100 English Mistakes Students Make

Overview

If you’ve ever heard yourself say “He don’t like football” or “They is coming,” you already know the pain: agreement mistakes make your English sound “off,” even when your ideas are clear. This chapter fixes the most common concord (agreement) errors-especially with singular vs plural, verb tenses, and question tags-using short WAEC/NECO-style corrections you can apply fast.

You’ll work through English Mistakes #1-#20, from the “he don’t” problem to tricky cases like everyone/someone, there is/there are, and countable vs uncountable nouns.

Quick check: After each mistake, ask yourself: “What subject is this-one person or many?” That single question fixes half of these errors.

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The Breakdown

#1: He/She/It + don’t (Wrong verb with singular subjects)

Problem: You’re mixing subject number. With he, she, it (singular), you must use doesn’t / doesn’t + verb. When you say “He don’t,” your sentence breaks the basic agreement rule and WAEC markers notice quickly.

Solution:

1. Identify the subject: he / she / it = singular.

2. Use doesn’t + base verb (verb without “s”).

3. Swap examples: “He doesn’t like rice.” (NOT “He don’t like rice.”)

Result: Your negative sentences will sound correct and natural in speaking and writing.

#2: They + doesn’t (Wrong negative form with plural subjects)

Problem: “They doesn’t like…” is wrong because they is plural. Plural subjects take don’t, not doesn’t. This mistake often appears in everyday speech and can lose easy marks.

Solution:

1. Check the subject: they = plural.

2. Use don’t + base verb.

3. Practice switching: “They don’t like noise.”

Result: Your negative statements will match the subject and stay exam-safe.

#3: I/You/We + doesn’t (Wrong negative form with plural/first/second person)

Problem: Sentences like “I doesn’t know” or “We doesn’t go” sound incorrect because I, you, we are not singular “he/she/it.” When you use doesn’t, the verb agreement becomes mismatched.

Solution:

1. Remember: I/you/we = don’t in negatives.

2. Use don’t + base verb.

3. Correct: “I don’t know.” “We don’t go to school on Sundays.”

Result: You’ll stop losing marks on basic agreement questions.

#4: He don’t / She don’t + verb (Present simple agreement)

Problem: This is the classic WAEC/NECO trap: present simple needs -s for singular positives (“he likes”), but no -s for plural (“they like”). When learners forget, sentences like “He don’t play” show up.

Solution:

1. For positive present simple:

• he/she/it → verb + -s (“plays, likes, goes”)
• I/you/we/they → verb without -s (“play, like, go”)

2. For negative present simple: use doesn’t/don’t correctly.

3. Fix: “He doesn’t play football.”

Result: Your tense and agreement will match, and your writing will look stronger.

#5: They is / They was (Wrong verb form with plural subjects)

Problem: Plural subjects usually take are (present) and were (past). Saying “They is” or “They was” makes your grammar feel broken, even if the meaning is clear.

Solution:

1. Plural subject → are (present) / were (past).

2. Practice: “They are late.” “They were late.”

3. Quick memory: They = are, They = were.

Result: Your sentences will sound correct in both exams and daily talk.

#6: There is + plural noun / There are + singular noun (Agreement with “there”)

Problem: Learners often ignore the noun after “there.”

• “There is three books” is wrong because books = plural.
• “There are a book” is wrong because book = singular.

Solution:

1. Look for the noun after there is/there are.

2. Singular noun → there is

3. Plural noun → there are

4. Examples: “There is a chair.” / “There are three chairs.”

Result: You’ll stop making a very common agreement mistake in both writing and speaking.

#7: Each/Every + plural verb (Wrong agreement with “each/every”)

Problem: “Each of the boys are…” is wrong because each/every makes the idea singular. Even if the sentence mentions many people, the grammar treats it as one “unit.”

Solution:

1. Spot each or every.

2. Treat it as singular.

3. Use singular verb: “Each of the boys is here.”

Result: Your sentences become clear, and WAEC markers see correct concord.

#8: Everyone/Somebody + plural verb (Wrong agreement with indefinite pronouns)

Problem: “Everybody are coming” is a common mistake. Words like everyone, somebody, anybody are singular in meaning, so they take is/does.

Solution:

1. Treat: everyone/somebody/anybody/nobody as singular.

2. Use is / does.

3. Correct: “Everybody is ready.” “Nobody does the work.”

Result: Your indefinite pronouns will agree properly with verbs.

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