Top 10 Grammar Mistakes

Author : Ann BowersChildren are often judged on how well they write One way to help your child become a good writer is to teach him or her to avoid the top ten grammar mistakes made by children

1 Starting sentences with “And ” It is all right to start a sentence with “And” occasionally, but some children do it constantly Limit your young writer to two or fewer “Ands” at the beginning of sentences in each essay

Wrong: I went roller-skating with my friends And then we went out for pizza And then we went home
Right: I went roller-skating with my friends Then we went out for pizza Then we went home

2 Using casual speech in an essay, such as words like “wanna,” “gonna,” and “should of ”

Wrong: We wanna buy new CDs on Saturday
Right: We want to buy new CDs on Saturday

Wrong: My cousin is gonna graduate with top honors
Right: My cousin is going to graduate with top honors

Wrong: They should of studied harder for the test
Right: They should have studied harder for the test

3 Misunderstanding apostrophes used with singular and plural nouns

Wrong: These are my sisters’ books
Right: These are my sister’s books
Explanation: The correct answer places the apostrophe before the letter ’s’ in the word “sister’s” because “sister” is singular; “sister” possesses the books The apostrophe would come after the last ’s’ in “sisters” only if more than one sister owned the books

Wrong: This is my parent’s house
Right: This is my parents’ house
Explanation: The correct answer places the apostrophe after the letter ’s’ in the word “parents ” This shows possession by more than one parent (a plural noun)

4 Creating run-on sentences Divide into separate sentences or use semi-colons to connect two complete sentences

Wrong: Summer is my favorite time of year because I can play with my friends and go to the mall and stay out later than during the school year because it doesn’t get dark so early like when school is on
Right: Summer is my favorite time of year I can play with my friends, go to the mall, and stay out later During the school year, it gets dark so early that I have to go home

Wrong: I enjoy lots of different foods like hamburgers and sodas and fried chicken so I choose them when we go out to eat
Right: I enjoy lots of different foods, like hamburgers, sodas, and fried chicken; I choose them when we go out to eat
Explanation: The correct answers break up the run-on sentence in each example into two or more separate statements

5 Confusing “its” and “it’s ”

Wrong: Its a beautiful day
Right: It’s a beautiful day
Explanation: The correct answer uses “it’s” because, in this sentence, “it’s” means “it is ” “It’s” is a contraction of “it is ”

Wrong: I worried about the dog because it’s paw was hurt
Right: I worried about the dog because its paw was hurt
Explanation: The correct answer uses “its” because it shows possession You would not say, “I worried about the dog because it is paw was hurt ”

6 Misconnecting verbs

Wrong: We should try and play together
Right: We should try to play together
Explanation: The correct answer replaces the word ‘and’ with ‘to,’ which properly connects the verbs

7 Confusing “then” and “than ”

Wrong: He is taller then I am
Right: He is taller than I am
Explanation: Use the word “than” to indicate a comparison between two things The word “then” refers to time

8 Confusing “there,” “their,” and “they’re ”

Wrong: We want to play over their
Right: We want to play over there
Explanation: Use the word “there” to indicate a location

Wrong: They are riding they’re bicycles
Right: They are riding their bicycles
Explanation: Use the word “their” to indicate possession

Wrong: Their going to the movies today
Right: They’re going to the movies today
Explanation: Use the word “they’re,” a contraction, when you mean “they are ”

9 Mixing singular and plural subjects in one sentence

Wrong: I helped my friend with their homework
Right: I helped my friend with his (or her) homework
Explanation: “My friend” is a single person, so it is incorrect to say “their homework ” “Their” refers to more than one person

10 Mixing up “your” and “you’re ”

Wrong: He’s going to you’re party
Right: He’s going to your party

Wrong: Your going to his party
Right: You’re going to his party
Explanation: “Your” means something belongs to you “You’re” is a contraction for “you are ”

Conclusion

To help children become better writers, you or a tutor should work with them to avoid the top ten grammar mistakes If you have concerns about your child’s progress in writing, speak to the child’s teacher to discuss progress and activities you can work on at home Ann Bowers, a former teacher, is a writer for in-home tutoring company TeamUP! Tutors. www.TeamUpTutors.com

Looking for a private writing tutor in Seattle or near Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Oakland, or San Francisco? Find out how TeamUP! Tutors can help. Call toll-free 888.383.2687.

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