How to Avoid Common Writing Errors in Essays

Next time you go to write an essay, try to put yourself in your professor’s shoes. Don’t be that person who shows laziness through their writing. There are plenty of common mistakes that are easily avoidable, especially if you are aware of them next time you sit down to power out that essay.

Write to impress! Here are some tips for setting yourself apart from the usual common error crowd when writing an essay:

• AVIOD CONTRACTIONS: [Can’t, Won’t, Didn’t, etc.] This is scholarly writing, not conversational dialogue. You are not writing a blog or a letter to your friend, so peel those words apart and make them two for a more professional tone! Note: sometimes it’s ok to use contractions as long as they don’t overwhelm the reader.
• AVIOD SLANG: [Cool story bro..] This mistake hurts your voice as a writer. If you are trying to convince your professor that you don’t care about the essay or your grade, this is the best way to do it! Words and phrases of this nature should be 100% avoided in essay writing. Instead look up scholarly words that give the same meaning in a more academic and professional manner.
• AVIOD USING “I”: [I agree with the author that…] If your professor wants your opinion in an essay, they will ask for it in the prompt. Otherwise, the general rule here is to avoid using “I” statements because it affects the overall appearance and stance of your essay.
• STAY ON TOPIC: [This reminds me of how one time my friend Susie had a similar experience to this…] We have all been guilty of going off on a tangent before, but keep your prompt and task in mind until the essay is finished. Save your ramble or vent session for your journal.
• STICK TO THE FACTS: [ Virginia Woolf was the greatest English writer of all time..] Sometimes, it can be easy to start being overdramatic in your writing to make it sound better or sound the way you want it to. The best tip to remember is don’t dramatize and don’t make assumptions. Your audience may not feel the same way that you do.

Commonly Overused Words in Writing

When editing, challenge yourself to eliminate words that are used too often.

Words matter in writing. They can make your writing strong or make it weak. Many times, it can be easy to fall on to crutch words [very, really, went, just, seem, there, etc.] instead of taking the time to be more descriptive and creative to make your writing more captivating. Focus on wanting to intrigue readers. Here are some commonly overused words by writers and how to fix them:

• “stuff” 

Use this word sparingly. Hands-down, it’s a lazy word. Try a more descriptive noun depending on the context it is being used in. Ex: Her suitcase was packed with stuff that she could not bare to leave behind. -> Her suitcase was packed with memories and books that she could not bare to leave behind. 

• “things” 

This is a non-desciptive word that can easily be replaced. Ex: After taking one last look around, she grabbed her things and left. -> After taking one last look around, she grabbed her last usable suitcase and left. 

• “got”

This word has ‘got’ to stop being used so often! Especially because there are so many other ways to use it. Ex: She got up the next morning, got her coffee ready, and got her mind in the right place to tackle the day.-> She woke up the next morning, sipped on her coffee, and gathered her thoughts in order to tackle the day ahead. 

• “went”

Try to exchange it for another word more often than not. Ex: She went to the train station and bought the first ticket out of the town she had called home for so long.-> She hurried to the train station…

• “was”, “were”, “is”, “are”, “am”

These words have easy fixes. It can be helpful to look up synonyms in place of these especially because they can go unnoticed in writing. A strongly written story will give words like these much more meaning. Ex: We were at the scene when we heard her say why she was there in the first place. -> We had just arrived at the scene when we heard her say why she had been lurking there in the first place. 

What’s the Difference: Formal vs. Informal Writing Styles

Have you ever wondered if you are using the right tone of voice in your writing? When is it appropriate to just write like you would talk to a friend? The most important concept to note when deciding between formal vs. informal writing is that before beginning any writing assignment, think about who will be reading it (what are they expecting it to be?)  and then decide what style to use.

INFORMAL:

This style is more like having a spoken conversation with someone. Includes: personal tone, slang, figures of speech, simple sentences, contractions, abbreviations, 1st/2nd/3rd person, expressions, and emotion.

• Use the ampersand: &
• Contractions: can’t, won’t, don’t
• Personal pronouns: I and You
• Sentence starters: And, But, So…

FORMAL:

This style is more complex and proper. You would introduce your main points, elaborate, and conclude using thorough, full explanations and correct grammar. Avoid: emotive punctuation (i.e.”!”, “…”, etc.), contractions, abbreviations, 1st person, and 2nd person point of view.

• Use full words: And instead of &, Can not instead of can’t
• Impersonal pronouns: The student instead of you
• Sentence starters: Additionally, nevertheless, alternatively, therefore, etc.

 

 

Both forms are correct, but formal writing is used more in academic settings and business communications. Informal writing is more casual and personal. So, before diving into what style you are going to use for your writing, make sure you know your audience! 

What’s the Difference

 

Affect vs. Effect

 

To use affect or effect, that is the question. If you are confused on which one to use, you are not alone! Many people get them mixed up, and for good reason! These words sound so similar that people often get them confused! But no need to fear, fellow scholars, I am going to break down this grammatical quandary for you.  

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The rule of thumb for affect and effect is that affect is generally used as a verb, while effect is used as a noun.

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Affect:

When used as a verb, affect means “to influence” or to create a change. A way to remember this is to remember that verbs are action words, and action starts with the letter a, just like affect.

Another defining factor of verbs is that they can change into the past tense. For example, if you see the sentence, The dog affected the boy’s hair, you know that affected is a verb because it has been used in the past tense. Nouns cannot change tenses.

Also! Verbs are interchangeable. You can replace the word affected with other words and the sentence would still make sense.

The dog licked the boy’s hair.

The dog fixed the boy’s hair.

 

Effect:

When used as a noun, effect means “a result” and indicates that a change has happened. A defining feature of nouns is that they can have an article placed in front of them.

For example, the is an article that can be placed in front of a noun. Take a look at this sentence:

The effect of the dog’s actions made the boy unhappy.

A way to remember that effect is a noun is to think of the article, the, and notice that it ends with an e, which is the first letter of effect.

Exceptions:

• Affect can be used as a noun if you are referring to the psychological state of a person, or a facial expression. Examples: The woman appeared to have a flat affect, or, The news of her dog’s death had a huge affect on her. 
• Effect can be used as a verb when it means to bring about a change or to cause a change. Examples: The advocate hoped to effect change in the audience, or, The professor has a positive effect on the student’s learning.

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If all else fails, an easy way to remember the difference between affect and effect is to imagine this handsome raven below us.

What does a raven have to do with remembering grammar, you may ask? Typically, absolutely nothing. However, in this case, the letters in raven contain the letters A–V and E–N, which can be used to remember that Affect is a Verb and Effect is a Noun.

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Think you are the master of affect and effect? Take this quiz and see if you understand the difference between the two! http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/effect_vs_affect_1.asp

This quiz is a great resource because it provides an explanation for each of the questions!

Have fun!

 

Hyphen Rule: Use Hyphens to Make Compound Adjectives

A hyphen can join words that modify the same noun to create compound adjectives.

The bruised-apple-red car crashed into the lake.
The bullet-proof vest was, unfortunately, not a viable defense against the snowballs of children.

“Can you feel them, Jenkins. The children, they’re all around us. The white storm cometh, 

Hyphens can also change an adjective modifying a noun into a more direct description of that noun, sometimes to humorous effect.

Hello, old friend
A pleasant greeting to a friend you’ve had for a long time.

Hello, old-friend.
A succinct way of pointing out how decrepit your friend has grown over the years. 

And did I mention your sunken eyes and receding hair? Don’t look at me like that, old-buddy.

Avoid Very

Very:

Adverb- used for emphasis

Adjective- actual; precise

It was a very peaceful day at the lake when we saw a very large monster creeping through the water. We could see its very shiny and very sharp teeth ready to chomp through our very soft skin. We couldn’t believe it; it was very unexpected. We tried to run off the dock but the monster was very fast and wiggled its way up the very thin dock. We turned around very quickly and found ourselves very scared and very upset. Here it came, the very judgmental and very harsh grammar monster.

Sounds lazy, huh? Pick up a thesaurus, you dumby! Here’s how it sounds with a little more effort.

It was a peaceful day at the lake when we saw a gigantic monster creeping through the water. We could see its gleaming and razor-sharp teeth ready to chomp through our delicate skin. We couldn’t believe it; it was surprising. We tried to run off the dock, but the monster was swift and wiggled its way up the narrow dock. We turned around hastily and found ourselves shivering in our own skin. Here it came, the judgmental and rigid grammar monster.

Comma Rule: Use a Comma to Separate Nonrestrictive Elements

Nonrestrictive elements are clauses that do not affect the fundamental meaning of a sentence. They provide information that is not necessary to the basic idea of the sentence.

Correct
Chudley, who is passionate about pigeons, lives on the roof of my building.
I had a dream that Barack Obama, who is the president of the United States, was disappointed in my grades.
“Who is passionate about pigeons” and “who is the president of the United States” are not essential information to the success of the sentence. Instead, they add details that the sentence doesn’t necessarily need. 

Oh jeez. He’s flashing his “I’m disappointed in your performance at school” smile.

Incorrect
Danbo the famous baker lost a thumb in a terrible egg beater accident.
Estelle who considered internet browsing aberrant behavior wrote letters to all her grandchildren via carrier pigeon.
To correct these sentences you would put commas around “the famous baker” and “who considered internet browsing aberrant behavior” because those two bits of information are nonessential to the meaning of the sentence. 

Pictured above: the last time he ever made that gesture.

Comma Rule: Appositives

Appositives are nouns or phrases that rename a noun that precedes them. Use a comma to separate appositives from the nouns they rename.

Correct
Clyve, the intern, was infatuated with smoothies, his one true love.
I am Fluffles, unforgiving slayer of mice, hurricane of the Eastern scratching post, chief threat to the free rodents of off-center Earth.
These examples are correct because the comma separates the appositive phrase from the noun it is renaming. 

Hear my roar, my battle cry!

Incorrect
Hello, smoothie, I am Clyve the love of your life.
Eggs the fruit of the avian world are delicious.
These examples are incorrect because there is no comma to separate the appositive phrase. It is noticeable as you read it because there are no commas to provide a natural pause between the pause and the noun it modifies. 

A good harvest this season.

Comma Rule: Use a Comma After an Introductory Clause

Introductory clauses are dependent clauses that introduce the second part of the sentence.

Correct
After she finished shearing it, the sheep bought an expensive leather jacket to keep warm.
Unknown to the intrepid adventurers, the minions of the great magician Dave were on their trail.
These sentences are correctly punctuated because the comma separates the introductory clause from the rest of the sentence. 

That’s classic Dave to send someone to do his evil for him; Dave is very lazy, but he enjoys pointing at things.

Incorrect
After I woke up I went back to sleep.
Once I had woken up a second time I realized life was an endless cycle of waking up and falling asleep punctuated only by tiny and infrequent joys.
These sentences are incorrect because the comma does not separate the introductory phrase from the clause that is being introduced; it’s chaos! See how sad that second example was; that’s what happens when you don’t punctuate properly: sadness abounds. 

“No, mother, there will be no more music. I punctuated improperly, and life lost its flavor.”