Checking out grammar mistakes is quite easy—but only when you are not editing and proofreading your work by yourself. Otherwise, it’s almost impossible to catch things that would jump out of the page right away, were they written by someone else.
Sadly enough, typos and little grammar mistakes have the power to destroy the readability of your work.
While it’s almost impossible to write a few thousand words that are totally free of grammar mistakes and spelling errors, here are some tips to save you if you decide to be your own editor.
What are the basic grammar mistakes in writing?
Some of the most common grammar mistakes include:
- Comma Splice. When you use commas to join two independent clauses, you may end up with a comma splice. For example, “I went to the mall, the missus was there.” These two clauses should be two separate sentences. Indeed, this is one of two easy ways to correct the mistake:
- You can separate the clauses into two separate sentences, or
- you can replace the comma with a semicolon.
- Pronoun Disagreement. These errors are pretty common but there’s still confusion over the use of singular they—one of my favorite tricks when I need to avoid the use of the “his/her” form (which I personally detest). However, if you say “people need to use his brain,” then you are committing a pronoun disagreement since the pronoun (“his”) must be plural if the noun (“people”) is plural.
- Apostrophe errors. Apostrophes are always used for possession. However, they are also used for contractions, which is where people get… creative. As in, “A lot of great music was created in the 80’s.” No, the correct form is “80s.”
Use a dictionary
This is not so much a grammar mistake as much as a style issue. We all have our favorite ways of describing something and can easily become repetitive after a while. Indeed, that’s the very reason why I started the notes that became Emotional Beats—my inspiration for novel ways of saying something.
The best way to ensure variety in your writing is to read. The second best, to use one of several applications available online that can help you with synonyms. Some of these come with a thesaurus and an indication of how commonly a word is used. There are tons of online dictionaries that offer more than just a piece of information and most of them are free to use.
For example, you may use a sentence rewriter. This has the added advantage of fixing any typos and grammar mistakes thanks to the artificial intelligence in the tool. The software displays any errors and suggestions for fixing them when you click on “grammar checker.”
Use your eyes
Grammar mistakes make content really hard to read and drive readers away. If your writing is clear, then you can easily convey your message in a way that doesn’t leave them bored or frustrated.
If, however, you make a lot of grammar mistakes, you will irritate your readers. Even worse, you will indicate that you are not serious about your work.
Online grammar checkers like Grammarly are pretty good and getting better every day. While we all depend on AI and spellcheckers to do the work for us, however, it’s amazing how often they miss stuff. Use your eyes to check your spelling and read through your entire document at least three times before submitting to a client or uploading. It also helps if you read the text aloud, as this will help you catch more typos and mistakes.
More tips
Finally, here some extra tips to help you avoid grammar issues:
- Proofread your bio and blurb. This is where most writers fail.
- Mind your gerunds. Avoid using “-ing” forms in the wrong place.
- Use commas correctly. Personally, I’m a big fan of the Oxford comma but I’m aware that many writers avoid it. Whatever you choose, be consistent.
- The same goes with singular they. While I love it, many prefer to rewrite a sentence to avoid using it.
- Beware your usage of “me” and “I.”
- Use direct verbs and avoid lengthy text.
Happy writing!
The Story Reading Ape said:
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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K Morris Poet said:
Thank you for this useful article. I am not a fan of “couple things”. It comes across as lazy and should, in my opinion be “a couple of things”. However, the former is now entrenched and it is not going to vanish from language. I confess to struggling with when to use “that” and “which”. There are instances when the correct usage is obvious. There are, however other examples in which this is not the case. Having said that, I am sure that most readers would not spot the incorrect use of “that” and “which”. Kevin
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
We all have our pet grammar hates, don’t we? 🙂
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K Morris Poet said:
Indeed we do!
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beetleypete said:
My bugbears are ‘There/Their’, ‘You’re/Your’ , ‘It’s/Its’.
That said, I am guilty as charged for using too many commas when I get carried away. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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wilfredbooks said:
I can forgive that sin very easily, Pete; my rule is usually: rather too many than too few! I do find that many people use a comma where a colon or semicolon would be preferable, however. Cheers, Jon.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Hear, hear!
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Lol – I’m guilty of that, too 😀
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wilfredbooks said:
I’m not a fan of spell- or grammar-checkers, Nicholas. I don’t want to come across as a “Little Englander”, but I find that spell-checkers generally default to the American spelling, which I would only want to use if I was writing in the American idiom. I’ve never tried a grammar checker, because I’m so arrogant that I consider that my grammar is perfect! 😉 Two bugbears which I have noticed as becoming increasingly common are marooning ‘however’ in between two clauses, separated by a comma, so you aren’t sure to which clause it refers; the other one, referring to your Beware your usage of “me” and “I.” above: I notice many people saying “To [or for/with] you and I”, as if this phrase is somehow inseparable. If they reversed the positions of the personal pronouns, they would realise how wrong it sounds! Cheers, Jon.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I proofread in both American and British English so I know what you mean. I usually prefer Grammarly, which offers in option to choose between the two.
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OIKOS™-Editorial said:
Very good advices! Thank you, Nicholas! Grammar, at least the Enlish one, is like a book with seven seals to me. Last year i had found a old grammar book from the end of the 19th century. One of my great uncles has lived in the USA, and however had sent this to his relatives here. Maybe if the would have read it, my knowledge in English grammar would be better. Lol Best wishes, and stay save! Michael
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Lol – a sealed book, indeed 😀
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OIKOS™-Editorial said:
Oh yes, Nicholas! :-))
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Mark Schultz said:
Reblogged this on wordrefiner.
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haoyando said:
I can always get grammars right in English tests but often use it wrong in the real world of writing. Hahaha.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
It’s hard, especially for non-native speakers!
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janetsm said:
I’m learning how important it is to have a second pair of eyes proofread my work. It’s surprising how many errors I overlook in my work.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Tell me about it! Sigh…
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petespringerauthor said:
Thanks for this, Nicholas. Explaining common grammar errors is not the most stimulating thing to write about, yet it detracts from any piece because of their flaws. I find it incredible how many times I can read my work and still find errors on the umpteenth read through. Reading aloud helps a lot of these come to the surface.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
That’s why I avoid reading my past posts lol
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V.M.Sang said:
Excellent advice, Nicholas. The comma splice is a commom one, I find. I’m psrt of an online critique group, and it crops up manytimess,especially among new writers.
And I’m 100% with you in no apostrophes in plurals involving numbers or letters, although I have seen it claimed that it’s an option, or even correct. It’s not. No apostrophies in plurals. Period.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Well said, Viv! Grammar is hard enough without having to worry about apostrophes in plurals 😀
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giftedandchilling said:
Very useful advice! Will refer back to these tips 🙂
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks! So glad you found them useful 😀
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Stefan Ayers said:
I would be very careful with the paraphrasing tool you linked to. I tried it with a snippet of a piece I’m writing, and the paraphrase changed the meaning of the paragraph.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you, Stefan, that’s always a good tip. AI is still in its early stages and you have to go through everything to make sure the meaning is not lost or altered.
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Stefan Ayers said:
I don’t know if you’ve heard of the term “spinning” used in a writing context. Instead of doing research, a writer finds an article on the same topic, runs it through one of these programs, and then submits it.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I hadn’t heard of the term but I do know that there are all sorts of tools used in the hopes of gaming the system. Sounds like this is one of them!
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goldendole said:
I find the most troublesome issue with commenters on social media is their inability to use the correct homophones, e.g. their and there, your and you’re.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Yeah, that’s a pet hate of most writers I know!
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