Common Grammar Mistakes International Students Make in Australia

In my eight years of teaching English grammar to international students in Australia, I've noticed that certain mistakes appear repeatedly, regardless of the student's native language or proficiency level. These errors often persist even in advanced students' writing and speaking, preventing them from achieving the fluency they need for academic and professional success.

The good news? These mistakes are predictable and fixable. Today, I'm sharing the most common grammar errors I encounter, along with practical strategies to overcome them permanently. Master these corrections, and you'll see immediate improvement in your English communication.

1. Article Usage: The Persistent Challenge

Articles (a, an, the) are perhaps the most challenging aspect of English grammar for international students. Even advanced speakers struggle with when to use them – or when to omit them entirely.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: Omitting Articles Before Singular Countable Nouns

❌ I need to write essay for my assignment.
✅ I need to write an essay for my assignment.

❌ Professor gave us difficult task.
✅ The professor gave us a difficult task.

Mistake: Using "The" with General Concepts

❌ The education is important for the success.
✅ Education is important for success.

❌ I love the mathematics and the science.
✅ I love mathematics and science.

Mistake: Omitting "The" with Specific References

❌ Book you recommended is excellent.
✅ The book you recommended is excellent.

❌ Assignment we submitted yesterday was challenging.
✅ The assignment we submitted yesterday was challenging.

The Australian Context Solution:

In Australian academic and professional writing, article usage follows specific patterns:

• Universities: "I study at the University of Melbourne" (with "the")
• Subjects: "I'm majoring in business" (no article)
• Specific courses: "The course I'm taking focuses on..." (with "the")

2. Preposition Confusion: Time, Place, and Direction

Prepositions are particularly tricky because they don't translate directly between languages, and English uses them in seemingly illogical ways.

Time Prepositions

Common Mistakes:

❌ I will graduate on 2025.
✅ I will graduate in 2025.

❌ The class starts in Monday morning.
✅ The class starts on Monday morning.

❌ I arrived to Australia at December.
✅ I arrived in Australia in December.

The Rule:

• IN: months, years, seasons, long periods
• ON: days, dates, specific occasions
• AT: specific times, moments

Place Prepositions

Common Mistakes:

❌ I study in the library of university.
✅ I study at the university library.

❌ My family lives at Sydney.
✅ My family lives in Sydney.

❌ We met at the coffee shop on Collins Street.
✅ We met at the coffee shop in Collins Street.

Australian Preposition Patterns:

• "I live in Melbourne" (city)
• "I study at RMIT" (institution)
• "I work in the CBD" (area)
• "I catch the train from Flinders Street" (departure point)

3. Present Perfect vs. Simple Past: The Australian Preference

This distinction is crucial in Australian English, where the choice between present perfect and simple past affects the meaning significantly.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: Using Simple Past for Present Perfect Situations

❌ I lived in Australia for two years. (when you still live there)
✅ I have lived in Australia for two years.

❌ Did you ever visit the Great Barrier Reef?
✅ Have you ever visited the Great Barrier Reef?

Mistake: Using Present Perfect for Finished Past Actions

❌ I have graduated from university last year.
✅ I graduated from university last year.

❌ Have you seen the movie yesterday?
✅ Did you see the movie yesterday?

Australian Usage Guide:

• Present Perfect: "I've been studying here for three months" (ongoing)
• Simple Past: "I studied at this school in 2020" (finished)
• Present Perfect: "Have you tried Vegemite yet?" (experience up to now)
• Simple Past: "I tried Vegemite last week" (specific past time)

4. Subject-Verb Agreement with Complex Subjects

When subjects become complex, many students lose track of whether the verb should be singular or plural.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: Agreement with Intervening Phrases

❌ One of the students are absent today.
✅ One of the students is absent today.

❌ The group of international students have arrived.
✅ The group of international students has arrived.

Mistake: Collective Noun Agreement

In Australian English, collective nouns can be tricky:

❌ The government have announced new policies.
✅ The government has announced new policies. (Australian preference)

❌ The team are playing well.
✅ The team is playing well. (treating team as one unit)

The Australian Rule:

Australian English generally treats collective nouns as singular entities, unlike British English which often uses plural verbs.

5. Modal Verb Misuse: Probability and Obligation

Modal verbs express subtle differences in meaning that international students often miss.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: "Must" vs. "Have to"

❌ I must to submit the assignment tomorrow.
✅ I have to submit the assignment tomorrow. (external obligation)

✅ I must improve my grammar. (internal feeling of necessity)

Mistake: "Can" vs. "May" vs. "Could"

❌ Can I have your attention? (too direct in formal situations)
✅ May I have your attention? (formal situations)

❌ You can be right, but I'm not sure.
✅ You could be right, but I'm not sure. (possibility)

Australian Professional Context:

• Could you...? (polite requests in workplace)
• Would you mind...? (very polite, common in Australian business)
• Shall we...? (suggestions, less common in Australian English than British)

6. Conditional Sentence Structure Errors

Conditional sentences are essential for academic writing and professional communication, but they're frequently constructed incorrectly.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: Mixing Conditional Types

❌ If I would have studied harder, I will pass the exam.
✅ If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.

Mistake: Using "Will" in the If-Clause

❌ If it will rain tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.
✅ If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.

Australian Academic Writing Patterns:

• First conditional: "If you submit early, you will receive feedback sooner"
• Second conditional: "If I were studying in Melbourne, I would join more clubs"
• Third conditional: "If I had known about the scholarship, I would have applied"

7. Gerund vs. Infinitive Confusion

Knowing when to use -ing forms versus to + verb is one of English grammar's most persistent challenges.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: Wrong Form After Specific Verbs

❌ I enjoy to study English literature.
✅ I enjoy studying English literature.

❌ I decided studying abroad.
✅ I decided to study abroad.

Mistake: After Prepositions

❌ I'm interested in to learn about Australian culture.
✅ I'm interested in learning about Australian culture.

Memory Device for Common Australian Contexts:

• Gerund verbs: enjoy, finish, avoid, consider, discuss, practice
• Infinitive verbs: want, need, plan, decide, hope, expect, agree
• Both (different meanings): stop, remember, forget, try

8. Pronoun Reference Problems

Clear pronoun reference is crucial in academic writing, but students often create confusion with unclear antecedents.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: Unclear Pronoun References

❌ When students meet with tutors, they often feel nervous.
✅ When students meet with tutors, the students often feel nervous.

Mistake: Pronoun-Antecedent Disagreement

❌ Each student must submit their assignment on time.
✅ Each student must submit his or her assignment on time.
✅ Students must submit their assignments on time. (better solution)

9. Comparative and Superlative Formation

Australian English has specific preferences for comparative structures that international students should master.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: Double Comparatives

❌ This method is more better than the previous one.
✅ This method is better than the previous one.

Mistake: Wrong Comparative Form

❌ Melbourne is more cold than Brisbane.
✅ Melbourne is colder than Brisbane.

Australian Preference Patterns:

• One syllable: Add -er/-est (cold → colder → coldest)
• Two syllables ending in -y: Change to -ier/-iest (easy → easier → easiest)
• Two+ syllables: Use more/most (beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful)

10. Question Formation in Academic Contexts

Forming questions correctly is essential for class participation and academic discussions.

Common Mistakes:

Mistake: Word Order in Questions

❌ What you think about this theory?
✅ What do you think about this theory?

Mistake: Indirect Question Structure

❌ Could you tell me what time is it?
✅ Could you tell me what time it is?

Australian Academic Question Patterns:

• Polite questions: "Could you explain how this works?"
• Clarification: "Are you saying that...?"
• Opinion seeking: "What's your take on...?"

Your Grammar Improvement Action Plan

Week 1: Diagnostic and Awareness

1. Keep a grammar error log for one week
2. Identify your top 3 most frequent mistakes
3. Focus on understanding the rules behind these errors

Week 2-3: Targeted Practice

1. Practice exercises focusing on your problem areas
2. Write 5 sentences daily using correct forms
3. Ask for feedback from native speakers or tutors

Week 4: Integration and Review

1. Use all corrected forms in a piece of academic writing
2. Record yourself speaking, focusing on correct grammar
3. Review and celebrate your improvement

Practice Exercises for Immediate Improvement

Exercise 1: Article Practice

Fill in the blanks with a, an, the, or X (no article):

1. I need to buy ___ new textbook for ___ course.
2. ___ education is important for ___ future success.
3. ___ professor who teaches ___ mathematics is very helpful.

Exercise 2: Preposition Challenge

Choose the correct preposition:

1. I arrived (in/at/on) Australia (in/at/on) March 15th.
2. The lecture starts (in/at/on) 9:00 AM (in/at/on) Monday.
3. I study (in/at/on) the University of Sydney.

Exercise 3: Present Perfect vs. Simple Past

Choose the correct form:

1. I (have lived/lived) in Melbourne for three years now.
2. (Have you visited/Did you visit) the museum yesterday?
3. She (has graduated/graduated) from university in 2023.

Answer Key:
Ex 1: 1. a, the 2. X, X 3. The, X
Ex 2: 1. in, on 2. at, on 3. at
Ex 3: 1. have lived 2. Did you visit 3. graduated