Overall English Grammar Review for Non-Native Researchers

If English is not your first language, writing an academic manuscript in English means working in two registers simultaneously: the register of your research discipline and the register of English grammar. Your understanding of the research may be flawless, but if the grammar is inconsistent, reviewers notice. They should not judge your science by your grammar, but in practice, unclear writing creates doubt about the clarity of the thinking behind it.

This guide covers the grammar areas that cause the most problems for non-native researchers. It is not a comprehensive English grammar textbook. It is a focused review of the specific issues that professional editors flag most frequently in academic manuscripts.

Articles: A, An, and The

Articles are the single most common error type in manuscripts written by non-native speakers. If your first language does not have articles (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, and many others), this area will require conscious attention throughout your writing career.

The basic rules are as follows. Use “a” or “an” (indefinite articles) when referring to something for the first time or to any member of a group. “A sample was collected from each site.” Use “the” (definite article) when referring to something specific, previously mentioned, or unique in context. “The sample was analysed using mass spectrometry.” Use no article for abstract concepts, uncountable nouns in general statements, and plural nouns used generically. “Research in this area has increased.” “Data were collected over six months.”

In practice, the rules are more complex and full of exceptions. Some common patterns in academic writing: use “the” before specific methods, instruments, and previously defined terms (“the regression model,” “the participants,” “the results presented in Table 2”). Use no article before discipline names (“in chemistry,” not “in the chemistry”) and most country names (“in Malaysia,” not “in the Malaysia”). Use “a/an” when introducing a concept for the first time (“a mixed-methods approach was adopted”).

The best way to improve article usage is to read published papers in your field and pay deliberate attention to how articles are used. Over time, the patterns become more intuitive.

Verb Tenses in Academic Writing

Academic writing uses a specific set of tense conventions. Getting these wrong does not just sound awkward; it can change the meaning of your statements.

Past simple is used for describing what you did in your study and for reporting specific findings from completed studies (yours or others). “We collected data from 200 participants.” “Smith (2021) found a significant correlation between X and Y.”

Present simple is used for established facts, general truths, statements that are currently accepted, and when referring to what the paper itself does. “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.” “Table 3 shows the distribution of responses.” “This study examines the relationship between X and Y.”

Present perfect is used for stating what has been done in the field up to now, especially when the time is unspecified or the relevance continues to the present. “Several studies have examined this relationship.” “Little research has been conducted on X in the context of Y.”

A common error is mixing tenses within a paragraph or section. The methodology should be consistently in the past tense. The results should be past tense when reporting your findings. The discussion can shift between past (what you found) and present (what it means), but each shift should be deliberate and consistent.

Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must agree in number with its subject. This is straightforward in simple sentences (“the result shows” / “the results show”), but becomes harder when the subject and verb are separated by additional phrases.

“The effect of these variables on the dependent measure was significant.” Not “were.” The subject is “effect” (singular), not “variables” (plural). The phrase “of these variables on the dependent measure” is a prepositional phrase that modifies the subject but does not change its number.

Some words are consistently tricky. “Data” is technically plural (“the data were analysed”), though some style guides now accept it as singular. Check your journal’s preference. “Each” and “every” take singular verbs (“each participant was asked”). “None” can be singular or plural depending on context, but in academic writing, “none of the participants were” is generally accepted.

“A number of” takes a plural verb (“a number of studies have shown”). “The number of” takes a singular verb (“the number of studies has increased”).

Prepositions

Preposition errors are the second most common error type after article errors. Prepositions in English are largely idiomatic, meaning they follow patterns rather than logical rules, and the patterns often do not translate from other languages.

Some frequently misused prepositions in academic writing: “research on a topic” (not “about” or “of” in most contexts). “Based on the results” (not “based in”). “Consistent with previous findings” (not “to”). “An increase in X” (not “of”). “Compared with” (for noting differences) vs “compared to” (for noting similarities, though many journals accept either). “Impact on X” (not “to” or “towards”).

There is no shortcut for learning prepositions. The most effective approach is to note the preposition patterns used in published papers in your field and build a personal reference list over time.

Sentence Structure and Word Order

English follows a strict Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order. Unlike languages with flexible word order (German, Russian, Japanese, Arabic), English does not allow the verb or object to move freely to the beginning of the sentence without changing the meaning or making the sentence ungrammatical.

In academic writing, keep sentences relatively short (15 to 25 words on average). Sentences longer than 30 words should be rare and should be used only when the complexity of the idea genuinely requires it. If a sentence needs to be read twice to be understood, break it into two sentences.

Front-load your sentences with the subject. “This study examines…” is clearer than “In this paper, an examination of… is presented.” Avoid excessive nominalisation, which means turning verbs into nouns unnecessarily. “We analysed the data” is clearer than “an analysis of the data was performed.” Nominalisations make sentences longer, more abstract, and harder to follow.

One common pattern among non-native speakers is beginning too many sentences with “It is” or “There are.” These constructions are not wrong, but they are weak openers. “It is important to note that the sample size was small” can be rewritten as “the sample size was small, which limits the generalisability of the findings.” The second version says the same thing more directly and in fewer words.

Active vs Passive Voice

Academic writing uses both active and passive voice, but the balance matters. Overusing the passive voice makes writing dull and evasive. “It was found that…” by whom? “Errors were made…” by whom?

Use the active voice when the agent (who did the action) matters. “We recruited 200 participants” is clearer than “200 participants were recruited.” Use the passive voice when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or when you want to emphasise the action rather than the actor. “The samples were analysed using gas chromatography” puts the focus on the samples and the method, not on who operated the machine.

Many journals now accept (and some prefer) the first person (“we” or “I”) for describing what the researchers did. Check your target journal’s conventions. The trend across most disciplines is toward more active, direct writing.

Common Word Confusions

Some word pairs are consistently confused by non-native speakers in academic manuscripts. “Affect” (verb: to influence) vs “effect” (noun: the result). “Which” (non-restrictive, adds extra information) vs “that” (restrictive, defines the noun). “Fewer” (countable nouns: fewer participants) vs “less” (uncountable nouns: less time). “Comprise” (the whole comprises the parts) vs “compose” (the parts compose the whole). “While” (simultaneous action or contrast) vs “whereas” (contrast only, more precise in academic writing). “Since” (from a point in time) vs “because” (cause and effect; some style guides accept “since” for causation, but “because” is always unambiguous).

Conclusion

Grammar errors in academic manuscripts are rarely about not knowing English. They are about specific patterns that transfer from your first language or that English handles differently from what you expect. The six areas covered in this guide (articles, tenses, subject-verb agreement, prepositions, sentence structure, and voice) account for the vast majority of errors flagged by editors and reviewers.

Improving your academic English is a gradual process. Read published papers attentively, note patterns, and build a personal reference sheet of the constructions you find difficult. And when your manuscript is ready for submission, professional editing catches the patterns that self-review misses.

Need your manuscript edited for grammar and clarity? PM Proofreading’s journal editing service specialises in editing academic manuscripts by non-native English speakers. Every order includes tracked changes and a free language editing certificate. Upload your manuscript and get a quote.

Further Reading

• A Quick Guide to Punctuation for Non-Native Researchers
• Capitalization Rules in English: A Guide
• Hyphen, En Dash, and Em Dash: What Is the Difference?
• What Is Academic Writing in Research?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common grammar errors in academic writing by non-native speakers?

Article errors (missing or incorrect use of a, an, the) are the most common, followed by preposition errors, verb tense inconsistency, and subject-verb agreement mistakes. These four areas account for the majority of grammar corrections in professionally edited manuscripts. Speakers of languages without articles (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Russian, Arabic) are especially prone to article errors.

Which verb tense should I use in the methodology section?

Use the past simple tense throughout the methodology section. You are describing what you did: “we collected data,” “participants were recruited,” “the samples were analysed.” The present tense is used for referring to tables and figures (“Table 1 shows”) and for established facts. The present perfect is used in the literature review for work with ongoing relevance (“several studies have examined”).

Is “data” singular or plural in academic English?

“Data” is technically the plural of “datum,” so the traditional academic convention is to treat it as plural: “the data were analysed,” “these data suggest.” However, some modern style guides and journals accept “data” as singular: “the data was analysed.” Check your target journal’s style guide. If no preference is stated, the plural form is the safer choice in academic writing.

How can I improve my academic English grammar over time?

Read published papers in your field attentively, focusing on grammar patterns rather than just content. Build a personal reference sheet of constructions you find difficult (article patterns, preposition combinations, tense conventions). Write regularly, even if the output is rough. Use grammar tools like Grammarly for surface-level errors, but rely on professional editing for deeper issues like tone, coherence, and academic conventions.