Common English Mistakes Students Make (And How to Fix Them)

Students worldwide tend to make similar English mistakes. Some patterns emerge from translating from other languages, while others come from not understanding grammar rules fully. In this guide, we've identified the most common mistakes and how to fix them. Awareness is the first step to improvement!

Mistake 1: Using Extra Prepositions

Common pattern: "Where are you coming from?" What's correct: "Where are you coming from?" OR "From where are you coming?" (less natural in modern English)

The problem: We often add prepositions that aren't needed because our native languages may require them.

More examples:

• Wrong: "I will tell about this to you."
• Correct: "I will tell you about this."

Wrong: "She asked about from me."

Correct: "She asked me about it."

Mistake 2: Confusing "Since" and "For"

Since = starting point in time For = duration of time Wrong: "I am studying here since 5 years." Correct: "I have been studying here for 5 years." Wrong: "I haven't met him for 2018." Correct: "I haven't met him since 2018." Rule: Use "for" with numbers of time units (hours, days, years). Use "since" with specific dates or starting points.

Mistake 3: Wrong Use of Articles

Many languages don't have articles, so students often forget them.

Wrong: "I go to school every day." (sounds okay, but technically incomplete) Correct: "I go to the school every day." or "I go to school every day." (both work, but context matters) Wrong: "A Taj Mahal is beautiful." Correct: "The Taj Mahal is beautiful." (unique things need "the") Wrong: "I am doctor." Correct: "I am a doctor."

Mistake 4: Wrong Word Order in Questions

Students often use statement word order in questions.

Wrong: "What you are doing?" Correct: "What are you doing?" Wrong: "Where you live?" Correct: "Where do you live?" Rule: In English questions, the helping verb comes before the subject.

Mistake 5: Confusing "Some" and "Any"

Some = used in positive sentences Any = used in negative sentences and questions Wrong: "Do you have some books?" (should indicate we don't know) Correct: "Do you have any books?" Wrong: "I don't have some money." Correct: "I don't have any money." Wrong: "Would you like any tea?" (sounds like you don't expect them to want it) Correct: "Would you like some tea?"

Mistake 6: Wrong Verb Forms with "Used To"

Used to = something happened regularly in the past, but doesn't happen now Wrong: "She use to study hard." (wrong verb form) Correct: "She used to study hard." Important: "Used to" always takes the base verb, and the "d" is necessary!

Mistake 7: Mixing Tenses Within Sentences

Wrong: "Yesterday I went to the park and I am playing cricket." Correct: "Yesterday I went to the park and I played cricket." Wrong: "She studied hard and she gets good marks." Correct: "She studied hard and she got good marks." (both past) Rule: Keep tenses consistent when talking about the same time period.

Mistake 8: Subject-Verb Disagreement

Wrong: "The group of students are going." (group is singular) Correct: "The group of students is going." (when group acts as one unit) OR "The group of students are going." (when members act individually - both acceptable) Wrong: "Each student have a book." Correct: "Each student has a book." Wrong: "Neither of them are coming." Correct: "Neither of them is coming."

Mistake 9: Wrong Preposition Usage

Different prepositions for common phrases confuse many students.

Wrong: "I depend in you." Correct: "I depend on you." Wrong: "I agree to your idea." Correct: "I agree with you." (agree with a person, agree to a plan) Wrong: "She is afraid of the dark." Correct: "She is afraid of the dark." Common Preposition Phrases:

Agree with (person), agree to (plan)

Blame for (responsibility), blame on (cause)

Depend on (rely on)

Interested in

Angry with (person), angry about (situation)

Mistake 10: Confusing "Affect" and "Effect"

Affect = verb, means "to influence" Effect = noun, means "a result" Wrong: "How will this efect you?" Correct: "How will this affect you?" Wrong: "What is the affect of studying?" Correct: "What is the effect of studying?" Easy way: Affect is a verb. Effect is a noun (result).

Mistake 11: Not Using Apostrophes for Contractions

Wrong: "I dont like reading." Correct: "I don't like reading." Wrong: "Shell be here soon." Correct: "She'll be here soon." Common Contractions:

do not = don't

does not = doesn't

will not = won't (irregular!)

can not = cannot (or can't)

is not = isn't

she will = she'll

Mistake 12: Using "Will" for Past Habitual Actions

Wrong: "In childhood, I will play cricket daily." Correct: "In childhood, I used to play cricket daily." or "In childhood, I would play cricket daily." Rule: For past habits, use "used to" or "would," not "will."

Mistake 13: Confusing "Might" and "May"

May = permission or probability (more likely) Might = possibility (less likely) Wrong: "You might go if you want." (sounds wrong - should ask permission) Correct: "You may go if you want." Wrong: "It may rain tomorrow." (could work, but might is more uncertain) Correct: "It might rain tomorrow." (less certain) or "It may rain tomorrow." (possible)

Mistake 14: Wrong "Go" Phrases

Wrong: "Let's go for cinema." Correct: "Let's go to the cinema." or "Let's go to a movie." Wrong: "I will go Delhi tomorrow." Correct: "I will go to Delhi tomorrow." Wrong: "Where are you going at?" Correct: "Where are you going?" (no preposition needed)

Mistake 15: Incorrect Question Tags

Wrong: "You are happy, isn't it?" Correct: "You are happy, aren't you?" Rule: The question tag must agree with the subject and tense of the sentence.

Positive statement → Negative tag: "She is smart, isn't she?"

Negative statement → Positive tag: "He isn't coming, is he?"

Self-Correction Checklist

Before submitting any written work, check for these common mistakes:

[ ] Articles (a, an, the) in place

[ ] Tense consistency

[ ] Subject-verb agreement

[ ] Correct prepositions

[ ] Question word order

[ ] Apostrophes in contractions

[ ] Since vs. for

[ ] Affect vs. effect

[ ] Extra prepositions removed

[ ] Some vs. any usage

Practice Correcting Sentences

Try to find and correct the mistakes in these sentences:

1. "I am studying in this school since 10 years."
2. "Where you are going?"
3. "The team of players are ready."
4. "What is the effect of this medicine on you?"
5. "She dont like coffee."

Quiz to Test Your Knowledge

Test yourself with our English quizzes and identify your weak areas. Then practice specifically on those topics!

FAQ: Questions About These Mistakes