Stop Making These Common English Mistakes ❌

Advanced Level | September 9, 2025

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Even advanced English learners make common English mistakes that can hold them back in business and professional conversations. These mistakes don’t mean you’re bad at English—they’re just habits that need correcting. Once you notice them, you can stop making them and sound much more natural.

Let’s look at some of the most common English mistakes professionals make—and how you can avoid them.

Mistake 1: Saying “I am agree”

You’ve probably heard this one before—maybe even said it yourself in a hurry. Picture this: you’re in a meeting, your colleague makes a suggestion, and you nod and quickly say, “I am agree.” The sentence feels fine in the moment, but it makes native speakers pause. Why? Because in English, we don’t add am here. Agree is already the verb. Think of it as a complete action all by itself.

A more natural response is simply, “I agree.” Short, direct, and professional. That’s the phrase people expect to hear in fast-moving discussions.

Wrong: I am agree with your point.
Correct: I agree with your point.

Mistake 2: Using “advices”

Imagine a coworker gives you guidance before an important presentation, and you tell someone later, “She gave me many advices.” Native speakers will instantly notice the mistake. In English, advice is uncountable—you can’t add s. Instead, you say “some advice” or “a piece of advice.”

Think of it this way: advice is like water. You don’t say waters when talking about the liquid itself; you just say “some water.” Treat advice the same way.

Wrong: She gave me many advices.
Correct: She gave me some advice.

Mistake 3: Confusing “say” and “tell”

You’re writing an email and hesitate: should I use say or tell? Here’s the story. Use say when you focus on the words themselves, and tell when you focus on the person receiving the information.

He said he was late—the emphasis is on the words.
He told me he was late—the emphasis is on who received the information.

A quick trick: if you have an object like me, him, her, then use tell. Otherwise, say works.

Mistake 4: Forgetting the “-s”

This one often sneaks in when speaking fast. You’re presenting in a meeting and you say, “She work hard every day.” The sentence feels okay to you, but to others, it sounds incomplete. In the third person—he, she, it—you must add -s to the verb.

That small letter makes a big difference. It’s the kind of detail that shows precision and professionalism.

Wrong: She work hard every day.
Correct: She works hard every day.

Mistake 5: Mixing up “since” and “for”

Imagine you’re updating your manager: “I’ve worked here since three years.” It sounds awkward. Use since with a starting point (since 2020) and for with a duration (for three years).

Think of since as pointing to a calendar date, and for as measuring time with a stopwatch.

Wrong: I’ve worked here since three years.
Correct: I’ve worked here for three years.

Mistake 6: Overusing “very”

It’s tempting to say very very big when you want to emphasize something. But advanced English sounds sharper when you use stronger words like huge, enormous, or massive. Instead of layering “very,” pick a word that carries the power on its own.

Correct: The company faced a huge challenge.

Mistake 7: Using “he don’t”

You’re giving feedback and say, “He don’t like the idea.” Native speakers will instantly hear the mistake. With he, she, and it, always use doesn’t instead of don’t.

A quick memory aid: doesn’t is the professional’s choice—it keeps your grammar polished in business conversations.

Wrong: He don’t like the idea.
Correct: He doesn’t like the idea.

Mistake 8: Saying “discuss about”

Picture a team leader opening a meeting: “Let’s discuss about the problem.” The extra about makes the sentence clumsy. The verb discuss already contains the idea of about, so adding it is unnecessary.

Keep it simple and direct: “Let’s discuss the problem.”

Wrong: Let’s discuss about the problem.
Correct: Let’s discuss the problem.

Mistake 9: Misusing “much” and “many”

At a client meeting, you might hear: “We don’t have many time left.” This sounds strange because time is uncountable. Use many with countable nouns (books, cars, meetings) and much with uncountable nouns (money, time, information).

One way to remember: if you can put a number in front of it (two cars, five meetings), use many. If not, use much.

Correct: I don’t have many meetings this week.
Correct: We don’t have much time left.

Mistake 10: Overusing “actually”

This mistake shows up in countless conversations: “I am actually working on a project.” Many learners use actually when they mean currently. In English, “actually” means in fact.

If your boss asks what you’re doing, say, “I am currently working on a project.” Save actually for when you want to correct or emphasize something surprising: “I thought the report was late, but actually it was sent yesterday.”

Wrong: I am actually working on a project.
Correct: I am currently working on a project.

Vocabulary List

Uncountable (adjective) — Cannot be counted.
Example: Water is an uncountable noun.
Confusion (noun) — A state of not understanding clearly.
Example: There was confusion about the meeting time.
Professional (adjective) — Related to work or career.
Example: She always dresses in a professional way.
Stronger (adjective) — More powerful or effective.
Example: Use stronger words to sound more confident.
Misuse (verb) — To use incorrectly.
Example: He misused the word in his sentence.
Habit (noun) — Something you do regularly, often without thinking.
Example: Speaking too fast is his habit.
Clarity (noun) — The quality of being clear.
Example: Good grammar adds clarity to communication.
Expression (noun) — A word or phrase used to convey an idea.
Example: “Break the ice” is a common expression.
Accurate (adjective) — Correct and without mistakes.
Example: Her report was accurate and detailed.
Natural (adjective) — Sounding like a native speaker.
Example: He speaks with natural fluency.

5 Questions About the Article

Why is “I am agree” incorrect?
How should you correctly use the word “advice”?
What is the difference between “say” and “tell”?
When do you use “since” and when do you use “for”?
Why should you avoid saying “discuss about”?

5 Open-Ended Discussion Questions

Which of these mistakes do you make most often?
How can you remind yourself to add the “-s” in the third person?
Do you prefer simple words or stronger vocabulary in business English? Why?
How do you practice avoiding small grammar mistakes in daily life?
Which tip from this article will you start using right away?

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