Common Grammar Mistakes Writers Make (And How to Fix Them)

Even the best writers slip up sometimes. Whether you’re a budding author, a seasoned wordsmith, or somewhere in between, grammar gremlins can sneak into your work. The good news? Most of these mistakes are easy to fix once you know what to look for.

Here are the most common grammar errors—and how to avoid them:

1. Mixing Up “Your” and “You’re”

• The Mistake: “Your amazing!” instead of “You’re amazing!”

• The Fix: Your shows possession (e.g. your book), while you’re is a contraction of you are. Read the sentence aloud replacing "you're" with "you are"—if it works, you're golden!

2. Misplaced Apostrophes

• The Mistake: “The author’s were signing books.”

  
  

• The Fix: Apostrophes show possession (e.g. the author’s pen) or contractions (e.g. it’s for it is). They’re not used for plurals. So unless someone owns something, leave that apostrophe out.

3. It’s vs. Its

• The Mistake: “The book lost it’s cover.”

• The Fix: It’s = it is or it has. Its = possessive form of it. If you can’t replace it with it is, use its.

4. Sentence Fragments

• The Mistake: “Because the editor said so.” (That’s not a complete sentence!)

• The Fix: Every sentence needs a subject and a verb. Try: “The writer changed the paragraph because the editor said so.”

  
  

5. Comma Splices

• The Mistake: “She finished the chapter, she went to bed.”

• The Fix: Use a conjunction (and, but, so) or separate the clauses: “She finished the chapter. Then she went to bed.”

  
  

6. Overusing Adverbs

• The Mistake: “He quickly, angrily, and loudly stormed out.”

• The Fix: Less is more. Choose strong verbs instead: “He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.”

7. Subject-Verb Agreement

• The Mistake: “The list of items are long.”

• The Fix: The subject is list (singular), not items. Correct version: “The list of items is long.”

8. Dangling Modifiers

• The Mistake: “Walking through the forest, the trees swayed in the wind.”

• The Fix: Who was walking? Reword for clarity: “Walking through the forest, she noticed the trees swaying in the wind.”

9. Redundant Words

• The Mistake: “She returned back to the house.”

• The Fix: Return already means to go back. Keep it simple: “She returned to the house.”

10. Using “That” Instead of “Who”

• The Mistake: “The author that wrote the book is famous.”

• The Fix: Use who for people: “The author who wrote the book is famous.”

Final Thought

Proofreading and reading your work aloud can catch many of these mistakes. If grammar still feels like a mystery, consider hiring a professional editor your future self (and your readers) will thank you.

Ready to polish your prose to perfection?

Even the sharpest minds need a second pair of eyes. At Morpheus Publishing, we offer professional editing and proofreading services to help your manuscript shine free of grammar gremlins and full of clarity.

Contact us today to level up your writing and get your book publication-ready.