3 Reasons why you make Grammar Mistakes when you speak (..and how to correct them)

If you speak English as an additional language, you might find that grammar mistakes are holding you back in your professional communications. Perhaps people get the general idea of what you’re saying, but they don’t understand you completely. Or maybe you hold back from speaking because you’re not confident about using the right grammar, and you don’t want to make mistakes.

After working with clients from around the world, I’ve identified three main reasons why people make grammar mistakes when speaking, and each requires a slightly different approach to correct.

This is the most straightforward issue. Maybe you studied grammar years ago, or perhaps you’ve never formally studied it at all. Even advanced English speakers often have gaps in their grammar knowledge—they’ve learned to communicate effectively, but certain rules are missing from their foundation.

The Solution: Learn grammar rules in context, not in isolation.

I highly recommend the book Grammar in Use by Murphy, which introduces grammar rules alongside practical examples. However, don’t stop at just learning the structures. Once you understand a grammar rule, pay attention to how it’s used in real situations:

• When reading English content
• While listening to podcasts
• During conversations with colleagues

This contextual awareness is crucial because understanding how grammar is used in real life helps you to apply it accurately when speaking.

This is perhaps the most frustrating situation. You’ve studied the grammar rule, you could even complete gap-fill exercises correctly, but when it comes to real conversations, you default to simple sentences and basic structures.

This problem often stems from traditional language learning methods that emphasise memorisation and written exercises over practical application. For example, you might know the past perfect tense in theory, but when telling stories about the past, your brain automatically uses the simple past tense instead.

The Problem: You have a passive understanding but haven’t activated the grammar for natural use.

The Solution: Deliberate practice with real application.

Let’s use the past perfect tense as an example. We use this tense to show that one action in a story happened before another action:

“Yesterday I drove to work. When I got to work, I realised that I had left my phone at home.”

The phrase “had left” is past perfect because leaving the phone happened before realising it was missing.

To activate this knowledge:

1. Practice writing stories using the target grammar structure
2. Practice telling these stories out loud
3. Repeat until the structure becomes automatic

The more you practise deliberately, the more naturally it will emerge in real conversations.

These are the most frustrating mistakes of all:  errors that come out automatically, even when you know the correct grammar. Often, these involve basic, beginner-level rules, which can make you feel self-conscious about being judged.

Why Fossilised Mistakes Happen:

1. Early habit formation: You made these mistakes early in your learning journey and were never corrected, so your brain formed strong neural connections to the incorrect patterns.
2. First language interference: When you’re in the flow of speaking and haven’t fully activated your English grammar knowledge, your brain defaults to your native language patterns. For instance, if your first language doesn’t distinguish between “he” and “she,” you might automatically mix these up in English.

The Solution: Awareness through self-monitoring.

The most effective way to correct fossilised mistakes is to record yourself speaking and listen back to identify patterns. I know—most people don’t like hearing their own voice on recordings. But you’ll get used to it, and the insights are invaluable.

When clients first try this technique, they’re often surprised: “I didn’t even know I was doing that!” Self-awareness is powerful because when you notice your own mistakes, you create a mental note that makes correction much easier.

Remember, grammar serves one primary purpose: to help you communicate clearly and precisely. While it’s important to work on these issues, don’t become so obsessed with avoiding mistakes that you stop speaking up at work or hesitate to share your ideas.

My recommendation: Focus on your message during real conversations, but use your practice time to notice and work on correcting these patterns.

Whether you’re dealing with knowledge gaps, activation issues, or fossilised mistakes, the key is identifying which type of grammar challenge you’re facing and applying the appropriate solution. With targeted practice and awareness, you can build the confidence to communicate more effectively in your professional life.

If you’re struggling with grammar mistakes in your professional communications, consider working with a coach who can help identify your specific patterns and create a targeted improvement plan.

To book a free trial session to see how we can work together, click here: BOOK FREE TRIAL SESSION