Say Goodbye to Common English Mistakes ✨

Intermediate Level | October 2, 2025

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If you’re a busy professional, you probably don’t have time to study endless grammar books. But you also know that common English mistakes can make you sound less confident than you really are. The good news? With just a few quick fixes, you can start saying goodbye to these mistakes today.

Why Common English Mistakes Happen

English learners often fall into the same traps. Maybe you translate directly from your native language. Maybe you learned grammar rules years ago but never practiced them in real conversations. Or maybe you’re just moving too fast at work to stop and think. Whatever the reason, mistakes happen—but they don’t have to stay.

Mistake 1: Missing the -s in the Third Person

Many learners forget to add -s when talking about he, she, or it. For example: “She work hard every day.” The correct sentence is: “She works hard every day.” That small letter “s” makes a big difference in sounding natural.

Mistake 2: Mixing Up Past and Present

A common mistake is using the wrong tense. For example: “Yesterday, I go to the office.” The correct form is: “Yesterday, I went to the office.” Always match your verbs to the time you are talking about.

Mistake 3: Articles — a, an, the

Articles cause endless trouble. Learners say: “I bought book.” But you need “I bought a book.” Or they forget “the” when talking about something specific: “Sun is bright today.” → “The sun is bright today.”

Mistake 4: Prepositions

Prepositions are small words with big impact. People often say: “I’m good in English.” The natural way is: “I’m good at English.” Or: “We discussed about the project.” → “We discussed the project.”

Mistake 5: Word Order in Questions

Many learners ask: “You are busy today?” That sounds casual, but in formal English we need to switch the order: “Are you busy today?” Remember, questions usually start with the verb.

Conclusion: Learning to avoid these common English mistakes is not about perfection—it’s about building confidence. Every small correction moves you closer to sounding natural and professional. Focus on one mistake at a time, practice it daily, and you’ll notice steady improvement in your English communication.

Vocabulary List

Trap (noun) — A common mistake or difficulty.
Example: Many learners fall into the same trap when using articles.
Translate (verb) — To change words from one language to another.
Example: She translated the sentence from Spanish to English.
Tense (noun) — A form of a verb that shows time.
Example: The verb “went” is in the past tense.
Article (noun) — Small words like a, an, the that come before nouns.
Example: Use the article “an” before a vowel sound.
Preposition (noun) — A word that shows direction, place, or time.
Example: The preposition “at” is correct in “good at English.”
Natural (adjective) — Sounds normal and correct.
Example: That sentence sounds natural in English.
Formal (adjective) — Following rules and polite style.
Example: In formal English, you say “Are you ready?” instead of “You ready?”
Specific (adjective) — Clearly defined or exact.
Example: Use “the” when talking about something specific.
Confident (adjective) — Sure of yourself.
Example: She felt confident giving her presentation.
Correct (adjective) — Free from mistakes.
Example: “She works” is the correct form.

5 Questions About the Article

Why do common English mistakes happen?
What happens if you forget the -s in the third person?
Give one example of mixing up past and present tense.
Why are prepositions important?
What is the correct word order in a formal English question?

5 Open-Ended Discussion Questions

Which English mistake do you make most often?
How do you usually correct yourself when you notice a mistake?
Why do you think articles are difficult for many learners?
How does stress at work affect your English mistakes?
What other common mistakes have you noticed in your workplace?

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