Last week, I decided to test my editing chops the old-fashioned way. No Grammarly, no ProWritingAid, no squiggly red lines whispering corrections. Just me, a red pen, and three hundred pages of my friend’s manuscript.
By page fifty, something curious started happening. The mistakes that caught my eye weren’t the easy ones — missing commas, stray apostrophes, or spelling slip-ups. They were subtler, almost invisible to most readers. A misused conjunction here, a dangling modifier there — the kind of grammatical missteps our brains quietly correct without us ever realizing.
That’s when I remembered a study I’d once read — only about 9% of native English speakers can reliably spot complex grammatical errors in everyday writing. (For the record, that stat came from a Cambridge University linguistics survey in 2020, not my imagination.)
And it makes sense. Language isn’t just about memory; it’s about pattern recognition. Our brains are wired to focus on meaning, not mechanics. But when you can actually see the mechanics — when you can spot what’s wrong — it says something fascinating about how deeply your mind processes structure and logic.
So, consider this a small experiment in linguistic awareness. I’ve gathered nine sentences that look perfectly fine at first glance but each hides a sneaky grammatical error. See how many you catch before I explain them.
1. “Neither the manager or his assistant were available for comment.”
Looks normal, right? But two issues lurk inside.
First, “neither” must always pair with “nor,” not “or.” So it should be: “Neither the manager nor his assistant…”
Second, verbs after “neither/nor” should agree with the nearest subject. Here, both subjects are singular, so we use was, not were.
Correct: “Neither the manager nor his assistant was available for comment.”
Most people miss both errors because the plural “assistant” subconsciously triggers “were.” Our brains are great at autocorrecting meaning — not so great at enforcing grammar logic.
2. “The team of researchers are presenting their findings tomorrow.”
This one’s sneakier. The actual subject isn’t “researchers” — it’s “team,” a collective noun. In American English, collective nouns are treated as singular.
Correct: “The team of researchers is presenting its findings tomorrow.”
British English, for the record, often treats collectives as plural (“The team are playing well”), so you’ll see both in print depending on the region.
3. “Walking through the park, the flowers caught my attention.”
Unless the flowers suddenly grew legs, that’s a dangling modifier. The introductory phrase “Walking through the park” should describe the person walking, not the flowers.
Correct: “Walking through the park, I noticed the beautiful flowers.”
We understand what the writer meant — our brains fill the gap — but grammatically, it’s nonsense. This error happens because English lets us front-load descriptions, and our brains are lazy about checking who’s actually doing the walking.
4. “Everyone should bring their laptop to the meeting.”
This one’s controversial. Technically, “everyone” is singular, so the old-school rule demands: “his or her laptop.”
Traditionally correct: “Everyone should bring his or her laptop to the meeting.”
Modern acceptable: “Everyone should bring their laptop to the meeting.”
Most modern style guides (including the Merriam-Webster guide and APA Style) now recognize singular they as grammatically legitimate — especially to avoid gender bias. So while purists may grumble, this one’s becoming a non-error in everyday use.
5. “This coffee is more stronger than yesterday’s brew.”
A classic redundancy. “More stronger” doubles up on the comparative marker. It’s like saying “most fastest.”
Correct: “This coffee is stronger than yesterday’s brew.”
Our brains love intensifiers — more, most, very — and tend to sprinkle them in where they don’t belong. Grammar, however, prefers economy.
6. “The company announced it’s new policy regarding remote work.”
The world’s most common typo: confusing it’s (it is) with its (possessive).
Correct: “The company announced its new policy regarding remote work.”
Even seasoned writers mess this up, especially when typing quickly. Ironically, the more confident you are, the easier it is to overlook because your brain reads what it expects to see.
7. “She decided to quickly review the documents before the meeting.”
Technically, this splits the infinitive “to review.” Traditional grammarians frowned upon such splits, insisting the adverb should come before or after the infinitive.
Traditional: “She decided quickly to review the documents.”
Modern: “She decided to review the documents quickly.”
But truth be told, modern English has largely made peace with split infinitives — especially when the “unsplit” version sounds awkward. (Star Trek’s “to boldly go” didn’t exactly hurt its case.)
8. “If I was rich, I would travel the world.”
When expressing hypotheticals or conditions contrary to fact, we use the subjunctive mood — a form that’s slowly disappearing from casual speech.
Correct: “If I were rich, I would travel the world.”
Most people say “was” without thinking twice. But formally, “were” signals that the condition isn’t real. It’s a tiny, elegant relic of English’s older grammar systems.
9. “The person who you called yesterday returned your message.”
The distinction between who and whom rests on case. Who is for subjects; whom is for objects.
Correct: “The person whom you called yesterday returned your message.”
Here’s a simple trick: if you can substitute “him” or “her,” use whom. If “he” or “she” fits, use who. So you’d say “you called him,” meaning whom is the right call.
By the time I finished editing that manuscript, I realized the exercise wasn’t just about grammar — it was about awareness. Each correction forced me to slow down, question assumptions, and actually see the language on the page instead of just skimming for meaning.
And that’s the fascinating part: grammar awareness isn’t simply a test of education or nitpicking skill. Studies in psycholinguistics suggest that people who naturally notice structural errors also tend to excel in pattern recognition, logical reasoning, and even problem-solving. The same neural wiring that spots a misplaced verb often helps us notice inconsistencies in numbers or arguments.
Grammar, in other words, is logic in disguise.
So the next time you catch yourself instinctively correcting “their” to “its,” pat yourself on the back. You’re not just proofreading — you’re flexing the same mental muscle that makes you a sharper thinker.
FAQs
Why do most people miss subtle grammar errors?
Because our brains process meaning faster than structure. We “auto-correct” as we read, so the logic feels right even when the grammar isn’t.
Is it still wrong to split infinitives?
Not really. Modern grammar accepts split infinitives when they sound natural or improve clarity.
What’s the difference between “its” and “it’s”?
Its is possessive (like “his” or “her”). It’s means “it is” or “it has.”
Why is singular “they” accepted now?
To avoid gender bias and awkward phrasing. Organizations like the APA and Merriam-Webster officially endorse it.
How can I improve my grammar awareness?
Read slower, analyze sentence structure, and occasionally write or edit by hand — it forces deeper engagement with language.
