how to write an essay in english without grammar mistakes

How to Write Without Grammatical Errors: 9 Top Tips

Learn how to write without grammatical errors using our top tips.

No matter how eloquently you write or how captivating your story ideas, spelling, and grammar mistakes are offputting for readers. It doesn’t help that English is a complex language. So many grammar errors and spellings are easy to overlook as you write. But, this doesn’t mean you can’t fix them with the right skills and tools.

Thankfully, lots of tools are available to help you make ensure commas are in all of the right places and every preposition is used correctly.

Best Grammar Checker For 2023

• 1. Learn Basic Grammar Rules

3. Write Clearly and Concisely

• 4. Proofread Your Work

5. Write and Review At Different Times

6. read your work backwards.

• 7. Use A Spell Checker

8. Hire An Editor

Prowritingaid, a final word on how to write without grammatical errors, how can i write a paragraph without grammar mistakes.

• How to avoid grammatical errors in my writing?

1. Learn Basic  Grammar Rules

Before you can write without common grammatical errors, you must learn the rules. That way you can follow them… or break them. No tools and no amount of proofreading can overcome a lack of understanding of basic grammar rules.

Use online grammar classes to help you learn to avoid common grammatical mistakes. If you already have a solid handle on basic grammar, take a class to improve your sentence structure and word choices.

Read our guide to basic grammar rules .

Reading is just as important as daily writing.

Actively learning grammar rules is one thing, but nothing can help you understand how and why they work by reading. Reading will show you how to masterfully use these techniques in a way that flows well.

No matter how many times someone explains something like prepositional phrases, it just might not click until you read a really good example. A passage from a book might make much more sense than an example given in a grammar class. Plus, what you’re reading is likely to be similar to what you’re interested in writing. This can help you to see how you should be doing things.

Reading is also enjoyable and relaxing. What you’re reading doesn’t really matter – unless it’s super abstract poetry, which throws grammar out the window. It doesn’t matter if you’re reading a novel or any genre, a newspaper, or a magazine. As long as the writing is good, subconsciously learn what works.

Read our guide to the  best grammar books

If you’re writing something important like an academic essay or even submitting an article for publication, you will likely be penalized for grammar mistakes. Best not to take too many chances while you’re still learning. Stick to what you know first. Keep your writing concise and clear.

Hemingway Editor  is ideal for producing concise, clear prose, and it’s free.

For example, if you’re struggling to understand when to use semi-colons, write shorter sentences instead. If what you’re writing is strictly personal, like a piece of fiction you don’t plan on publishing or a diary entry, you can practice and experiment with grammar rules until you get it right.

If it’s not an essay or business piece, you also don’t always have to listen to the  grammar nazis .

4.  Proofread  Your Work

When writing, always proofread your work prior to hitting submit or publish. This will help you catch basic spelling errors and typos. Proofreading also helps you double-check your word choice and sentence structure. You might not notice repetitive words or crutch phrases you use until revision time. While these might not always count as grammatical errors, they can be annoying for readers.

When you proofread, consider reading out loud. Many writers overlook writing mistakes when reading silently because their minds naturally read the sentence with the correct usage of the word.

If it’s a long piece, I recommend changing the font to Courier and the size to 14. Then print it out. This way, your eye will spot issues more easily.

Read our list of proofreading tips .

Even if you’re a pro at grammar rules and know how to use independent clauses, a semicolon or an apostrophe correctly, you can still make silly mistakes. Lots of typos aren’t caught because the writer has been looking at the same document for a long time.

So, if you have tired eyes, these little errors aren’t going to jump out. Even if you’ve already proofread your work in the same sitting, you might not catch everything.

If you’re not on an immediate deadline, take a short break from the work and then return to editing. Once you come back, you’re likely to notice some more errors.

If you’re in a rush, change the font. This will also make the piece look fresher, so you can catch more errors. Change the font back to the original once you’re done.

Alternatively, if you’re writing in something like WordPress, rather than proofreading through the backend, select “Preview.” Once you see the piece laid out like it will when published, some more mistakes will catch your eye.

As mentioned above, sometimes the problem isn’t that you don’t know grammar rules. It’s down to missing obvious mistakes because you’ve labored over a piece for hours.

Another method of catching grammar mistakes is to proofread your piece from the bottom up. This will also make the body of work look fresh and different in your mind, so you’re much more likely to find errors that have been there the whole time.

7. Use A  Spell Checker

After you proofread your piece, use spell check software to scan for common English. These are often built into your word processing software, but paid versions with more reports are available too.

A spell checker will catch errors that you missed in your personal proofreading. Set for American English or British English, depending on where you are writing.

However, this built-in software can be limited. If you really want to ensure you have every adverb and participle in the right place, you will need the help of a proofreader. They’ll pick up on issues like misspelled names.

Read our guide to the best spell checker software .

Sometimes, it’s just hard to understand the rules. How a book explains a certain grammar rule might not make sense at first read. If that’s the case, ask a friend or even an editor to look at your piece. There’s no shame in needing a little extra help.

While a grammar checker might catch an error, if you don’t understand why it was wrong in the first place, you’ll probably keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

So, don’t be afraid to ask someone else to take a look at what you’ve written. Be sure to ask them to explain why they’re making certain changes to the piece. Once you understand, you probably won’t encounter the issue again. 

If it’s a short piece, show a friend, family member or a colleague. It’s a longer piece, like a book draft, hire an editor using a service like  Reedsy .

9. Use Grammar Checking Software

If you want to eliminate all English grammar errors in your writing, invest in some English grammar checking software. This software is more robust than the checkers built into your word processor. It checks structure for problems like dangling modifiers or split infinitives. Some grammar checkers can even offer writing tips, suggestions to avoid word overuse or help so you can write more like a native speaker.

We’ve profiled some of the best grammar checkers out there, but here are three top selections:

Grammarly is our top choice for grammar checking. It has two options; a free option and a paid option. With the free option, you’ll get excellent grammar checking and spell checking tools, as well as help with often confused words and punctuation problems.

If you are looking for writing tips and even more in-depth suggestions about sentence structure, go for the paid version. It will help you avoid wordy sentences and give you suggestions for overused words.

To use Grammarly, you can either upload your document to the online grammar checker website, or you can put a plugin on your browser or word processor to check your grammar as you write. Grammar suggestions show up in a sidebar, making it easy to scroll through and make appropriate changes.

Read our Grammarly review

ProWritingAid integrates with your word processor and has a desktop app and plugin you can use for other writing needs. You can also paste your text into a web editor to use this grammar checker.

ProWritingAid has many different types of reports about your writing. It not only checks grammar but also provides tips that let you improve your writing skills, such as suggestions to remove cliches from your writing and improve overall sentence structure. It also offers a Flesch Reading Score readability metric, so you can see just how easy your piece is to read.

When you put your piece into ProWritingAid, it pops up with suggestions on the sidebar. Click on the suggestion to automatically make the change and improve your writing.

Read our  ProWritingAid review

Ginger is one of the older grammar checkers available to today’s writers. It has a browser extension for Chrome and both Windows and iOS apps. It highlights grammar and spelling errors and provides suggestions to limit overused words.

If you want to get context and explanations for the grammar mistakes found in Ginger, you need the premium version. Once you complete your English writing, you can use Ginger to translate it into many different languages, which is helpful if you write for an international audience.

Ginger has a strong grammar checker, but it may not catch every missed commas. To change the errors highlighted, hover over them with your mouse and select the change. It also has a virtual writing tutor and translation features that can help non-native English speakers use the software.

Read our Ginger vs Grammarly comparison

Writing without grammar mistakes should be the goal of every English writer, unless you’re consciously breaking the rules! Remember, you always need to double-check your writing for problems like subject-verb agreement or sentence fragments. Thankfully, you can use software and proofreading tools to get started.

Although these tools are good, no software is a replacement for the human editor and a firm knowledge of how to write.

FAQs on How to Write Without  Grammatical Errors

To write a paragraph without grammar mistakes, first, you must know English grammar well. Then, you need to write the paragraph and proofread it thoroughly. Finally, you need to use grammar checking software to check it further for any remaining grammar mistakes and errors.

How to avoid  grammatical errors  in my writing?

To avoid grammar mistakes in your writing, make sure you use a number of different grammar-checking software options. This will ensure you find all potential mistakes before publishing your work.

• EXPLORE Random Article

How to Avoid Common Usage and Grammar Mistakes

Last Updated: April 2, 2023

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 19 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 102,003 times.

Are people always nagging you about your improper grammar? Are the grammar police hunting you down? With this nifty guide, you will be able to improve your English language skills with ease.

Grammar Help

Avoiding Common Mistakes

• Grammar checkers usually only cover the basics. Ask an English teacher or someone else proficient at English grammar to help.

• "Sofia and I are eating tacos for dinner tonight." (" I " is the subject because if you remove "Sofia and" and replace "are" with "am", you'll see that the sentence will still make sense.) "I am eating tacos for dinner tonight."
• " Me " would be the subject in the following sentence: "Would you like to have dinner with Sofia and me?" (Still not convinced? Remove "Sofia and" from that sentence and re-read it.) "Would you like to have dinner with me?"
• "Your acne has really cleared up!"
• "Thanks! You're the first person to notice."
• "Bye, Mom. I'm going to the movies with Danny and Logan. They're going to meet me at the front."
• "Do you know how to get there by yourself in case they're late?"
• "Yeah. Their sister showed me how to get there from here."
• "They're going there with their sister too?"
• "No, it's just the three of us."
• "Look, Nate! A frog! It's hiding behind the leaves."
• "Wow, its eyes are huge!"
• "The girls' dog likes to bark a lot."
• "Hobart's dog likes to bite a lot."
• A good exception to note: Children is already plural, so for possession, you add the apostrophe before the s, even though there is more than one individual; you'd say "children's dog."
• "I walked out of my house and then locked the door."
• "I would rather lock my door than have someone break in while I'm gone."
• "The disastrous hurricane affected many people."
• "The overall effect was that homes and businesses were destroyed."
• "Have you been good to your little sister today, Tommy?"
• "Yeah, she still doesn't feel well."
• "I just got invited to Keith's pool party."
• "Wow, me too!"

• Taco -----> Tacos
• Branch -----> Branches
• Movie -----> Movies
• Baby -----> Babies

• "Who forgot his or her lunch in the cubby?" ( Who is the subject of this sentence.) The common mistake people would make is, "Who forgot their lunch..." or even worse, "Who forgot there lunch...". My goodness... the tingles are crawling up my back already.

• "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
• "My Girl" by The Temptations
• __Of Mice and Men__ by John Steinbeck
• __Back to the Future__, the movie

• Incorrect : I love pumpkin pie, it's my favorite dessert.
• Correct : I love pumpkin pie; it's my favorite dessert.
• Incorrect : There are so many things I'd like to see, and so many things, I want to do in the city.
• Correct : There are so many things I'd like to see, as well as do, in the city.
• (Commas are often used as another form of parenthesis (). By using a set of commas like in the correct sentence above, you can avoid a run-on sentence. To make sure you're using this trick correctly, remove the phrase in between the two commas, remove the commas, and read the sentence to make sure it makes sense. In this case, you would get, "There are so many things I'd like to see in the city.")
• This thing right here ; is called a semicolon . You may recognize it as the winky-eyes. A semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses. An independent clause is a statement that can stand alone.
• "This party sucks; I don't know anyone here and the music is bogus."
• An incorrect way to use a semicolon is to use it like a comma: "If you think this party sucks; maybe you should just leave."

• "Thomas Edison invented the phonograph."
• "The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776."
• "Ruby Tuesday's is located on Pine Street in Fake City."
• Improper capitalization can also lead to some really bizarre sentences:
• Correct : "Can you help your friend Jack off the horse?"
• Incorrect : "Can you help your friend jack---" (Well, you see where that one is going. Though this is an extreme example, it could happen very easily!)

• "After meowing constantly for hours, I finally let my cat inside." (Why were you meowing constantly for hours?) The opening phrase should always modify what immediately follows.
• Instead, the sentence should read, "After my cat was meowing constantly for hours, I finally let him inside."

Community Q&A

• You can also use websites dedicated to helping people with their grammar. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Using grammar properly is important for corresponding with people outside of your personal circle; oftentimes, people may judge your professionalism based on your grasp of proper language usage. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• No one's grammar is perfect. However, you can definitely improve yourself over time. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• By using grammar improperly in a sentence, what you mean could mean something completely different to how it's read. Thanks Helpful 26 Not Helpful 1

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Tutorialdeep » blog » English Writing FAQS » How to Write Without Grammatical Mistakes (7 Proven Tips)

How to Write Without Grammatical Mistakes (7 Proven Tips)

• By : Roshan Parihar
• / In : English Writing FAQS

Last Updated on July 22, 2022 by Roshan Parihar

If you want to learn how to write without grammatical mistakes, you have come to the right place. The short answer is to use the grammar checker tools to easily find out errors and mistakes. It does not require English grammar knowledge to use and eliminate errors.

Learning English grammar can be a tough task for you and complex for beginners. It’s hard to improve your grammar skills by learning grammar. You need more practice and expertise to learn and eliminate mistakes in English.

When English is not your primary language, it can be the biggest challenge for you to learn it. If you are a writer, you definitely need to write error-free content.

In this post, you will learn how to write without grammatical mistakes in English. You can easily fix your grammar mistakes with the right tools and tips given here. So, let’s get started.

Affiliate Disclosure: At Tutorialdeep, we believe in transparency for our users. In this blog, there are some referral links. If you signup with these links we will earn some commission at no extra cost to you. We recommend these links because they are our trusted brands.

Table of Contents

Common Grammatical Mistakes in English

• Incorrect Use of Tenses : If you use ‘ have take ‘ in your sentence, you are using the wrong tense. The correct form is ‘ have taken ‘ according to the English grammar tenses.
• Missing or Misplaced Comma : Comma creates a pause when used correctly makes a meaningful sentence. If you use ‘ English is not, a mother tongue ‘, it makes the wrong meaning. You have to use ‘ English is not a mother tongue ‘ that makes a meaningful sentence.
• Spelling Mistakes : the English language has many complex words to spell. You need to know the correct spelling of the word to write meaningful sentences. Using wrong spelling makes your sentence meaningless. For example, if you use ‘ Goverment ‘, you are missing ‘ n ‘ in the word. The correct spelling is ‘ Government ‘.
• Missing or Wrongly Added Apostrophes : Apostrophes are a little bit confusing when you don’t have an idea of how to use them. For example: if you use ‘ The recipient email address is full ‘, it contains an error of apostrophe. The correct word is ‘ recipient’s ‘ to replace it with ‘ recipient ‘ in the sentence.
• Subject-Verb Agreement Rules : The verb in a sentence must match the subject. You have to find out the singular and plural use of the verb. For example: if you use ‘ It go ‘, you are using the wrong subject-verb. The subject is singular where you have to use ‘ It goes ‘ to make a correct subject-verb agreement.
• Comma Splices : Splice means connecting one sentence with another. Connecting two independent sentences together is called comma splices. For example, If you use ‘ I was hungry, I have taken lunch ‘, you are using a comma splice that’s wrong here. The correct use is ‘ I was hungry. So, I have taken lunch ‘.

How to Check and Correct Grammatical Mistakes While Writing (2 Top Tools)

Here are the top 2 tools that can help you easily check and correct grammatical mistakes while writing:-

#1. Grammarly

Grammarly is the #1 tool to easily write without making grammatical mistakes in English. The tool comes with free and paid options.

In the free option, you can Eliminate Spelling Errors, Comma Errors, Comma Splices, Grammar Mistakes, Punctuation Errors, and many more. It can help you easily find out the errors and eliminate them while writing online.

If you are a beginner, you can start with a free version that marks all the errors you made in your writing. After that, you just have to take your mouse over these errors and writing mistakes. You will get suggestions for corrections that you made in your writing. You can click the suggestion to make the correction to your content.

For more advanced suggestions on lengthy sentence structure and extra clear writing, you can go for the premium plan. The premium plan comes with features like Tone Adjustment Suggestions, Correct Use of Sentences, Plagiarism, Professional Writing Suggestions, and many more.

To use Grammarly, you can add the Grammarly Chrome extension to check your writing mistakes while online. After installation of the extension, you check and eliminate errors directly on Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. It also comes with an extension for All Major Browsers, Windows, Mac, MS Office, Google Docs, iPhone, iPad, etc.

➜ Try Grammarly Now (It’s free)

#2. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is the premium tool to easily check English writing mistakes while writing online. It is specially designed for Professional Writers, Publishers, and Authors. You will get an in-depth analysis of your writing and real-time suggestions.

It can help you easily check and correct mistakes while writing online. You will get real-time unique suggestions on Grammar Mistakes, Spelling Errors, Comma Errors, Punctuation, and many other writing mistakes.

You can easily improve your sentences and create meaningful content for your audience. It comes with an extension for All Major Browsers, Windows, MAC, MS Office, Google Docs, and many other integrations.

The advanced tracking reports help you easily find out your progress in writing. You can easily identify what type of mistakes you have done in your writing. This can increase your creative writing skills as after getting reports, you can focus more on your weak points.

➜ Try ProWritingAid Now

Tips to Write Without Grammatical Mistakes (7 Proven Tips)

Here are proven tips that you can follow to write without Grammatical mistakes:-

1. Write Short Form Sentences

Short forms of sentences can bring more value to your audience. Long sentences are difficult to understand the meaning and the purpose. When you start using short sentences in your content, you can actually help them easily understand the meaning of the sentence.

You can also be writing short sentences easily without making writing mistakes. If you make any mistakes in writing, shorter sentences are easier to make corrections with the above tools.

It can help you in writing a clear form of sentences without giving extra load to your audience. You can make easily make your content more readable with good writing.

2. Proofread Your Content

Proofreading is the process to read your written content and marking errors in writing or make corrections to sentences. After you have completed writing your content, you should cross-check your content before making it live for your audience.

Check for Spelling Mistakes, Duplicate Words, Phrases that are not Meaningful, etc. Revise your work and mark the errors and mistakes in your writing. After that, make corrections to your mistakes to eliminate errors.

The primary goal of proofreading is to highlight common mistakes. Proofreading can consistently improve your reading and writing skills. You can easily remove the negative part of your writing that can damage your reputation as a writer.

3. Learn Grammar Rules

Learning grammar can help you know to exact rules of writing the correct form of sentences in English. Start from Parts of Speech as it’s the important part of English grammar. After that, learn about Tenses to know the correct use of the subject, verb, and object.

The correct use of grammar also comes from reading passages, Essays, and newspapers. Start reading English newspapers loudly to learn phrases. Reading loudly can help you remember the correct use of grammar in your writing.

Apply your reading in your writing and read and write daily. At the starting point of reading and writing, you may write manually. But, after practicing more, you will write technically and more professionally without making grammar mistakes.

4. Find Correct Spelling of the Word Online

Making spelling mistakes is common as it’s not possible to know the correct spelling of all the words present in a dictionary. In that case, you can use Google to find the correct spelling of your words.

Write a few letters of your word on Google to get the correct spelling. For example: if you write the spelling ‘ Goverment ‘, it’s wrong and the correct spelling is ‘ Government ‘. When you write a few letters of this word, you will get the exact correct spelling from the online dictionary of Google as shown below.

Similarly, you find the correct spelling of other words present in your content. This way, you can also remember the correct spelling and will not make spelling mistakes in the future with more practice.

5. Think More Before Writing

Think more and more before you write anything. Focus more on the meaning of the content you want to explain to your audience with your writing.

Create an overview of your content and start writing from start to end. Write paragraphs with headings that can help people easily understand the topic. Thinking habits can help you write quality content and bring more value to your audience.

Take a copy and pen and write the main topic of your content. After that, write the heading for which you want to create inner content. After that, you can start writing content for each heading. Write short sentences with clear meaning. Also, write only two to three-line paragraphs that look easy to read for people.

Writing without thinking cannot help you create meaningful content for your audience. So, thinking is important before writing anything.

6. Practice More

To write without grammatical mistakes, you need to keep writing content each day. It can also increase your writing habit. Read your content often times to make corrections to your content.

Every people make mistakes even a native English speaker can make mistakes while writing. With each mistake, you will learn different lessons to easily improve your content. With each day of practice, your writing will improve.

Practice can also improve your English grammar to write without grammatical mistakes. Look for more examples online and read them to remember and write the correct content.

7. Hire a Professional Content Writer

If you still think, you cannot easily follow the above rules and make corrections to your writing. You can hire a professional writer to write content without grammatical mistakes.

When you make corrections to your writing, you should learn and remember the errors and possible corrections. If it’s hard for you to remember the possible correction, you can use the English writing tool (like Grammarly and ProWritingAid) to easily find and eliminate them.

However, if you still think you cannot write good content for your audience yourself. Professional writers can help you easily write quality content that brings more value to your audience. You can easily hire professional writers from HireWriters . They only offer the highest qualified native English-speaking writers.

FAQS on How to Write Without Grammatical Mistakes

Q1. how can i improve my grammar mistakes when writing.

Answer : To improve your grammar mistakes when writing, you need to write daily and practice more. When you practice writing daily, you will become a pro in writing content. After a few months, you will definitely find some difference in your writing ability. It improves gradually with each piece of content your write.

Find out what are the common mistakes you made in English. After that, take a copy and pen and write the type of mistake to make in English writing. Work on these mistakes and practice daily. You will definitely write better without making mistakes.

Q2. How Can You Avoid the Grammatical Errors?

Answer : Here are the top 5 ways to avoid grammatical errors:-

• Write Short Form Sentences
• Proofread Your Content
• Learn Grammar Rules
• Find Correct Spelling of the Word Online
• Practice More

Q3. What are Five of the 10 Common Mistakes?

Answer : Here are the five of the 10 common mistakes:-

• Duplicate words
• Comma mistakes
• Spelling mistakes
• Subject-verb agreement
• Wrongly added apostrophes

Q4. How to Write English Without Spelling Mistakes?

Answer : The first solution is To write English without spelling mistakes, you need the first mark the words that look tough to spell. After that, use Google to find the correct spelling of your marked words. Type a few starting letters of the word in Google to get the correct spelling from an online dictionary. If your spelling contains errors, you can replace it with the correct word that you have just found online.

The second solution is to use the Grammarly tool that automatically marks all the words containing spelling errors and mistakes. After that, you can take your mouse over those marked words to get the correct spelling from the dictionary. You need to just click the suggestion to replace it with words containing spelling errors.

Conclusion on How to Write Without Grammatical Mistakes

Making mistakes is common among every people. If you are a native English speaker, you can make mistakes while writing. You need a tool that can help you easily find your mistakes and give suggestions for correction.

Grammarly tool is a top-notch solution that can help you check writing errors and mistakes while writing. It is an online tool that requires an only internet connection to find and eliminate mistakes in real-time.

So, what are you waiting for ➜ Try Grammarly Now (It’s free)

Learning English grammar is a tough task for writers. You can take the benefits of the Grammarly tool to easily write content and make corrections while writing offline or online on Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, and many others.

Related Posts:

• How to Write English Without Spelling Mistakes (Top 3 Tips)
• How to Write Emails Without Grammar Mistakes (Top 3 Tips)

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How to Write an Essay with No Mistakes

Everyone knows the life lesson “you learn from your mistakes” and “no one is perfect.” Although these may ring true, there are certain things in life that you should dramatically decrease the margin for errors and mistakes, and school is one of them. 

Not only does your future depend on your mistakes or lack thereof, but it’s also something that you can work on and improve, especially when it comes to writing. Far and few people write something once and have it be perfect. It goes through several drafts and edits until it’s absolutely perfect.

You might be thinking, “how can I write so perfectly?” There are several secrets that can save you and your writing scores and assignments. 

Make good writing habits 

This will be your savior in your future writing endeavors. But what is a good writing habit, actually? Remember that habits are behaviors that are formed and repeated over a long period of time. These aren’t instant changes and will require you to practice these things over and over again. 

Take your time. The biggest thing that students do that leads to mistakes is moving too quickly. You rush everything and miss all the obvious mistakes but even more so missing all the small mistakes. Take the time you need to make sure your essay is in tip-top shape. Remember that time wasn’t built in a day, and your perfect essay isn’t either. 

Spell Check as you go. People usually use spell check at the very end of the writing process. You’re better off using spellcheck and autocorrect sooner than later so you can catch all those misspellings and even grammar mistakes when you make them. 

Read and reread every sentence you write out loud. When you’re writing it seems like what you write sounds good, but actually there’s a small mistake. If you read your sentences out loud it might make less sense than it was in your head. Doing this will significantly reduce the amount of mistakes you have.

Organize your thoughts. You may think it’s a waste of time and you’re better off doing something else like actually writing, but the planning stage is crucial. Making outlines and putting your thoughts into diagrams will help you write quicker and more efficiently. Your spur of the moment ideas can be written down and organized into your essay rather than get lost inside your brain! 

Revise revise revise! Once you think you’re done, it’s necessary to check it over and have someone else check it over. We all know the feeling of rushing towards the end of an assignment just to get it done, and this causes mistakes. Make your due diligence and double, triple, and quadruple check your work to make absolutely sure that it’s perfect. 

What are the most common mistakes?

When writing essays, you can run into a number of problems. For each student, their problems may vary, but there are several pitfalls that students just can’t seem to avoid. Here’s some things to do instead, and how you can fix these common mistakes. 

Run-On Sentences

These are the types of sentences that can drag on for an entire paragraph, usually missing some line break or punctuation mark. Students want to sound smarter by making longer sentences, but in the end they just make it more unreadable and sometimes just awful.

Instead: Be efficient with your words. This means removing the fluff and getting straight to the point. The less words it takes you to make a point the better off you’ll be. Students usually try to add “fluff” to make it sound sophisticated, but actually your professors can see right through it. Different verb tenses and vocabulary words can help you manage your efficiency. You’ll score higher marks if your professor can read your essay without any comprehension problems. On top of that, your essay will convey your meetings much better. 

Too Repetitious

Some of us aren’t as creative and can’t think of other ways to express an idea in the form of a sentence or words. So you use words that are familiar to the topic – even if it means repeating it. It’s okay if the same word or phrase is used again, but only do so sparingly. This demonstrates your lack of vocabulary. 

Instead: Use a thesaurus. The best writers forget all sorts of words, so they lean on thesauruses to help them out. A writer’s best friend, a thesaurus can help you avoid repetition and upgrade your language. Just make sure the word is being used appropriately in the right context. Using a thesaurus also improves your vocabulary, allowing you to look at new words you might not have ever used before. Some thesauruses even have phrases and idioms to go along with your word.

Sentences are too simple

Although we want to avoid run-on sentences, we also want to avoid making the essay too simple and easy to read. The English language employs several different verb forms and lots of different ways to linguistically organize your ideas. Think about relative clauses, passive voice, phrasal verbs, and so on. If you use a good combination of grammar, you won’t have to worry about your sentences being too simple AND avoiding run-on sentences. You’ll kill two birds with one stone!

Instead: Practice your grammar. If you’re looking to write with no mistakes, grammar will be your best friend. It’ll help you avoid blunders in language and comprehension and will tighten up your essay. The difference between “then” and “than” is important for the meaning. Just as using the word 

Finding the right way to write an essay isn’t easy, because there isn’t a right or wrong way. There are several ways for you to learn how to write an essay with no mistakes – and some of them are formed habits that will take some time to develop. The best thing to do is to make sure you look over your essay several times, and adjust accordingly. There’s no such thing as perfect, but with these tips you can get very close.

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8 Tips to Write Better Essays in English

Learning a foreign language is an overwhelming experience, especially if it’s one of the most widely spoken languages in the world – English.

Many people are under the impression that learning to read and speak in English is enough without realizing that written English skills are an equally vital asset to have.

From improving academics to boosting career prospects – the ability to write in English not only lets you communicate and express yourself better in today’s globalized world but also makes you more confident.

An effective way to improve your writing skills is to write essays. Wondering where to begin? We bring you eight useful tips to write better essays in English.

1. Keep a Vocabulary Notebook

Using the right vocabulary is an essential element of writing essays. When you make efforts to expand your vocabulary, you will be able to pick accurate words to take your writing to the next level.

Instead of coming across new words and forgetting about them, it’s a good idea to make a note of them in your vocabulary notebook. Doing this helps you remember the meanings of new words and you can also refer to it while writing essays.

So, give yourself a target to learn at least ten new words every day, which you can jot down in your diary and take baby steps in building a strong vocabulary.

2. Refer to Credible Sources

Research forms the first step in writing any kind of essay. The stronger your research, the better is the quality of your essay.

At a time when we have access to a wide range of data, it’s important to evaluate research sources carefully and only refer to credible ones. For example, Wikipedia is not a reliable source and should not be attributed to while writing essays.

Take the effort to read through published journals, research studies, scholarly papers, academic databases, and encyclopedias published within the last 10-15 years. It’s also important to assess the credibility of the author while evaluating the source.

3. Draft a Basic Outline

Once you’ve done your research, don’t rush to write. Take a moment to draft a basic outline for your essay and organize your research and findings.

“Is that necessary,” you ask? Very much.

Working on an outline lets you approach the essay in an organized manner. It serves as the skeleton of your paper while ensuring you’re not missing out on any information and that your points flow logically.

Most essays are categorized into – introduction, body, and conclusion.

The introduction is where you introduce the topic and give context. The body paragraphs need to include your arguments and research methodology (if any). The conclusion needs to reiterate the thesis statement and tie all the points together.

4. Hook the Reader

With attention spans getting shorter with time, it’s become all the more important to start with a bang and hook the reader from the beginning to ensure they are invested in your writing.

Essay hooks refer to the first one or two sentences of your essay which have the power to make or break the reader’s interest. The key is to write a hook that grabs the reader’s attention and reels them in.

From an alarming statistic and relevant quote to using humor and asking a rhetoric question – there are various tactics you can employ to keep the reader engaged.

If you’re unable to think of an impactful essay hook, don’t waste too much time on it. Finish the rest of your essay and come back to write a compelling hook later.

5. Use the Pomodoro Technique

It’s not easy to write an essay in one go, especially if it’s not in your first language.

A smart way to approach essay writing is to use the Pomodoro technique. This technique asks you to set a timer for 25 minutes to finish your task in question and then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles of repeating this, you get to take an extended 20-minute break.

So, start with breaking down the assignment into smaller tasks such as research, outlining, writing the different paragraphs, citing references and proofreading. You can then set the timer, start working on the essay as per the technique and track your progress.

Using this technique keeps distractions at bay and helps you stay more focused.

6. Pay Attention to Grammar Rules

You may raise interesting points in your essay, but poor grammar disrupts the reading experience and should be avoided at all costs.

Be careful when adding punctuations, check your sentence formations, avoid passive voice as much as possible and know the difference between adjectives, adverbs, nouns and verbs.

So  abide by grammar rules to deliver a well-written and cohesive essay.

7. Write with Clarity

You might be tempted to use complex metaphors and jargons to impress the reader, but the truth is, none of that guarantees “good” writing.

One of the most important ingredients of effective writing is clarity. You don’t want to leave the reader confused and puzzled after reading your essay. So, use simple words, stop beating around the bush and explain concepts with the help of examples because clear writing always wins.

8. Reread the Essay

Finally, make it a point to proofread your essay (multiple times) to ensure you have covered all the aspects, cited references accurately and not made any silly errors.

It’s a good idea to read your essay out loud so you’re able to identify errors and awkwardly formed sentences with ease. You should also get a friend or family member to read your essay, to spot mistakes or discrepancies that you may have overlooked.

You may also like:

• I Don’t Understand, Do You?
• Simple English Videos
• Listen&Learn: The Berlin Wall

35 comments

Thanks a lot all we can derive from reading is the technique to write with clarity, good research and involvement of readers in writing.

Thank a lot dear EnglishClub, it’s help me a lot

I think it is very good site for learn essay writing

As a teacher trainer this contribution is helpful

Thanks for the tips! I’ll have an essay tomorrow and this will surlely prepare me!

Thank you so much

Thanks Please I will like to know more

thank you so much for your amazing informations

encyclopedias

encyclopaedias

Nice one but I don’t understand yet

Knowledge supporter is who u are, keep d good work nd ur reward is from God nd thanks.

thanks alot for your tips…your tips will help me alot while examss!!!

Thank you so much for information ☺️

Thank you ☺️

Thank you 💯💯💯💯💯💯

My hobby is home garden

ur intentinon and thoughts was very nce its useful to somny pepole to learn english tysomuch adela belin

Thanks you for helping

This did help a lot! Thank you very much 🥰

Good tips, I should give it a try, after all, we all improve by exercising hard so I’ll just do the same thing, but right now I gotta focus on what matters, and what I need now is to read as much as I can to know how to spell the words right. Is grammar so important in this task, I mean can’t I just pick the things up because of my experience in listening skill ?

Thanks for the information!

This is a nice explanation ,,,,,proud of you!

Is very interesting for me I really apreicete you help

Thanks so much for these useful tips!! Now, I need to start preparing my essay (“starting” has been always the stone on my way :$)

Please, what is the difference between an essay and an article?

Are they same?

Thanks in advance,

Thanks & best regards English Club

Helpful updated tips to share with our students!! thankssss

I want to know if it is only at the University or if we may take the course online.

Thank you verry much for important advices

thank for your key points, this is really helpful

Thank you and best wishes,

Very pragmatic and helpful essay. Thank so much English club

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Grammar Tips & Articles »

How to avoid grammar mistakes in your writing, overlooking grammar mistakes is easy especially if you are editing your work yourself. however, these common grammatical errors, even though they are small, have the potential to damage readability. readers may choose not to continue reading especially if they are taking time to try and understand what do you mean. if you are writing an essay for your professor, numerous grammar mistakes will leave a permanent bad impression about your writing in general, especially now, as you text more than speak with people face to face. with your spelling and grammar, you have the chance to make a terrible or a great first impression..

The truth is, it is nearly impossible to write a 3000-word essay that is completely free of grammar and spelling errors. However, there is a great chance that you can minimize the errors so much that the reader will not notice the small issues. This article will give you great tips that you can use to minimize the grammar mistakes in your essay so you get the chance to make a nearly-perfect first impression. Do not always rely on word’s spell checker While this tool is great, most of the time, it does not always catch all the mistakes. In most cases, it is not even right. The so-called grammar checker in MS Word is even worse. It will suggest words and highlight sentences that make sense while overlooking the ones that are full of errors. So always go through your paper before you submit it. For this part, avoid proofreading right after you finish writing. Take a few hours or days off the work and proofread later. After taking rest you would be able to look on the sentences from a different perspective. Have someone to proofread for you You may already know that when you are aware of how the sentence you have written will end, you are likely to miss critical errors. Therefore it is important that you ask someone you trust to read through the work. If there are any errors you may have overlooked, they will notice and correct them. A fresh pair of eyes may be all you need sometimes. In fact, they may also suggest how you can improve grammar skills for the future writing assignments. If you opt to hire assignment writing service, you need to thoroughly proofread that work before you submit it. Use a dictionary There is nothing more boring than having to read an essay that uses the same words over and over. It is irritating and makes the article less interesting. If you realize that this is one of your biggest issues, consider looking for a dictionary. Apps like the Merriam Webster give you a great pool of words that you  can use, it also comes with the thesaurus so you can find alternatives of the frequently used words to diversify the vocabulary in your paper. There are also a ton of other dictionaries online that you can use. They offer more than just an information. Use the apostrophes correctly The apostrophe is one of the most commonly misused signs that if used incorrectly makes your grammar look terrible. If you find that the use of apostrophes is your biggest issue, you may want to consider looking for a lesson online. If the word is not possessive or does not require a contraction, leave the apostrophe out. It’s instead of its The ‘it’s’ with a contraction is often used to depict a possessive pronoun but ‘its’ is the correct word you need to use. ‘It’s’ means ‘it is’. Before you place it in your work, consider saying it out loud. It will help put everything in perspective for you. Incomplete comparisons ‘Jane is funnier and smarter.’ Than who? What are you comparing her to? There is 50% less sugar in soda. Than in what other drink? Always make sure that when you use comparative adjectives, there are two elements. Grammarly is a great tool to check this. It will help you find out which sentences contain incomplete comparisons. Other commonly confused words

• Affect vs. effect
• Principle vs. principal
• Fewer vs. less
• They vs. their
• That vs. who

If you find that there are words that you commonly mistake for others, choose to omit them. If you must use them, make sure you check that you wrote the right ones before you submit your essay to ensure that you have used them in their correct form. Conclusion Choosing to correct your grammar mistakes is only the first step in making sure that you write great essays. If you are writing a blog, search engines will penalize you for mistakes whether your readers notice them or not. Grammatical errors are indicators of poor quality content so try to avoid them if you want to be ranked high.

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Fix mistakes that slip under your radar

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✔ Catch words that sound similar but aren’t, like their vs. they’re, your vs. you’re.

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✔ Avoid sentence fragments, subject-verb agreement errors, and problems with parallelism.

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It’s really straightforward. Just paste the text into the tool. All your errors will now be underlined in red. You can hover over these mistakes to see how they can be addressed. If you agree, just click on the button “Fix all errors,” and your mistakes will be fixed instantly! 

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Yes! Our personal statement editors can help you reduce your word count by up to 25%. You can choose to receive this feedback through direct edits or suggestions in comments – just select your choice when you upload your personal statement.

Our APA experts default to APA 7 for editing and formatting. For the Citation Editing Service you are able to choose between APA 6 and 7.

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If you are unsure about the availability of our services or are planning to upload a very large document (>13,000 words) with a 24 hour deadline, we recommend that you contact us beforehand via chat or email .

Scribbr is following the guidelines announced by the WHO (World Health Organization). As an online platform, all our services remain available, and we will continue to help students as usual.

Can I still place an order? Will my order be completed within the deadline? Yes, you can still place orders and orders will be delivered within the agreed upon deadline. Scribbr is an online platform – our proofreading & editing services are provided by editors working remotely from all over the world. This means Scribbr can guarantee that we will process your order with the same diligence and professionalism as always. The same holds true for our Plagiarism Checker .

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Yes, if your document is longer than 20,000 words, you will get a sample of approximately 2,000 words. This sample edit gives you a first impression of the editor’s editing style and a chance to ask questions and give feedback.

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You will receive the sample edit within 12 hours after placing your order. You then have 24 hours to let us know if you’re happy with the sample or if there’s something you would like the editor to do differently.

Read more about how the sample edit works

When you upload a large document (20,000+ words), we will ask your editor to send a sample edit of approximately 2,000 words as soon as possible. This sample edit gives you a first impression of your editor’s editing style and what you can expect from the service. You will receive it within 12 hours after uploading your order.

Why do we provide you with a sample edit?

We always aim to make you 100% happy, and Proofreading & Editing is a complex service. We want to make sure that our editing style meets your expectations before the editor improves your entire document.

Our editors are trained to follow Scribbr’s academic style . However, your preferences might deviate from our conventions. The sample edit gives you the chance to provide feedback – you can let us know if you’re happy with the sample or if there’s something you would like the editor to do differently.

Once your editor has completed your sample edit, you will receive a notification via email. You have 24 hours to reply to this email and provide us with feedback. If we receive your feedback in time, your editor will go the extra mile and adjust the edit according to your input.

What sort of feedback can you give?

Give us feedback that will help your editor meet your requirements. For example:

• “I am completely happy. The editor can continue editing like this.”
• “I forgot to mention that my school has the following rules for gendered pronouns.”
• “The editor changed the spelling of a technical term, but my professor spells it differently. Please keep the original spelling of this term.”

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However, our Paper Formatting Service,   Citation Editing Service and Plagiarism Checker can be purchased separately.

Yes, Scribbr will proofread the summary in another language as well.

Who will proofread my summary?

If your document contains a summary in a different language, we will send this part to another editor who is a native speaker of that language. The editor will check your summary, applying our standard Proofreading & Editing service.

If you ordered any additional services, such as the Structure Check or Clarity Check, the editor will not apply them to your summary. This is because the summary is a translation of your abstract – you already receive Structure and Clarity feedback on the text in the original language. Therefore, when proofreading your summary, the editor will focus on making sure your language and style is correct.

How does it work?

We will create a new assignment within your order and send you a confirmation email. This also means that you will receive a separate email/SMS notification from us when the editor has finished proofreading your summary. Once your summary is proofread, you can download it via your Scribbr account and read the editor’s feedback.

Yes, we can provide a certificate of proofreading.

As soon as the editor delivers the edit, you can email us at [email protected] to request a certificate.

Please indicate the following in your email:

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We will create a PDF certificate and email it to you as soon as possible.

Scribbr specializes in editing study-related documents . We proofread:

• PhD dissertations
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Yes, when you accept all changes and delete all comments your document is ready to be handed in.

How to accept all changes:

• Word for Mac 2011

How to remove all comments:

When you’ve finished this, others will no longer be able to see the changes made by the editor.

• Read your last version one last time to make sure everything is the way you want it.
• Save your document as a .pdf file to come across more professional and to ensure the format of your document doesn’t change.

Yes, in the order process you can indicate your preference for American, British, or Australian English .

If you don’t choose one, your editor will follow the style of English you currently use. If your editor has any questions about this, we will contact you.

Yes, you can upload your thesis in sections.

We try our best to ensure that the same editor checks all the different sections of your thesis. When you upload a new file, our system recognizes you as a returning customer, and we immediately contact the editor who helped you before.

However, we cannot guarantee that the same editor will be available. Your chances are higher if

• You send us your text as soon as possible and
• You can be flexible about the deadline.

Please note that the shorter your deadline is, the bigger the risk that your previous editor is not available.

If your previous editor isn’t available, then we will inform you immediately and look for another qualified editor. Fear not! Every Scribbr editor follows the  Scribbr Improvement Model  and will deliver high-quality work.

However, every editor has a slightly different editing style, so you may notice small inconsistencies in editing choices. As with every proofreading order, be sure to carefully review your editor’s changes and suggestions as you finalize your text to ensure that everything is as you want it.

The fastest turnaround time is 12 hours.

You can upload your document at any time and choose between four deadlines:

At Scribbr, we promise to make every customer 100% happy with the service we offer. Our philosophy: Your complaint is always justified – no denial, no doubts.

Our customer support team is here to find the solution that helps you the most, whether that’s a free new edit or a refund for the service.

Every Scribbr order comes with our award-winning Proofreading & Editing service , which combines two important stages of the revision process.

For a more comprehensive edit, you can add a Structure Check or Clarity Check to your order. With these building blocks, you can customize the kind of feedback you receive.

You might be familiar with a different set of editing terms. To help you understand what you can expect at Scribbr, we created this table:

View an example

Scribbr not only specializes in proofreading and editing texts in English , but also in several other languages . This way, we help out students from all over the world.

As a global academic writing proofreading service, we work with professional editors  – all native speakers – who edit in the following languages :

This way, you can also have your academic writing proofread and edited in your second language!

Please note that we do not offer Finnish proofreading, but students can still upload English papers on scribbr.fi .

Yes, regardless of the deadline you choose, our editors can proofread your document during weekends and holidays.

Example: If you select the 12-hour service on Saturday, you will receive your edited document back within 12 hours on Sunday.

The footnotes are not automatically included in the word count.

If you want the language errors in your footnotes to be corrected by the editor, you can indicate this in step 3 of the upload process . The words in the footnotes are then automatically added to the total word count.

Need help with your references?

• If you use the APA reference style, you can use our free APA Citation Generator or the articles about APA in our Knowledge Base.
• If you’d like us to check your references for consistency, you can use our Citation Editing Service .

To keep our prices competitive, we do not offer a free trial edit. However, if your document is longer than 30,000 words, we are happy to provide you with a sample edit of 2,000 words to ensure you are satisfied with the editor’s editing style.

Rest assured, our customers are very satisfied with our proofreading services. We’re proud that they have rated us with an excellent 4.6 on Trustpilot. In the unlikely event that you have a less positive experience, we’ll solve that with our 100% happiness guarantee !

After your thesis has been edited , you will receive an email with a link to download the edited document.

The editor has made changes to your document using ‘ Track Changes ’ in Word.  This means that you only have to accept or ignore the changes that are made in the text one by one.

It is also possible to accept all changes at once. However, we strongly advise you not to do so for the following reasons:

• You can learn much by looking at what mistakes you have made.
• The editors do not only change the text, they also place comments when sentences or sometimes even entire paragraphs are unclear. We therefore advise you to read through these comments and take into account your editor’s tips and suggestions.
• Because of the many changes, sometimes there may be double spaces, double periods, or other minor mistakes in a sentence. Checking the changes one by one, you can easily detect these minor errors.

We have written a manual in which we explain step by step how ‘Track Changes’ works.

Check out an example

Our editors are very experienced and will do their utmost to correct all errors in your thesis .

However, with our current rates, an editor can only check your thesis once. This may cause an editor to overlook an error. We can therefore not guarantee that your thesis is 100% error free after you have had your thesis edited.

The editor uses ‘Track Changes’ in Word when editing your thesis.

Don’t know how this works? Then read the following guide  in which we explain step by step how ‘Track Changes’ works.

No, we do not provide you with a clean copy. You will always receive a file edited with tracked changes .

We do this for two main reasons:

• In most papers, there are sentences that the editor cannot edit without additional information from the author. In these cases, your editor will provide guidance but leave you to implement the feedback. If we were to simply accept the changes for you, then these issues would be left unaddressed.
• We believe students should be accountable for their work. Our editors can correct language errors and coach you to be a better writer. However, the end product belongs to you and should reflect your ideas and decisions.

All Scribbr editors are language experts with interests in different subject areas.

You can indicate your field of study when you upload your document . We’ll make sure that the editor who proofreads your work is familiar with your discipline and its specialist vocabulary.

These are the fields of study you can choose from, and examples of the main subjects in each field:

• Business and Management: Business Administration, Hotel Management, Accountancy, Marketing
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• Health and Medical Sciences: Medicine, Obstetrics, Pharmacy, Nutrition, Dentistry
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• Social and Behavioral Sciences: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Communication Sciences

Editors don’t have to be experts in the content of your paper, but they do know how to present it in the best way possible! Our goal is to improve your writing and give you feedback on the readability, structure, logic, and clarity of your text. We know from experience that the most effective editors are specialists in language and academic writing.

We’ve carefully selected and trained all of our editors to proofread theses and other academic documents. Once they’re qualified, we continue to carefully monitor their work to make sure we always deliver the highest quality .

How To Remove Grammatical Errors From Your Essay Paper: 5 Modern Tricks

• Umesh Singh
• June 26, 2024

Table of Contents

Every person makes mistakes when writing, and students shouldn’t be ashamed of their errors since they’re still in the process of learning.

That said, nowadays, there are many tools that can help a person polish their writing.

You can easily make your essay stand out and look professional, and this article provides five of the best ways to avoid grammatical errors and to make your written text clear and top-class.

Leverage Advanced Grammar Check Tools

One of the most effective allies for any digital-age student is a sophisticated grammar checker.

Such programs alert you to various problems, such as mismatched subjects and verbs, misused conjunctions, and other abuse of voice.

With each suggestion, you are told exactly why the correction needs to be made.

Here are the most popular grammar-checking tools you should try:

If you use such tools, your document will be free of errors, but you’ll also learn more about common grammatical mistakes as you go.

Try to make some of these tools automatically flag mistakes as you edit your work. If you want a human to edit your paper or wonder, “Who can  write my essay ?”, try UKWritings. This service offers writing, editing, and proofreading services.

Read Aloud or Use Text-to-Speech

Reading an essay can reveal awkward phrasing and jarring grammatical inconsistencies that are not so easy to spot on the screen or paper.

If there’s anything more dreadful than forced read-alouds in school, it’s reading your own work out loud.

If reading your text aloud feels terribly awkward for you, then use text-to-speech software to have your own essay ‘read’ to you.

It’s better to hear it from a digital voice than to hear your professor point out awkward phrases to you when your essay is already submitted.

Peer Reviews and Feedback

Even if your structure is perfectly clear to you, it may be helpful to imagine how a different reader’s mind works.

Remember that you have an idea of how your paper should go; you might be so wrapped up in that idea that it’s hard for you to see where it isn’t working.

If you’re having trouble, don’t despair – ask others to review your writing. Give your essay to peers, a mentor, or a tutor and you may get new ideas for how to get from point A to point B in your paper.

If there’s no one who can check your paper for you, read this  UKWritings review to see why this service would be of help in this situation.

Expert editors can catch what you may have missed in the first drafts. They can point out awkwardly arranged words, for example, and together you can find exactly what the problem is.

Simplify and Clarify Your Writing

Try keeping your sentences short and simple. Rather than packing them tightly with verbs, prepositional phrases, and adjectives, break up the long sentences into shorter and simpler ones; and use direct language.

Use the active voice as often as possible because it is easier to follow. Your essay will be better in terms of directness and simplicity.

Consistent Practice and Learning

Learn to review your writing on a regular basis by doing the following:

• Write consistently. Keep a journal, blog, or jot down a paragraph here and there to keep your writing muscles revved up. If you have an especially difficult subject area, something as simple as keeping a glossary of related terms and phrases will get your writing ‘feel’ heightened.
• Take an online workshop or course. There, you can improve your writing skills and grammar. There are great ones available on the internet.

Polished Papers, Perfected Skills

Few students realize that correcting errors in essays will do more than just enhance their GPA.

It will also help to gain the trust and confidence of their readers and boost how they feel about themselves as writers.

Our five tricks can make the most common grammar mistakes a thing of the past. Good luck with your writing!

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How To Avoid Grammatical Mistakes In English

• 33203 Views
• July 18, 2019
• Writing Tips & Tricks

Language has a strong basis, built over centuries; yet it is dynamic and always evolving. Grammar is the system of a language and helps maintain structure and readability.

This system for the world’s most widely spoken language, English, is complex, tricky and even funny sometimes. The grammatical rules are hard to follow and familiarity with grammar skills needs to be cultivated from a young age.

It is an added challenge for us in India, given that English is not our primary language. Our country has 22 registered languages, each having even more dialects. Contrary to popular belief, none of our states are completely English-speaking. However, it is imperative for us to learn English, to communicate at a global level.

Image Courtesy Babbel.com

With the boom of the internet and growth of the social media space, written and oral communication has become even more intimate and important for individuals across the globe. These situations have placed a huge focus on the usage of English as its medium for communication.

Grammar and in particular, using complete sentences is vital for clear communication on this global platform. A grammatical error brings incoherence, leading to faulty communication. People now get called out and even trolled for incorrect usage of the language. Which is why we wanted to write a blog on common grammatical mistakes in English.

English Grammar 101

Any English language learner should start with the basics, so here they are.

Grammar comprises of two components:

• Morphology – Form and structure of words 
• Syntax – How words are arranged in sentences 

Correct usage of grammar makes communication of content clear, comprehensible, effective and appealing.

What Are the Most common grammar mistakes in English?

Here are few of the common grammatical errors that individuals make while writing.

1. Inappropriate Use of Tenses:

There are 12 tenses in English. A sentence has to maintain the same tense throughout the sentence. Dropping in words with different tenses makes the sentence incoherent.

Wrong: Sonia will went to school tomorrow. Correct: Sonia will go to school tomorrow.  

2. Subject-Verb Agreement:

Image courtesy www.ed2go.com

The subject and verb in a sentence must agree to be of the same number. Both have to be either singular or plural.

Wrong: My dog growl at the post man. Correct: My dog growls at the post man.

3. Missing or Misplaced Apostrophes:

Apostrophes are used to indicate possession and as a stand-in for a missing letter in a contracted word. But these often get confused and people either miss using them or put them in the wrong place. Both these errors can change the whole meaning of a sentence.

• Singular & Plural words indicating possession: 

One Customer: Wrong: The custome rs complaints were ignored. Correct: The custome r’s complaints were ignored. Multiple Customers: Wrong: The customer s’s complaints were ignored. Correct: The customer s’ complaints were ignored.

• Contraction:

Do not becomes Don’t They are becomes They’re 

• Indicate Time and Quantity Expressions:

Time: Wrong: It is an hours walk from here. Correct: It is an hour’s walk from here. Quantity: Wrong: I have one liters worth of milk. Correct: I have one liter’s worth of milk.

• Common Mistakes:

4. Comma Mistakes:

People overuse, misuse or just not use commas in their sentences. Commas enhance the reading experience providing appropriate pauses in a sentence. Just like apostrophes, when commas aren’t used appropriately, they can change the meaning of the sentence and make reading a strenuous experience.

Wrong: The desk, is too small. Correct: The desk is too small. Wrong: Additionally the project was delayed. Correct: Additionally, the project was delayed.

5. Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers:

A word, phrase or clause that describes a word, phrase or clause is a modifier. When the modifier is wrongly placed or not clearly and logically related to the word it is modifying, then we call it a misplaced or dangling modifier respectively. These mistakes can create confusion and they not only create barriers while reading but also sound awkward and ridiculous.

• Misplaced Modifier:

Wrong: On her way back, Diana found a gold man’s watch. Correct: On her way back, Diana found a man’s gold watch. Explanation: The word ‘gold’ is the modifier here and it is describing the watch. Changing its position in the sentence structure changes the meaning. 

• Dangling Modifier:

Wrong: Having been broken, Ali could not use the phone. Correct: Having been broken, the phone was of no use to Ali. Explanation: Having been broken is the dangling modifier. In the first sentence it suggests that Ali was broken and therefore couldn’t use the phone. But, with the rearrangement of the sentence, it’s meaning changes and we understand that the phone was broken. 

Similar to this is the error of incorrect pronoun reference. When one uses a pronoun, they have to make sure that it clearly refers to the noun they are replacing.

E.g.: Wrong: After putting her book in the bag, Sybil lost it. What did Sybil lose, the book or the bag? There is a lack of clarity here. Correct:  Sybil lost the book after putting it in the bag.   

6. Comma splice:

A common mistake while attempting to correct a run-on sentence is the usage of a comma splice. It occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined only by a comma.

For e.g. If we used a comma to correct the examples given above, it would read as follows:

The sky was clear, we went for a picnic.

My teacher saw me crying, she comforted me. 

As you can see a comma isn’t strong enough to separate these two independent clauses by itself. And hence, we use any one the three methods mentioned above to correct a run-on sentence.

7. Spelling Errors:

Image Courtesy Me.Me

The letters of a word, denote its spelling. These are fixed and vary only occasionally. Spellings are among the first literary concepts introduced to the child and they are the backbone of any language. Getting them wrong can create complications and is considered a major flaw in one’s literary skills. Considering that the English language is filled with commonly confused words, much care needs to be given here.

8. Run on sentence:

It is a faulty sentence where two or more independent clauses are joined without coordinating conjunctions and a punctuation mark to separate them. One can use one of the two methods to correct a run-on sentence:

Run on sentence:  The sky was clear we went for a picnic. My teacher saw me crying she comforted me.  Correct using a period:  The sky was clear. We went for a picnic. My teacher saw me crying. She comforted me.  Correct using a coordinating conjunction and a comma: The sky was clear, so we went for a picnic. My teacher saw me crying, and she comforted me.  Correct using a semi colon: The sky was clear; we went for a picnic. My teacher saw me crying; she comforted me.

How to Correct Grammatical Mistakes While Writing

• Avoid Spelling Errors: If you are unsure about spelling, check it before using the word.
• Punctuate: A misplaced punctuation mark can change the entire meaning of the sentence or make it sound like a nonsensical sentence. So, make sure to put those commas, apostrophes etc. in the appropriate places.
• Don’t Write Too Fast: When an individual is writing, their mind is usually working faster, racing in fact, in comparison to the hands that are typing or writing. This difference in pace also creates what are today called ‘typos.’ Avoid writing too fast by creating pointers beforehand or jotting your ideas in a journal.
• Read Out Loud: Whatever you write, read aloud to yourself. Listen carefully. Trust your instinct or gut when a sentence doesn’t sound right. Cross-check that sentence.

How to Check Grammatical Mistakes

No matter how cautious we are while writing, we are likely to make errors. How does one check that their written piece has no grammatical errors? Here are some points that may help:

• Get Someone Else To Read Your Material: You should ask someone familiar with the language and thorough with grammar to go through your writing. They may be able to see your work more objectively and highlight any errors you may have missed.
• Use Online Resources: Today there are apps and websites that offer assistance at the click of a button. You could check for errors using them too. These online tools highlight and sometimes also offer alternate solutions to make the sentence correct.

How to Over Come Grammatical Mistakes

Correct grammar cannot be something one focuses on only while writing. Here are some ways to overcome grammatical mistakes in the long run:

• Listening Is Learning:  Pay attention to people when they speak in English. Watch shows, cartoons and movies in English to understand the language and bring about familiarity with the system of the language.

• Play Word Games, Grammar Games, Language Games: Today learning has been made fun with a variety of tools at our disposal, just a touch away. Playing games that increase our comprehension and hone our language skills is a more interesting way to understand the language.
• Find Reference Resources To Improve: You can find a variety of books, videos, worksheets that aim to help people overcome the fear of the language. These are great reference resources for when you are in doubt, need some questions to be answered or want to look at more examples.
• Increase Your Vocabulary: English language has a rich vocabulary and you should definitely try to use new words to enhance your writing. But the correct usage and spelling are imperative.
• Practice, Practice, Practice: This age-old method is golden. To improve your grammar, you have to keep working on your language. Write often. Get it corrected. Talk to people in English. Make mistakes and learn from them. If your grammar is strong it has the overall ability to improve your writing.
• Accept Criticism Gracefully: It is difficult to say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I made an error’ in front of others. But if you do and someone corrects you, accept it gracefully and work on it to improve your language. You’re the one benefitting from this whole process.

Image Courtesy – unsplash.com, Josh Applegate

• Read: The importance of reading books cannot be stressed enough. Reading makes people familiar with the language. One subconsciously absorbs vocabulary, spellings and sentence and word structures. This familiarity helps with your instinct or gut reaction to a grammatically incorrect sentence. Reading exposes an individual to a host of genres and to different forms of writing. On GetLitt! you can find a wide range of interesting books across genres and reading levels.

We hope that this article has helped you gain some clarity and get actionable next steps to improve your grammar while writing. For more articles like these check out our blog. Don’t forget to subscribe to Getlitt! and get access to over 200+ children’s books!

Happy Reading!

Read: How to Increase Vocabulary of a Child

Read more: How to Write an Essay In English

Read Even More: How to Write a Book Review for Kids

Comment (1)

Sarv Angad Singh

That was a really amazing article and will definitely help a lot of people. I write about avoiding mistakes while writing content as well. Please do have a look.

https://writerena.com/content-writing-samples-mistake/

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19 Common Grammar Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

If you want to get better at writing , grammar is one of the first things you should learn. Sure, you may know the basics, but there are several common grammar mistakes that you might still make on occasion. Whether it’s excessive passive voice use, subject-verb agreement issues, or confusing one word for another, these grammar mistakes can take your writing from an A to a D.

A writing tutor can help you work through these grammar-related challenges and enhance your writing quality. We’ve also put together some of the most common grammar mistakes to give you an idea of what to avoid in the future.

1: Subject-verb agreement issues

People often make the mistake of using a verb that doesn’t agree in number with the subject of the sentence. This is understandable because there are some intricacies to the rule, with the main ones being:

The subject and the verb should agree in number and in person

• The manager and a few employees are having lunch in the cafeteria.
• The manager, along with a few employees, is having lunch in the cafeteria.

Use a plural verb for compound sentences joined using the word “and”

However, this doesn’t apply when “and” is separating terms that refer to one person and when words like “each,” “every,” or “many” come before it.

• My cat and my dog are best friends.
• My dog and best friend (referring to the dog) is coming with me on a hike.
• Every dog and cat has a unique personality.

For compound sentences joined using the word “or” or “nor,” make sure the verb agrees to the noun closest to it

• My husband or my best friends are planning my birthday party.
• My husband or my best friend is planning my birthday party.

Use a plural verb when “a number” is the subject, but a singular verb when “the number” is the subject

• A number of friends are coming to my party.
• The number of friends coming to my party has increased.

Use a plural verb when the phrase “one of those” precedes a plural noun

• She’s one of those people who are never late.
• He’s one of those (writers or scientists or whatever) who state it best.”

2: Verb tense shift

Another common grammar mistake is the random shift of tenses in the same sentence. Stick to the same tense throughout your writing to avoid confusing your readers. Depending on whether you have to use APA or MLA format, you need to present your research in either past or present tense. A bit of English tutoring can help you learn grammar and work through these issues to improve your writing skills.

Incorrect: She waves at me and then I waved back with gusto. Correct: She waves at me and then I wave back with gusto (or she waved at me, and then I waved back with gusto).

3: Comma splice

A comma splice is when you join two independent sentences using a comma when you should separate them with a coordinating conjunction or a period.

Incorrect: She cried a lot, her eyes were puffy. Correct. She cried a lot. Her eyes were puffy. Correct. She cried a lot, so her eyes were puffy.

4: Unnecessary comma

We’ve all probably struggled with punctuation errors such as using a comma when it’s not needed. You should never use a comma to:

Separate an independent clause from its dependent clause

Incorrect: He quit his job, because he was burnt out. Correct: He quit his job because he was burnt out.

Separate the verb from its direct object

Incorrect: Stop cutting, trees. Correct: Stop cutting trees.

Separate elements that have a coordinating conjunction joining them

Incorrect: She wants to become a doctor, or a teacher. Correct: She wants to become a doctor or a teacher.

5: Missing comma

On the other end of the spectrum, some people also fail to use a comma where it’s crucial. To avoid future punctuation errors, always use a comma in the following instances:

After an introductory element

Incorrect: In case you wanted to know I’m happy to join the group. Correct: In case you wanted to know, I’m happy to join the group.

For separating two independent clauses in a compound sentence

Incorrect: She was happy and she loved to dance. Correct: She was happy, and she loved to dance.

6: Lack of parallelism

Every part of your sentence should be parallel in form so they are grammatically similar and easier to read.

Incorrect: She enjoyed swimming, cycling, and to paint. Correct: She enjoyed swimming, cycling, and painting. Correct: She liked to swim, cycle, and paint.

7: Run-on sentences

A run-on sentence is when you join two complete sentences without any coordinating conjunction or punctuation.

Incorrect: John gave her a bouquet of roses for their anniversary however she prefers wildflowers. Correct: John gave her a bouquet of roses for their anniversary. However, she prefers wildflowers.

8: Excessive use of passive voice

While passive voice isn’t grammatically incorrect, it can overcomplicate your writing and make it difficult for readers to understand. When there’s a simpler, active voice alternative, always use it instead of passive voice.

Passive: Those stones were picked up by Sandy from the beach last summer. Active: Sandy picked up those stones from the beach last summer.

9: Dangling modifiers

Dangling modifiers are among the most common grammar mistakes. This is when you use a descriptive phrase that doesn’t apply to the noun immediately following it. As such, it can disrupt your writing flow and make it awkward and confusing.

Incorrect: After sitting in the fridge for weeks, Kim finally threw the stale sandwich. Correct: Kim finally threw away the stale sandwich after it had been sitting in the fridge for weeks.

10: Incomplete comparisons

This common grammar mistake occurs when you use comparative verbs without specifying what you’re comparing the subject against.

Incorrect: This neighborhood is safer and more peaceful. Correct: This neighborhood is safer and more peaceful than most neighborhoods in the city.

11: Possessive nouns

While most possessive nouns have an apostrophe, some people may get confused about where to add the apostrophe. This is a critical mistake because your apostrophe placement can change the whole meaning of the sentence.

Example: All of the girl’s baskets were red.

While “all” implies that there’s more than one girl, the apostrophe placement suggests that there’s just one. In general, plural nouns should have an apostrophe after the “s”, like in, “All of the girls’ baskets were red.”

If you want to say that there’s one girl who has multiple baskets that are all red, the sentence should be, “The girl’s baskets were all red.”

Even in singular nouns that end with an “s,” the apostrophe should come after the “s” like in “the witness’ statement.” In case of singular nouns that do not end with an “s,” the apostrophe comes before the “s.” For example: “the girl’s baskets.”

12: Your vs. you’re

One of the most common grammar mistakes include commonly-confused words such as “your” and “you’re.” Here’s the simplest way to differentiate between the two:

Your – A possessive pronoun

Incorrect: We’ll need to contact you’re next of kin. Correct: We’ll need to contact your next of kin.

You’re – A contraction of “you are”

Incorrect: Your next in line for the throne. Correct: You’re next in line for the throne.

So, the main difference is in owning something vs. being something.

13: There, their, and they’re

Another common confusion is between “there,” “their,” and “they’re.” Here’s the simplest way to differentiate between the three:

There – Meaning in or at a certain place

Incorrect: Get the book from over their. Correct: Get the book from over there.

Their – Possessive pronoun

Incorrect: I bought they’re house. Correct: I bought their house.

They’re – Contraction of “they are”

Incorrect: There already here. Correct: They’re already here.

The main difference is in something being in/at a certain place, owning something, and being something.

14: Its or it’s

People often get confused about the right time to use its or it’s. Here’s how you can avoid one of the most common grammar mistakes and differentiate between the two:

Its – Possessive pronoun

Incorrect: This app holds it’s own against the competition. Correct: This app holds its own against the competition.

It’s – Contraction of “it is”

Incorrect: Its no longer important to me. Correct: It’s no longer important to me.

15: Lay vs. lie

Surprisingly, this grammar mistake is extremely common with native English speakers. Here’s how you can avoid misusing the two:

Lay – The act of placing an object somewhere

This verb requires an object in the sentence, like in, “I lay my head on the pillow.”

Lie – Describes something that’s moving on its own or is already in position.

Lie is intransitive verb and therefore, doesn’t need an object.

Incorrect: She’s laying down for a nap. Correct: She’s lying down for a nap.

Incorrect: I’m going to lay down for a bit. Correct: I’m going to lie down for a bit.

16: Could of and could have

Since they sound very similar, people often use “could of” instead of “could have.” Remember that “could of” is never correct, and you should always use “could have” instead.

17: Me, myself, and I

Another common grammar mistake involves the confusion between the first person pronouns – “me,” “myself,” and “I.” Some people will even assume that you should always use “I” as a first person pronoun following “and.” However, that’s not always correct depending on whether the pronoun is an object or a subject. Here’s how you can differentiate between the three:

Me – Use this pronoun as an object of the verb.

Example: My aunt sent gifts for my sister and me.

Myself – This is a reflexive personal pronoun and should never be the subject of a sentence.

Example: I bought this for myself.

I – Use this pronoun as an object of the verb.

Example: Sally and I are going to a party.

18: Then vs. than

Since they sound and look fairly similar, people sometimes misuse “then” and “than.” Here’s a quick guide to help you differentiate between the two:

Then – This adverb situates actions in time.

• Things were so much better then.
• I made breakfast, and then I left for work.

Than – This is a conjunction that helps make comparisons.

• Chris is a better climber than Steve.
• This year is turning out to be worse than last year.

19: Whom vs. who

The misuse of “whom” and “who” is another tricky issue that a lot of people struggle with. Let’s take a look at the main differences between the two:

Whom – Used for the person that’s receiving something or on the receiving end of something

• To whom did you send the letter?
• Whom did they choose for the role?

Who – Used for identifying a living pronoun

• Who made these cookies?
• I’m the person who made those cookies.

Keep learning

These are just some of the most common grammar mistakes that you should avoid if you want to improve your writing. We may be unable to cover everything in a single post, so we recommend working with a writing tutor for a more thorough lesson. These tutors can help you learn grammar, brush up on your writing skills, and even learn how to write essay outlines for your research papers .

Jacqueline Zote is a copywriter with a passion for all things relating to the English language. Her interests range from pop culture and mythology to social activism. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies published by HarperCollins Publishers and Zubaan Books.

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Top 20 Errors in Undergraduate Writing

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The Top Twenty: A Quick Guide to Troubleshooting Your Writing

Readers judge your writing by your control of certain conventions, which may change depending on your audience, purpose, and writing situation.  For example, your instructor may or may not mark errors in your paper if he’s more concerned with its argument or structure than he is with sentence-level correctness; he could also decide an error is not serious.  Some instructors may even see the errors listed below as stylistic options. However, a large-scale study by Andrea Lunsford and Karen Lunsford (2008) found that these errors are the most likely to attract readers’ negative attention.  Before handing in your papers, proofread them carefully for these errors, which are illustrated below in the sentences in italics.  

THE TOP TWENTY

1. wrong word.

Wrong word errors take a number of forms. They may convey a slightly different meaning than you intend ( compose instead of comprise ) or a completely wrong meaning ( prevaricate  instead of procrastinate ). They may also be as simple as a wrong preposition or other type of wrong word in an idiom.

Use your thesaurus and spell checker with care. If you select a word from a thesaurus without knowing its precise meaning or allow a spell checker to correct spelling automatically, you may make wrong-word errors. If prepositions and idioms are tricky for you, look up the standard usage.

Here are a couple of wrong word examples:

Did you catch my illusion to the Bible?

Illusion means “an erroneous perception of reality.” In the context of this sentence,  allusion was needed because it means "reference.”

Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene is a magnificent sixteenth-century allergy.

A spell checker replaced allegory with allergy.

2. Missing Comma after an Introductory Element

Use a comma after every introductory element—whether word, phrase or clause—to clarify where it ends and the rest of the sentence begins. When the introductory element is very short, you can skip the comma, but including it is never wrong.

Without a comma after the introductory element, it’s hard to see the location of the subject (“they”) in this sentence:

Determined to make their flight on time they rose at dawn.

3. Incomplete or Missing Documentation

Documentation practices vary from discipline to discipline.  But in academic and research writing, it’s a good idea to always cite your sources: omitting documentation can result in charges of plagiarism.

The examples below follow MLA style.  In this example, the page number of the print source for this quotation must be included.

The Social Media Bible defines social media as the “activities, practices, and behaviors among communities of people who gather online to share information, knowledge, and opinions using conversational media.”

And here, the source mentioned should be identified because it makes a specific, arguable claim:

According to one source, it costs almost twice an employee’s salary to recruit and train a replacement. 

Cite each source you refer to in the text, following the guidelines of the documentation style you are using. 

4. Vague Pronoun Reference

A pronoun (e.g., he, this, it) should refer clearly to the noun it replaces (called the antecedent).  If more than one word could be the antecedent, or if no specific antecedent is present, edit to make the meaning clear.

In this sentence, it possibly refers to more than one word:

If you put this handout in your binder, it may remind you of important tutoring strategies .

In some pronoun usage, the reference is implied but not stated.  Here, for example, you might wonder what which refers to:

The authoritarian school changed its cell phone policy, which many students resisted.

To improve this sentence, the writer needs to make explicit what students resisted.

5. Spelling

Even though technology now reviews much of our spelling for us, one of the top 20 most common errors is a spelling error.  That’s because spell checkers cannot identify many misspellings, and are most likely to miss homonyms (e.g., presence/presents), compound words incorrectly spelled as separate words, and proper nouns, particularly names. After you run the spell checker, proofread carefully for errors such as these:

Vladmir Putin is the controversial leader of Russia.

Every where she walked, she was reminded of him.

6. Mechanical Error with a Quotation

When we quote other writers, we bring their voices into our arguments.  Quotation marks crucially show where their words end and our own begin. 

Quotation marks come in pairs; don’t forget to open and close your quotations.  In most documentation styles (e.g., MLA Style), block quotations do not need quotations marks.  Consult your professor’s preferred style manual to learn how to present block quotations. 

Follow conventions when using quotation marks with other punctuation. Here, the comma should be placed inside the quotation marks:

"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction", Virginia Woolf argues.

7. Unnecessary Comma

We often have a choice about whether or not to use a comma.  But if we add them to our sentences when and where they are not needed, then we may obscure rather than clarify our meaning.

Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements that are necessary to the meaning of the words they modify.  Here, for example, no comma is needed to set off the restrictive phrase  of working parents , which is necessary to indicate which parents the sentence is talking about.

Many children, of working parents, walk home from school by themselves.

Do not use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) when the conjunction does not join parts of a compound sentence.  In this example, no comma is needed before the word  and  because it joins two phrases that modify the same verb, applies.

  This social scourge can be seen in urban centers, and in rural outposts.

Do not use a comma before the first or after the last item in a series.

The students asked their TAs to review, the assignment rubric, a sample paper and their comments, before the end of the quarter.

Do not use a comma between a subject and verb.

Happily, the waiters, sat down during a break.

Do not use a comma between a verb and its object or complement.

On her way home from work, she bought, a book at the bookstore.

Do not use a comma between a preposition and its object.

On her way home from work, she bought a book at, the bookstore.

8. Unnecessary or Missing Capitalization

Capitalize proper nouns and proper adjectives, the first words of sentences, and important words in titles, along with certain words indicating directions and family relationships. Do not capitalize most other words. When in doubt, check a dictionary.

Financial Aid is a pressing concern for many University Students.

9. Missing Word

If you read your work outloud before submittingit, you are more likely to notice omitted words.  Be particularly careful not to omit words from quotations.

Soccer fans the globe rejoiced when the striker scored the second goal.

10. Faulty Sentence Structure

If a sentence starts out with one kind of structure and then changes to another kind, it will confuse readers.

The information that families have access to is what financial aid is available and thinking about the classes available, and how to register.

Maintain the grammatical pattern within a sentence.  Each sentence must have a subject and a verb, and the subjects and predicates must make sense together.  In the example above, thinking about the classes available does not help the reader understand the information families have access to.  Parallel structures can help your reader see the relationships among your ideas.  Here’s the sentence revised:

Families have access to information about financial aid, class availability, and registration.

11. Missing Comma with a Nonrestrictive Element

A nonrestrictive phrase or clause provides additional information that is not essential to the basic meaning of the sentence.  Use commas to set off a nonrestrictive element.

David who loved to read history was the first to head to the British Library.

The clause  who loved to read history does not affect the basic meaning of the sentence.  The clause could be taken out and the reader would still understand that David was the first to head to the British Library.  

12. Unnecessary Shift in Verb Tense

Verbs that shift from one tense to another with no clear reason can confuse readers.

Martin searched for a great horned owl.  He takes photographs of all the birds he sights.

13. Missing Comma in a Compound Sentence

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses.  When the clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), use a comma before the conjunction to indicate a pause between the two thoughts.

Miranda drove her brother and her mother waited at home.

Without the comma, a reader may think at first that Miranda drove both her brother and her mother.

14. Unnecessary or Missing Apostrophe (including its/it's)

To make a noun possessive, add either an apostrophe and an s (Ed's phone) or an apostrophe alone (the girls’ bathroom). Do not use an apostrophe in the possessive pronouns ours, yours, and hers. Use its to mean belong to it; use it's only when you mean it is or it has.

Repeated viral infections compromise doctors immune systems.

The chef lifted the skillet off it’s hook.  Its a fourteen-inch, copper skillet.

15. Fused (run-on) Sentence

A fused sentence (also called a run-on) joins clauses that could each stand alone as a sentence with no punctuation or words to link them. Fused sentences must be either divided into separate sentences or joined by adding words or punctuation.

The house was flooded with light, the moon rose above the horizon.

He wondered what the decision meant he thought about it all night.

16. Comma Splice

A comma splice occurs when only a comma separates clauses that could each stand alone as a sentence. To correct a comma splice, you can insert a semicolon or period, connect the clauses with a word such as and/or/because, or restructure the sentence.

The students rushed the field, they tore down the goalposts. 

17. Lack of pronoun/antecedent agreement

Pronouns typically must agree with their antecedents in gender (male or female, if appropriate) and in number (singular or plural). Many indefinite pronouns, such as everyone and each, are always singular.  However,  they can be used to agree with a singular antecedent in order to use inclusive or gender-neutral language.  When antecedents are joined by or or nor, the pronoun must agree with the closer antecedent. A collection noun such as team can be either singular or plural, depending on whether the members are seen as a group or individuals.

Every guest left their shoes at the door.

18. Poorly Integrated Quotation

Quotations should be logically and smoothly integrated with the writing around them, the grammar of the quotation complementing the grammar of the neighboring prose.  They usually need to be introduced (with a signal phrase) rather than dropped abruptly into the writing.

An award-winning 2009 study of friendship "understanding social networks allows us to understand how indeed, in the case of humans, the whole comes to be greater than the sum of its parts" (Christakis and Fowler 26).

"Social networks are intricate things of beauty" (Christakis and Fowler xiii). Maintaining close friendships is good for your health.

19. Missing or Unnecessary Hyphen

A compound adjective requires a hyphen when it modifies a noun that follows it.

This article describes eighteenth century theater.

A two-word verb should not be hyphenated. 

The dealers want to buy-back the computers and refurbish them.

20. Sentence Fragment

A sentence fragment is part of a sentence that is presented as if it were a complete sentence.  The following illustrate the ways sentence fragments can be created:

Without a subject

The American colonists resisted British taxation.  And started the American Revolution.

No complete verb

The pink geranium blooming in its pot.

Beginning with a subordinating word

We visited the park. Where we threw the Frisbee.

These 20 most common errors can be avoided in your writing if you reserve time to proofread your final draft before submission.

Works Cited

Lunsford, Andrea A. and Karen J. Lunsford.  “Mistakes are a Fact of Life: A National Comparative Study.”   CCC 59 (2008) 781-806.

Frequent Mistakes When Writing an Essay and How to Avoid Them

Making mistakes while writing an essay is common, but being aware of these mistakes can help you avoid them in the future texts. Here are some common  mistakes when writing an essay and tips on how to avoid them. You can also take a shortcut and write your essay at StudyCrumb for easy and professional assistance.

1. Lack of Clarity and Focus:

• Mistake: Failing to clearly convey your main idea or thesis statement.
• Avoidance: Before writing, clearly outline your main argument or purpose. Ensure each paragraph relates to and supports this central idea.

2. Poor Organization and Structure:

• Mistake: Disorganized paragraphs or lack of logical flow between ideas.
• Avoidance: Use an outline to structure your essay with clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Use topic sentences and transitions to connect ideas cohesively.

3. Grammatical and Punctuation Errors:

• Mistake: Incorrect verb tense, subject-verb agreement errors, punctuation mistakes, and sentence fragments.
• Avoidance: Proofread your essay carefully for grammar and punctuation errors. Use grammar checkers or seek feedback from peers or teachers.

4. Weak or Unclear Arguments:

• Mistake: Presenting weak or unsupported arguments without evidence or analysis.
• Avoidance: Support your arguments with relevant evidence, examples, data, or quotations. Analyze and explain how this evidence supports your thesis.

5. Plagiarism:

• Mistake: Using someone else’s work or ideas without proper citation or acknowledgment.
• Avoidance: Always cite sources properly according to the required citation style (e.g., MLA, APA). Paraphrase and summarize ideas in your own words, and use quotation marks for direct quotes.

6. Overly Complex Language or Jargon:

• Mistake: Using overly complex language, technical jargon, or obscure terms that may confuse readers.
• Avoidance: Use clear, concise language appropriate for your audience. Define terms if necessary and avoid unnecessary complexity.

7. Lack of Evidence and Analysis:

• Mistake: Making assertions without providing evidence or analysis to support your claims.
• Avoidance: Include relevant examples, facts, statistics, or expert opinions to back up your arguments. Analyze and interpret this evidence to strengthen your points.

8. Ignoring Feedback:

• Mistake: Not seeking or incorporating feedback from peers or instructors.
• Avoidance: Seek feedback on drafts from peers, tutors, or writing centers. Consider and implement constructive feedback to improve your essay.

9. Wordiness and Redundancy:

• Mistake: Using excessive words or repeating ideas unnecessarily.
• Avoidance: Edit your essay to remove redundant phrases or wordy sentences. Be concise and focus on conveying your ideas clearly and directly.

10. Lack of Proofreading:

• Mistake: Submitting an essay without proofreading for errors or typos.
• Avoidance: Proofread your essay multiple times, preferably after taking a break to gain fresh perspective. Use spelling and grammar checkers but also manually review your work for accuracy.

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Published on November 2, 2021 by English Proficiency Editorial Team

30+ Tips to Speak English Without Grammar Mistakes

Often, non-native English speakers and even those who have English as their first language make mistakes.

However, these mistakes are preventable if one has adequate knowledge of the rules of grammar. 

This article aims to define what grammar is and highlight common grammar mistakes. It also touches on the guidelines that govern English grammar and gives helpful tips on the best ways to refine your grammar and expand your vocabulary. 

What Is Grammar?

7 common grammar mistakes, 1. proper use of punctuation marks, 2. subject-verb agreement, 3. subject-verb object agreement, 4. present tense, 5. past tense, 6. future tense, 7. regular verbs, 8. irregular verbs, 9. adjectives, 11. pronouns, 12. adverbs.

• 13. Determiners 
• 16. Interjections 
• How To Refine Your English Grammar? 

According to dictionary.com , “grammar” is referred to as “the study of the way the sentences of a language are constructed; morphology and syntax.”

Simply put, grammar is a system of rules and principles that guide the speaking and writing of language.

It can also be the study of words and how they work together to form sentences.

Grammar exists so that English language speakers have a standard set of language rules to ensure understanding.  

Grammar mistakes are simply errors that occur either in speaking or writing. It is said that a  mistake has been made when a statement does not conform to the rules of grammar.

Usually, such a mistake ends up confusing the listener or reader to whom the statement is made.

Some of the common grammar mistakes people often make include : 

1. Misusing The Tenses

It is perhaps the most common grammar mistake, both in speaking and writing. It is essential to avoid the mistake of switching from the present to past tense and vice versa. 

The present tense depicts a consistent or ongoing action, while the past tense refers to something that has already happened.

 When speaking or writing about the past, one does so in the past tense. When speaking of writing about an ongoing or consistent action, one does so in the present tense.

Switching between or interchanging the tenses leads to information not being properly conveyed. 

• Incorrect ==  “When I was a kid, I eat a lot of candy”.
• Correct == “When I was a kid, I ate a lot of candy”.

2. Incorrect use of Commas

The Comma is used to represent a short pause in a sentence.

A comma prevents one sentence from running into another.

In the case of compound sentences,  there should be a comma before the conjunction to indicate that the two sentences are related. 

The incorrect use of commas can give a sentence a meaning different from what the writer intends.  

• Incorrect == “ Jim went to the store and Pam went with him” .
• Correct== “ Jim went to the store, and Pam went with him”.

3. Misuse or Omission of Articles

Articles in sentences are used to indicate whether the noun in a sentence is specific or general.

There are two types of articles used in writing or conversation in English. They are the definite article (the) used when referring to a specific noun. 

Definite articles are used with both singular, plural, and uncountable nouns.

The other type of article in English is the indefinite article (a/an).

Indefinite articles are used when a noun refers to a general thing rather than something specific. 

Indefinite articles usually appear before singular nouns. The misuse or omission of these articles in sentences shows a lack of proficiency in the English language.  

Example: Definite Article

• Incorrect ==  “What is the name of a boy we met yesterday?”
• Correct == “ What is the name of the boy we met yesterday?”  

Example: Indefinite Article

• Incorrect == “I live in the apartment in the city.”
• Correct == “ I live in an apartment in the city.”

4. Incorrect Use of Nouns and Pronouns

The incorrect use of nouns and pronouns occurs when the pronouns do not agree in number with the nouns to which they refer.

The cardinal rule is that singular nouns should be used with singular pronouns and plural nouns. 

• Incorrect ==   “Every boy has their bag.”
• Correct == “Every boy has his bag.”

5. Subject-verb Disagreements

Mistakes with the subject-verb agreement can be the source of many grammatical errors.

When speaking or writing in the present tense, a sentence must have subjects and verbs that agree in number.

If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular.

If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural also. 

• Incorrect == “These bananas is good for baking.”
• Correct == “These bananas are good for baking.”

6. Not Using Punctuation Marks.

The use of punctuation marks is essential. They help to give readers clarity.

Punctuations show readers how sentences are constructed and how to read them. They also make the meaning of sentences clear. 

• Incorrect == “I am sorry I will come early tomorrow.”
• Correct == “I am sorry, I will come early tomorrow.”

7. Missing or Misplaced Apostrophe

We use the apostrophe to show that someone owns something or is in close relation with it.

• Incorrect ==  “Is that Jacks car?”
• Correct ==  “Is that Jack’s car? “

We also use the apostrophe to connect words and shorten sentences.

• Without Apostrophe == “ It is my box.”
• With Apostrophe == “It’s my box.”‘

How to Learn English Without Grammar Mistakes?

Grammar mistakes make it difficult for a speaker to pass information across. Such errors also make it difficult for writers to capture the attention of readers.

When your speech or writing is error-free, it becomes easier for listeners or readers to understand the message you intend to convey.

 Do your best to comply with grammar rules, whether speaking or writing. The knowledge of grammar guidelines provides a foundation for both speaking and writing in English.

The rules of English grammar are numerous, and we will be examining some of these rules below: 

 The correct use of punctuation marks is necessary to guide against misunderstanding or confusion in writing.

Punctuation primarily helps indicate the pauses and the emphasis on the ideas or thoughts that a writer wishes to convey.

Proper punctuation also helps to make a piece of writing logical and readable.

• Incorrect ==  “ The girls is ready to go.”
• Correct ==   “The girls are ready to go.”

 The subject and verb within a sentence need to agree with each other in number.

The agreement is important for a sentence to convey the proper meaning, and this is the central rule that forms the background of the concept.

• Incorrect ==   “The girls is ready to go.”
• Correct ==  “The girls are ready to go.”

 However, if two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb.

• Incorrect ==  “Jim and Pam is married.”
• Correct ==   “Jim and Pam are married. “

 The Subject verb object agreement is a sentence structure where the subject comes first, the verb, second, and the object third.

The subject usually acts; the object is the receiver of the action, while the verb reveals the subject’s action.

Sentences like this usually require a monotransitive verb (or a verb that only requires one subject).

• “He killed the slave.”
• “ Angela sells clothes. “  

The present tense is a grammatical tense whose primary function is to locate a situation or event in the current time. We use the present tense for actions that are consistent or currently occurring.

The present tense is one of the two tenses in the English language.

The present tense has four forms:

a. Simple Present

The simple present tense is a verb tense with two main uses.

We use the simple present tense when an action is happening or when it happens consistently.

• “Michael is jogging.”
• “ Michael jogs daily. “  

The simple present tense has three forms:

I. Affirmative

Affirmative simple present tense refers to a sentence in the positive form (positive means a basic sentence, not a negative or a question).

The affirmative simple present tense is formed by using the root form of the verb or by adding s or es to the end.

• “Jamie loves pie.”  

II. Negative

The process for making a simple present verb negative is by adding do/does + not to the root form of the verb.

• “Jamie does not love pie.”

III. Interrogative

When making a sentence in the simple present tense interrogative, you add “do/does” + the subject + the root form of the verb.

• “Does Jamie love pie?”  

b. Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is a way to convey any action or situation that is happening currently, happens frequently, and maybe ongoing.

It adds energy to writing, and it helps readers understand when the action is happening.

The present continuous tense is used together with dynamic verbs, that is, those that show action, e.g., walk, and not stative verbs, that is, verbs that do not change, e.g., deserve.  

• “I am walking home.”
• “My brother is arriving tomorrow.”  

c. Present Perfect Tense

We use the present perfect tense when referring to something that occurred indefinitely in the past or when referring to something that began in the past and has continued into the present time.

This tense is constructed by adding have/has to the past participle of the root verb.

However, you can not use past perfect when you are specific about when something happened.

• “We have baked with this oven before.”
• “She has worked here in the past.”  

d. Present Perfect Continuous  

The present perfect continuous tense indicates that something started in the past and is continuing at present.

The present perfect continuous tense’s structure is “has/have been” + the present participle + the root verb + ing.

Recently and lately are words used with verbs in the present perfect continuous tense.

However, not all verbs are compatible with continuous action. Examples of such verbs are to arrive and to own.

• “I have been swimming since I was little.”
• “He has been studying for over 6 hours.”

The past tense is a grammatical tense whose function is to place an action or situation in the past.

We also use the past tense to talk about hypotheses. It is the second form of tenses in the English language.

The past tense has four forms:  

a. Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense emphasizes a concluded action. We use verb tenses when talking about things that happened or existed before the present.

We also employ the simple past tense when discussing a past state of being, such as how someone felt about something.

• “We had some chocolates.”  

The simple past tense has three forms:  

i. Affirmative

The affirmative simple past tense is formed by adding -ed to the root form of the verb or adding just -d if the root form already ends in an e. We use this in the case of regular verbs.

• “Walk” to “walk(ed)”
• “Love” to “love(d)”

In the case of some irregular verbs, the root forms do not change. E.g., “cut ” remains even in the past tense.

Verbs in the simple past tense, except for the verb to be, do not agree in number with their subject.

• “I furnished the apartment myself.”
• “They furnished the apartments with the help of an interior decorator.”  

ii. Negative

The negative simple past tense is formed by adding did not to the root form of the verb.

In the case of the verb to be, we replace the “did” with “was.”

• “We did not walk home because it rained.”
• “Her sister was not happy with her.”  

iii. Interrogative

You can form a question in the simple past tense is by adding -did to the subject, then to the root form of the verb.

In the case of the verb to be, did is replaced with was or were.

• “Did you go to school yesterday?”
• “Was she at home last week? “

b. Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense refers to a continuing action or event happening at some point in the past.

We form the past continuous tense by adding the past tense of to be, i.e., was or were, to the verbs present participle.

This verb tense often describes conditions that existed in the past.

• “The sisters were attending their first party.”  

In addition, the past continuous tense sheds light on what was happening at a precise time in the past.

• “At Six p.m, I was preparing dinner.”

This tense also refers to habitual actions in the past.

• “Todd was constantly working to make ends meet two years ago.”  

c. Past Perfect Tense

We often use this verb tense to talk about actions that were completed before another in the past.

To form the past perfect tense, you add the past tense of the verb “ to have,” which is “had, ” to the past participle of the root verb.

• “They had met before the conference.”

The past perfect tense shows that an action happened before something else.

• “She failed her exam because she had not read enough.”  

The tense also indicates that an action happened before a specific time.

• “I had gotten home before Eight p.m.”  

d. Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous tense indicates that an action that started previously continued until another time in the past.

We form the past perfect continuous tense using had been with the verb’s present participle, that is, root verb + -ing.

• “They had been waiting in line before it started raining.”  

The future tense expresses an action that has not yet happened or a state that is not yet existing.

The future tense has four forms:

a. Future Simple Tense

We often use the future tense to talk about an action or condition that will begin and end in the future.

We can further divide the future simple tense into two:  

i. Future Infinitive Tense.

We use the simple future tense when an action is promised to happen in the future.  

• “My brother will come to London tomorrow.”  

ii. Future Negative Tense

We form the negative simple future tense by adding will to not and then to the root form of the verb.

• “I will not wait if you are late tomorrow.”  

b. Future Continuous Tense

We make use of the future continuous tense when an action is promised or thought to be going on at a specific period in the future.

We form a sentence in this tense by putting the subject first, then shall or will, followed by -be and the root verb plus ing.

• “I will be traveling by this time tomorrow.”
• “We shall be having breakfast with my parents.”

c. Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense indicates an action that is guaranteed to be done by a specific time in the future.

We make a sentence in this tense by putting the subject first, then adding shall or will, followed by “have” and the root verb in the past participle.

• “He will have cooked the meal before I get back from work.”
• “They will have finished building the house by January.”  

d. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense describes actions that will continue into a particular time in the future.

• “By 5 pm, I will have been waiting for 30 minutes.”

Regular verbs a defined as verbs whose past tense are formed by adding the letters -ed or -d to the root verb.

Regular verbs have three forms:  

The present form is the most common verb form in the English language. We use this form to express habits and general truths, among other things.

We form the present form by taking a subject pronoun and combining it with the corresponding verb conjugation.

• “He writes daily. “

b. Past simple

These are verbs used to describe an action completed in the past.

• “He walked away.”
• “She moved out. “

c. Past participle

To form the past participle of most regular verbs in English, we add the suffix -ed to the base form of the verb.

• “Call” — “call(ed)”
• “Walk” — “walk(ed)”  

Irregular verbs do not take on the regular –d or -ed suffixes of the simple past tense. They are also known as strong verbs.

Irregular verbs have the following forms:  

a.Base form

The base form of a verb is the version of the verb without any endings. It is the most basic version of a verb.

Verbs in the base form are also called the infinitive or root form. Examples: cut, choose, take, break. 

b. Past Simple

The past simple is the tense used to express situations that occurred in the past and have now ended.

No rule explains how to derive the past simple form of irregular verbs. Writers and speakers have to learn the verbs and their past forms by heart.

• “We broke a plate.”
• “He cut the tree yesterday.”

C . Past participle

There is also no rule explaining how to derive the past participle of irregular verbs.

• “She had broken the seal before reading the instructions”.
• “He has taken the vaccine since last week”.  

Adjectives are words that qualify or describe the state of nouns. We also use them in describing the number of nouns.

• “The hat she made is beautiful”.
• “We are expecting many people”.  

There are three degrees of adjectives:

a. Positive Adjective

A Positive adjective describes something in its own right.

• “A brilliant girl”.
• “A fine man”.  

b. Comparative Adjective

Comparative adjectives usually make a comparison between two or more things.

For most monosyllabic adjectives, we make the comparative by adding the suffix -er, Ir only -r if the adjective already ends with an e. For adjectives with two syllables ending with -y, the -y is replaced with -ier.

For multi-syllable adjectives, the word more is added.

• “A more brilliant girl”.
• “A finer man”.  

c. Superlative Adjectives

Superlative adjectives show that something has the highest degree of quality in question.

Monosyllabic adjectives become superlatives by adding the suffix -est or -st for adjectives that already end in -e.

With two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, the -y is replaced with -iest. Using multi-syllabic adjectives requires that you add the word “most.”

When you use an article with a superlative adjective, it will usually be with the definite article the, rather than a or an. Using a superlative automatically implies that you are talking about a specific person or thing.

• “The most brilliant girl”.
• “The finest man”.  

A noun is a word that serves as the name of a particular object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.

Nouns play several roles in sentences, ranging from subjects to objects.

There are different types of nouns serving several purposes, they are:

a. Concrete nouns

We identify a concrete noun through any of the five senses.

b. Abstract nouns

The term abstract noun refers to nouns that are not perceivable using one of the five senses.

c. Collective nouns

Collective nouns are names used to refer to a collection of several people or things.

Collective nouns are also words for single things comprising more than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea.

• “An array of colors”
• “A herd of cattle”  

d. Compound nouns

Compound nouns are a type of noun formed by putting two existing words together to make one noun.

They can be written together as one word, for example, firehouse. We can also write them as separate words, for example, ice cream, or hyphenated words, for example, well-meaning.

• “We waited at the bus stop”
• “They have a swimming pool”  

e. Possessive nouns

A possessive noun indicates ownership of something. It is easy to distinguish by the apostrophe that comes before the letter -S. However, this is not applicable in all cases.

• “Phil’s phone is ringing”
• “I am scared of the cat. Its nails are very sharp”

f. Regular plural nouns

Most singular regular nouns are made plural by simply putting an -s at the end. There are many plural noun rules, and since we use nouns repeatedly when writing, we must know all of them.

The proper spelling of plurals usually depends on what letter the singular noun ends in.

• To pluralize regular nouns, add s to the end. ( “Boy” — “Boys” )
• If the singular noun ends in sh, -ch, -s, -ss, -x, or -z, add es to the end to make it plural. ( “Church” — “Churches”)
•  If a noun ends with f or -fe, the -f is usually changed to ve before adding the -s to construct the plural. ( “Wife” — “ Wives” ).
• If the singular noun ends in o, In most cases, you need to add es to make it plural. ( “Potato” — “Potatoes” ).

g. Irregular nouns

Irregular plural nouns are nouns that do not become plural by adding -s or -es, as is usual for most nouns in the English language. Irregulars do not have specific rules.

It is best to check for the proper pluralization using the dictionary, especially for non-native English speakers.

• “Man” — “Men”
• “Tooth” — “Teeth”
• “ Child “ — “ Children “

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun or a noun phrase to avoid unnecessary repetition.

We can classify pronouns into the following:  

a. Subject pronouns

These are the pronouns that are the actors of sentences. Examples include We, They, I.

• “I bake daily.”
• “They ran a marathon.”.

b. Object Pronouns

Object pronouns are the pronouns that receive the action in a sentence. Examples include Me, Them, you, her.

• “She went with me.”
• “Had is waiting for them.”

c. Possessive adjectives

Possessive adjectives include your, his, my, her, its, our, or their. It is used with a noun to show that one person or thing belongs to another.

• “I love her dog.”
• “That is my father.”

d. Possessive pronouns

These are also called Absolute or Strong pronouns.

Possessive pronouns show possession or ownership. Examples are “His”, “Hers”, “Mine”, “Yours”.

• “Nina said the book is hers.”
• “The pink shoes are mine.”  

e. Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns include yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. They point back to a person or thing. We also use reflexive pronouns are when the subject and the object of a verb are the same.

• “The cat hurt itself.”
• “Tom is unsure of himself.”

An adverb is a word used in describing a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence. In most cases, adverbs often end in -ly.

The different kinds of adverbs are:

a. Adverbs of time

An adverb of time is a word that describes when, for how long, or how often a particular action occurred.

• “She left for school yesterday.”

b. Adverbs of place

Adverbs of place always answer the question where? An adverb of place always talks about the location where the action of the verb is carried out.

• “He hid the toy underneath the couch.”

c. Adverbs of frequency

An adverb of frequency describes how often an action occurs. We often use adverbs of frequency to indicate routine or repeated activities, so they are often used with the present simple tense.

• “Ted jogs daily.”
• “We see each other frequently.”

d. Adverbs of manner

An adverb of manner describes how and in what way an action, denoted by a verb, is carried out.

• “Andy walks briskly.”
• “We took our time to catch up, so we are slowly.”  

e. Adverbs of degree

An adverb of degree tells to what extent we do something or something happens. Adverbs of degree show the intensity of something.

Adverbs of degree are usually placed before the adjective, adverb, or verb that they modify, but for some exceptions.

• “Getting to the summit of the mountain is extremely dangerous.”
• “The water is too cold.”

f. Adverbs of reason

Adverbs of reason usually answer the question, why? They are used to explain the reason why an occurrence happened.

• “She did not go to work because she was not feeling well.”
• “Since I woke up late, I missed my flight.”  

g. Interrogative adverbs

We use interrogative adverbs to ask questions. The interrogative adverbs are why, where, when, and how.

• “How did you lose your wallet?”
• “Where is the event happening?”

h. Relative adverbs

Relative adverbs are words that give more information about the people, places, or things being discussed.

In addition, they join clauses and sentences together. e.g., when, where, why.

• “That is the place where I bought my car.”
• “2002 was the year when my brother was born.”

13. Determiners  

We make use of determiners to provide information about a noun or to introduce a noun. Determiners usually come before a noun, not after.

Determiners also come before any other adjectives used to describe the noun.

Determiners are required before a singular noun but are optional when it comes to introducing plural nouns.

• “Do you want this piece of chicken?”
• “Some boys missed school today.”

14. Prepositions  

Prepositions specify what relationships exist between subjects or objects and other words in a sentence.

Often, prepositions tell you where something is or when something happened.

Prepositions also tell us where one noun is in relation to another. They include for, in, off, on, over, besides, and under.

• “The remote is beside the couch.”
• “She has a pen on her table.”

15. Conjunctions  

Conjunctions are words that connect other phrases, words, or clauses to each other.

Conjunctions allow the formation of complex, elegant sentences and avoidance of the abruptness of multiple short sentences.

It is essential to ensure that the phrases joined by conjunctions share the same structure.

Conjunctions have three forms:  

a. Coordinating conjunctions

They include words like and, yet, but, so, for.

• “I wanted to study quietly, so I went to the library.”  

b. Correlating conjunctions

They consist of words like either/or, neither/nor.

• “You can pick either the blue shawl or the purple one.”

c. Subordinating conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions include although, while, whereas, though, and because.

• “I am here because I need to be.”

16. Interjections  

Interjections are words intended to express different levels of emotion or surprise. These words or phrases can stand alone or before or after a sentence.

Exclamation points usually follow interjections. e.g., “wow! “, “Oh!”, “Alas!” .

• “Oh! What a pleasant surprise.”
• “ Alas! Her mother died yesterday. “

How To Refine Your English Grammar?  

Grammar rules are numerous. Learning these rules can be stressful for native and non-native speakers of the English language.

However, correct grammar is important for writing and speaking, whether as students or employees, because good grammar guarantees that you stand out. It is therefore essential to know some simple methods to improve your grammar.  Here are some tips for you to try!

1. Study the Grammar Rules

Understanding the rules of grammar is crucial. Any time a grammatical question arises, you can refer to rules you’ve learned to get your answers.

Studying these rules also helps to avoid making basic mistakes. 

2. Think in English

For a non-native English speaker, it is natural to think in a language familiar to you.

However, practicing thinking in English helps you get a grasp of the language faster. 

3. Widen Your Vocabulary

It is crucial to keep widening your vocabulary by learning new words and their meaning.

Anytime a word seems new to you, get its spelling, check out its meaning in the dictionary, you will find out that your vocabulary will keep expanding. 

4. Practice Your Writing Skills

Writing out words makes you more familiar with them.

It is advisable to keep a notebook where you write new words or rules of grammar that you learn.

Practice writing these words out daily, either on paper or electronically, until using those words comes naturally to you. 

5. Read and Read-out Loud

Learning the English language becomes easier when you read wide.

Studying how various authors use language will improve your understanding and comprehension.

Try to read several genres and styles of writing.

You can choose from classic literature, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, online blogs, essays, and articles.

Pay attention to how sentences are structured, word order, spelling, and all the creative ways the authors use language.

Try reading aloud so you also get an idea of how the language sounds in conversation and so that someone can correct you if you are pronouncing a word wrong.  

6. Learn to Punctuate

Improper punctuation can mean that the meaning you are trying to convey can be confused or lost.

Learning to punctuate correctly is as essential as it is to learn writing properly in English. 

7. Play Word Games

Word games are fun, mentally tasking, and a great way to improve your use of grammar.

These word games are educational, and they usually provide explanations for wrong answers so you can learn from your mistakes. 

8. Watch English documentaries or YouTube videos

In addition to the options listed above, watching documentaries or YouTube videos with subtitles is a great way to refine your grammar.

It is definitely a great way to practice pronunciation as you are watching native English speakers. 

9. Improve Your Listening Skills

Actively listening to people speak is another way to refine your grammar.

Pay attention to how other people form their sentences. Notice how and where they place words in sentences.

Also, notice how they say common phrases and pay attention to the vocabulary they use. 

10. Imitate the Native Speakers

Try imitating what people who are native speakers of English say.

Imitation makes it easier to understand how to form sentences and to expand your vocabulary. 

11. Do Not Be Afraid to Speak

By speaking as you learn, you have more opportunities to be corrected if you make a mistake.

Do not keep quiet and assume you know everything. 

12. Accept Criticisms

Everyone is rooting for you to speak as fluently and correctly as possible.

When you inevitably make mistakes and are corrected, learn to take these corrections gracefully. 

 Final Thoughts

In conclusion, learning the English language is not easy.

The process requires a lot of patience and determination.

However, the decision to learn the language has numerous advantages earlier highlighted.

Additional Reading — ENGLISH GRAMMAR

• What is British English?
• What is American English?
• What is Canadian English?
• What is Australian English?
• What Are Idioms?
• What Are Verbs?
• What Are Nouns?
• What Are Adjectives?
• What Are Pronouns?
• What Are Adverbs?
• What Are Tenses?
• What Are Punctuation Marks?
• What Are Prepositions?
• What Are Loanwords?
• What are Phrasal Verbs?
• What Are Collocations?
• What Are Conjunctions?
• What are Modals?
• What is Subject-Verb Agreement?
• What Are Sentence Structures?
• What Are Sentence Parts?
• What are Sentence Functions?
• What Are Clauses?
• What are the Common Slang Words in the English Language?
• What are the Commonly Misspelled Words in English?

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Common Essay Mistakes—Writing Errors to Avoid [Updated]

One of the most critical skills that students gain during their college years is assignment writing. Composing impressive essays and research papers can be quite challenging, especially for ESL students. Nonetheless, before learning the art of academic writing, you may make numerous common essay mistakes.

Such involuntary errors appear in:

• essays’ content;
• academic style;
• structure and overall organization;
• spelling and punctuation;

Good news for you! Our experts prepared a list that contains and explains all of them. Find out about common mistakes in essay writing and do your best not to make them.

• 📃 Content Mistakes
• 🔍 Stylistic Mistakes
• 📝 Structural Mistakes
• 🔤 Grammar Mistakes
• 📘 Vocabulary Mistakes
• ✍️ Spelling Mistakes
• ⁉️ Punctuation Mistakes

📃 Content Mistakes in Essays

A perfect essay usually has an impressive introduction, well-organized content, and a powerful conclusion. Lousy college essays often lack structure or content and do not impress the reader.

What should you do?

Follow these six tips when writing any type of essay:

• Always write an essay that includes relevant facts, concrete details, and specific examples. If you just write down a few paragraphs that have something to do with your topic, you will not succeed in writing a good essay. Read the question carefully before you start writing. Single out the keywords and then elaborate on your ideas with facts, details, and examples.
• Write a good introduction. An exciting introduction gives the background for the whole essay. In the introduction, you should make your presentation of the essay topic. To write a good introduction paragraph , tell your reader what you are going to write.
• Write a strong thesis statement. The thesis statement expresses the writer’s thoughts on the topic and tells the reader how the idea will be developed. A good thesis statement explains two critical things to the reader: what you plan to argue in your essay and how you plan to do it. Always support your thesis with your ideas in the central part of the paper.
• Never write a thesis statement if you do not have enough ideas to support it. While planning your essay, you should think carefully and ask yourself whether you have enough ideas to support your thesis. And if you are not sure, formulate another one that you will be able to argue.
• Use ideas that you can prove with examples. Keep in mind: Any idea should be clarified and proved. So always give appropriate examples. If some of your writing has awkward wording, you can use an online sentence changer to fix it.
• Write a powerful conclusion. In the end, take advantage of your last chance to say something important to your readers. You should emphasize the purpose and importance of what you wrote in your essay.

The thesis is the hook on which any essay hangs.

🔍 Stylistic Mistakes in Writing

Even if it’s written interestingly, your essay may make a poor impression if you do not use the correct style.

These are five essay mistakes that most students make:

• Word repetition. Here is the truth: Your essay will look dull and childish if you use the same lexical sets. So, use synonyms and word substitutes to avoid repeating the same nouns or verbs.
• Too many passive structures. When you use the passive voice in your sentences, they sound more impersonal and objective, but they are longer and harder to read. On the contrary, active sentences are clear and direct. So, if you want to write a good essay, you should use both types. A good rule of thumb is to write less than 20 percent of your sentences in the passive voice.
• Sentences that are too long or too short. If you use sentences that are too long, you make your essay harder to understand. On the other hand, you can destroy your idea’s logical development if your sentences are too short. Try to use a balance of both long and short sentences.
• Sentences beginning with coordinating conjunctions. Coordinating conjunctions are mainly used to connect words and clauses in the same sentence. Sometimes we can also use them to start a sentence. But if you begin too many sentences with coordinating conjunctions, your essay will be monotonous. It’s better to use corresponding conjunctive adverbs like nevertheless , moreover , or however , which have the same meaning. They are more appropriate in a formal context.
• Overly formal or informal words and phrases. Many students forget that an academic essay requires a vocabulary layer that we do not use in our everyday lives. Never use slang expressions and nonstandard verb forms like gotta or wanna in your academic papers. Check English slang dictionaries if you struggle to find a proper replacement phrase or word. You should use formal constructions and high-level vocabulary.

In doubt, always consult a good dictionary to choose the proper word. If you’re unsure whether you can implement a phrase in context, see it in other text. You can do it by typing it in a search engine.

📝 Structural Mistakes In Student Essays

An essay is a long-established form of academic writing, and there are strict rules for writing every type. They make it more manageable to organize one’s thoughts without limiting creativity.

The most common structural mistakes are:

• You can expand the fragment into a complete sentence by supplying the missing elements such as subjects, verbs, and clauses.
• You can incorporate the fragment into an adjacent sentence.
• Run-On Sentences: Run-on sentences occur when you join two or more main clauses together without appropriate punctuation. Run-on sentences confuse the reader. What can you do to correct them? Fortunately, this is pretty simple: Divide a run-on sentence into separate sentences to fix it, or add coordinating or subordinating conjunctions.

• the introduction,
• two main body paragraphs,
• and the conclusion.

Your text and sentences should have a clear structure and present your ideas’ complete development.

In the following sections, you’ll see how to avoid grammar, vocabulary, and spelling mistakes.

🔤 Grammar Mistakes in Writing

A successful essay must be grammatically correct. Learn the most common types of such errors in student essays, not to repeat them yourself.

• Noun form mistakes. You should study key grammar areas to help you succeed. Review the rules concerning countable and uncountable nouns. Make sure you know how to use determiners with singular and plural nouns.
• Subject-predicate agreement Pay attention to the cases when words like both , some , or neither introduce compound subjects and still take the plural predicate.
• Pronouns Pronouns always agree with the noun they refer to. Some indefinite pronouns can have only a plural form or merely a singular form, but some can have both depending on the situation.
• Verb form mistakes. Remember the main grammar rules related to the use of stative and auxiliary verbs and correct use of the infinitive and modal verbs.

For more information about correcting grammar mistakes in essays, consult grammar and writing resources around the web. To avoid them, proofread your writing. Always check whether you have used the grammar forms mentioned above correctly.

Still uncertain about what not to write in a college essay? You can get help from essay writing companies that provide editing and proofreading services.

📘 Vocabulary Mistakes in Essays

Even if you develop your ideas logically, your grammar is correct, and your style is perfect, your writing can be a disaster. How so? You may make vocabulary mistakes that can ruin your paper.

The three most common language errors in essay writing are:

• Misuse of homonyms. Many students typically misuse the following homonyms: hear vs. here , hole vs. whole , its vs. it’s , and many more.
• Wrong word form. When we write quickly, we may write a word form that differs from what we meant to write. For example, students often write verb forms instead of adjectives. This can result in an unintended change of meaning ( disable people instead of disabled people ).
• Confused words. Spellcheck will not identify the incorrect use of such words as loose – lose , affect – effect , quite – quit – quiet , and accept – except . You should proofread your essay carefully to make sure you’ve used the correct words.

You can use the following strategies to eliminate such errors:

• Plan your writing ahead, picking lexicon.
• Use a dictionary or Google to ensure the right meaning.
• Leave enough time for composing so that you won’t hurry.
• Always proofread your writing, paying attention to the language you used.

If you can, leave your paper for several days. Finish your first draft and forget about it for a while. Checking it for essay errors proves to be efficient when you’ve rested and haven’t seen the text some time.

✍️ Spelling Mistakes in Essays

Numerous students say that the English language’s spelling system is the most unpredictable in the world. That is not true. There are some tricky words in English , like weigh , Caribbean , or island . You can do nothing but memorize their spelling. But several other words do follow special rules.

The most common spelling mistakes are the following:

After you have written your essay, read it carefully and correct your spelling mistakes. Make a list of the words that you usually misspell and practice writing them over and over.

⁉️ Punctuation Mistakes in Writing

Punctuation is essential in essay writing. It is used to separate ideas, relate ideas to one another, and clarify meaning. Without correct punctuation, your readers will get confused and frustrated rather quickly.

Proper punctuation is required in college essays and research papers. Learn the rules regarding the use of commas, apostrophes, and hyphens to avoid making punctuation errors.

Here is a list of the vital punctuation rules to remember:

• Put a comma after the introductory dependent clause.

An introductory dependent clause is a phrase before the subject that does not form a complete sentence.

• Incorrect: Since Miss Ostin got promoted to the chief editor position she decided not to change her workplace.
• Correct: Since Miss Ostin got promoted to the chief editor position, she decided not to change her workplace.
• Use a comma to separate non-essential info in the sentence.

Are there some clarifications that may be removed from the sentence, and the reader will still get the key idea? Separate this information with punctuation marks!

• Incorrect: My sister who recently got married is pregnant now. 
• Correct: My sister, who recently got married, is pregnant now.
• Put commas around interrupters.

Interrupters are the words that provide additional detail by breaking the flow of the sentence. Always separate them with commas.

• Incorrect: Hopefully my essay topic is suitable for the given type of assignment. 
• Correct: Hopefully, my essay topic is suitable for the given type of assignment.
• Use semicolons in too complex sentences.

Sometimes the sentence is too long, yet the information should be taken together. In such cases, put a semicolon between two parts instead of separating them with a period.

• Incorrect: I was planning to study abroad however due to certain family issues I took a gap year and stayed at home. 
• Correct: I was planning to study abroad; however, due to certain family issues, I took a gap year and stayed at home. 

And now, last but not least. Here’s a helpful video about the most common mistakes in ESL student essays. The essay writing techniques explained in this video lesson are useful for any student who wants to write good papers.

Thank you for visiting our page! Use our tips and avoid common errors in essay writing. Don’t forget to leave your comment and share the article with your friends!

This might be interesting for you:

• Useful Revising and Editing Checklists
• Essay Checklist: How to Write an A+ Essay
• Effective Writing Strategies for College Students
• How to Control Words per Page
• Basic Writing Rules – Common Mistakes & Fixes
• 200 Powerful Words to Use Instead of “Good”
• List of Credible Sources
• An Ultimate Punctuation Guide

✏️ Frequent Questions

There are several tips to improve grammar in your article:

• Avoid overly complex grammatical structures;
• Use ready-made connecting phrases and collocations;
• Proofread your text several times, perhaps read aloud and correct your mistakes;
• Run your text through a grammar checker (through desktop software or online).

There is quite a few you should avoid in order to write a good essay, e.g.:

• Too colloquial phrases;
• Excessive repetition of some words;
• Misprints, mistakes, and wrong formatting;
• Too emotional and subjective sentences;
• Too long sentences with complex grammatical constructions, etc.

There are particular “stop”-words that you should not include in an article. They can be divided into the following groups :

• colloquial language, rude comments;
• simplified connecting words (e.g., “And,” “But,” “Or” at the beginning of a sentence);
• excessively complex and almost obsolete words.

You may correct your text in various ways. Some possible strategies are:

• Read the essay aloud;
• Ask your friend to proofread the essay;
• Read the paragraphs from the bottom to the top;
• Run an automatic checker (in desktop software or online), etc.
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is there a set author taking credit for publishing this information ? because i would love to reference the author in my paper

Hello! You can reference it as a web source/web page.

People do not have much time for essays and are usually distracted in different things. Essays writing requires tons of concentration and a particular flow that the writer should maintain. Otherwise, it will not be interesting for the audience. Planning is so important in essay writing. Thanks for sharing these tips.

Thanks for your hard work

How to Write a Research Paper without Grammar Mistakes: A Guide

Composing a research paper from scratch to hatch is challenging. The process requires refined writing skills, advanced grammatical knowledge, and adherence to strict college rules. Often, authors need to combine all these aspects to produce a single written piece worth a higher position or journal page.

Moreover, your  academic success  and future career heavily rely on what you continually deliver throughout the years. And when it comes to scientific papers, it can take weeks, if not months, to arrive at the final stage. Plus, you need to invest a lot of effort to find relevant resources for quantifiable results with a high impact factor.

The burden becomes heavier with the constant pressure imposed on researchers. They must regularly publish research papers to maintain their status in high academic circles. Unfortunately, a few common grammatical errors can blemish their reputation and delay the entire publication procedure. So, how can they juggle all this and produce impeccable manuscripts without grammatical mistakes? Below, we share advice for authors eager to draft scientific works in perfect English.

Table of Contents

Article Usage

Precise use of the definite (the) and indefinite (a/an) articles is critical for clarity and seamless reading. However, picking the right words is not always straightforward, particularly for non-native speakers of English. Matters complicate further when one needs to decide whether a noun is countable or uncountable and then use the appropriate article or omit it.

Hence, authors who doubt their ability to use this grammatical element should better seek help from a professional English grammar checker. A website like  Paperell.net  will write quality essays and papers for you. By entrusting your work to such platforms, you can feel at ease whenever it needs to get published.

Example:  The  first president of  the  USA played  the  piano and managed to cross  the  Atlantic.

Conversely, the indefinite article “a” or “an” goes before nouns that refer to somebody or something not unique and mentioned for the first time. “An” should always precede nouns beginning with a vowel.

Use of “Which/Who” and “That”

Differentiating between defining and non-defining relative clauses is another mistake many authors make. When should one use “which” and “who,” and when is “that” more appropriate to explain things in more detail?

According to the grammatical rule, introducing essential information that can’t get omitted requires using “that” after the main clause. In this sense, the dependent clause defines the previously mentioned thing, concept, or person. Most often, “that” can get eliminated.

In contrast, Relative words “who/which” introduce additional information not necessary to define the noun. “Who” refers to people, whereas “which” precedes things. In this context, a comma must go before “who/which,” giving us extra details about the event. 

Example: Sam climbed Mount Everest,  which is 8,848 meters high , twice this season.

Ensuring you have spelled all words correctly is another important aspect of your paper. But before anything, check the target journal guidelines to avoid making mistakes from the beginning. While some periodicals prefer American English, others require authors to use the  British English language . And the differences aren’t always evident; often, nuances are in question. It’s up to you to stick to the requested dialect and be consistent in the usage.

Typos and misspelled words reveal that you are a sloppy writer and not up for the challenge. These errors might endanger your career and risk your promotion odds. Thus, writing each segment with the utmost care will eventually pay off.

Proofreading

You may also enable the spell-check tool in your word processor, but don’t rely too much on it. The software might not recognize some words if your essay abounds with scientific language. That’s why high-quality English editing services can be of incredible help in such cases.

Punctuate Accurately 

Using periods, commas, quotations, parentheses, colons, and semicolons accurately is critical for an impeccable essay. However, it can take years to master English punctuation. If you’re reluctant about your ability to punctuate sentences according to the rules, think twice. Hiring a trusted English editing service might be a wise step.

Last, we’ll share the most common mistake authors make regarding the  Oxford comma . Always use it before “and” or “or”, after the penultimate item in a list of three or more things.

Another thing you should bear in mind is to use quotation marks after periods and commas.

Example: What she said was beyond anyone’s “wild imagination.” 

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How Can You Write English Without Grammar Mistakes?

English is the official language of 67 different countries and 27 non-sovereign entities around the world. However, it is also spoken in many countries where it’s not the first language.

And in such countries where English is not the first language, their people face a lot of difficulty in writing and speaking it.

For them, grammar and other mistakes are very common while writing. Not only for them, but native English speakers also make grammar and spelling mistakes.

So, in today’s blog post, I’m going to talk about how you can write anything in English without making grammar mistakes.

Table of Contents

Usual English Grammar Mistakes

Before moving towards how you can write English without grammar mistakes, you should know the usual errors.

Punctuation Errors

One of the most unnoticeable grammar mistakes that a lot of people make while writing English is punctuation errors.

These types of errors occur when you don’t or forget to add comma (,), semi-colon (;), colon (:), etc. Each of them plays an important role in the English. They are used in English for:

Correct Sentence ✅: I love pizza , but I don’t like pineapple on it.

So, when you start writing in English, you must keep a keen on Grammar punctuation marks and use them where It necessary.

Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

Didn’t get what I’m saying? Let’s make this easy to understand for you with an example.

Here’s an example of such mistakes you might make while writing English.

Incorrect Sentence ❌: Jason is a great basketball player; it can shoot three-pointers from anywhere on the court.

Correct Sentence ✅: Jason is a great basketball player; he can shoot three-pointers from anywhere on the court.

Read both sentences, and you will see the difference between them.

Pronouns Errors

Another common error is that you usually use incorrect pronouns in the sentence. These errors are also very similar to subject-verb errors when an incorrect pronoun is used for a specific noun.

For instance, let’s say I’m talking about a male person and mistakenly use a female pronoun, which doesn’t sit properly in the sentence. This is how pronoun errors occur.

Incorrect Sentence ❌: When Sophia finished his homework, they went outside to play.

Correct Sentence ✅: When Sophia finished her homework, she went outside to play.

As you know, Sophia is the name of a girl, but “his” pronoun is used for boys, and “they” is used when talking about two or more persons. So, instead of “his,” the pronoun that should be used is “her,” and for “they,” it should be “she.” Such errors can disturb the whole meaning of the text and make it difficult to understand.

How to Write English Without Grammar Mistakes?

Now, let’s talk about how you can write English without making any grammar mistakes.

Use an English Grammar Check Online

Moreover, using an online English grammar check will provide you with real-time results as you write.

Compared to learning the basics of grammar, an English grammar checker can help you to get a better grip.

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More From Forbes

How not to write your college essay.

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If you are looking for the “secret formula” for writing a “winning” college essay, you have come to the wrong place. The reality is there is no silver bullet or strategy to write your way to an acceptance. There is not one topic or approach that will guarantee a favorable outcome.

At the end of the day, every admission office just wants to know more about you, what you value, and what excites you. They want to hear about your experiences through your own words and in your own voice. As you set out to write your essay, you will no doubt get input (both sought-after and unsolicited) on what to write. But how about what NOT Notcoin to write? There are avoidable blunders that applicants frequently make in drafting their essays. I asked college admission leaders, who have read thousands of submissions, to share their thoughts.

Don’t Go In There

There is wide consensus on this first one, so before you call on your Jedi mind tricks or predictive analytics, listen to the voices of a diverse range of admission deans. Peter Hagan, executive director of admissions at Syracuse University, sums it up best, saying, “I would recommend that students try not to get inside of our heads. He adds, “Too often the focus is on what they think we want.”

Andy Strickler, dean of admission and financial aid at Connecticut College agrees, warning, “Do NOT get caught in the trap of trying to figure out what is going to impress the admission committee. You have NO idea who is going to read your essay and what is going to connect with them. So, don't try to guess that.” Victoria Romero, vice president for enrollment, at Scripps College adds, “Do not write about something you don’t care about.” She says, “I think students try to figure out what an admission officer wants to read, and the reality is the reader begins every next essay with no expectations about the content THEY want to read.” Chrystal Russell, dean of admission at Hampden-Sydney College, agrees, saying, “If you're not interested in writing it, we will not be interested when reading it.” Jay Jacobs, vice provost for enrollment management at the University of Vermont elaborates, advising. “Don’t try to make yourself sound any different than you are.” He says, “The number one goal for admission officers is to better understand the applicant, what they like to do, what they want to do, where they spend the majority of their time, and what makes them tick. If a student stays genuine to that, it will shine through and make an engaging and successful essay.”

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Don’t Be Artificial

The headlines about college admission are dominated by stories about artificial intelligence and the college essay. Let’s set some ground rules–to allow ChatGPT or some other tool to do your work is not only unethical, it is also unintelligent. The only worse mistake you could make is to let another human write your essay for you. Instead of preoccupying yourself with whether or not colleges are using AI detection software (most are not), spend your time focused on how best to express yourself authentically. Rick Clark is the executive director of strategic student success at Georgia Institute of Technology, one of the first institutions to clearly outline their AI policy for applicants. He says, “Much of a college application is devoted to lines, boxes, and numbers. Essays and supplements are the one place to establish connection, personality, and distinction. AI, in its current state, is terrible at all three.” He adds, “My hope is that students will use ChatGPT or other tools for brainstorming and to get started, but then move quickly into crafting an essay that will provide insight and value.”

Don’t Overdo It

Michael Stefanowicz, vice president for enrollment management at Landmark College says, “You can only cover so much detail about yourself in an admission essay, and a lot of students feel pressure to tell their life story or choose their most defining experience to date as an essay topic. Admission professionals know that you’re sharing just one part of your lived experience in the essay.” He adds, “Some of the favorite essays I’ve read have been episodic, reflecting on the way you’ve found meaning in a seemingly ordinary experience, advice you’ve lived out, a mistake you’ve learned from, or a special tradition in your life.” Gary Ross, vice president for admission and financial aid at Colgate University adds, “More than a few applicants each year craft essays that talk about the frustration and struggles they have experienced in identifying a topic for their college application essay. Presenting your college application essay as a smorgasbord of topics that ultimately landed on the cutting room floor does not give us much insight into an applicant.”

Don’t Believe In Magic

Jason Nevinger, senior director of admission at the University of Rochester warns, “Be skeptical of anyone or any company telling you, ‘This is the essay that got me into _____.’ There is no magic topic, approach, sentence structure, or prose that got any student into any institution ever.” Social media is littered with advertisements promising strategic essay help. Don’t waste your time, energy, or money trying to emulate a certain style, topic, or tone. Liz Cheron is chief executive officer for the Coalition for College and former assistant vice president of enrollment & dean of admissions at Northeastern University. She agrees with Nevinger, saying “Don't put pressure on yourself to find the perfect, slam dunk topic. The vast majority of college essays do exactly what they're supposed to do–they are well-written and tell the admission officer more about the student in that student's voice–and that can take many different forms.”

Don’t Over Recycle

Beatrice Atkinson-Myers, associate director of global recruitment at the University of California at Santa Cruz tells students, “Do not use the same response for each university; research and craft your essay to match the program at the university you are interested in studying. Don't waste time telling me things I can read elsewhere in your application. Use your essay to give the admissions officer insights into your motivations, interests, and thinking. Don't make your essay the kitchen sink, focus on one or two examples which demonstrate your depth and creativity.” Her UC colleague, Jim Rawlins, associate vice chancellor of enrollment management at the University of California at San Diego agrees, saying “Answer the question. Not doing so is the surest way we can tell you are simply giving us a snippet of something you actually wrote for a different purpose.”

Don’t Overedit

Emily Roper-Doten, vice president for undergraduate admissions and financial assistance at Clark University warns against “Too many editors!” She says, “Pick a couple of trusted folks to be your sounding board when considering topics and as readers once you have drafts. You don’t want too many voices in your essay to drown you out!” Scripps’ Romero agrees, suggesting, “Ask a good friend, someone you trust and knows you well, to read your essays.” She adds, “The goal is for the admission committee to get to know a little about you and who better to help you create that framework, than a good friend. This may not work for all students because of content but helps them understand it’s important to be themselves.” Whitney Soule, vice provost and dean of admissions at The University of Pennsylvania adds, “Avoid well-meaning editorial interference that might seem to polish your writing but actually takes your own personal ‘shine’ right out of the message.” She says, “As readers, we connect to applicants through their genuine tone and style. Considering editorial advice for flow and message is OK but hold on to the 'you' for what you want to say and how you want to say it.”

Don’t Get Showy

Palmer Muntz, senior regional admissions counselor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks cautions applicants, “Don’t be fancier than you are. You don’t need to put on airs.” He adds, “Yes, proofread your work for grammar and spelling, but be natural. Craft something you’d want to read yourself, which probably means keeping your paragraphs short, using familiar words, and writing in an active voice.” Connecticut College’s Strickler agrees, warning, “Don't try to be someone you are not. If you are not funny, don't try to write a funny essay. If you are not an intellectual, trying to write an intellectual essay is a bad idea.”

Anthony Jones, the vice president of enrollment management at Loyola University New Orleans offers a unique metaphor for thinking about the essay. He says, “In the new world of the hyper-fast college admission process, it's become easy to overlook the essential meaning of the college application. It's meant to reveal Y...O...U, the real you, not some phony digital avatar. Think of the essay as the essence of that voice but in analog. Like the completeness and authenticity captured in a vinyl record, the few lines you're given to explain your view should be a slow walk through unrestrained expression chock full of unapologetic nuances, crevices of emotion, and exactness about how you feel in the moment. Then, and only then, can you give the admissions officer an experience that makes them want to tune in and listen for more.”

Don’t Be A Downer

James Nondorf, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at The University of Chicago says, “Don’t be negative about other people, be appreciative of those who have supported you, and be excited about who you are and what you will bring to our campus!” He adds, “While admissions offices want smart students for our classrooms, we also want kind-hearted, caring, and joyous students who will add to our campus communities too.”

Don’t Pattern Match

Alan Ramirez is the dean of admission and financial aid at Sewanee, The University of the South. He explains, “A big concern I have is when students find themselves comparing their writing to other students or past applicants and transform their writing to be more like those individuals as a way to better their chances of offering a more-compelling essay.” He emphasizes that the result is that the “essay is no longer authentic nor the best representation of themselves and the whole point of the essay is lost. Their distinctive voice and viewpoint contribute to the range of voices in the incoming class, enhancing the diversity of perspectives we aim to achieve.” Ramirez simple tells students, “Be yourself, that’s what we want to see, plus there's no one else who can do it better than you!”

Don’t Feel Tied To A Topic

Jessica Ricker is the vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions and financial aid at Skidmore College. She says, “Sometimes students feel they must tell a story of grief or hardship, and then end up reliving that during the essay-writing process in ways that are emotionally detrimental. I encourage students to choose a topic they can reflect upon positively but recommend that if they choose a more challenging experience to write about, they avoid belaboring the details and instead focus on the outcome of that journey.” She adds, "They simply need to name it, frame its impact, and then help us as the reader understand how it has shaped their lens on life and their approach moving forward.”

Landmark College’s Stefanowicz adds, “A lot of students worry about how personal to get in sharing a part of their identity like your race or heritage (recalling last year’s Supreme Court case about race-conscious admissions), a learning difference or other disability, your religious values, LGBTQ identity…the list goes on.” He emphasizes, “This is always your choice, and your essay doesn’t have to be about a defining identity. But I encourage you to be fully yourself as you present yourself to colleges—because the college admission process is about finding a school where your whole self is welcome and you find a setting to flourish!”

Don’t Be Redundant

Hillen Grason Jr., dean of admission at Franklin & Marshall College, advises, “Don't repeat academic or co-curricular information that is easily identifiable within other parts of your application unless the topic is a core tenant of you as an individual.” He adds, “Use your essay, and other parts of your application, wisely. Your essay is the best way to convey who your authentic self is to the schools you apply. If you navigated a situation that led to a dip in your grades or co-curricular involvement, leverage the ‘additional information’ section of the application.

Thomas Marr is a regional manager of admissions for the Americas at The University of St Andrews in Scotland and points out that “Not all international schools use the main college essay as part of their assessment when reviewing student applications.” He says, “At the University of St Andrews, we focus on the supplemental essay and students should avoid the mistake of making the supplemental a repeat of their other essay. The supplemental (called the Personal Statement if using the UCAS application process) is to show the extent of their passion and enthusiasm for the subject/s to which they are applying and we expect about 75% of the content to cover this. They can use the remaining space to mention their interests outside of the classroom. Some students confuse passion for the school with passion for their subject; do not fall into that trap.”

A Few Final Don’ts

Don’t delay. Every college applicant I have ever worked with has wished they had started earlier. You can best avoid the pitfalls above if you give yourself the time and space to write a thoughtful essay and welcome feedback openly but cautiously. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect . Do your best, share your voice, and stay true to who you are.

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