A lot of young people writing their dissertation come to me for their compositions to be proofread. While it is rewarding to read through the way young minds approach different subjects, mistakes can steal away interest.
There are some frequent mistakes spotted by English editing services that I have compiled. Read them to review your work or take help from English editing & proofreading services and then publish your writing instead of rushing into a quick edit and leave gaffes that put your reputation as a writer at stake.
Some common mistakes often spotted.
Subject-verb agreement errors
There is a simple rule that a singular subject must be in agreement with a singular verb and if the subject is plural, the verb will also have to be plural. However, many get confused and there is a tendency to mismatch. This is a common folly that English editing services come across.
Example:
Mistake: compiling this piece have been a very enjoyable task.
Correct: compiling this piece has been a very enjoyable task.
Example:
Mistake: I only wish Shaw and Shakespeare was born together.
Correct: I only wish Shaw and Shakespeare were born together.
Sentence Break
Sentences are fragmented in such a way that they do not have an independent clause. The fragment may be devoid of a subject, a complete verb or sometimes both. Sometimes they are left to depend on the following statement to justify the meaning. Let me show you how.
Example:
Incorrect: He gave her his old watch before she left. Even though she refused.
Correct: Even though she refused, he gave her his old watch before she left.
Example:
Incorrect: I could have my morning tea. Then my breakfast.
Correct: I could have my morning tea, then my breakfast.
Using a comma after the introductory phrase
Introductory elements should never be continued in long heavy sentences. A comma serves the purpose of short breaks. So why not break it up to give your readers a breather?
Example:
Incorrect: Having finished his test he left the examination hall.
Correct: Having finished his test, he left the examination hall.
Example:
Incorrect: To get a seat on the bus you had better come early.
Correct: To get a seat on the bus, you had better come early.
Misuse of the apostrophe in 'its'
When do you use an apostrophe in-between ‘its’? When you are trying to write ‘it is’. Without the apostrophe, it would mean belonging to it.
Example:
Incorrect: I can hardly believe its true
Correct: I can hardly believe it's true
Example:
Incorrect: The ceiling fan is rotating at it's pace
Correct: The ceiling fan is rotating at its pace
Giving commas a miss in compound sentences
When two independent clauses come together in a compound sentence then they are separated by a conjunction. A comma is applied after the first clause before the coordinating conjunction that is used to separate the clauses.
Example:
Incorrect: He plucked the berries from the bushes and I happily ate them.
Correct: He plucked the berries from the bushes, and I happily ate them.
Example:
Incorrect: I bit my cake and sipped my tea and read the newspaper.
Correct: I bit my cake, sipped my tea, and read the newspaper.
Unclear use of pronouns
The pronoun should refer to the exact noun that it is being replaced. An unclear replacement of a pronoun would leave the reader confused and wondering who the pronoun refers to.
Example:
Incorrect: Benjamin got hot potato chips for George, he was so happy
Correct: Benjamin got hot potato chips for George, and that made George very happy
Example:
Incorrect: Mary was ready to leave for college when she fell and that spoilt it all
Correct: Mary was ready to leave for college but her falling stopped her from going there
Common and wrong usage of words
Many words are commonly misused without realization in sentences and they completely change the meaning of the sentence.
Example:
Incorrect: The affects of the drug took over in no time, and he fell asleep.
Correct: The effects of the drug took over in no time, and he fell asleep.
Example
Incorrect: In edition to the following statement, I want to make it clear that we need to abide by the rules.
Correct: In addition to the following statement, I want to make it clear that we need to abide by the rules.
Conclusion
The list is quite long and there are many errors that budding writers tend to make. Just a bit of care and cross-checking would give you better results. However, if you need more confidence you could always send your essays to English editing services.
