This can disrupt the clarity of communication, harm the professional image and even cause misunderstandings
Grammatical errors are present in the daily lives of many people, even among those who write frequently.
The problem is that we often commit these slips without even noticing, even for those who have the main language.
This can disrupt the clarity of communication, harm the professional image and even cause misunderstandings.
You already had the feeling that something was strange in a sentence, but didn’t you know exactly what? So it is.
This text has been made to help you identify and avoid common errors, but can often go unnoticed.
6 grammatical errors that you probably make without realizing
1. Wrong use of the comma
The comma serves to organize ideas and indicate breaks. But its exaggerated or wrong use can completely change the meaning of the sentence.
Wrong: I don’t want to know, John.
Right: No, I want to know John.
In this case, the comma completely changes the tone of the sentence. In the first one, it seems that the person is annoyed with John. In the second, it seems that he is excited to learn more about him. This little break changes everything.
In addition, many people put a comma between subject and predicate, which is also a mistake.
Wrong: John, went to the bakery.
Right: John went to the bakery.
2.
Crase is one of the most frequent grammatical errors. And no wonder: it confuses even those who have a lot of practice with the Portuguese language.
You should use the crase when there is a fusion of the preposition “A” with the defined female article “a”.
Example with crase: I went to school.
No crase: I went to Pé.
Practical Tip: Change the feminine word for a male. If you give it to it, go crase.
Example:
I went to the fair. (I went to the market.) – So, use crase.
3. Even use of pronouns
This is classic. Many people exchange treatment pronouns, mix “me” with “me” and so on.
Wrong: For me to do this is easy.
Right: For me to do this is easy.
“Me” does nothing. It does not combine verb. Therefore, after prepositions followed by infinitive verb, the correct thing is to use “me”.
Another common mistake is to say: Between me and you. The right thing is: Between me and me.
4. Verbal and nominal agreement
Here is another point where grammatical errors appear hard. The basic rule is that the verb must agree with the subject in number and person.
Wrong: The boys went to the park.
Right: The boys went to the park.
In nominal agreement, the adjective needs to agree with the noun.
Wrong: The happy children.
Right: The happy children.
It sounds simple, but in the rush of everyday life, these slips escape easy.
5. Wrong pronominal placement
Knowing where to put the oblique pronoun (me, te, if, o, a, etc.) is a challenge even for those who write well. The correct position depends on the type of word that comes before.
Wrong: Lend me your notebook.
Right: Lend me your notebook.
If the verb is at the beginning of the sentence, the pronoun usually comes later (enclisis). But in informal Portuguese, this type of error is quite common.
To avoid problems in more formal texts, it is always worth reviewing.
6. Confusion between homonymous words
Homonyms are words that have the same pronunciation (or spelling), but different meanings. And here the trap lives.
See some classic examples:
-
Session, section and assignment
Session: Something Time (Cinema Session)
Section: Part of a whole (newspaper section)
Assignment: act of assigning (assignment of rights) -
Accent and seat
Accent: Graphic sign (acute accent)
Seat: Place to sit (chair seat)
Using each other is one of the grammatical errors that more compromise the clarity than you want to convey.
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