Few things can lower the legitimacy of a good article more than writing errors. Browsing online for just a few minutes uncovers a wealth of grammatical blunders that survived the editing process. While these small flubs may seem inconsequential, they actually can turn a good piece from appealing to unreadable. What many writers fail to realize is that spell check can only do so much. Brushing up on your skills will help you write better to begin with while also giving you the ability to catch any mistakes before hitting the publish button.
Avoid these 3 silly writing errors when penning your next piece:
1. Apostrophe Errors
Apostrophes should only be used to indicate possession for nouns (Susie\’s dress, Tony\’s car) and not for personal pronouns (it\’s, your\’s, their\’s). Apostrophes can also be used in the case of contractions (can\’t = cannot).
Incorrect – I am going to that store because I love it\’s clothing.
Correct – I am going to that store because I love its clothing.
2. Commonly Confused Words
Effect versus affect. There versus their. Confusing these similar words is a common editing mistake. Using the wrong one can make your writing more difficult to read. Effect is almost always a noun and affect a verb.
Incorrect – Her book had a huge affect on my view point.
Correct – Her book had a huge effect on my view point.
3. Faulty Parallels
Use similar sentence elements for like items to achieve a more easily readable document. This is especially true when including two or more matching ideas.
Incorrect – Tom\’s vacation included riding a bike, a day at the park, and a show at the theater.
Correct – Tom\’s vacation included riding a bike, spending a day at the park, and enjoying a show at the theater.
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