Writing to perfection shows the writer’s level of word mastery. This means that the content must not reflect any form of mistakes that will suggest that the writer lacks knowledge of proper word usage.
There are lots of grammatical errors made by writers in different niches but there are a few ones that are common to most writers and we will discuss them below in this blog.
- Wrong Word Usage and Spellings:
When words and spellings get mixed up in a write-up it makes it unbearable and uncomfortable to read and understand. When this happens, the purpose of the writing which is to educate is defeated.
Below are words easily misspelled and wrongly used;
Recieve instead of receive
Their used instead of there
Affect used in place of effect
There for dear etc.
When any of the above happens, it can misinform the reader thereby misrepresenting the initial idea that the writer intended to share. When words are misused in a sentence, it renders the sentence incomplete and incomprehensible. Most times, it is not that the writer intentionally does this but this often happens when there is poor editing and if the work is rushed to meet a deadline.
- Punctuation Errors:
If punctuation goes missing from where it should be found in a sentence, it will make that sentence clumsy. Punctuations are there to help the writer segment points so that there can be clarity when a write-up is being read.
When a comma (,) goes missing from a compound-complex sentence, it would appear like this;
When Jill came to town we all celebrated for we knew she would be the life of the party.
But when a comma (,) comes in, it will appear like this;
When Jill came to town, we all celebrated, for we knew she would be the life of the party.
- Proper Capitalization:
When words are capitalized where they shouldn’t, it clearly means that the writer is not knowledgeable enough.
Some rules for capitalization
- You don’t capitalize the letter that comes after a comma
- The first letter of a sentence must be capitalized
- Proper nouns and names must be capitalized. For example; John (noun) Lagos (noun)
- Capitalize months, holidays, and days.
- Don’t capitalize after a colon except if the word is a proper noun.
The above are simple guides that need to be adhered to when writing to avoid having a clumsy piece.
- Sentence Structure:
Just as words when used wrongly, so also can poor sentence structure ruin communication in writing.
We have the following sentence structures:
- Simple sentence: John is awake now
- Compound sentence: The man came in very ill, but he had to wait for the doctor.
- Complex sentence:
- I did not see them at the station because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon
- Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not see them at the station
- Compound-complex sentence: Even though Barry was in love with her, he was unable to express himself; it was no surprise she left him.
The combination of words and commas in a sentence is what makes it either a simple, compound, complex or compound-complex sentence.
- Subject-verb:
One of the most frequent grammatical mistakes in writing is the lack of subject-verb agreement. For instance, “The player is playing well” is correct, while “The player are playing well” is incorrect.
To avoid this error, paying attention to the subject and verb in each sentence is essential, and ensuring that they agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb is singular. If the subject is plural, the verb is plural.
- Pronoun Agreement:
The pronoun agreement often happens when the pronoun used in a sentence does not agree with with the word before it. For example, “Each person must bring their own book” is incorrect because “their” is a plural pronoun, and “each person” is a singular antecedent.
To avoid this error, it’s important to use pronouns that agree with their antecedents in number and gender. If the antecedent is singular, use a singular pronoun. If the antecedent is plural, use a plural pronoun. Use the correct gender pronoun for the antecedent as well.
- Passive vs Active Voice:
This is one of the common grammatical mistakes that many writers are found guilty of. This has the power to change the whole tone of a write-up.
Examples:
While,
The exam was passed by most students is a passive voice,
Most students passed the exam is an active voice.
When a sentence is in the active voice, the subject of the sentence is the one doing the action expressed by the verb. In the passive voice, the subject is the person or thing acted on or affected by the verb’s action. The passive voice is typically formed with a form of the verb be—such as is, was, or has been—and the past participle of the verb, as in “The ball was thrown by Jerry.”
Conclusion
Effective communication through writing requires proper grammar, syntax, and punctuation. Grammatical errors can make your writing difficult to read and comprehend and even affect your credibility as a writer.
The seven points discussed in this blog border around some of the many grammatical errors that are most common among writers. The points shared in this blog post will help you develop your writing skills and also avoid frequent grammatical blunders while writing.