Common Errors in English Sentences

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 121 views

Introduction

English is a widely spoken language, and its rules and regulations are followed by millions of people around the world. However, despite its popularity, many people struggle with the correct usage of English sentences. In this article, we will discuss five common errors in English sentences and provide corrections for each of them.

Error (i): "I saw many gooses in the park."

The error in this sentence is the use of the word "gooses" instead of "geese." Geese is the correct plural form of the word "goose," which refers to a type of waterfowl. The word "gooses" is a common error, but it is not a valid word in the English language.

Corrected Sentence: "I saw many geese in the park."

Error (ii): "Ramu is one of the tallest boy."

The error in this sentence is the use of the word "boy" instead of "boys." Boys is the correct plural form of the word "boy," which refers to a male child or young man. The word "boy" is a singular noun, and it should be used with a singular verb.

Corrected Sentence: "Ramu is one of the tallest boys."

Error (iii): "He is my cousin brother."

The error in this sentence is the use of the word "brother" instead of "brothers." Brothers is the correct plural form of the word "brother," which refers to a male sibling. The word "brother" is a singular noun, and it should be used with a singular verb.

Corrected Sentence: "He is my cousin brother" is correct in this case because "brother" is a singular noun, but if you want to refer to multiple brothers, you should use the word "brothers."

Error (iv): "They discussed about the matter."

The error in this sentence is the use of the phrase "about the matter" instead of "the matter." About is a preposition that is used to indicate the subject of a discussion, and it should be used with a noun or a pronoun. In this case, the correct phrase is "the matter."

Corrected Sentence: "They discussed the matter."

Error (v): "Either of these are right."

The error in this sentence is the use of the word "are" instead of "is." Either is a singular pronoun, and it should be used with a singular verb. The correct sentence is "Either of these is right."

Corrected Sentence: "Either of these is right."

Conclusion

In conclusion, correcting common errors in English sentences is an essential skill for anyone who wants to communicate effectively in the English language. By identifying and correcting errors, we can improve our writing and speaking skills, and we can avoid confusing others with our language. In this article, we discussed five common errors in English sentences and provided corrections for each of them. We hope that this article has been helpful in improving your English language skills.

Common Errors in English Sentences

Error 1: Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is a common error in English sentences. It occurs when the subject of a sentence does not agree with the verb in number. For example:

"The team are going to the game." (Error: The subject "team" is singular, but the verb "are" is plural.)
"The team is going to the game." (Corrected sentence: The subject "team" is singular, and the verb "is" is also singular.)

Error 2: Tense Consistency

Tense consistency is another common error in English sentences. It occurs when the verb tense in a sentence is not consistent. For example:

"I was going to the store, but I saw my friend and I went to the park instead." (Error: The verb tense changes from past to present.)
"I was going to the store, but I saw my friend and I went to the park instead." (Corrected sentence: The verb tense remains consistent in the past tense.)

Error 3: Modality

Modality is a common error in English sentences. It occurs when the modal verb is not used correctly. For example:

"I can go to the store." (Error: The modal verb "can" is used incorrectly.)
"I can go to the store." (Corrected sentence: The modal verb "can" is used correctly.)

Error 4: Prepositions

Prepositions are a common error in English sentences. It occurs when the preposition is not used correctly. For example:

"I'm going to the store about the matter." (Error: The preposition "about" is used incorrectly.)
"I'm going to the store to discuss the matter." (Corrected sentence: The preposition "to" is used correctly.)

Error 5: Articles

Articles are a common error in English sentences. It occurs when the article is not used correctly. For example:

"I saw a dog in the park." (Error: The article "a" is used incorrectly.)
"I saw the dog in the park." (Corrected sentence: The article "the" is used correctly.)

Conclusion

Q: What is the most common error in English sentences?

A: The most common error in English sentences is subject-verb agreement. This occurs when the subject of a sentence does not agree with the verb in number.

Q: What is the difference between "a" and "the" in English sentences?

A: "A" is used to refer to a specific noun, while "the" is used to refer to a specific noun that has already been mentioned. For example:

"I saw a dog in the park." (Here, "a" is used to refer to a specific dog.)
"I saw the dog in the park." (Here, "the" is used to refer to a specific dog that has already been mentioned.)

Q: How do I know when to use "was" and "were" in English sentences?

A: "Was" is used to refer to a singular subject, while "were" is used to refer to a plural subject. For example:

"I was going to the store." (Here, "was" is used to refer to a singular subject.)
"They were going to the store." (Here, "were" is used to refer to a plural subject.)

Q: What is the difference between "can" and "could" in English sentences?

A: "Can" is used to express ability or possibility, while "could" is used to express past ability or possibility. For example:

"I can speak English fluently." (Here, "can" is used to express ability.)
"I could speak English fluently when I was younger." (Here, "could" is used to express past ability.)

Q: How do I know when to use "do" and "does" in English sentences?

A: "Do" is used to refer to a plural subject, while "does" is used to refer to a singular subject. For example:

"They do not like the movie." (Here, "do" is used to refer to a plural subject.)
"He does not like the movie." (Here, "does" is used to refer to a singular subject.)

Q: What is the difference between "who" and "whom" in English sentences?

A: "Who" is used as a subject, while "whom" is used as an object. For example:

"Who is going to the store?" (Here, "who" is used as a subject.)
"To whom should I give the gift?" (Here, "whom" is used as an object.)

Q: How do I know when to use "which" and "that" in English sentences?

A: "Which" is used to introduce a non-essential clause, while "that" is used to introduce an essential clause. For example:

"I like the book, which is on the bestseller list." (Here, "which" is used to introduce a non-essential clause.)
"I like the book that is on the bestseller list." (Here, "that" is used to introduce an essential clause.)

Conclusion

In conclusion, correcting common errors in English sentences is an essential skill for anyone who wants to communicate effectively in the English language. By identifying and correcting errors, we can improve our writing and speaking skills, and we can avoid confusing others with our language. In this article, we discussed frequently asked questions about correcting common errors in English sentences and provided answers to each of them. We hope that this article has been helpful in improving your English language skills.

Additional Resources

Grammar Guides: For more information on grammar rules and guidelines, check out the following resources:

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
The Grammar Girl website
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Practice Exercises: To practice correcting common errors in English sentences, try the following exercises:

Identify and correct errors in a sentence
Write a sentence using a specific grammar rule
Edit a paragraph for grammar and punctuation errors

Online Resources: For more resources on correcting common errors in English sentences, check out the following websites:

The English Language Learners (ELL) website
The ESL Library website
The Grammarly website