1 Most common grammar mistakes in English: Introduction

Unlike French with its Académie française, English has no central regulatory body. There is no single “standard English”. “Standard” English grammar, spelling, and pronunciation are governed by influential dictionaries, grammar books, style guides, and by standards used in schools in various English-speaking countries.

Nevertheless, there are many rules you should follow if you want to sound natural; for example, if you say “he taked” instead of “he took”, you are guaranteed to be perceived as not using proper English by any native speaker. In this book, we shall explore common mistakes English learners make that break such essential rules, i.e. which truly make you sound non-native or which can cause misunderstanding.

I believe any intermediate or advanced English learner can profit from following this course. If you know the basics and learn all the topics presented here, you should be able to express yourself (in terms of grammar and syntax) like a native speaker most of the time.

It should be also noted that American and British English are given a completely equal treatment, and whenever there are important differences between the two variants, the book explains them appropriately.