Most Annoying Common Grammatical Errors In English

English is not all about speaking it, but getting everything about it right.

Below are some of the most
common and most annoying
mistakes people make on a daily basis when using English to communicate.


“Popular Celebrity”

One has to wonder what makes one a celebrity in the first place. Can a person be said to be a celebrity
without being at least remotely famous? Using this description is similar to using other tautological phrases such as “a young child” (who
is a child?) and “the cheapest
price” (what is a price?).


“I’m vs Am”

The frequency at which this is used will make one believe that it is actually correct. It is presently the most common grammatical error in the English language; being used by people everywhere and every time.

“Am” cannot be used in place of “I’m because they are not the same. What people write as “am” is actually “I’m” which is a contraction for “I
am”. The confusion here arises, because they sound alike. Well, they don’t really sound alike if you listen carefully. Now, let’s try this
pronunciation exercise. “Am” is pronounced “arrrgh-m”, while “I’m” is pronounced “arrrgh-im”.

Understood? I hope so. “Am” is solely dependent on “I” and cannot stand on its own. It either comes before or after the pronoun “I”. So, the next
time you send a message to
someone on Facebook or compose a tweet, don’t embarrass yourself, use
“I’m” instead of “am”.
“Infidel”

This word is usually (mis)applied when one is referring to an unfaithful partner in a romantic relationship. In fact, an infidel
actually means an unbeliever; someone who doubts the central tenets of a particular religion, especially Christianity. It has nothing
to do with “infidelity.”


“First Come, First Serve”

Have you ever been to an
establishment and you were told that “customers are only attended to on a first come, first serve basis”?

Have you innocently used those words before? I guess you have, and I also believe that you didn’t know it’s wrong. Next time, what you
should say is “first come, first served“.

“Is Because/the reason why”

Using it makes one sound brainless and look silly, but that has not prevented people from saying this anytime the need for it arises. The words “is” and “because” serve the same purpose in certain situations and cannot be used together in those circumstances. Instead of
using “it is because", use “is that”.

The same goes for “the reason why”; instead of using “the reason why”, use “the reason is that.”


“Some Certain”

This is similar to the “reason why” scenario I pointed out above. “Some” and “certain” basically mean the same thing and when you say “some certain”, you are actually saying “some some” or “certain certain.”
“12 noon, 12 midnight, 12 am, 12 pm”

If you say “12 am” are you referring to 12 in the night or 12 in the afternoon? Well, strictly speaking, the day ends at 11:59 pm and begins
at midnight so you could be forgiven for referring to midnight as 12 am and noon as 12 pm.

But to avoid ambiguity, it's preferable to dodge any of these entirely. Similarly, saying “12 noon” or “12 midnight” is tautological, because everyone knows that when the clock strikes 12, it’s either midnight or midday (noon).

Other time-related and date-
related errors that are in constant use are:

3:30 (when spoken, it is “half-past 3″, not “three-thirty”)

7:15, 10:45 (when spoken, it should be “quarter past 7″ and “quarter to 11″)

December 25th, January 1st, July 4th (when a date follows the name of a month, it doesn’t come with the rankings “eth”, “first”, “second”, “third” etc; December 25, January 1, July 4 are correct)


“My names are”

It hurts my ears to hear someone say that. When it comes to annoyance, this one carries the day. When we use words just because others have used it and sounded right, this is the result. The correct thing to say remains (and has always been) “my
name is…”

Let’s take a look at a practical example. If Mr. Peter Stevens Smith should introduce himself to someone at the mall and starts with “my name is”, what he would say is, “Hello, my name is
Peter Stevens Smith.” But if he makes the mistake of starting with “my names are”, strictly speaking, he should say something like, “Hello, my names are Peter, Stevens and Smith.” The latter, you’ll agree with
me, sounds very silly.
“It’s vs its”

Use “its” when you are referring to something that belongs to or is part of an animal or an inanimate object. “It’s” actually means “it is” or “it has”. So, when next you want to write something like this, “It’s
handle needs to be repaired,” think again.


“Who vs whom”

“I came into the office and was met by the polite secretary who I told you about .” Right? Wrong! The
correct statement should be, “I came into the office and was met by the polite secretary whom I told you
about.” “Whom” should be used when you are referring to the object (or as teachers would say, the receiver of an action) in a sentence.
The rule of the thumb is that if you are referring to someone other than the first person you mentioned in a
sentence – or yourself – you should use “whom”.


Double Negatives

Trying to be hippie and gangsta can land you in trouble, not only with the law, but with almighty English. How many times have you said something like this, “You ain’t gonna see nobody down there”? If you ever said it, you’ve violated one of the cardinal rules of the English language. This statement has two negative words, “ain’t” and “nobody”, occurring in the same sentence. Two or more negative words do not go together in a sentence.