In the world of marketing and sales, words are everything. They convey your brand’s personality, establish credibility, and create lasting impressions. Grammar is pivotal in ensuring your brand’s message is received as intended—professional, polished, and trustworthy. Conversely, poor grammar can lead to miscommunication, reduce trust, and, in the worst cases, damage a brand’s reputation.
A brand with grammatically correct communication signals attention to detail and professionalism. It tells your audience, We care about every aspect of our work. In contrast, grammar mistakes may suggest carelessness, lack of expertise, or even a disregard for quality. This can be a deal-breaker for consumers, as they often equate sloppy communication with subpar services or products.
Grammar also impacts SEO and visibility. Search engines like Google reward well-written, clear content and may minimize pages with errors that make your website seem less credible. Social media engagement is similarly affected. Posts riddled with mistakes are less likely to be shared or trusted, reducing your reach and overall impact.
Top 30 Common Grammatical Errors Found Online
Here’s Grammarly’s look at the most frequent grammatical mistakes brands (and individuals) make, why they matter, and how to fix them:
- Your vs. You’re
- Your: Possessive pronoun (e.g., “Your product is great.”)
- You’re: Contraction of “you are” (e.g., “You’re going to love it.”)
- Who vs. Whom
- Who: Subject of a sentence (e.g., “Who is calling?”).
- Whom: Object of a sentence (e.g., “To whom should I address this?”).
- Who’s vs. Whose
- Who’s: Contraction of “who is” (e.g., “Who’s presenting?”).
- Whose: Possessive form of “who” (e.g., “Whose turn is it?”).
- Affect vs. Effect
- Affect: Verb (e.g., “Will this affect the outcome?”).
- Effect: Noun (e.g., “The effect was immediate.”).
- Who vs. That
- Who: Refers to people (e.g., “The person who called…”).
- That: Refers to objects or groups (e.g., “The company that succeeded…”).
- That vs. Which
- That: Introduces essential information (e.g., “The car that is red is mine.”).
- Which: Introduces non-essential information (e.g., “The car, which is red, is mine.”).
- I.e. vs. E.g.
- I.e.: Clarifies (e.g., “We’ll arrive tomorrow, i.e., on Friday.”).
- E.g.: Provides examples (e.g., “We sell fruit, e.g., apples and oranges.”).
- Then vs. Than
- Then: Indicates time (e.g., “We’ll go then.”).
- Than: Indicates comparison (e.g., “She’s taller than me.”).
- Each vs. Every
- Each: Refers to individual items (e.g., “Each child has a book.”).
- Every: Refers to a group (e.g., “Every student participated.”).
- More Than vs. Over
- More Than: Numerical quantity (e.g., “We sold more than 100 units.”).
- Over: Spatial or metaphorical (e.g., “Our revenue is over expectations.”).
- Less vs. Fewer
- Less: Non-countable nouns (e.g., “Less time”).
- Fewer: Countable nouns (e.g., “Fewer items”).
- Me vs. I
- Me: Object (e.g., “They gave it to me.”).
- I: Subject (e.g., “I went to the meeting.”).
- A Lot vs. Allot vs. Alot
- A Lot: Informal for “many.”
- Allot: To distribute.
- Alot: Incorrect spelling.
- Farther vs. Further
- Farther: Physical distance.
- Further: Figurative or additional.
- Like vs. Such As
- Like: Comparison (e.g., “She sings like Adele.”).
- Such As: Example (e.g., “Genres such as jazz and rock…”).
- May vs. Might
- May: Present or likely (e.g., “It may rain.”).
- Might: Past or less likely (e.g., “It might have rained.”).
- Past vs. Passed
- Past: Refers to time or location.
- Passed: Verb (e.g., “She passed the test.”).
- Based Off vs. Based On
- Based On: Correct.
- Based Off: Incorrect.
- Compliment vs. Complement
- Compliment: Praise.
- Complement: Completes or enhances.
- Misplaced Modifiers
- Correct placement prevents confusion (e.g., “She only has eyes for him” vs. “She has eyes only for him”).
- Passive Voice
- Active: “We launched the campaign.”
- Passive: “The campaign was launched by us.”
- Possessive Nouns
- Singular possessive: “The dog’s leash.”
- Plural possessive: “The dogs’ leashes.”
- Commas
- Used for clarity (e.g., “Let’s eat, Grandma” vs. “Let’s eat Grandma”).
- Semicolons
- Links related clauses (e.g., “We launched the ad; it went viral.”).
- Title Capitalization
- Capitalize nouns, verbs, and adjectives but not articles or prepositions unless first or last.
- Apostrophes
- Contractions (e.g., “It’s a deal.”)
- Possessives (e.g., “James’s idea”).
- Punctuation in Parentheses
- Inside for full sentences, outside for partial.
- Incomplete Comparisons
- Complete: “This product is better than our competitor’s.”
- Incomplete: “This product is better.”
- Em Dash, En Dash, Hyphen
- Em Dash: Pause (—).
- En Dash: Range (–).
- Hyphen: Compound words (-).
- Subject-Verb Agreement
- Singular subjects take singular verbs (e.g., “She runs.”).
Grammarly Changed My Writing
As a professional, ensuring grammatical accuracy in my content is critical. Before using Grammarly, I struggled with typos, to the horror of my friends and colleagues who were professional writers. These mistakes impacted how my audience perceived my expertise and, by extension, my brand.
Grammarly became a lifesaver. The premium version transformed my writing process from correcting minor errors to suggesting stylistic improvements. It didn’t just fix mistakes; it taught me why they were wrong, helping me grow as a writer. And I still get weekly updates from Grammarly to educate me on my errors. Here are my top 5:
- Missing Article: Failing to include “a,” “an,” or “the,” which can make sentences unclear (e.g., She adopted puppy from shelter instead of She adopted a puppy from the shelter).
- Unnecessary Ellipsis: Using ellipses where they are unnecessary, often creating incomplete or awkward sentences (e.g., I was going to tell you… but never mind instead of I was going to tell you, but never mind.).
- Missing Period: Forgetting to end a sentence with a period, making the text seem unpolished or confusing (e.g., We visited the museum today and it was amazing instead of We visited the museum today, and it was amazing.).
- Squinting Modifier: Placing a modifier in a way that creates ambiguity (e.g., Students who study occasionally pass the test could mean studying occasionally or passing occasionally).
- Incorrect Use of Commas: Adding a comma where it doesn’t belong or failing to include one where it’s needed (e.g., After dinner we watched a movie instead of After dinner, we watched a movie.).
Grammarly’s tone suggestions and clarity enhancements have also been beneficial for tailoring content to my audience. Thanks to Grammarly, I now write confidently, knowing my content is clear, professional, and engaging. Whether it’s a quick social media post or an in-depth blog, I can focus on creativity without worrying about mistakes. If you’re serious about presenting your best self in writing, Grammarly is a must-have tool.
Sign Up For Grammarly For Free!
