10 Common English Mistakes Even Advanced Learners Make

English is full of traps. Even people who've studied for years stumble over the same mistakes. Don't feel bad—you're in good company. Here are the top 10 errors we see in our classrooms at Britania Language Center, plus the simple fixes.

1. Confusing "There," "Their," and "They're"

This is perhaps the most common mix-up. Let's untangle it:

There = location or existence (rhyme: "there/here")

• "The book is there on the shelf."
• "There are 25 students in the class."

Their = possessive (shows ownership)

• "Their house is beautiful."
• "The students brought their textbooks."

They're = contraction of "they are"

• "They're going to the party tonight."
• "They're very happy about the results."

Common mistake: "There going to there house with there friends." Correct: "They're going to their house with their friends."

Quick tip: If you can replace it with "they are," use "they're." Otherwise, use "their" (possession) or "there" (location).

2. Subject-Verb Agreement Confusion

Your verb must match your subject—singular or plural.

Wrong: "The team are playing well." (American English) Right: "The team is playing well."

Why? In American English, collective nouns (team, group, family, committee) are singular.

More examples:

• "The class has finished the assignment." (not "have")
• "The committee makes all decisions." (not "make")
• "The audience is excited." (not "are" in American English)

Tricky case: Plural subjects separated from the verb

• Wrong: "One of the students have finished."
• Right: "One of the students has finished." ("One" is singular—what matters is the subject, not the noun after "of")

3. "A" vs "An"—It's About Sound, Not Spelling

Use "an" before words that start with vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u). Use "a" before consonant sounds.

Key: It's the sound, not the letter.

Wrong: "I saw a orange." "He is a honest person." "I waited a hour." Right: "I saw an orange." "He is an honest person." "I waited an hour."

Why? "Orange," "honest," and "hour" start with vowel sounds, even though "hour" begins with "h."

Flip side:

• "A university" (not "an")—sounds like "yoo-niversity"
• "A European" (not "an")—sounds like "you-ropean"

4. Adjective Word Order (Hard But Worth Learning)

English adjectives follow a specific order. We don't say it consciously, but native speakers cringe when it's wrong.

Correct order: Opinion → Size → Age → Color → Origin → Material → Purpose → Noun

Right: "A beautiful small Italian leather handbag." Wrong: "An Italian beautiful small leather handbag."

Simpler examples:

• "A big red car" ✓ (not "a red big car")
• "A lovely old wooden table" ✓

5. Misplaced Modifiers (Dangling Participles)

The modifier must logically refer to the subject of the sentence.

Wrong: "Walking to school, my shoe broke." (This makes it sound like the shoe was walking.) Right: "While I was walking to school, my shoe broke." OR "As I walked to school, my shoe broke."

More examples:

• Wrong: "Exhausted from work, the bed looked inviting." (The bed isn't exhausted.)

• Right: "Exhausted from work, I found the bed inviting."

• Wrong: "After finishing dinner, the movie started."

• Right: "After we finished dinner, the movie started."

6. It's vs Its

This is simple but easy to overlook:

It's = contraction of "it is" or "it has"

• "It's a beautiful day." (It is...)
• "It's been a long time." (It has...)

Its = possessive (shows belonging)

• "The dog wagged its tail." (the tail belongs to the dog)
• "The company announced its new policy."

Quick check: If you can replace it with "it is," use "it's."

7. Comma Splice (Two Sentences Smashed Together)

You can't join two independent clauses with just a comma.

Wrong: "I love English, it's my favorite subject." (Two complete thoughts)

Fix it with:

• A period: "I love English. It's my favorite subject."
• A semicolon: "I love English; it's my favorite subject."
• A conjunction: "I love English, and it's my favorite subject." OR "I love English because it's my favorite subject."
• A dash: "I love English—it's my favorite subject."

Another example:

• Wrong: "She studied hard, she passed the exam."
• Right: "She studied hard; she passed the exam." OR "She studied hard, so she passed the exam."

8. Double Negatives (Non-Standard English)

One negative is enough. Two negatives make confused meaning in standard English.

Wrong: "I don't want nothing." (This technically means you DO want something) Right: "I don't want anything." OR "I want nothing."

More examples:

• Wrong: "I can't barely hear you."

• Right: "I can barely hear you." OR "I can't hear you."

• Wrong: "He didn't go nowhere."

• Right: "He didn't go anywhere." OR "He went nowhere."

Note: Double negatives are used in some dialects for emphasis, but they're not considered standard/formal English.

9. Incorrect Prepositions (The Hardest to Master)

Prepositions often don't follow logic. You have to memorize them.

Common mistakes:

• Wrong: "I'm interested on English." → Right: "I'm interested in English."
• Wrong: "Let's meet on Monday evening." → Right: "Let's meet on Monday evening." ✓ (Actually this is correct!)
• Wrong: "I'm good in math." → Right: "I'm good at math."
• Wrong: "We discussed about the problem." → Right: "We discussed the problem." (No preposition needed)
• Wrong: "She's afraid of spiders." → Right: "She's afraid of spiders." ✓ (Correct!)

Strategy: Study prepositions in context and with whole phrases, not in isolation.

10. Confusing "Who" vs "Whom" (And Honestly, It's Fading)

Younger English speakers rarely use "whom" anymore, but it's still technically correct in formal writing.

Who = subject (the person doing the action) Whom = object (the person receiving the action)

Right:

• "Who is calling?" (Who = subject)
• "To whom should I send this?" (whom = object of "to")
• "I don't know who she is." (who = subject of "is")

In real life: Most people now say "Who should I send this to?" instead of the formally correct "To whom should I send this?"

---

The Takeaway

Mistakes happen. The fact that you're learning English and catching these errors puts you ahead. Here's what to do:

1. Read widely in English (news, blogs, books)
2. Listen to native speakers (podcasts, videos, conversations)
3. Write and get feedback from teachers or language exchange partners
4. Don't beat yourself up—even native speakers write poorly sometimes

At Britania Language Center, we help you internalize these rules through conversation and practice, not just memorization. Come join us and let's make English feel natural!

What's your biggest English challenge? Connect with us or drop by a class today!