Do you make these common grammar mistakes? #2

Previously, we discussed a couple of the most common grammar mistakes committed by professionals in the workplace, as well as by the public in general. In this article, we want to continue by presenting more common grammar mistakes that people make when writing in English.

In the previous article, we ended by discussing two common comma errors, the punctuation sign that often helps unite clauses correctly and makes sentences easier to understand. Now, we begin the new article with a couple of issues concerning the sentence as a whole, ending with some advice on how to structure sentences properly.

We hope that our inquiry into the most common grammar mistakes will help you improve your English writing skills and make you a better freelance writer. Whether you write emails, reports, proposals, website content, or articles for clients, understanding these errors can help you communicate more clearly and make your writing look more professional.

Some of the mistakes below are easy to identify once you know what to look for. Others are more difficult because the sentence may appear correct at first glance. This is particularly true in professional writing, where people often write quickly and assume that the meaning is obvious.

7. Sentence fragments

These are particularly common in emails and internal communication. While fragmentary sentences can sometimes be acceptable in informal communication, writing sentence fragments in professional writing may affect communication with clients or within the organization. Although considered an advanced error in some cases, it can make your writing appear weak and unprofessional.

A sentence fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence but does not express a complete thought.

Wrong:

Because the client requested additional revisions.

That’s not a complete sentence. The word “because” introduces a reason, but the reader is left waiting for the main part of the sentence.

Correct:

We delayed the launch because the client requested additional revisions.

This is worth including because fragments can hide in professional writing precisely because business communication is often terse. When people write short emails or messages, they may leave out parts of sentences without realizing that they have created an incomplete thought.

Fragment:

Although we agreed on the deadline.

The reader naturally asks, “Although we agreed on the deadline, what happened?”

A complete version could be

Correct:

Although we agreed on the deadline, the client requested another extension.

Not every short sentence is a fragment. A short sentence can be perfectly grammatical. The problem occurs when a group of words depends on another clause to make sense but is presented as a complete sentence.

This is particularly important when writing to clients. You want your message to be short and direct, but shortening your sentences should not mean removing information that the reader needs to understand the point.

8. Run-on sentences

The run-on sentence represents the opposite problem to the sentence fragment. If, in a sentence fragment, you fail to write a complete sentence, with the run-on sentence, you put too much information together without the correct punctuation or connections.

In other words, you do not put the stop sign where it should naturally be placed.

Wrong:

The client approved the proposal we can now begin production and the team will contact them tomorrow.

The writer has crammed several independent ideas together without appropriate punctuation or conjunctions. The reader can understand the general meaning, but the sentence is difficult to follow.

Better:

The client approved the proposal. We can now begin production, and the team will contact them tomorrow.

Another option would be:

The client approved the proposal, so we can now begin production. The team will contact them tomorrow.

The problem with run-on sentences is not necessarily that they contain too many words. A long sentence can be grammatically correct if its ideas are connected properly. The real problem is that independent thoughts have been joined without the punctuation or conjunctions needed to show the relationship between them.

This is another mistake that can appear frequently in workplace communication. When people are in a hurry, they often try to put everything into a single sentence. The result may be a sentence that contains several different ideas but gives the reader no clear indication of where one idea ends and another begins.

If you find yourself using “and” several times in the same sentence, it may be worth checking whether you should divide the sentence into two or more parts.

Clear writing does not mean making every sentence extremely short. It means giving each idea enough space to be understood.

9. Pronoun–antecedent problems

Pronouns need to clearly refer to something. If a certain pronoun does not clearly refer to its antecedent, we recommend looking at the sentence one more time. Making the wrong agreement, or making the reference unclear, can cause a lot of confusion for the reader.

An antecedent is the word or phrase that a pronoun refers to.

For example:

The manager called the employee because she needed more information.

Who does “she” refer to? The manager or the employee?

The sentence may be grammatically possible, but the meaning is unclear.

Confusing:

When the manager spoke to the employee, he was upset.

Who was upset—the manager or the employee?

A professional reader shouldn’t have to solve a grammatical puzzle to understand an email.

Better:

When the manager spoke to the employee, the manager was upset.

Or, if the employee was upset:

When the manager spoke to the employee, the employee was upset.

You may also be able to rewrite the sentence completely:

The employee was upset when the manager spoke to him.

The main goal is clarity. Even when a sentence is technically grammatical, it may still be poorly written if the reader cannot immediately understand who or what a pronoun refers to.

Professional communication resources specifically identify pronoun–antecedent disagreement and unclear reference as recurring grammar problems. Don’t be the one to make it. Read more on how to easily spot and correct such errors.

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Tools like Grammarly can help you detect grammatical issues such as pronoun–antecedent problems. Read more about our favorite tools that we recommend to any new online entrepreneur.

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However, automated tools should not replace your own judgment. A grammar checker can identify a possible problem, but you still need to decide whether the sentence communicates exactly what you want to say.

10. Misplaced and dangling modifiers

These can produce genuinely funny—or embarrassing—business sentences. Be careful with these errors, since they can create funny and awkward moments, but they can also change the meaning of your sentence.

A modifier is a word or phrase that provides additional information about another part of the sentence. The problem occurs when the modifier is placed too far from the word it is supposed to describe or when the sentence does not clearly identify what the modifier describes.

Wrong:

After reviewing the proposal, the pricing seemed too high.

The pricing didn’t review the proposal. The sentence technically attaches “after reviewing the proposal” to “the pricing.”

Better:

After reviewing the proposal, we decided that the pricing was too high.

Now it is clear who reviewed the proposal: “we.”

Wrong:

While preparing the presentation, the computer suddenly stopped working.

The computer was not preparing the presentation. The sentence makes it sound as if it was.

Better:

While I was preparing the presentation, the computer suddenly stopped working.

These mistakes may seem humorous when they are pointed out, but they can cause genuine confusion in professional writing. If you are explaining a process, describing an action, or reporting what happened during a project, the reader needs to know exactly who performed each action.

Professional-writing guides regularly include misplaced and dangling modifiers among common grammar problems.

One simple way to check for these errors is to ask yourself, “Who is performing the action described by this opening phrase?” If the answer does not match the subject that follows the comma, you may need to rewrite the sentence.

11. Inconsistent verb tense

This is particularly common when describing projects, meetings, reports, and previous actions. It can make your writing appear disorganized and may make the reader stop to work out when something happened.

Be careful and always use the correct tense in your sentence.

Wrong:

We reviewed the proposal yesterday and decide to make several changes.

Correct:

We reviewed the proposal yesterday and decided to make several changes.

Both actions happened in the past, so both verbs should be in the past tense.

Wrong:

The team completed the project last week and is sending the final report yesterday.

Correct:

The team completed the project last week and sent the final report yesterday.

Business writing frequently moves between past, present, and future, so careless tense switching is easy to miss.

Of course, changing tense is not always wrong. Sometimes a writer needs to move from describing something that happened in the past to explaining what is happening now or what will happen next.

For example:

We completed the first phase last week, and we are now preparing for the second phase.

Here, the change in tense is intentional and makes sense because the sentence discusses two different periods.

The problem occurs when the tense changes without a reason.

When proofreading your writing, look carefully at sentences that describe a sequence of events. Ask yourself when each action happened and whether the verb tense reflects that timing.

12. Faulty parallelism

This one is more advanced and makes the article more valuable than a generic “your vs. you’re” list.

Parallelism means using the same grammatical structure when presenting related ideas. In a list of adjectives, always use adjectives. In a list of gerund verbs, use gerund verbs. When several actions are presented together, keeping the same grammatical form makes the sentence easier to understand.

This will help your writing appear more organized and can give your business partners and potential clients greater trust in your communication.

Wrong:

Our goals are to increase sales, improving customer retention, and reduce costs.

The grammatical structures don’t match. The sentence begins with “to increase,” changes to “improving,” and then returns to “reduce.”

Correct:

Our goals are to increase sales, improve customer retention, and reduce costs.

Now all three actions follow the same structure.

Another example:

Wrong:

The position requires managing clients, writing reports, and to attend meetings.

Correct:

The position requires managing clients, writing reports, and attending meetings.

Or:

The position requires you to manage clients, write reports, and attend meetings.

Both versions are clear because the structures are consistent.

Parallel structures make business writing much easier to scan because the reader can quickly recognize the relationship between the different points. This is especially useful in reports, proposals, presentations, job descriptions, and marketing materials.

When you have a list, take a moment to check whether each item follows the same grammatical pattern.

Why these mistakes matter

The common grammar mistakes we have discussed in this article range from relatively simple problems to more advanced issues. Some may seem minor, but together they can affect the quality of your writing.

The purpose of improving your grammar is not to make your writing sound complicated. Quite the opposite. Good grammar allows you to communicate your ideas more clearly and efficiently.

This is particularly important for freelancers and online entrepreneurs. Your writing may be one of the first things a potential client sees. An email, proposal, website page, or article can influence whether someone decides to work with you.

You do not have to write perfect English every time. Everyone makes mistakes, and even experienced writers need to proofread their work. What matters is developing the habit of noticing recurring problems and correcting them.

When reviewing your writing, check whether every sentence is complete. Look for sentences that contain too many independent ideas. Make sure pronouns clearly refer to the right nouns, and check that modifiers are attached to the people or things performing the actions. Finally, pay attention to verb tense and parallel structure.

These checks may take only a few minutes, but they can make a significant difference to the quality of your writing.

These were some of the most common grammar mistakes that we wanted to discuss with you today. If you want to read more about common grammar mistakes and improve your English writing skills, we have a couple of articles on English grammar.

For now, we recommend that you read the first article in the series, “Do You Make These Common Grammar Mistakes? #1.” It covers several other grammar problems that can appear in workplace writing and provides simple examples of how to identify and correct them.

Keep practicing, keep writing, and most importantly, keep reviewing your mistakes. The more familiar you become with the most common grammar mistakes, the easier it will be to avoid them in your everyday writing.