Common Mistakes in Writing

1. Any paragraph has to begin with an indentation. This means that you leave a space
before the first sentence. You should also leave a line between each paragraph in the
exam paper if you don’t usually leave lines in the exam paper.

2. Divide any long sentences that you have in your essay. Long sentences result in
structural mistakes. Try to use simple sentences in your essay.

3. Separate sentences with full stops, not commas. It is very important to separate
sentences, or your essay will be a structural mess.
➢ Example: Jack came to class late. The teacher let him take the quiz anyway.
• NOT (Jack came to class late, the teacher let him take the quiz anyway.)
• OR use a comma + a connector like “and, but, for, since, etc”
➢ Example: Jack came to class late, but the teacher let him take the quiz anyway.
• You can also connect two short and closely related full sentences with a semicolon
➢ Example: Jack came to class late; the teacher let him take the quiz anyway.

4. Avoid fragmented or incomplete sentences. Make sure that each sentence has a
subject + a verb and that it includes a complete thought. Check these links for more
explanation:
• https://writingcenter.kennesaw.edu/resources/handouts_print/AVOIDING_SENTEN
CE_FRAGMENTS%20accessible.pdf
• https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/runonsentences

5. Avoid run-on sentences: Run-on sentences occur when we connect two independent
clauses without using proper punctuation. Check these websites for information on how
to avoid them:
• https://writingcommons.org/article/avoid-run-on-sentences/
• https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/runonsenten
ces

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 6. Subject / verb agreement: Subject/ verb agreement means that the subject and verb
agree in number. In other words, they are both singular or plural.
➢ Example: The alliteration of the /s/ sound in “sad” and “sorrow” emphasizes the
speaker’s sadness.
➢ Example: The alliteration and the assonance in …. emphasize ….
• Check this website for further explanation:
https://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/subjectVerbAgree.asp

7. Avid using contracted forms like (don’t, can’t, etc) in a formal essay unless you are
quoting someone.

8. Articles: Sometimes some of you forget to put articles when needed or put articles
when they are not needed. Check this website for rules about the use of articles:
http://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/grammar/articles.

9. Pay attention to the difference between (its / it is) and (their / there).
• It is raining outside.
• The car won’t run. Its wheel is deflated.
• Their house is quite large.
• There is a cat next to our door.

10. Conjunctive adverbs are used at the beginning of the sentence and are followed
by a comma and then a full sentence: (Moreover, However, Furthermore, In addition,
Thus, Therefore, Indeed, Finally, For example, For instance, In contrast,).
• She is a good leader. Moreover, she has great communication skills.

11. Don’t use (On the other hand,) without using (On one hand,) in the sentence before
it. Don’t use “and,” “but,” “so”, “or” at the beginning of the sentence.

12. Read more about connectors here: https://valenciacollege.edu/students/learning-

support/osceola/labs/documents/AbbiePotterHenry-Clausesandhowtoconnectthem.pdf

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 • And here: https://englishstudyhere.com/conjunctions/connectors-list/

13. Some connectors can be used in the middle of the sentence or the beginning
without a comma: (although – though - even though – despite - in spite of)

14. In spite of and despite:

• After “in spite of” and “despite,” we use a noun or a pronoun.
➢ Example: We enjoyed our camping holiday despite the rain.
• We can use “in spite of” and “despite” with a subject and a verb if we include
the expression “the fact that” after them.
➢ Example: In spite of the fact that he worked very hard, he didn’t pass the exam.

15. After (although, even though, though), we use a subject and a verb.
➢ Example: We enjoyed our camping holiday although it rained every day.
• Note that if they come at the beginning of the sentence, you need to include
a comma before the second clause:
➢ Example: Although it rained every day, we enjoyed our camping holiday.

16. Use the infinite without “to” after modals such as “can, could, must, should, will,
would”: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/modal-verbs/

17. When you are listing some words, always use commas between them and use “a
comma + and” before the last word in the list.
➢ Example: There is an alliteration in “bring,” “bloom,” and “bud.”

18. Using (HAVE/ HAS): You can’t negate (have or has) unless they are followed by
another verb .
➢ Example: I haven’t bought a car yet
• I don’t have a car, NOT (I haven’t a car).

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 19. There is NO such thing as (considered as). You either use: (regarded as) or (considered
to be). There is also NO such thing as (likened as or compared as or personified to).
The right usage is (likened to, compared to, personified as). There is no such thing
as (affect on). The right usage is (affect) or (have an effect on).
➢ Sports is (regarded as)/ (considered to be) one of the most important ways to lose
weight.
➢ The girl is likened to / compared to a flower.
➢ The moon is personified as a friend.
➢ This problem doesn’t affect me. / This problem doesn’t have an effect on me.

20. Don’t use (Actually, sure, of course, obviously, whatsoever). They are too informal.

21. Don’t use “I” or “we” in your essay.

22. Mixing between the Different Parts of Speech: Sometimes students mix between the
different parts of speech, especially nouns and adjectives. For example, a student may
say "Her ambitious made her strong" instead of saying "Her ambition made her strong."
A good list of different parts of speech is found in this website:
https://www.worldclasslearning.com/english/list-of-verbs-nouns-adjectives-

23. Parallel Structure:

➢ Read the following sentence: She was reading and listened to music.
• What is the mistake here? The mistake is mixing forms together.
• What is the solution? The solution is using parallel structure. Parallel structure
means using the same pattern of words: (She was reading and listening to
music.)

24. Using a pronoun when it is unnecessary: Sometimes students use pronouns or repeat
them in a sentence when they are not needed. When we have "that" or a relative pronoun
in the sentence and it refers to the thing or person we are talking about, we do not need
to write a pronoun to refer back to this person/thing.

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 ➢ Incorrect: You have to respect all people even the manager you hate him.
➢ Correct: You have to respect all people even the manager you hate.

25. Forgetting to use "to":

• Check this website to know when you should use “to” with certain verbs and
structures: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-
reference/to-infinitives

26. Everyone: "Everyone" takes a singular verb. (i.e: Everyone needs to relax.)

27. Adjectives: Sometimes students use adjectives incorrectly in a sentence. Adjectives

can be used in two ways:
• Subject + verb to be /seem/ look+ adjective: Sandy was shy. / He looks
exhausted.
• Subject + verb + (article) + adjective + noun: They bought a new car.

28. Other vs. Others vs. Another:

• Other: Other is an adjective meaning 'different' or 'the second of two items'.
Other can be used with singular or plural nouns.
➢ Example: I can't find my other shoe.
• Others: It is a pronoun. It refers to people or things in general, not the ones
you have already mentioned.
➢ Example: Most of our workers shoulder the responsibility, while others are
lazy.
• Another: Another expresses quantity. It means 'additional' or 'one more'. It is
always followed by a singular noun. (Example: We need another plate.)

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 Mistakes related to essay on literary works

1. Quotations and Paraphrasing: When you are quoting a person, you can use his
name in the beginning before the quote or after the quote between brackets. Check
these examples:
➢ According to Philip Sidney in "The Defence of Poesy," a poet creates a perfect
reality using his imagination. (This is a paraphrasing of Sidney’s words)
➢ As Philip Sidney has argued in "The Defence of Poesy," poetry "teacheth and
moveth to virtue."
➢ Poets "imitate to teach and delight" (Sidney).

2. Modifying Quotations:
• You have to change the grammar or the words inside the quotation to fit the
structure of your sentence if the quotation is part of your sentence. When you do
this, you highlight your change by adding square brackets [….].
• Example: In Millay’s “Sonnet 30,” the speaker imagines herself in a situation
where “[she] might be driven to sell [her] love for peace”
• Here, we replaced “I /your” with “she /her” because we included the quotation
within our sentence.
• If you want to add a word to the quotation to fit your structure, you also include
it between square brackets.
➢ Example: In Kaur’s “Self-Love,” the speaker paints a picture of a woman whose
“knees [are] bruised.”
• However, if we include the whole line after a colon, we leave it as it is. In this
case, the lines are usually at the end of the sentence.
➢ Example: There is a visual image that portrays the beauty of spring in
Howard’s “The Soote Season”: “The soote season, that bud and bloom forth
brings / With green hath clad the hill and eke the vale”

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 3. All poem titles are capitalized and written between quotation marks (i.e:
“Sonnet 30”). All poem volumes are capitalized and underlined (i.e: Fatal
Interview). The year of publication is always written between brackets (….)
AFTER the title of the poem or the volume.

4. Note that you should include a slash ( / ) between poetry lines when you are
quoting them inside your essay.
➢ Example: “She dwelt among the untrodden ways / Beside the springs of Dove”

5. Use the present tense throughout your essay. When you are talking about the poem
and what the speaker or poet means, you should use the present tense. You can use the
present perfect when needed and the past tense only when you are referring to
past events. (i.e: During the Elizabethan Age, noblewomen used to put on layers of
white makeup.)

6. Use different verbs in your essay. Instead of using (emphasize) in every sentence,
use (reinforce, highlight, denote, imply, accentuate, underscore, underline, etc).
You can use (conjure /paint/ portray the image of) with sensuous images. The same
goes for connectors; use different connectors instead of the same one throughout the
essay. Note that (assure) is not a synonym of “emphasize”.

7. In any poetic analysis, make sure that your poetic device is explained if it is a
figure of speech + you have to write the significance of this device. You cannot write
any poetic device without highlighting why the poet used it. The significance should
be related to the specific phrase or words in the poetic device, not just to the poem
in general.

8. Lastly, try writing using a clear handwriting. If your handwriting is bad or you
write using capital letters only or italic only, kindly leave a clear space between each
word and a line between each line.

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