Common grammar mistakes that offend native speakers
Common grammar mistakes that often offend or annoy native English speakers include:
- Confusing homophones such as “their,” “they’re,” and “there,” or “your” and “you’re.”
- Using “should of” instead of “should have.”
- Mixing up words like “affect” (verb) and “effect” (noun).
- Using incorrect verb forms, for example “more bigger” instead of “bigger.”
- Ending sentences with prepositions in formal writing (though this is less strictly judged now).
- Using adjectives instead of adverbs, such as saying “He’s doing terrible” instead of “He’s doing terribly.”
- Subject-verb disagreement, for instance “we was here” instead of “we were here.”
- Confusing “lose” and “loose.”
- Incorrect use of “who” and “whom.”
- Mistakes in punctuation such as misplaced commas and apostrophes.
- Using non-action verbs in progressive tenses incorrectly, e.g., “I am loving it” (though this is common in informal speech).
These mistakes are common even among native speakers and can irritate those with strong grammar preferences because they violate traditional rules or clarity expectations in writing and formal speech. However, many occur due to language evolution, regional differences, or informal speech contexts, and some are considered acceptable in modern usage. Typos and spelling errors are also very frequent and often cause frustration.
The confusion between homophones and commonly misused words, along with issues in verb forms and agreement, are things native speakers notice the most and find annoying or “offensive” to good grammar standards when used incorrectly. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5