Your jokes don’t quite land, key points seem to require extra explanation, and a feeling of ambiguity hangs in the air.
It’s Not the Typos, Grammar Mistakes, or Even Your English Speaking Skills
Most articles about common mistakes in English provide a standard list of grammatical errors. They focus on the basics: subject-verb agreement, using the correct tense, where to place a comma, or why you shouldn’t confuse a plural noun with a possessive one that needs an apostrophe.
While avoiding those basic grammatical errors is important, they’re not exactly things that will sink your credibility with a serious investor. Your grammar checker can catch a typo. What it can’t tell you is that your message is confusing.
The real damage comes from using English that is technically correct but culturally or logically ambiguous. We’re not talking about English as a second language here either, because these are subtle mistakes that even some native English speakers make.
Common English Mistake #1: Culturally Opaque Language
The first category involves using idioms, metaphors, and jargon that just don’t travel well. These words and phrases function as a colorful adjective or adverb, but their meaning often gets lost on a global audience.
Telling a partner in Germany that your product launch “hit it out of the park,” for example, might be met with a blank stare. The expression, meant to describe a great success, has a different meaning—or no meaning—without a shared understanding of American baseball. The same goes for ending a meeting saying you’ll “punt on a decision.” It’s not incorrect usage at all, but it’s corporate American English that might leave non-native English speakers wondering.
The fix here is simple: if a phrase relies on a specific cultural context, skip it. Better yet, call a spade a spade. Instead of baseball metaphors, just say “We exceeded our launch targets by 40%.”
The second version is better communication. It’s specific, data-driven, leaves no room for misinterpretation, and showcases strong language skills.
Common Mistake #2: Business-Speak That Creates Ambiguity
The second category creates ambiguity, even when a sentence is technically correct. Two big offenders in business writing are unclear pronoun references and the misplaced modifier.
The former is a classic source of confusion. Take this sentence from a project update:
“The design team met with the marketing department, and then they decided to change the brief.”
Who is “they”? The designers? The marketers? All of them? As the subject of a sentence, an unclear pronoun makes it impossible to know who is responsible for the action. In a high-stakes project, this can lead to unnecessary misalignments.
The misplaced modifier is just as important to fix because it can create financial or contractual ambiguity. A modifier is a descriptive phrase, and it should be placed directly next to whatever it’s describing. Here’s a typical example:
“We offer a lifetime warranty for the software for a small fee.”
While grammatically correct, this sentence is ambiguous. What exactly costs a small fee, the warranty or the software itself? On a pricing page or in a sales contract, that ambiguity could lead to customer disputes.
This is easily rectified:
“For a small fee, we offer a lifetime warranty for the software.”
Or:
“We offer the software for a small fee, which includes a lifetime warranty.”
Writing with precision is a tool for risk management. In contracts, project briefs, and marketing materials, attention to detail demonstrates a level of professional care that builds trust.
Common Mistake in English #3: Hiding Behind Overly Formal Language
The third category of common English mistakes is the tendency to use overly complex sentences and vocabulary. Many fall into this trap in a formal setting, especially non-native speakers aiming for perfect English.
In global business though, clarity trumps complexity. A sentence with multiple independent clauses is harder to parse than two simple sentences.
So instead of
“It is incumbent upon us to ascertain the requisite parameters for success prior to the project’s initiation.”
Say:
“We need to agree on what success looks like before we start.”
The second version is better because it’s clear, direct, and focused on action. It invites collaboration rather than holding the listener at a distance.
A Simple Way to Avoid These Common Mistakes in English
The most effective way to avoid these common stumbling blocks doesn’t require you to learn English grammar again from scratch; you just need to communicate through a different lens.
- The global clarity filter: Before publishing, ask a simple question. “Would a smart colleague whose first language isn’t English understand this immediately?” This filter forces you to remove cultural baggage and needless complexity.
- One idea per sentence: If a sentence has multiple clauses, try breaking it into two shorter sentences. This forces clarity.
- Read it aloud (or use voiceover and have your computer read it to you): If a sentence feels unnatural or difficult to say, it probably is too complex. Rephrase it until it sounds like something a real person would actually say.
The trickiest mistakes in English are not necessarily the ones your grammar checker will catch. They’re the subtle things like an unclear pronoun, a misplaced modifier, or a culturally specific idiom that create confusion and can ultimately seem out of place in a business setting.
Clear communication is both a soft skill and a pretty powerful competitive advantage.
