The American-English grammar rules that matter most are the ones people misapply when they write fast: make the verb agree with its real subject, choose the right pronoun case, keep modifiers next to what they describe, and join sentences with the right punctuation. Master those few areas and most grammar mistakes disappear.
This guide covers each trouble spot with real sentences you can compare against your own. Every section shows what to avoid, what to use instead, and why. It also flags the “rules” your teachers may have drilled into you that modern American style guides no longer enforce.
At GrammarVista.com USA, the goal is simple: clear rules you can apply in a few seconds. You can browse every lesson in this area on our grammar rules page.
Key Takeaways
- Find the true subject and make the verb agree with it, ignoring the words in between.
- Drop the other person to test I vs. me; it is always “between you and me.”
- Singular they is standard and always takes a plural verb.
- Put modifiers, especially only, right next to what they describe.
- Ending a sentence with a preposition and splitting an infinitive are not errors.
Subject-Verb Agreement
A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb. Simple in theory. In practice, extra words between the subject and the verb cause most errors, a point Purdue OWL’s subject-verb agreement guide also stresses.
Quick rule: Find the real subject, cross out everything between it and the verb, and then check the match.
| Avoid | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The list of approved vendors are online. | The list of approved vendors is online. | The subject is list, not vendors. |
| The quality of the photos were great. | The quality of the photos was great. | Quality is singular. |
| The manager, along with her team, are arriving. | The manager, along with her team, is arriving. | Along with, as well as, and together with don’t make a subject plural. |
Collective nouns
In American English, collective nouns like team, company, family, staff, and committee usually take a singular verb because the group acts as one unit.
- The team is practicing tonight.
- Apple has announced a new phone.
- The committee has reached a decision.
When the members are clearly acting as individuals, a plural verb can work, but most writers rephrase: “The committee members disagree about the budget.”
British English treats collective nouns as plural far more often. Our guide to American vs. British English differences covers that and more.
Each, everyone, and other indefinite pronouns
Each, every, everyone, everybody, someone, anyone, nobody, and either (used alone) are singular.
- Each of the reports has a deadline.
- Everyone wants a raise.
- Neither of the options works for me.
None can go either way. “None of the cake is left” (a mass amount) and “None of the applicants were qualified” are both standard. Use singular if you mean “not one.”
Either/or and neither/nor
With either/or and neither/nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
- Either the manager or the interns are handling it.
- Either the interns or the manager is handling it.
If the singular-closest version sounds odd, put the plural subject last.
There is vs. there are
In sentences starting with there, the real subject comes after the verb.
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| There’s three problems with this plan. | There are three problems with this plan. |
| There is a pen and a notebook on the desk. | There are a pen and a notebook on the desk. |
“There’s” with a plural noun is common in casual speech, but in writing, match the verb to what follows.
One more pair worth knowing: “A number of people are waiting” (plural), but “The number of people is growing” (singular).
Verb Tenses and Irregular Verbs
American English generally uses the simple past where British English often prefers the present perfect. “Did you eat yet?” is everyday American speech, while “Have you eaten yet?” works on both sides of the Atlantic.
In writing, the main job is consistency. Don’t switch tenses mid-story unless the timeline actually changes.
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| She walks into the meeting and sat down. | She walked into the meeting and sat down. |
| I should of called. | I should have called. |
| He has went home. | He has gone home. |
“Should of,” “could of,” and “would of” are mishearings of the contractions should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve. Always write have.
Irregular verbs that trip people up
| Base | Past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| go | went | (have) gone |
| see | saw | (have) seen |
| drink | drank | (have) drunk |
| swim | swam | (have) swum |
| lie (recline) | lay | (have) lain |
| lay (put down) | laid | (have) laid |
| dive | dove or dived | (have) dived |
Dove is the common American past tense of dive; dived is also correct. Gotten is standard American English as a past participle of get (“She has gotten better”).
The lie/lay pair is tricky enough to get its own deep dive in our guide to lay vs. lie.
Pronoun Case: I vs. Me, Who vs. Whom
Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) when the pronoun does the action. Use object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) when it receives the action or follows a preposition.
Quick rule: Remove the other person. If “I went” sounds right, write “Sam and I went.” If “for me” sounds right, write “for Sam and me.”
| Avoid | Use | Test |
|---|---|---|
| Me and Jordan finished the draft. | Jordan and I finished the draft. | I finished it. |
| Send the file to Maya and I. | Send the file to Maya and me. | Send it to me. |
| Between you and I, it’s late. | Between you and me, it’s late. | Between is a preposition. |
| Please contact myself with questions. | Please contact me with questions. | Myself needs an I earlier in the sentence. |
“Between you and I” sounds formal, but every preposition (between, for, with, to, from) takes the object form.
Comparisons with than and as
“She’s taller than I (am)” is the traditional formal choice. “She’s taller than me” is standard in conversation. If you’re unsure, finish the sentence in your head and add the verb.
For the classic who and whom puzzle, use the he/him test: if him fits, use whom. Our full breakdown of who vs. whom walks through the traps.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Singular They
A pronoun should match the noun it refers to (its antecedent) in number and should point clearly to one noun.
| Unclear | Clear |
|---|---|
| When Alex met Chris, he was nervous. | Alex was nervous when he met Chris. |
| The company changed their logo. | The company changed its logo. |
| The box sat on the table until it broke. | The box sat on the table until the table broke. |
Remember that a company is an it in American English, even though “they” is common in speech.
Singular they is correct
Using they for one person whose gender is unknown, unimportant, or nonbinary is standard. Merriam-Webster recognizes this sense, and APA Style endorses singular “they” in its guidelines.
Both the AP Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style accept it too, noting that rewording is sometimes the smoother choice.
- Someone left their umbrella in the lobby.
- Each applicant should bring their ID.
- Riley said they are running late.
Singular they always takes a plural verb, just as singular you does: “they are,” “they were.” For formal writing where you’d rather avoid the debate, pluralize: “Applicants should bring their IDs.”
Articles: A vs. An
The choice depends on the sound that follows, not the letter.
- Use a before a consonant sound: a university, a one-time fee, a European trip, a historic win.
- Use an before a vowel sound: an hour, an honest mistake, an MBA, an FBI agent.
Quick rule: Say it out loud. “An MBA” starts with the sound “em,” so it gets an.
In American English, “a historic” and “a hotel” are standard because the h is pronounced. The same sound rule applies to abbreviations: a URL (you-are-el), an SEO audit (ess-ee-oh).
Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
A modifier should sit right next to the word it describes. When it doesn’t, you get sentences that say something you didn’t mean.
Misplaced modifiers
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| She almost drove her kids to school every day. | She drove her kids to school almost every day. |
| I only ate two cookies. (formal writing) | I ate only two cookies. |
| We saw a dog on the way home with a red collar. | On the way home, we saw a dog with a red collar. |
Only is the most common offender. In casual speech “I only ate two cookies” is understood, but in precise writing, put only right before what it limits.
Dangling modifiers
A dangling modifier is an opening phrase with no logical subject in the main clause.
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| Walking into the office, the coffee smelled amazing. | Walking into the office, I smelled the coffee. |
| After reviewing the data, the plan was approved. | After reviewing the data, the board approved the plan. |
| As a new employee, the handbook will help you. | As a new employee, you will find the handbook helpful. |
Quick rule: Whoever is doing the action in the opening phrase should be the first noun after the comma.
Sentence Fragments, Run-Ons, and Comma Splices
Fragments
A fragment is a group of words punctuated like a sentence but missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.
- Fragment: Because the server went down.
- Complete: The launch was delayed because the server went down.
- Fragment: Which is why we moved the meeting.
- Complete: The room was booked, which is why we moved the meeting.
Intentional fragments are fine in ads, dialogue, and casual writing (“Big news. Really big.”). In reports, client emails, and school papers, keep sentences complete.
Run-ons and comma splices
A run-on jams two independent clauses together with no punctuation. A comma splice joins them with only a comma.
- Run-on: The deadline is Friday we need the draft tomorrow.
- Comma splice: The deadline is Friday, we need the draft tomorrow.
You have four easy fixes:
| Fix | Example |
|---|---|
| Period | The deadline is Friday. We need the draft tomorrow. |
| Comma + conjunction | The deadline is Friday, so we need the draft tomorrow. |
| Semicolon | The deadline is Friday; we need the draft tomorrow. |
| Subordinate clause | Because the deadline is Friday, we need the draft tomorrow. |
Watch out for however. “It rained, however we played” is a splice. Write “It rained; however, we played.”
Our guide to American punctuation rules covers semicolons, commas, and dashes in more detail.
Parallel Structure
Items in a list or comparison should share the same grammatical form.
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| She likes hiking, to swim, and biking. | She likes hiking, swimming, and biking. |
| The job requires writing reports and that you manage budgets. | The job requires writing reports and managing budgets. |
| He is not only smart but also has talent. | He is not only smart but also talented. |
Pairs like not only/but also, either/or, and both/and need matching parts after each half.
Parallel structure is especially important in résumé bullets: start every bullet with the same kind of verb (“Led,” “Built,” “Reduced”).
Grammar Myths You Can Stop Worrying About
Some rules taught in school were never real rules of English. Modern American style guides, including Chicago and AP, don’t enforce them. Here at GrammarVista.com USA, we’d rather you spend that energy on real errors.
Ending a sentence with a preposition
This is fine. “What are you looking for?” is natural; “For what are you looking?” is stiff.
Just cut prepositions that add nothing: “Where are you at?” becomes “Where are you?”
Splitting infinitives
An infinitive is to plus a verb. Putting a word between them (“to boldly go,” “to really understand”) is acceptable and sometimes clearer.
Compare “We expect our sales to more than double” with any version that avoids the split.
Starting a sentence with and, but, or because
All three are fine. “Because I said so.” is a fragment, but “Because the store closed early, we ordered online.” is a complete sentence.
Quick rule: If following an “old rule” makes your sentence clumsier, it probably isn’t a real rule.
Passive Voice: When to Use It
In active voice, the subject does the action: “The intern made a mistake.” In passive voice, the subject receives it: “A mistake was made (by the intern).”
Passive voice isn’t a grammar error. It’s a style choice, and it’s useful when:
- The doer is unknown: “My car was stolen.”
- The doer doesn’t matter: “The bridge was built in 1937.”
- The focus belongs on the receiver: “The patient was treated within minutes.”
Use active voice when you want clarity and accountability. “Mistakes were made” hides who made them; “We made mistakes” owns it.
A quick test: if you can add “by zombies” after the verb and it still makes sense (“The report was approved by zombies”), the sentence is passive.
Even a grammatically perfect sentence can trip on a single word. Pairs like affect vs. effect live in our tricky words section, so check them before you hit send.
The Bottom Line
Good grammar is mostly a handful of habits: check the subject, test the pronoun, place the modifier, and fix the splice. Learn those and ignore the myths.
Bookmark GrammarVista.com USA’s American-English guide for quick answers whenever a sentence feels off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it correct to say “me and my friend went”?
In formal writing, use “my friend and I went,” because the pronoun is part of the subject. “Me and my friend went” is common in casual speech, but it reads as an error in school, work, and published writing. To check, drop your friend from the sentence: you would say “I went,” not “me went.”
Is “they” grammatically correct for one person?
Yes. Singular they has been used for centuries, and major references including Merriam-Webster, the AP Stylebook, the Chicago Manual of Style, and APA style accept it. It always takes a plural verb, so write “they are,” not “they is,” even when you mean one person. Rewording is an option in very formal documents.
Is it wrong to start a sentence with “and” or “but”?
No. Starting a sentence with a conjunction is grammatically fine and common in good published writing, including newspapers and books. The old classroom rule was meant to stop fragments, not to ban a useful technique. Just avoid doing it so often that it becomes a habit your reader starts to notice and find distracting.
Do you say “a historic” or “an historic”?
In American English, use “a historic,” because the h is pronounced. “An historic” survives in some formal or British usage, but “a historic event” is the standard American choice. The rule is about sound, not spelling: use “a” before a consonant sound and “an” before a vowel sound, as in “an hour.”