Are You Smarter Than A Native

English Speaker?

Jack Davidson
Feb 11, 2016

Learning English is hard. The irregular verbs, the seemingly

endless new vocabulary and the slightly nonsensical
pronunciation can all add up to be a major headache.

Sometimes, you may feel like youre never going to master it.
But Im going to let you in on a little secret: native speakers
struggle as well.

Thats right, even people who have grown up with the language
make
mistakes
from
time
to
time.
Whether
its
mispronunciation, not understanding what a word means or
simply messing up the structure of a particularly tricky form,
native speakers are not immune to the problems you face as a
language learner.

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have democratised

the written word and given everyone a way of communicating to
the outside world. What this means, however, is that the
common errors that would previously have remained hidden are
now splashed across the internet for everyone to see. Whether
its
mixing-up there , their and theyre or
confusing effect and affect , native speakers regularly misuse
the English language in their writing and speaking.

One important thing to take from this, perhaps, is that you

should never be too self-conscious to speak and write in public.
If native speakers make these mistakes, then no one will be
judging an English learner. However, theres something else as
well. If you can master these common errors, you can ensure
that your English is even better than that of some native
speakers.

In this article, were going to focus on the most common errors

that we find time and time again from native speakers. By
learning a few simple rules, differences and definitions you can
make sure that you always use them correctly in your written
and spoken English. Who knows, you may even find yourself
earning kudos by helpfully correcting a native speaker!

Below, Ive picked the eight most common mistakes I could find.
Accompanying each one is a brief definition of the language and
examples to help you remember the correct use.

There , their and theyre

This is one of the most common errors to begin with. The

problems here arise from all of these words being pronounced in
exactly the same way. So, what are the differences between
them?

There (and adverb) indicates a place or position.

We found
afternoon.

lovely

restaurant

and

stayed

there

all

It also indicates the fact or existence of something.

There is a spider in the bathroom.

Their (a possessive determiner) indicates

belongs to someone or some people.

that

something

They washed their faces in warm water.

Someone had left their dirty dishes in the sink.

They (a plural pronoun) and are (a form of the verb to be ) are

commonly contracted to form theyre . This form is often used in
the present simple/present continuous tenses.

Theyre professionals. They know what theyre doing.

Could have , would have and should have (commonly written

incorrectly as could of , would of and should of )

The origins of this common mistake derive from the tendency of

native speakers to pronounce the auxiliary verb have with the
schwa sound. To the untrained ear, this can be misheard as of , a
completely different word.

Incorrect: I should of taken that washing off the line as soon as

I saw the rain clouds.

Correct: I should have taken that washing off the line as soon
as I saw the rain clouds.

Incorrect: She would of found it funny if youd walked all that

way for nothing.

Correct: She would have found it funny if youd walked all that
way for nothing.

Incorrect: I could of got here earlier, but you told me to arrive

at 5pm.

Correct: I could have got here earlier, but you told me to arrive
at 5pm.

Effect and affect

This is a tricky one, and it is also a very common mistake.

Getting it right will make your language skills look and sound
very proficient.

Effect (a noun): a change that is the result or consequence of

an action.

The effect (result) of the immunisation programme was a

reduction in the disease.

Affect (a verb): to make a difference to.

Learning how to dance has really affected my selfconfidence when I go for a night out.

Its and its

Im guilty of mixing these two up when Im not paying enough

attention, so its completely understandable if you seem a bit
unsure of them as well.

Its (a possessive determiner) indicates something belonging to

or associated with something previously mentioned.

The bird flapped its wings and flew away.

It (a singular pronoun) and is (a form of the verb to be ) are

commonly contracted to form its . This form is often used in the
present simple/continuous tenses.

Its going to be a lovely day.

Its easy once you know how.

Your and youre

Ignore the spellings, these two words are pronounced exactly

the same. This probably accounts for why mixing them up is one
of the most common mistakes on this list.

Your (a possessive determiner) indicates that something

belongs to or is associated with the person that the speaker is
addressing.

Is this your pencil?

Your children keep kicking their football into my garden.

You (a singular pronoun) and are (a form of the verb to be ) are

commonly contracted to form youre . This form is often used in
the present simple/continuous tenses.

Youre from England, arent you?

Youre making a real mess of that icing.

I.e. and e.g.

Lets get the Latin out of the way first: i.e. is an abbreviation of
the
Latin
phrase id
est ,
meaning that
is .
Meanwhile, e.g. derives from the Latin phrase exempli gratia ,
or for example . But dont worry too much about that. English
speakers never use the full Latin phrase. In fact, very few
people even know them. What this means in reality, however, is

that they are always misusing them. So, whats the difference
then?

E.g. (for example) is used to give an example or multiple

examples.

I particularly enjoy team sports (e.g. football and cricket).

I.e. (in other words) is used to restate the same information in

different words

Dont worry about special dietary requirements, I eat

pretty much anything (i.e. Im not vegetarian!).

To, two and too

Yes, they are all pronounced exactly the same and no, I dont
know why. However, understanding the differences in meaning
will help you to avoid the common mistakes made by many
native speakers.

To (a preposition, an infinitive marker or an adverb) can be used

in several ways.

When used as a preposition, to expresses motion in a particular

direction.

I sent a letter to my aunt.

It also functions as an infinitive marker, coming before the base

form of the verb.

to go, to be, to supply.

Finally, to can be used as an adverb to more accurately

describe the actions of a verb.

I pulled the door to (closed the door) so that we could hear

each other better (please note that this is a very
uncommon use of the word to).

Two (a number)

This one is simple, so you shouldnt have many problems. Its

just the number two .

I bought two eggs and a loaf of bread.

Too (an adverb) indicates that something is being done an

excessive amount or is being done to a higher degree than is
necessary.

Thats too much sugar. The tea will be too sweet now.

We can also use too to mean in addition to or also.

We brought some wine too, so at least we wont run out

later.

Lose and loose

These words are pronounced differently, but native speakers

still mix them up occasionally. Lets look at the two definitions:

Lose (a verb) means to fail against someone or something else.

Manchester
Saturday.

United

lost

against

Manchester

City

on

It also means to be deprived of something or to fail to retain

something.

Ive lost my phone. Can you call it for me?

Loose (an adjective) is used to describe something that is not

tight or well-fitted.

I like the colour of these trousers but theyre a bit loose

around the waist. Have you got a smaller size?