10 Examples of Bad Grammar To Avoid

There are countless grammar rules in the English language. From rules on misplaced modifiers and subject/verb agreement to rules on double negatives, there are many guidelines here on YourDictionary for you to follow when writing just about anything. However, one of the best ways to learn correct grammar is to review examples of bad grammar.

1. Verb Tense Errors

Verb tense errors occur when you use the wrong verb tense. They are one of the most common grammar mistakes. The verb tense tells the reader of your sentences when the action is taking place - in the past, the present or the future. You must be consistent on verb tense, unless there's some reason to make a switch to a different tense. Some examples of verb tense errors include:

• I walk to the store and I bought milk. Walk is a present tense verb. Bought is a past tense verb. "Bought" should be "buy," or "walk" should be "walked," since these two events occur at the same time.
• I will eat fish for dinner and drank milk. "Will eat" is a future tense verb, but "drank" is a past tense verb. Since the dinner is going to happen in the future, it is not possible that the milk was drunk already.
• We all eat the fish and then made dessert. "Eat" is a present tense verb, but "made" is past tense.

English verb tenses can be tricky. We've got more help available in our article on classification of verb tenses.

2. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

The subject of the sentence (the person or thing doing the action) has to agree in number with the verb (the word representing the action). Otherwise, you have an example of bad grammar.

Here are some examples of situations where the subject and verb do not agree with one another:

• Anna and Mike is going skiing. "Anna and Mike" are plural. "Is" is singular. The sentence should read, "Anna and Mike are going skiing."
• Matt like fish. "Matt" is singular; "like" is plural. The sentence should read, "Matt likes fish."
• We enjoys horror movies. "We" is a plural pronoun. The sentence should read, "We enjoy horror movies."

For more help with subject/verb agreement, check out our 20 rules for making subjects and verbs agree and our examples of subject/verb agreement. Once you've studied up, take on our quizzes on subject/verb agreement to check on your progress!