The 12 English Grammar Mistakes Learners Repeat Most

Priya Sharma

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

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Quick answer: Fix five things first: the missing s on he, she and it verbs, a and the, irregular past tenses, question word order, and make versus do. Those cause most misunderstandings. The rest of the common mistakes sound foreign but still leave your meaning clear.↗ Share on X

If you only have time to fix a few things in your English, fix these five first: the missing "s" on he/she/it verbs, "a" and "the", the past tense of irregular verbs, word order in questions, and the difference between "make" and "do". Those five cause most of the confusion that makes a listener stop and ask "sorry, what?" Everything else on this page is polish.

Below are the twelve mistakes learners repeat the most, each with the wrong version, the correct version, and a simple rule you can remember without grammar terms.

Which mistakes actually matter?

READ ALSOPick the Right English Tense for Daily Life Easily →Daily Conversation Practice Tips to Speak English Fluently Fast →How to Remember Irregular Verbs for Everyday Conversation →

Not all errors are equal. Some change the meaning, and some just sound a little off. Fix them in this order.

A person who makes only the third kind of mistake is already communicating well. Do not let a small mistake stop you from speaking.

1. Forgetting the "s" with he, she, and it

❌ He work at a bank.

✅ He works at a bank.

The rule: in the present tense, add "s" only with he, she, or it. I work, you work, we work, they work, but he works.

This is the most common mistake at every level, including advanced. The reason is speed: when you talk fast, the "s" is the first thing to disappear. Practice it out loud, not on paper.

2. Using "a" and "the" the wrong way

READ ALSOHow to Use “Have” and “Has” in English Questions Correctly →Easy Rules to Use A and An Without Mistakes →Quick Guide to Pick the Right English Grammar Book for Beginners →

❌ I am doctor. / I went to the school yesterday.

✅ I am a doctor. / I went to school yesterday.

Three rules that cover most cases:

• Use a or an the first time you mention something: "I bought a car."
• Use the after that, when both people know which one: "The car is red."
• Use no article for general ideas: "I like music", "Cats sleep a lot."

Jobs always take "a": I am a teacher, she is an engineer. If your first language does not use articles, expect this one to take months. That is normal.

3. Getting the past tense of irregular verbs wrong

❌ I goed to the store. / She buyed a phone.

✅ I went to the store. / She bought a phone.

There is no rule here. You memorize them. But you do not need all of them. Start with these twenty, which cover most everyday conversation:

Learn five a day for four days. Use each one in a sentence about your own life, not a sentence from a book. You remember what is true about you.

4. Wrong word order in questions

❌ Where you went yesterday? / You are ready?

✅ Where did you go yesterday? / Are you ready?

In English, questions flip the order or add a helper word. The pattern for most questions is:

Question word + do/did/does + subject + main verb

Where did you go? What does she want? Why do they wait?

The trap: once you use "did", the main verb goes back to its basic form. "Where did you went" is wrong because "did" already carries the past.

5. Mixing up "make" and "do"

❌ I need to make my homework.

✅ I need to do my homework.

Rough guide: make means you create something new. Do means you perform an activity.

These are fixed phrases. Do not translate them from your language, because they will not match.

6. Saying your age with "have"

❌ I have 25 years.

✅ I am 25 years old. (Or just: I am 25.)

In English, age uses "to be". The same goes for hunger, thirst, and cold: I am hungry, I am thirsty, I am cold. Many languages use "have" here, which is why this one sticks around for years.

7. Double negatives

❌ I don't know nothing. / She didn't say nothing.

✅ I don't know anything. / She didn't say anything.

One negative per sentence. If the verb is already negative ("don't", "didn't"), the second word becomes anything, anybody, anywhere, or ever.

You will hear double negatives in songs and in some casual speech. It is a style, not standard grammar. In a job interview or an email, use one negative.

8. Confusing "much" and "many"

❌ How much people came?

✅ How many people came?

Many for things you can count: many books, many friends, many hours.

Much for things you cannot count: much water, much time, much money.

When you are unsure, "a lot of" works for both and is always safe: a lot of people, a lot of water.

9. Using the present continuous with feeling verbs

❌ I am knowing the answer. / I am wanting coffee.

✅ I know the answer. / I want coffee.

Some verbs describe a state, not an action, and they do not usually take "-ing": know, want, need, like, love, hate, believe, understand, own, seem.

The famous exception you have seen in advertising is "I'm loving it". That is deliberate informal English. Do not build a rule on it.

10. Mixing "since" and "for"

❌ I live here since three years.

✅ I have lived here for three years. / I have lived here since 2023.

For goes with a length of time: for two hours, for a week, for ten years.

Since goes with a starting point: since Monday, since 2023, since I was a child.

Notice the verb changed too. When something started in the past and is still true, English uses "have" + past participle: I have lived, she has worked, we have known.

11. "Say" and "tell"

❌ He said me the truth. / She told that she was late.

✅ He told me the truth. / She said that she was late.

Simple test: tell needs a person right after it. Say does not.

Tell me, tell him, tell your boss. Say something, say hello, say that you are sorry.

12. Adjective before noun, always

❌ I bought a car red. / She has eyes beautiful.

✅ I bought a red car. / She has beautiful eyes.

In English the description comes first. If you use more than one adjective, the usual order is opinion, size, age, color, origin: "a nice big old brown Italian table". Native speakers do not think about this list, they just hear when it is wrong. You will too, with time.

How do you actually fix these?

Reading the list is not enough. Errors live in your mouth, not on the page. Here is a fifteen-minute routine that works because it uses your own sentences.

1. Pick one mistake per week. Only one. Trying to fix all twelve at once means fixing none.

2. Write ten sentences about your real life using that rule. Not exercises from a book, real facts: what you did yesterday, what your job is.

3. Read them out loud twice. Slowly the first time, at normal speed the second time.

4. Record yourself for one minute talking about your day. Listen back and count only that week's mistake.

5. Repeat on day two and day five. The gap between practice sessions is what moves the rule into long-term memory.

Speaking is where the fix has to land. You can pass a written test and still say "he work here" in a meeting, because writing gives you time to think and speaking does not.

Your next step, today

Read your last three messages in English, from work chat, email, or social media. Look only for mistake number one on this list: the missing "s" on he, she, and it.

Count how many you find. If you find any, that is your rule for this week. Write ten sentences about your family using he and she, read them out loud, and say them again tomorrow morning.

One rule a week is fifty rules a year. That is more than enough to sound clear and confident.

FAQ

Which English grammar mistake should I fix first?

The missing s on he, she, and it verbs. It is the most common error at every level and it is easy to correct once you practice it out loud instead of only on paper.

How long does it take to stop making these mistakes?

It depends on how often you speak, not on how much you study. Fixing one rule per week with ten real sentences and a short recording usually shows results within a month for that rule.

Do I need to learn all irregular verbs?

No. Start with about twenty common ones like go, have, do, get, make, say, see, come, take, and know. They cover most everyday conversation. Add more only when you meet them in real use.