Are you wondering what they might be? Well, let me give you the backstory first. I conducted a little experiment. I have been teaching English for four years now, and I had the chance to work with students and English teachers who had to tackle essay writing. I gathered a collection of more than 50 essays, and I decided to make use of it.
A question came to my mind. Would it be possible to identify a set of writing mistakes that repeat themselves in these essays? The post title gives away the answer to this question. The errors in more than fifty essays boiled down to a list of 10 common writing mistakes. I wanted to share what I have learned with the world, so I made an essay writing guide in a form of a digital product Essay Writing 101 that features the list.
Of course, that was not the end of it! I came up with the idea of organizing several online events to proofread and edit pieces of writing submitted by my students or viewers at the time live on Twitch. To my surprise, the mistakes I came across in these essays were almost identical to those on the list! It confirmed my initial idea and I managed to come up with another list similar to the previous one. The new list is included here.
10 Common Writing Mistakes
1. Using short forms in essays.
We have to avoid using short forms in essays. So, we have to write:
- does not, did not, should not, would not, etc.
- cannot (written together)
2. An article is missing.
Nouns with superlative adjectives normally have a definite article.
For example:
- It was the best holiday ever.Â
3. There is an article that should not be there.
We do not use the combination of possessive adjectives and nouns with a definite article.
For example:
- It was my best holiday ever.
We use articles with nouns, not adjectives standing alone.
For example:
- It was amazing. He is retired.
4. We do not use the correct comparative or superlative form of adjectives.
For example:
- happy, happier, the happiest
- comfortable, more comfortable, the most comfortable
5. Subjects and verbs do not agree with one another in number.
Correct sentences are:
- He goes swimming twice a week.Â
- My family is close-knit.
6. We use which for people.
We cannot use which for people. We have to use who.
For example:
- My friends met some people who were friendly.Â
Sometimes, it might be even better to use shorter sentences.
For example:
- My friends met some friendly people.
See what we did there? We get rid of who by shortening the sentence.
7. There is a comma (,) missing.
Correct sentence:
- In many countries, senior positions have higher salaries compared to those of young workers of the same company.Â
Other examples are:
- However, … Thus, … Therefore, … In addition, … Furthermore, … Overall, … So, … etc.
8. We use possessive pronouns instead of possessive adjectives.
Correct sentences are:
- This is my book.Â
- This book is mine.Â
9. We use possessive adjectives instead of possessive pronouns.
Correct example:
- a friend of mine
10. Not paying attention to signal words.
Knowing which signal words and tenses go together makes essay writing a lot easier.
Signal words for Present Simple:
- always, never, usually, sometimes, often, hardly ever, seldom, rarely (adverbs of frequency), on the whole, on Tuesdays, in the mornings, at night, on Saturday afternoon, in summer, on New Year’s Eve, every + (day/Saturday/August/winter), once/twice/three (times) + a (day/month/year)
Signal words for Present Continuous:
- at the moment, at present, now, right now, today, tonight, these days, this year, currently, tomorrow, next month, at 5 o’clock, this afternoon, tomorrow morning
- Listen! Watch out! Look!
Signal words for Present Perfect Simple:
- already, yet, still, just, so far, up to now, lately, recently, for, since, never, ever, all my life, today, this + week, month, year, once/twice/three (times)
- How many times have you…?
Signal words for Present Perfect Continuous:
- since/for, all (day/week/morning), the whole (day/week/night)
- How long have you been…?