Common Grammar Mistakes and How to Fix Them

By How to Build Tension in Every Scene
Comments 35
14 Jun 2026

Common Grammar Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Grammar advice has a reputation problem. It often arrives as a scolding rather than a craft note, as though a misplaced comma were a moral failing. But the writers I know who edit well are not rule-obsessives. They are simply readers who have learned to notice the small snags that pull a reader out of a sentence — and to fix them before anyone else sees the draft.

This is not about writing timidly. It is about removing friction, so that your voice, your characters and your arguments land cleanly. What follows are the errors I see most often in manuscripts from UK writers, and the practical corrections for each.

Punctuation: where clarity is won or lost

Most punctuation problems are not about obscure rules. They are about helping a reader hear the sentence the way you hear it in your head.

Comma splices. "She opened the letter, it was from her father." Two complete sentences joined by a comma. Fix it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a conjunction: "She opened the letter. It was from her father." Semicolons are underused in fiction and non-fiction alike; they are ideal when two clauses are tightly related.
Apostrophes. The test is simple: is it a contraction or a possessive? It's means "it is"; its is possessive. For plurals, the apostrophe goes after the s: the writers' group. Names ending in s can take either James's or James' — choose one and stay consistent.
Dashes and hyphens. A hyphen joins (a well-known author); a dash separates. Use an en dash for ranges (1990–1999) and em dashes — sparingly — for interruption. Three dashes in a paragraph is usually two too many.
Commas in lists. British publishing generally omits the serial comma unless it prevents ambiguity. "I thanked my editor, my agent and my mother" is fine — right up until the final item becomes a compound: "I thanked my editor, my agent, and my mother and father."

Agreement: keeping subjects and verbs in step

Agreement errors multiply when a phrase sits between the subject and the verb. The verb follows the subject, not the nearest noun.

A box of letters was on the table — not "were".
Collective nouns usually take a singular verb in British English when the group acts as one unit: The committee has decided. But a plural verb is acceptable when members act individually: The committee were divided. Be deliberate, not accidental.
With either… or and neither… nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject: Neither the editor nor the proofs were ready.
None can be singular or plural. Choose by sense: None of the chapters is finished (not one is) versus None of the readers were convinced.

Watch out for "there is" constructions, too. "There's three reasons" is common in speech but reads as an error on the page: write "There are three reasons".

Sentence structure: fragments, run-ons and stray modifiers

A sentence needs a subject and a finite verb. When one is missing, you have a fragment — occasionally effective for rhythm, usually just a mistake.

Run-ons go the other way: too many clauses and no clear structure. If a sentence runs past three lines, look for a natural full stop. Your reader will thank you, and so will your line editor.

The subtlest problem is the misplaced modifier. A participial phrase at the start of a sentence attaches to the subject that follows it.

Wrong: Having finished the chapter, the wine was poured. (The wine did not finish the chapter.)
Right: Having finished the chapter, she poured the wine.

Also check your parallel structures in lists: "She wanted to write, to publish and to be paid" reads cleanly; "She wanted to write, publishing, and payment" does not.

Word choices that quietly undermine you

Some errors survive because the wrong word sounds nearly right.

Its / it's — possessive versus contraction. Check every single one.
Your / you're — same principle, same frequency of error.
Affect / effect — affect is usually the verb, effect the noun.
Less / fewer — fewer for countable things (fewer drafts), less for quantities (less time).
Practise / practice — practise is the verb in British English, practice the noun.
That / which — use that for restrictive clauses (the version that sold) and which with a comma for extra information (the version, which sold well).
Lay / lie — you lay something down; you lie down yourself. Past tense: laid and lay.

How to catch these errors in one editing pass

Reading for grammar and reading for story use different parts of your attention, so separate them. Finish the draft first; edit later.

Read aloud or use your device's read-aloud function. Your ear catches comma splices and clunky agreement faster than your eye.
Search for your own habits. Use the find function for "it's", "there's", "which", "that" and any word you know you overuse. You will find most of your errors in minutes.
Work backwards, sentence by sentence, on any paragraph that feels muddy. Reading out of order stops you skimming.
Know your weakness. Most writers make the same four or five mistakes repeatedly. Fix those and your prose lifts immediately.

Grammar is not the enemy of voice; it is the scaffolding that lets voice carry. Fix the mechanics, and the reader stops noticing the sentences and starts noticing what you are actually saying.

Editing

How to Start a Writing Routine That Actually Sticks

Set clear boundaries, document all agreements, and communicate professionally when projects change scope or payments arrive unexpectedly late.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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