6 Most Confusing Confusions in English Grammar

1. Borrow or Lend?

“Can I borrow this from you?”

“Sorry, I can’t. I’ve lent it to James.”

2. Who or whom?

Here’s a tricky one: “Who/whom did he see at the party?”

Who = subject pronoun

Whom = object pronoun

“To whom am I speaking to?”

Question: “Who/whom ate all the cookies?” Statement: “Who ate all the cookies.”

3. i.e. and e.g.

Wrong: Please volunteer to bring some food for the party, i.e., fries, nuggets, and chips.
Correct: Please volunteer to bring some food for the party. e.g., fries, nuggets, and chips

Believe it or not, last time, I thought i.e. and e.g. can be used interchangeably! But I was
wrong. i.e. and e.g. have different meanings.

e.g. = For example

i.e. = That is/In other words (for clarifying stuff)

Here are some examples.

To stay healthy, eat vegetables. E.g., spinach. <— Here I used an example of a vegetable.
I love to eat the vegetable that I like the most (i.e., carrots). <— Here I used i.e. because it
clarifies the “vegetable that I like the most”. I cannot use e.g. because there is no vegetable other
than that.

4. Lightening
This is perhaps the most common spelling mistake ever.

Wrong: Being struck by lighting is a shocking experience!

Correct: Being struck by lightning is a shocking experience!

Lightning
A streak of static electricity through the sky, usually accompanied by thunder.

e.g. You got struck by lightning? That must have been a shocking experience!

Lighting
The arrangement of light, especially in photography.

e.g. The photo was dull because the lighting wasn’t good enough.

5. “If I was” or “If I were”?

Wrong: If I was an elephant, I would give you a ride.
Correct: If I were an elephant, I would give you a ride.

Wrong: If I were rude, I apologize.

Correct: If I was rude, I apologize.

“If I were” is more for situations when you are imagining things, usually followed by a sentence
on what you would do in that situation.

If I were you, I would read more books about animals.

If he were an animal, he would be a parrot!
“If I was” is more for things that could have happened in the past or now.

If he was singing that well, he should become a singer. (This is an answer to a girl who told me
that when her friend sang just now, her heart melted)

If she really was kind to animals, I respect her. (This is a thought after reading news about a girl
saving a cat from drowning, but you are not really sure whether it’s true)

Here is an example of the differences between “If I were” and “If I was”.

If she was hardworking, she would be a famous singer by now. <– I’ve only met her once and all
I know is she wants to be a famous singer.

If she were hardworking, she would be a famous singer by now. <– I know her very well; she
wants to be a famous singer but she’s very lazy.

Conclusion: “If I were” is for imagination. “If I was” is for things that could have happened.

6. Take and bring

Whether to use bring or take all depends on the perspective. You use take when the item is
going away from the perspective and bring when the item is coming to the perspective.

For example, you and your friend are going to a place. You might ask your friend, “Are you going
to bring your cell phone?”

If you’re not going but your friend is, you might ask your friend, “Are you going to take your cell
phone?”

But still, it can be confusing. So, use substitutes instead.

“Are you going to carry your cell phone with you?”