60 Most Important Sentence Correction Rules in English Grammar (With 180 Examples)
Do you often find yourself confused about whether to say "less people" or "fewer people"? Or unsure if it's "he was" or "he were" in a sentence? If so, you're not alone. Sentence correction is one of the most important aspects of mastering English grammar. Whether you're preparing for competitive exams like IELTS, TOEFL, SSC, GRE, or simply want to improve your writing skills, understanding these grammar rules is crucial.
In this comprehensive guide, we've compiled 60 essential sentence correction rules, each explained in simple language and supported by 3 real-life examples. By the end of this article, you'll be able to identify and fix common grammar mistakes with ease and confidence.
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1. Subject-Verb Agreement
Rule: The verb must agree with the subject in number (singular/plural).
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The dogs barks at night.
Correct: The dogs bark at night. -
Incorrect: She go to school every day.
Correct: She goes to school every day. -
Incorrect: The list of items are on the table.
Correct: The list of items is on the table.
2. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Rule: A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Every student must bring their book.
Correct: Every student must bring his or her book. -
Incorrect: The committee gave their decision.
Correct: The committee gave its decision. -
Incorrect: Each of the players removed their shoes.
Correct: Each of the players removed his shoes.
3. Misplaced Modifiers
Rule: Place modifiers next to the word they describe to avoid confusion.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She almost drove her kids to school every day.
Correct: She drove her kids to school almost every day. -
Incorrect: Running quickly, the finish line was reached.
Correct: Running quickly, he reached the finish line. -
Incorrect: I saw a bird on the way to the market.
Correct: On the way to the market, I saw a bird.
4. Parallel Structure
Rule: Use the same grammatical form for items in a list or comparison.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She likes reading, to jog, and swimming.
Correct: She likes reading, jogging, and swimming. -
Incorrect: He wants to win the race, to get a medal, and fame.
Correct: He wants to win the race, get a medal, and gain fame. -
Incorrect: The manager was strict, efficient, and he had kindness.
Correct: The manager was strict, efficient, and kind.
5. Correct Use of Tenses
Rule: Keep verb tenses consistent unless there is a time shift.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: He was cooking when the phone rings.
Correct: He was cooking when the phone rang. -
Incorrect: She studies last night.
Correct: She studied last night. -
Incorrect: They have gone to school and met the principal yesterday.
Correct: They went to school and met the principal yesterday.
6. Use of Articles (a, an, the)
Rule: Use "a" before consonant sounds, "an" before vowel sounds, and "the" for specific nouns.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She is a honest woman.
Correct: She is an honest woman. -
Incorrect: I saw an university.
Correct: I saw a university. -
Incorrect: He is the best player in a team.
Correct: He is the best player in the team.
7. Comparison Should Be Logical
Rule: Compare similar things using appropriate comparative structures.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Her salary is higher than her boss.
Correct: Her salary is higher than her boss’s salary. -
Incorrect: This car is faster than any car.
Correct: This car is faster than any other car. -
Incorrect: The buildings in Karachi are taller than Lahore.
Correct: The buildings in Karachi are taller than those in Lahore.
8. Correct Use of Prepositions
Rule: Prepositions must fit the verb or phrase properly.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She is married with a doctor.
Correct: She is married to a doctor. -
Incorrect: He was accused for theft.
Correct: He was accused of theft. -
Incorrect: We discussed about the plan.
Correct: We discussed the plan.
9. Avoid Double Negatives
Rule: Use only one negative in a sentence unless the meaning requires it.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: I don’t know nothing about it.
Correct: I don’t know anything about it. -
Incorrect: She didn’t see nobody at the park.
Correct: She didn’t see anybody at the park. -
Incorrect: He can’t hardly wait.
Correct: He can hardly wait.
10. Use of “Who” vs. “Whom”
Rule: Use “who” as a subject and “whom” as an object.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Whom is coming to the party?
Correct: Who is coming to the party? -
Incorrect: Who did you invite?
Correct: Whom did you invite? -
Incorrect: To who should I give this?
Correct: To whom should I give this?
11. Redundancy
Rule: Avoid repeating the same idea in different words.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The end result was a success.
Correct: The result was a success. -
Incorrect: He returned back to the office.
Correct: He returned to the office. -
Incorrect: I saw it with my own eyes.
Correct: I saw it.
12. Dangling Modifiers
Rule: A modifying phrase must logically refer to the noun it modifies.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: While driving to work, a deer ran across the road.
Correct: While I was driving to work, a deer ran across the road. -
Incorrect: Hoping to succeed, the exam was studied for.
Correct: Hoping to succeed, he studied for the exam. -
Incorrect: Without knowing his name, it was hard to call him.
Correct: Without knowing his name, I found it hard to call him.
13. Use of “Fewer” vs. “Less”
Rule: Use “fewer” for countable nouns and “less” for uncountable nouns.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: There were less students in the class.
Correct: There were fewer students in the class. -
Incorrect: She has fewer water than before.
Correct: She has less water than before. -
Incorrect: We have less problems now.
Correct: We have fewer problems now.
14. Use of “Much” vs. “Many”
Rule: Use “much” with uncountable nouns and “many” with countable nouns.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: How much books do you have?
Correct: How many books do you have? -
Incorrect: She didn’t eat many rice.
Correct: She didn’t eat much rice. -
Incorrect: We don’t have many information.
Correct: We don’t have much information.
15. Adjective vs. Adverb Confusion
Rule: Use adjectives to modify nouns and adverbs to modify verbs.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She sings beautiful.
Correct: She sings beautifully. -
Incorrect: He drives very careful.
Correct: He drives very carefully. -
Incorrect: This is an amazingly movie.
Correct: This is an amazing movie.
16. Consistent Point of View (Person)
Rule: Maintain the same point of view (first, second, or third person) throughout a sentence or passage.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: If one wants to succeed, you must work hard.
Correct: If one wants to succeed, one must work hard. -
Incorrect: I love when you go hiking in the rain.
Correct: I love when I go hiking in the rain. -
Incorrect: You should always plan your day, and one must be punctual.
Correct: You should always plan your day, and you must be punctual.
17. “Between” vs. “Among”
Rule: Use “between” for two items, and “among” for more than two.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She divided the sweets between her three children.
Correct: She divided the sweets among her three children. -
Incorrect: There is an agreement among the two parties.
Correct: There is an agreement between the two parties. -
Incorrect: He walked between the crowd.
Correct: He walked among the crowd.
18. Use of “Who” vs. “That”
Rule: Use “who” for people and “that” for things or groups.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The boy that won the race is my brother.
Correct: The boy who won the race is my brother. -
Incorrect: She is the only person that understands me.
Correct: She is the only person who understands me. -
Incorrect: The company who hired him is large.
Correct: The company that hired him is large.
19. Use of “Each” vs. “All”
Rule: Use “each” when referring to individual items; use “all” for collective items.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Each of the players are ready.
Correct: Each of the players is ready. -
Incorrect: All boy in the group is active.
Correct: Each boy in the group is active. -
Incorrect: Each members of the team agreed.
Correct: All members of the team agreed.
20. Use of Conditional Sentences
Rule: Match correct tenses in if-clauses and main clauses.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: If I will see him, I will tell him.
Correct: If I see him, I will tell him. -
Incorrect: If she studied, she would have passed.
Correct: If she had studied, she would have passed. -
Incorrect: If it rains, we would stay inside.
Correct: If it rains, we will stay inside.
21. Correct Placement of “Only”
Rule: Place “only” directly before the word it modifies.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She only eats vegetables on weekends.
Correct: She eats only vegetables on weekends. -
Incorrect: I only called him to apologize.
Correct: I called him only to apologize. -
Incorrect: They only gave him a warning.
Correct: They gave him only a warning.
22. Active vs. Passive Voice
Rule: Prefer active voice for clarity and conciseness.
Examples:
-
Passive: The cake was eaten by the children.
Active: The children ate the cake. -
Passive: The results were announced by the teacher.
Active: The teacher announced the results. -
Passive: A mistake was made.
Active: Someone made a mistake.
23. Use of “So” vs. “Such”
Rule: Use “so” before adjectives/adverbs; use “such” before noun phrases.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: It was such hot outside.
Correct: It was so hot outside. -
Incorrect: She is so beautiful girl.
Correct: She is such a beautiful girl. -
Incorrect: He spoke such fluently.
Correct: He spoke so fluently.
24. Use of “Since” vs. “For”
Rule: Use “since” with a point in time; use “for” with a period of time.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: I have been waiting for Monday.
Correct: I have been waiting since Monday. -
Incorrect: She has lived here since five years.
Correct: She has lived here for five years. -
Incorrect: We’ve been friends since ten years.
Correct: We’ve been friends for ten years.
25. Use of “Because” vs. “Because of”
Rule: Use “because” before a clause, and “because of” before a noun phrase.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The match was canceled because the rain.
Correct: The match was canceled because of the rain. -
Incorrect: He failed because of he didn’t study.
Correct: He failed because he didn’t study. -
Incorrect: She left because her mother.
Correct: She left because of her mother.
26. Using “Than” in Comparisons
Rule: Always use “than” when making comparisons, not “then”.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: He is taller then me.
Correct: He is taller than me. -
Incorrect: I would rather go by car then walk.
Correct: I would rather go by car than walk. -
Incorrect: This is better then that.
Correct: This is better than that.
27. Use of “Lay” vs. “Lie”
Rule: “Lay” takes an object; “lie” does not.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: I lay down to rest yesterday.
Correct: I lay down to rest (correct in past tense of “lie”). -
Incorrect: Please lie the book on the table.
Correct: Please lay the book on the table. -
Incorrect: He was laying on the floor.
Correct: He was lying on the floor.
28. Use of “Farther” vs. “Further”
Rule: Use “farther” for physical distance; “further” for figurative or abstract distance.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Let’s discuss this farther.
Correct: Let’s discuss this further. -
Incorrect: She ran further than I did.
Correct: She ran farther than I did. -
Incorrect: The farther explanation is unnecessary.
Correct: The further explanation is unnecessary.
29. Avoid Overusing “That”
Rule: Omit “that” when it is unnecessary for clarity.
Examples:
-
Wordy: She said that she would come.
Concise: She said she would come. -
Wordy: He believes that he is right.
Concise: He believes he is right. -
Wordy: I know that you are busy.
Concise: I know you are busy.
30. Use of “Who’s” vs. “Whose”
Rule: “Who’s” is a contraction of “who is”; “whose” shows possession.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Whose going to the party?
Correct: Who’s going to the party? -
Incorrect: Who’s book is this?
Correct: Whose book is this? -
Incorrect: I met the girl who’s car broke down.
Correct: I met the girl whose car broke down.
31. Use of “Too” vs. “Very”
Rule: “Very” means to a great degree; “too” means excessively and often has a negative implication.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She is too beautiful.
Correct: She is very beautiful. -
Incorrect: He is very tired to work.
Correct: He is too tired to work. -
Incorrect: The soup is very hot to eat.
Correct: The soup is too hot to eat.
32. Subject After “There” and “Here”
Rule: The subject comes after the verb in sentences beginning with “there” or “here”.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: There is many people in the hall.
Correct: There are many people in the hall. -
Incorrect: Here is your books.
Correct: Here are your books. -
Incorrect: There was two problems.
Correct: There were two problems.
33. Use of “May” vs. “Might”
Rule: “May” expresses possibility or permission; “might” implies a lower possibility or hypothetical situation.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: He might come to the party (when it’s quite likely).
Correct: He may come to the party. -
Incorrect: I may have gone if you had asked.
Correct: I might have gone if you had asked. -
Incorrect: You might leave now.
Correct: You may leave now.
34. Use of “Much” vs. “Very”
Rule: “Very” modifies adjectives/adverbs; “much” modifies past participles or comparatives.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She is much beautiful.
Correct: She is very beautiful. -
Incorrect: I was very impressed.
Correct: I was much impressed. -
Incorrect: He is very taller than me.
Correct: He is much taller than me.
35. Avoiding Comma Splices
Rule: Do not join two independent clauses with only a comma.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She is tired, she went to bed.
Correct: She is tired, so she went to bed. -
Incorrect: I came, I saw, I conquered.
Correct: I came; I saw; I conquered. -
Incorrect: He loves reading, he buys many books.
Correct: He loves reading. He buys many books.
36. “Whether” vs. “If”
Rule: Use “whether” when presenting alternatives; use “if” for conditions.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: I don’t know if she will come or not.
Correct: I don’t know whether she will come or not. -
Incorrect: Let me know whether you are ready.
Correct: Let me know if you are ready. -
Incorrect: We’ll go outside whether it rains.
Correct: We’ll go outside if it rains.
37. Using “As” vs. “Like”
Rule: Use “as” before a clause; “like” before a noun or pronoun.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Do it like I showed you.
Correct: Do it as I showed you. -
Incorrect: He runs as a cheetah.
Correct: He runs like a cheetah. -
Incorrect: She sings like she was a professional.
Correct: She sings as if she were a professional.
38. Use of “Due to” vs. “Because of”
Rule: “Due to” follows a form of the verb “to be” and modifies nouns; “because of” modifies verbs.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The match was canceled due to it rained.
Correct: The match was canceled because of the rain. -
Incorrect: He failed because of his laziness.
Correct: His failure was due to his laziness. -
Incorrect: Due to we were late, we missed the bus.
Correct: Because we were late, we missed the bus.
39. Use of “Affect” vs. “Effect”
Rule: “Affect” is usually a verb; “effect” is usually a noun.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The news will effect her badly.
Correct: The news will affect her badly. -
Incorrect: Her speech had a strong affect.
Correct: Her speech had a strong effect. -
Incorrect: The medicine effected his health.
Correct: The medicine affected his health.
40. Use of “Advice” vs. “Advise”
Rule: “Advice” is a noun; “advise” is a verb.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: He gave me a good advise.
Correct: He gave me good advice. -
Incorrect: Can you advice me?
Correct: Can you advise me? -
Incorrect: His advise was helpful.
Correct: His advice was helpful.
41. Use of “Beside” vs. “Besides”
Rule: “Beside” means next to; “besides” means in addition to.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: He sat besides me.
Correct: He sat beside me. -
Incorrect: Beside English, she speaks French.
Correct: Besides English, she speaks French. -
Incorrect: Who is sitting besides her?
Correct: Who is sitting beside her?
42. Confusing “Lose” vs. “Loose”
Rule: “Lose” is a verb; “loose” is an adjective.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Don’t loose your keys.
Correct: Don’t lose your keys. -
Incorrect: His pants are lose.
Correct: His pants are loose. -
Incorrect: We might loose the game.
Correct: We might lose the game.
43. Use of “Imply” vs. “Infer”
Rule: “Imply” is done by the speaker; “infer” is done by the listener.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Are you inferring that I’m wrong?
Correct: Are you implying that I’m wrong? -
Incorrect: I implied from his words that he’s upset.
Correct: I inferred from his words that he’s upset. -
Incorrect: He inferred that he wanted help.
Correct: He implied that he wanted help.
44. Use of “Borrow” vs. “Lend”
Rule: You borrow something from someone; you lend something to someone.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Can you borrow me your pen?
Correct: Can you lend me your pen? -
Incorrect: I lent a book from him.
Correct: I borrowed a book from him. -
Incorrect: I borrowed him my phone.
Correct: I lent him my phone.
45. Use of “Amount” vs. “Number”
Rule: Use “amount” with uncountable nouns; “number” with countable nouns.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The amount of students is increasing.
Correct: The number of students is increasing. -
Incorrect: A large number of sugar was used.
Correct: A large amount of sugar was used. -
Incorrect: The amount of mistakes is shocking.
Correct: The number of mistakes is shocking.
46. Use of “Each other” vs. “One another”
Rule: Use “each other” for two people; use “one another” for more than two.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The three friends love each other.
Correct: The three friends love one another. -
Incorrect: The two brothers fought one another.
Correct: The two brothers fought each other. -
Incorrect: We should help each other in a group.
Correct: We should help one another in a group.
47. Misplaced Modifiers
Rule: Place descriptive words close to the words they describe to avoid confusion.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: He nearly drove his kids to school every day.
Correct: He drove his kids to school nearly every day. -
Incorrect: She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates.
Correct: She served the children sandwiches on paper plates. -
Incorrect: I saw a puppy in the car with big eyes.
Correct: I saw a puppy with big eyes in the car.
48. Use of “As if” / “As though” + Subjunctive Mood
Rule: Use the past subjunctive (e.g., “were”) after “as if” or “as though.”
Examples:
-
Incorrect: He talks as if he was the boss.
Correct: He talks as if he were the boss. -
Incorrect: She behaves as though she was rich.
Correct: She behaves as though she were rich. -
Incorrect: It looks as if it is going to rain.
Correct: It looks as though it were going to rain.
49. Use of “Fewer” vs. “Less”
Rule: Use “fewer” for countable nouns; “less” for uncountable nouns.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: There were less people at the party.
Correct: There were fewer people at the party. -
Incorrect: I drank fewer water than usual.
Correct: I drank less water than usual. -
Incorrect: Fewer money was spent on education.
Correct: Less money was spent on education.
50. Use of “All ready” vs. “Already”
Rule: “All ready” means fully prepared; “already” refers to time.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: I’m already for the trip.
Correct: I’m all ready for the trip. -
Incorrect: They all ready left.
Correct: They already left. -
Incorrect: We were already to begin.
Correct: We were all ready to begin.
51. Use of “All together” vs. “Altogether”
Rule: “All together” means in a group; “altogether” means completely.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: It was all together a new experience.
Correct: It was altogether a new experience. -
Incorrect: We were altogether at the station.
Correct: We were all together at the station. -
Incorrect: The idea is all together impossible.
Correct: The idea is altogether impossible.
52. Use of “Who” vs. “Whom”
Rule: Use “who” as a subject; “whom” as an object.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Whom is calling?
Correct: Who is calling? -
Incorrect: To who did you give the letter?
Correct: To whom did you give the letter? -
Incorrect: Whom made this painting?
Correct: Who made this painting?
53. Double Negatives
Rule: Avoid using two negative words in the same clause.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: I don’t know nothing.
Correct: I don’t know anything. -
Incorrect: She didn’t see nobody at the mall.
Correct: She didn’t see anybody at the mall. -
Incorrect: He hasn’t done nothing wrong.
Correct: He hasn’t done anything wrong.
54. Using “May have” vs. “Might have”
Rule: Both are acceptable, but “might have” often indicates a hypothetical past.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: He may of forgotten.
Correct: He may have forgotten. -
Incorrect: She might of called you.
Correct: She might have called you. -
Incorrect: They may had arrived late.
Correct: They may have arrived late.
55. Using “Different from” not “Different than”
Rule: Use “different from” when making comparisons.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: This book is different than the one I read.
Correct: This book is different from the one I read. -
Incorrect: Your style is different than mine.
Correct: Your style is different from mine. -
Incorrect: This place looks different than before.
Correct: This place looks different from before.
56. Using Parallel Structure
Rule: Keep elements in a list or comparison in the same grammatical form.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: She likes cooking, to swim, and biking.
Correct: She likes cooking, swimming, and biking. -
Incorrect: He wants to sing, dancing, and act.
Correct: He wants to sing, dance, and act. -
Incorrect: The job requires intelligence, hard work, and to be efficient.
Correct: The job requires intelligence, hard work, and efficiency.
57. Correct Verb After “Neither...nor” / “Either...or”
Rule: The verb should agree with the subject closest to it.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Neither the teacher nor the students is present.
Correct: Neither the teacher nor the students are present. -
Incorrect: Either the boys or their father are responsible.
Correct: Either the boys or their father is responsible. -
Incorrect: Neither she nor I are going.
Correct: Neither she nor I am going.
58. Avoid Redundancy
Rule: Eliminate unnecessary repetition in wording.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: The reason is because he was late.
Correct: The reason is that he was late. -
Incorrect: He returned back to his hometown.
Correct: He returned to his hometown. -
Incorrect: She made a final conclusion.
Correct: She made a conclusion.
59. Avoid Sentence Fragments
Rule: A sentence must have a subject and a verb and express a complete thought.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: Because he was late.
Correct: He was late. -
Incorrect: While going to school.
Correct: He fell while going to school. -
Incorrect: Such as music and painting.
Correct: She enjoys activities such as music and painting.
60. Avoid Run-on Sentences
Rule: Use proper punctuation or conjunctions to separate independent clauses.
Examples:
-
Incorrect: I love tea it is very refreshing.
Correct: I love tea because it is very refreshing. -
Incorrect: She studied hard she passed.
Correct: She studied hard, so she passed. -
Incorrect: We went to the park we had fun.
Correct: We went to the park, and we had fun.
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