5 Common English Grammar Mistakes You’ll Never Forget Again (Once You See Them)
Introduction
Even after years of studying English, adult learners keep making the same grammar mistakes. The good news? These mistakes are predictable — and once you see the patterns visually, they stick forever.
In this article, we’ll cover 5 very common mistakes adult learners make and show how our Graphic Grammar approach helps learners correct them quickly and confidently.
1. Present Perfect vs Past Simple
The mistake:
❌ I have seen that movie yesterday.
✅ I saw that movie yesterday.
Why it happens:
Learners mix up past time markers with the present perfect, which focuses on experience rather than a finished action at a specific time. Translating directly from their first language can also cause this confusion.
Quick rule:
- 🕓 Dot = done → Past Simple
- 🕒 Line = experience → Present Perfect
2. Countable vs Uncountable Nouns
The mistake:
❌ I need many informations.
✅ I need some information.
Why it happens:
Some languages pluralize abstract nouns automatically. English treats them differently.
Here’s a concise list of common uncountable nouns in English:
Substances / Materials
water, milk, sugar, rice, oil, gold
Abstract Ideas / Concepts
information, advice, happiness, love, freedom, knowledge
Activities / Fields
work, homework, music, art, research
Food / Drink
bread, cheese, butter, meat, fruit (as a mass)
Weather / Nature
rain, snow, fog, sunshine, thunder
Other Common Uncountable Nouns
hair, accommodation, furniture, luggage, traffic
✅ Tip: Use some / any / much / a little, not numbers.
Here are 4 quick example sentences using uncountable nouns:
1. I need some water to drink.
2. She gave me good advice about learning English.
3. My homework is difficult.
4. How long is your hair?
These show how uncountable nouns are used naturally in context.
3. Subject–Verb Agreement (Third Person Singular)
Forgetting to add the 's' in the third person singular – like saying 'He go' instead of 'He goes' – is one of those mistakes that drives teachers absolutely crazy!
The mistake:
❌ She like red wine.
✅ She likes red wine.
Why it happens:
Learners often forget the “-s” with he/she/it. It’s easy to miss in conversation, especially with irregular verbs like have → has.
4. Adjectives vs Adverbs
The mistake:
❌ She sings good.
✅ She sings well.
Why it happens:
Learners confuse describing a noun vs describing an action.
- Adjective → describes noun → a good singer (‘good’ describes the noun ‘singer’)
- Adverb → describes verb → sings well (‘well’ describes the verb ‘sings’)
Quick rule:
- 🎤 Verb? → adverb
- 🏷️ Noun? → adjective
5. Prepositions in Common Expressions
The mistake:
❌ I’m good in cooking.
✅ I’m good at cooking.
Why it happens:
Learners translate prepositions directly from their first language instead of learning fixed expressions.
Verb + Preposition Examples
listen → to → 🎧 → I always listen to music when I study.
depend → on → 🌦️ → It depends on the weather.
wait → for → 🚌 → We’re waiting for the bus.
believe → in → 💪 → She believes in herself.
look → for → 🔑 → He’s looking for his keys.
think → about → 💭 → I often think about my family.
agree → with → 👍 → I agree with you.
belong → to → 👜 → This bag belongs to Maria.
talk → about → 🗣️ → We talked about our plans.
apologize → for → ⏰ → He apologized for being late.
Adjective + Preposition Examples
good → at → 🎾 → She’s good at tennis.
worried → about → 📚 → He’s worried about the exam.
tired → of → ⏳ → I’m tired of waiting.
angry → with → 😠 → He’s angry with his brother.
interested → in → 🎨 → They’re interested in art.
afraid → of → 🕷️ → He’s afraid of spiders.
famous → for → 🍕 → Italy is famous for its food.
married → to → 💍 → She’s married to an engineer.
different → from → 🍲 → This dish is different from the others.
excited → about → ✈️ → We’re excited about our trip.
Quick rule:
Memorize small visual clusters instead of isolated prepositions.
Conclusion
These 5 mistakes are extremely common, but visual patterns make them unforgettable. Timelines, color-coded charts, and collocation maps help your brain see meaning, not just memorize rules.
The next time you study English, don’t just read rules — see them, interact with them, and watch them stick!
Want more visual grammar tips? Check out our Graphic Grammar Book — every tense, structure, and rule explained with diagrams, colors, and examples to make learning English faster, easier, and memorable.