (like water). Since people can be counted, fewer is the correct word here.

Sentence 8: “Neither of the answers are correct.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using are instead of is.

Corrected Sentence: “Neither of the answers is correct.”

Explanation:
Neither is singular, so it should be followed by is rather than are. Even though answers is plural, neither refers to one option out of many.

Sentence 9: “He did good on the exam.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using good instead of well.

Corrected Sentence: “He did well on the exam.”

Explanation:
Good is an adjective, while well is an adverb. Since did is a verb, it should be modified by the adverb well.

Sentence 10: “Me and my friend went to the concert.”

What’s the mistake?
The mistake is using Me instead of I.

Corrected Sentence: “My friend and I went to the concert.”

Explanation:
When listing yourself and others as the subject of a sentence, use I, not me. It’s also polite to mention the other person first.

How Did You Do?

How many grammar mistakes did you catch? If you found some of these tricky, you’re not alone! Even advanced English learners struggle with some of these common mistakes. But the more you practice, the more natural these rules will become.

Tips for Improving Your Grammar

• Read Regularly: Reading books, articles, and blogs helps you see grammar in action and understand how sentences are structured.
• Use Grammar Checkers: Tools like Grammarly can help you catch mistakes and learn from them.
• Practice with Exercises: Grammar exercises can reinforce your understanding of the rules and help you avoid common mistakes.