Subject-Verb Agreement Errors: This occurs when the subject and verb in a sentence do not agree in number. For example, “The team are winning” should be “The team is winning” because “team” is a singular noun.
The most helpful tip I can offer is to always determine the correct subject and verb in the sentence and decide if each is singular or plural. Once you know, it is easy to make them agree. Often, a prepositional phrase occurs between the subject and verb, complicating the process.
Let’s look at this example sentence. One of the boys (is, are) going to help me.
If you’re not careful to remove the prepositional phrase, you might think that the plural noun “boys “and the plural verb “are” agree. This is wrong because the noun boys is not the subject.
If you find and remove the prepositional phrase before you determine subject/verb agreement, you will see that “one” is the subject. “One” is a singular pronoun, and it agrees with the singular verb “is.” One of the boys (is, are) going to help me.
Misplaced Modifiers: A modifier placed too far from the word it’s supposed to modify can create confusion or a completely different meaning. For instance, “She only eats apples” suggests that eating is all she does with apples, whereas “She eats only apples” clarifies that apples are the only thing she eats.
Misplaced modifiers often create humorous word pictures. For example: The children ran through the streets wearing Halloween costumes.
Confusion Between Homophones: Words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings often cause mistakes. Common examples include “they’re,” “their,” and “there,”; “your,” and “you’re,” and “its” and “it’s.” Misusing these can lead to misunderstandings or a lack of clarity in communication.
When you are unsure of which spelling to use, always consult a dictionary. Practice using common homophones correctly.
The five most common homonym errors often made in writing and speaking are:
1. There / Their / They’re
• There: Refers to a place or position (e.g., “The book is over there”).
• Their: Possessive form of “they” (e.g., “Their house is big”).
• They’re: Contraction of “they are” (e.g., “They’re going to the park”).
2. Your / You’re
• Your: Possessive form of “you” (e.g., “Your car is parked outside”).
• You’re: Contraction of “you are” (e.g., “You’re going to love this movie”).
3. Its / It’s
• Its: Possessive form of “it” (e.g., “The cat licked its paws”).
• It’s: Contraction of “it is” or “it has” (e.g., “It’s raining outside”).
4. To / Too / Two
• To: Preposition indicating direction or purpose (e.g., “I’m going to the store”).
• Too: Means “also” or “excessively” (e.g., “I want to go too” or “That’s too much”).
• Two: The number 2 (e.g., “I have two cats”).
5. Affect / Effect
• Affect: Usually a verb meaning “to influence” (e.g., “The weather will affect our plans”).
· Effect: Usually a noun meaning “the result” (e.g., “The effect of the storm was severe”).
You can download a FREE list of some of the most common homophones here.
Here are two resources you may find helpful.
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