Most Common Student Grammar Mistakes

Common Grammar Mistakes Common Grammar Mistakes When you write a paper, dissertation, essay or even your own book, one of the things that require great attention is grammar. It can be tricky, especially if English is not your first language. The same problem is encountered by international students who must complete a coursework or write an academic report in English. Below is a list of top mistakes that even English speaking writers can make.   Mistake   Explanation   i.e. or e.g   i.e. = "in other words"; e.g. = "for example"   affect or effect   affect is a verb; effect is a noun   into or in   into implies movement; in does not   fewer or less   fewer = countable; less = uncountable   between or among   between implies separation; among implies a group   evidences   evidence is uncountable and always without "s"   compliment or complement   compliment = praise; complement = make something complete   insure or ensure   insure = protect against some risk; ensure = make sure   then or than   then implies time; than implies comparison   loose or lose   loose = not tight; lose = fail   peak or peek   peak = top; peek = glance   breath or breathe   breath = noun; breathe = verb   lead or led   lead = present; led = past; lead = noun (metal)   during or within   during implies duration; within implies a deadline   research or researches   research is uncountable   able or capable   able implies possibility; capable implies internal ability or skills   allow or enable   allow implies permission or allocation; enable implies giving power or means to do something   advice or advise   advice is a noun; advise is a verb   criteria or criterion   criteria is plural; criterion is singular   phenomena or phenomenon   phenomena is plural; phenomenon is singular   lie or lay   to lie = to place yourself; to lay = to place something   accept or except   to accept = to receive; except = to exclude   which or that   which = non-restrictive relative clause; that = restrictive relative clause   beside or besides   beside = next to; besides = in addition to (also)   bold or bald   bold = courageous; bald = without hair   capital or capitol   Capital = city; Capitol = building   by or until   by implies a deadline; until implies a state or period (completion is not required)   accessary or accessory   Accessary = accomplice (partner); Accessory = decoration   carrier or career   carrier = someone who carries something; career is the job progress   council or counsel   counsel = advise; council = group of people   any one or anyone   any one = any of a particular group; anyone = any person at all   any or some   any = negative association; some = positive association   reduce or decrease   reduce something (object); something decreases   rise or raise   to rise = to get up; to raise something (object is required)   discreet or discrete   discreet = careful; discrete = individual (separate)   decent or descent   decent = respectable; descent = process of going down   drought or draught   drought = dryness; draught = draft   enquire or inquire   to enquire = to ask; to inquire = to make a formal investigation   expand or expend   to expand = to widen; to expend = to spend   make or do   do implies actions, obligations, repetition; make implies creation of something (focus on results)   hard or hardly   hard = difficult; hardly = unlikely   later or latter   later = sometime in the future; latter = previous (the last one of a sequence)   message or massage   message = letter (email, text); massage = physical procedure   moral or morale   moral = "lesson learned" or ethical; morale = mental state   employer or employee   employer = the one who gives a job; employee = the one who takes a job   personal or personnel   personal = individual; personnel = staff   principle or principal   principle = rule; principal = main;   proceed or precede   to proceed = to continue; to precede = to come before something   some time or sometime   some time = a certain moment; sometime = indefinite time   wander or wonder   to wander = to roam (stray); wonder = miracle or to be interested in something   cite or site   to cite = to quote; site = place   loathe or loath   to loathe = to hate; loath = unwilling   waive or wave   to waive = to surrender something to someone; to wave = to make a hand motion If you are struggling with your paper or dissertation, let us know. We will be able to help you.