Although I take my job seriously, I would never class myself as being in the grammar police or even a secret member of the SAS (Speak Absolutely Superbly). However, when I first landed on planet TEFL more than two decades ago, I started to notice grammar mistakes far more frequently. 

As an English teacher and language specialist, I spend a lot of time analysing how people communicate (maybe too much). And one of the most fascinating aspects of human speech is how quickly we absorb the linguistic habits of those around us. 

Even though I am pretty good at what I do (I think, anyway :), I occasionally catch myself almost slipping up after spending time in environments where non-standard grammar is used habitually. These linguistic challenges are, in many cases, not merely a matter of education, but rather a result of a well-documented phenomenon known aslinguistic accommodation. There is also language attrition, which affects, for example, expats who have been living abroad and using a newly acquired second language regularly. Basically, when native speakers who don’t usually make grammatical mistakes spend a lot of time with people who do, they tend to pick up bad habits. However, language attrition is quite different to linguistic accommodation — something I may revisit at a later date.

Whether it is in the local pub, on sports broadcasts, or amongst colleagues, native speakers frequently adopt incorrect forms purely out of habit. If you hear a phrase repeated hundreds of times, your brain naturally registers it as familiar.

This is why language learners need to be active listeners. While native speakers can afford to be relaxed with their grammar — often knowing the correct rule deep down but choosing the path of least resistance — learners need to build a keen eye and ear for what is genuinely accurate English versus a widespread bad habit.

me and my mate went → my mate and I went (A simple trick: remove the other person to test it. You would say "I went", never "me went")

less people → fewer people ("Fewer" is used for countable nouns like people or chairs; "less" is for uncountable quantities like water or time)

should of arrived → should have (or should've) arrived (This happens because the spoken contraction "should've" sounds almost identical to "should of")

I seen that striker → I saw that striker (or I've seen...) ("Seen" requires a helping verb like "have" or "had"; for the simple past, use "saw")
I done it → I did it (Similar to "seen", "done" needs a helping verb like "have" [e.g., "I've done it"]; the simple past is "did")

None of the bad habits mentioned in this blog means that perpetrators should be convicted of being an ineffective communicator. These mistakes are simply, well, slip-ups that native speakers fall into without realising. If native speakers can occasionally fall victim to these subtle habits, give yourself a break if you find English grammar challenging. 

Just remember that recognising these slight differences is what separates a good speaker from a great one! 

Which of the five mistakes above do you hear most often when listening to native speakers? Let me know in the comments.

Next time: How to tell a real grammatical error apart from perfectly valid casual English

grammar police – a lighthearted term for someone who likes to correct people who use grammar incorrectly 

creep in – to slowly or subtly enter a habit or routine over time 

path of least resistance – choosing the easiest way to do something 

slip up – to make a minor or casual mistake