Did you ever go red hot in the face when someone corrected your grammar in the middle of a conversation? We’ve all been there. From mispronouncing words to using the wrong form of a tense, there are some silly mistakes that we often make in everyday life.
Well-read people also unknowingly make these common flubs. That doesn’t mean we don’t know the language. There is just some basic stuff that we all need to re-learn in order to perfect the art of speaking and writing English immaculately. And here it is. We assure that you’ll learn something new and bookmark this article for future reference.
1. It’s vs Its
It’s: contraction of ‘it is’
It’s raining.
Its: denotes possession
India is known for its cultural diversity.
2. Me vs I
This is a little tricky. Let’s understand this with the help of a few examples.
You can send that email to John and I. (Incorrect)
You can send that email to John and me. (Correct)
John and me are going to watch a movie. (Incorrect)
John and I are going to watch a movie. (Correct)
Do all of these sentences sound the same to you? Well, there is a slight difference between using ‘me’ and ‘I’. Read more about it here.
3. You’re vs Your
You’re: contraction of ‘you are’
You’re looking pretty.
Your: possessive form (means ‘belonging to you’)
This is your book.
4. Affect vs Effect
Affect: means ‘to influence’ (used as a verb)
Her criticism affected me.
Effect: means ‘an impact/change’ (used as a noun)
Her criticism had a deep effect on me.
5. They’re vs Their vs There
They’re: contraction for ‘they are’
They’re going to watch a movie.
Their: refers to something owned by two or more people
Their house is beautiful.
There: used when pointing to a place
Go and sit over there.
6. To vs Too
To: used as a preposition
We took the train to New Delhi.
Too: an adverb that can mean ‘excessively’ or ‘also’
This tea is too hot for me.
Is he coming too?
7. Lose vs Loose
Lose: means ‘to fail to win’ or ‘to misplace’
We’re going to lose the match.
I tend to lose things easily.
Loose: is an adjective that means ‘not tight’
She likes to wear loose clothes.
8. A lot vs Allot vs Alot
A lot: informal phrase meaning ‘many’
I have to tell you a lot of things.
Allot: means to ‘distribute’ or ‘give something to someone’
Sheila was allotted a little room in the house.
As for Alot, it’s not a word.
9. Then vs Than
Then: usually used to ‘indicate time’
I’d rather eat a pie first, and then a cupcake.
Than: used to make comparisons
I’d rather eat a pie than a cupcake.
10. Literally vs Figuratively
Some people throw this word around to intensify whatever they’re trying to say. So, if you say, “My head literally exploded,” you’d have to be dead for that to be true.
Literally: describes something that ‘actually happened’
Figuratively: describes something in a ‘metaphorical sense’
We literally have to stop using ‘literally’ so casually because misuse of ‘literally’ makes me figuratively insane. Get it?
GIFs: Giphy
Also Read: 15 Common English Words You Might Be Using Incorrectly!
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