Top 5 Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid
Writing Mistakes to Avoid
The English language is difficult to master because of the large number of grammatical rules in English writing. However, some of the most common writing mistakes are quite simple and one only needs to be careful.
These mistakes have to do with English terms that are very close in their spelling and pronunciation.
1 – Use of confusing words
Mistake number one is the proper use of three similar words. They are “there,” “they’re” and “their.”
It is important to remember that “their” is a possessive, “they’re” is a contraction of the words “they are,” and “there” is an adverb for a particular direction.
However, because they only have slight differences with regards to spelling and pronunciation, these three words are sometimes interchanged.
2 – Use of possessive with plurals
Mistake number two is confusing the use of the possessive with the plural form. Sometimes, some writers omit the apostrophe even when the context indicates that the possessive form should have been used. On the other hand, some people may insert an apostrophe before the letter “s” even if what they mean is the plural form of the word.
3 – Words with an apostrophe
Mistake number three is another common error because the only difference between the words “its” and “it’s” is the apostrophe. The confusion arises because the apostrophe is often used for the possessive form. However, in this particular example, it is the word without apostrophe that denotes the possessive form while the one with the apostrophe is a contraction of the words “it is.”
4 – Use of contractions
Mistake number four is very similar to mistake number three but it involves the words “your” and “you’re.” Once again, the word without the apostrophe denotes the possessive form while the word with the apostrophe is a contraction of the words “you are.” To prevent confusion it is always important to remind oneself, which of these words are contractions.
5 – Commas is a list of series
Mistake number five has to do with the placement of commas in a list or series. Commas are to be used to separate the various components of the list but it should not be placed before the conjunction in a series.
Bottom Line
These are but a few of the common mistakes made in English writing. Constant practice and keeping these rules in mind will be helpful in ensuring that we can avoid these mistakes.
Some of these mistakes may appear insignificant but there are reasons for the rules and one of these is to avoid confusion. To make sure that you will be understood by the reader, it is important to follow the rules.
Further Reading
