English LearningUpdated 2026-09-158 min read

English Grammar Checklist: The 10 Mistakes to Fix First

Priya Sharma writes English learning guides for ESL students. Pune-based language enthusiast.

Visual representation of the voice · not a photographic portrait

Quick answer: Fix subject-verb agreement, verb tense, articles (a, an, the), and question word order first, because they appear in almost every sentence. Then check few vs. a few, in/on/at for time, and pairs like its and it's.↗ Share on X

If you want to fix your English grammar fast, check these first: subject-verb agreement (*she works*, not *she work*), verb tense (*I went yesterday*, not *I go yesterday*), articles (*a*, *an*, *the*), and word order in questions (*Where do you live?*). After those four, look at countable vs. uncountable nouns (*few* vs. *little*), prepositions of time (*in*, *on*, *at*), and common confusing pairs like *its/it's*. These mistakes show up the most and change how people understand you. The checklist below explains each one with short examples and a quick self-test.

Why start with these mistakes and not others?

#	What to check	Why it matters
1	Subject-verb agreement	Very common, easy to hear
2	Verb tense	Changes the meaning (past vs. now)
3	Articles: a, an, the	Used in almost every sentence
4	Question word order	Needed for every conversation
5	Few, a few, little, a little	Can flip the meaning
6	In, on, at for time	Used daily for plans
7	Its/it's, your/you're, there/their/they're	Big in writing
8	Adjective order and position	Makes speech sound natural
9	Double negatives	Sounds wrong in standard English
10	Run-on sentences	Makes writing hard to follow

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1. Does your verb match your subject?

In the present tense, add -s or -es to the verb when the subject is *he*, *she*, *it*, or one person or thing.

❌ She work at a hospital.
✅ She works at a hospital.
❌ My brother don't like coffee.
✅ My brother doesn't like coffee.

Watch for tricky subjects:

*Everyone*, *everybody*, *nobody*, and *each* are singular: Everyone is here.
*People* and *police* are plural: People are waiting.
When a phrase sits between the subject and verb, find the real subject: The box of apples is heavy. (The box is heavy, not the apples.)

Quick test: Read your sentence and cover everything except the subject and the verb. Does "box is" or "box are" sound right?

2. Are you using the right tense?

Time	Form	Example
Finished past, specific time	Simple past	I visited my aunt last week.
Past, time not important or still connected to now	Present perfect	I have visited London twice.
Habits and facts	Simple present	I visit my aunt every Sunday.
Right now	Present continuous	I am visiting my aunt now.
Future plans	Going to / will	I am going to visit her tomorrow.

3. Did you use a, an, or the correctly?

Articles are hard if your first language doesn't have them. Here's the short version:

1. A / an = one thing, not specific, first time you mention it. *I bought a car.*

2. The = a specific thing, or something the listener already knows. *The car is red.*

3. No article = general plural or uncountable things. *Cars are expensive. Water is important.*

*A* or *an* depends on the sound, not the letter:

an hour (the *h* is silent)
a university (it starts with a "you" sound)
an umbrella, a uniform

Common mistake: ❌ She is teacher. ✅ She is a teacher. Jobs need *a* or *an* in English.

4. Is your question in the right order?

In most English questions, the helper verb comes before the subject.

❌ Where you live?
✅ Where do you live?
❌ Why she is late?
✅ Why is she late?
❌ What time the store opens?
✅ What time does the store open?

Pattern: Question word + helper verb (do/does/did/is/are/can) + subject + main verb

There's one exception to remember. When the question word *is* the subject, you don't need *do*:

✅ Who called you? (Not: Who did call you?)
✅ What happened?

And in indirect questions, go back to normal order: *Can you tell me where the bank is?*

5. Few or a few? Little or a little?

This small word changes the whole feeling of your sentence.

Few / little = not enough, almost none (negative feeling)
A few / a little = some, enough (positive feeling)

Word	Use with	Example	Meaning
few	countable nouns	I have few friends here.	I feel lonely.
a few	countable nouns	I have a few friends here.	I have some. That's nice.
little	uncountable nouns	There is little time.	We need to hurry.
a little	uncountable nouns	There is a little time.	We can relax a bit.

Countable nouns can be counted: *apples, friends, books*. Uncountable nouns can't be counted one by one: *water, money, advice, information*.

❌ Can you give me a few advice?
✅ Can you give me a little advice? (or some advice)

6. In, on, or at for time?

Think of it as big, medium, and small:

1. In = big periods: in July, in 2025, in the summer, in the morning

2. On = days and dates: on Monday, on May 5th, on my birthday

3. At = exact times: at 7 p.m., at noon, at night

Two things to remember:

No preposition before *today*, *tomorrow*, *yesterday*, *next*, *last*, or *every*: ❌ on next Friday → ✅ next Friday.
*At the weekend* is British. Americans say on the weekend.

7. Its or it's? Your or you're?

These mistakes are invisible in speech but very visible in writing. Many native speakers make them too.

Short form (with apostrophe)	Means	Possessive (no apostrophe)	Means
it's	it is / it has	its	belonging to it
you're	you are	your	belonging to you
they're	they are	their	belonging to them
who's	who is	whose	belonging to whom

*There* is a place or starts a sentence: There is a problem.

Quick test: Replace the word with the long form. "It is color is blue" doesn't make sense, so you need its: *Its color is blue.*

8. Are your adjectives in the right place?

In English, adjectives usually go before the noun.

❌ I have a car red.
✅ I have a red car.

When you use several adjectives, native speakers follow a natural order. You don't need to memorize the full list. This short version covers most sentences:

Opinion → Size → Age → Color → Material → Noun

✅ a beautiful big old house
✅ a small black leather bag

Adjectives also don't take a plural *-s*: ❌ reds shoes → ✅ red shoes.

9. Are you using two negatives?

In standard English, one negative word is enough.

❌ I don't know nothing.
✅ I don't know anything. / I know nothing.
❌ She didn't see nobody.
✅ She didn't see anybody.

You'll hear double negatives in songs and some local dialects. For school, work, and exams, use one.

10. Is your sentence too long without a break?

A run-on sentence joins two complete ideas with no proper connection.

❌ I was tired I went to bed.
❌ I was tired, I went to bed. (A comma alone isn't enough.)

Fix it one of three ways:

1. Use a period: I was tired. I went to bed.

2. Use a connecting word: I was tired, so I went to bed.

3. Use a semicolon: I was tired; I went to bed.

For beginners, option 1 or 2 is easiest.

How do you actually use this checklist?

Reading rules helps. Using them helps more. Try this 15-minute routine a few times a week:

1. Write 5 sentences about your day. Keep them simple.

2. Check one rule at a time. First read only for subject-verb agreement. Then read again only for tense. One focus per read.

3. Mark each mistake with the rule number from the table above.

4. Count your marks. The number that shows up most is your personal weak spot.

5. Practice that one rule for a week before moving on.

You can also record yourself speaking for one minute, then listen back and check rules 1, 2, and 4. Speaking mistakes are easier to catch when you hear them later.

Your next step

Pick rule number 1 today. Write three sentences about a friend or family member using *he* or *she* with present tense verbs, like *My sister lives in Chicago and works at a bank.* Check every verb for the -s. When you can do that without thinking, move to rule 2 and write three sentences about last weekend.

FAQ

What is the most common English grammar mistake?

Subject-verb agreement is one of the most common, especially forgetting the -s with he, she, or it in the present tense, like saying 'she work' instead of 'she works'.

What is the difference between few and a few?

'Few' means not enough and sounds negative: 'I have few friends.' 'A few' means some and sounds positive: 'I have a few friends.' Both are used with countable nouns.

How can I check my own grammar?

Write a few simple sentences, then read them once for each rule, one rule at a time. Mark mistakes by rule number and practice the rule that appears most often.