WAR AGAINST GRAMMAR ERRORS

No. Symbol Type of Error Frequency

1 SVA Subject & verb agreement
She like (She likes) / One of the boys like (One of the boys likes) /
collecting the mangoes which was thrown down (collecting the
mangoes which were thrown down)
2 AV/PV Active / Passive voice
She was longed for the mangoes. (She longed for the mangoes.) /
My dog was died. (My dog died.) / Pesticides are use. (Pesticides
are used.)
3 MV Missing verb (mother tongue interference)
She happy. (She is happy.) / You two fellows naughty. (You two
fellows are naughty.)
4 DNB Do not… base form
Did not saw (did not see)

5 MP Missing preposition
I am proud you. (I am proud of you.) / I waited you. (I waited for
you.) / After hearing the tragedy (After hearing about the tragedy)
6 WP Wrong preposition
In the midnight (at midnight) / at the ground (on the ground) / I am
interested with you. (I am interested in you.)
7 MA Missing article
Please pass water to me. (Please pass the water to me.) / My
father is teacher. (My father is a teacher.)
8 WA Wrong article
He is a principal of my school. (He is the principal of my school.)

9 WT Wrong tense
What happen to my goods? (What happened to my goods?) /
Yesterday I go (Yesterday I went) / I went to Taiping and buy (I
went to Taiping and bought)
10 CT Continuous tense
I going to the stalls. (I am/was/will be going to the stalls)

11 I Infinitive (to…)
to climbed (to climb) / to climbing (to climb) / to climbs (to climb)

12 PP Past Participle
had reach (had reached) / I have forgot (I have forgotten) / You will
be send (You will be sent ) / Dying your hair is not allow in school
(Dying your hair is not allowed in school)
13 Mod Modal Verb
can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must… base form
can jumped (can jump)
14 SH saw him…. heard him….
I saw him stole (I saw him steal / stealing) / I heard her sang (I
heard her sing / singing)
15 ’s Apostrophe s
My uncle house (My uncle’s house)
16 It’s its; it’s
The cat lost it’s tail. (The cat lost its tail.) /
Its raining. (It is raining)
17 Your Your ; you’re
“Your pretty.” (“You’re pretty.”) /
you’re bag (your bag)
18 XCon No contractions unless in direct speech.
don’t (do not) / it’s (it is) / He’s (he is)

19 1-10 Avoid using numbers in writing, especially 1-10

3 cars (three cars)

20 No. Number
Chee Keong and Chee Meng are brother. (Chee Keong and Chee
Meng are brothers.) / One of the boy (One of the boys)
21 DL Donkey is always last
I and my friends (My friends and I)

22 Body Everyone / everybody / No one / Nobody / Somebody / Someone

(indefinite pronouns)
Everybody love Raymond. (Everybody loves Raymond.) /
No one like her. (No one likes her.)
*Someone likes (verb) you. *Somebody like (preposition) you.
23 to…to to … and to …
to hide and to tried (to hide and to try) /
She started to slap and scolded me. (She started to slap and to
scold me.)
24 AB Although…but (x)
Although it is an old car, but it's very reliable.
(It's an old car, but it's very reliable.)
(Although it is an old car, it's very reliable.)
25 WW Wrong word
Like this, he would not suspect (In this way, he would not suspect) /
unsatisfiedly (in discotent) / I cannot except your money. (I cannot
accept your money.) / She is quite. (She is quiet.)
26 Spell Spelling error
goverment (government) / theifs (thieves)

27 Punc Wrong punctuation

Why are you sad. (Why are you sad?) /
“Today is a nice day”! (“Today is a nice day!”)
28 CAP Capital letter
I went to london. (I went to London.)