10 Common Grammar Mistakes Even Smart People Make
📅 Published: May 6, 2026 | ✍️ By Emma Watson | ⏱️ 6 min read | 📊 15,400+ reads
You have great ideas. You know your industry. But small grammar mistakes can make you look less professional — even if you’re an expert.
Here’s the good news: once you know what to look for, these errors are easy to catch. Below are 10 of the most common mistakes (with examples) and how to fix them. Bookmark this page — you’ll come back to it.
Mistake #1: Your vs You’re
❌ Wrong: “Your going to love our new product.”
✅ Correct: “You’re going to love our new product.”
Rule: “You’re” is a contraction of “you are.” “Your” shows possession.
Mistake #2: Its vs It’s
❌ Wrong: “The company released it’s annual report.”
✅ Correct: “The company released its annual report.”
Rule: “It’s” means “it is” or “it has.” “Its” shows possession.
Mistake #3: There, Their, and They’re
❌ Wrong: “Their going to bring there laptops over their.”
✅ Correct: “They’re going to bring their laptops over there.”
Mistake #4: Comma Splices
❌ Wrong: “I love writing, it’s my favorite thing to do.”
✅ Correct: “I love writing. It’s my favorite thing to do.”
Mistake #5: Subject-Verb Agreement
❌ Wrong: “The team of writers are working hard.”
✅ Correct: “The team of writers is working hard.”
Mistake #6: Who vs Whom
❌ Wrong: “Who did you invite to the meeting?”
✅ Correct: “Whom did you invite to the meeting?”
Mistake #7: Misplaced Apostrophes
❌ Wrong: “The 1990’s were great. All employee’s must attend.”
✅ Correct: “The 1990s were great. All employees must attend.”
Mistake #8: Affect vs Effect
❌ Wrong: “How will this effect our budget?”
✅ Correct: “How will this affect our budget?” (Affect = verb, Effect = noun)
Mistake #9: Then vs Than
❌ Wrong: “I’d rather go home then stay late.”
✅ Correct: “I’d rather go home than stay late.”
Mistake #10: Less vs Fewer
❌ Wrong: “There are less people here today.”
✅ Correct: “There are fewer people here today.” (Fewer = countable, Less = uncountable)
✨ Fix Mistakes Instantly: Use our free Grammar & Clarity Checker to catch these errors before you publish. Paste your text and get suggestions in seconds.
A Simple Proofreading Workflow
- Write your first draft (don’t worry about perfection)
- Run through our Grammar Checker to catch common errors
- Read your text aloud — your ears catch what your eyes miss
- Use our Paraphrasing Assistant for awkward sentences
- Get a second pair of eyes if possible