Inception:
Academic writing can be a tricky thing. There are many rules and conventions to keep in mind and it can be easy to make mistakes. There are different types of grammatical errors in academic writing that can not only affect your grade but also make you look unprofessional. That is why it is so important to avoid these common grammatical errors.
Writing is a skill that gets polished the more we practice it. Even though; everybody is familiar with the way of writing but not everybody is skilled enough to meet the requirements of grammar. (helpwithdissertation, 2022)
Common Grammatical Errors in Academic Writing and How to Avoid Them
Below are some of the most common grammar mistakes writing in academic writing along with tips on how to avoid them. With these helpful tips, you will be able to produce error-free academic writing with ease.
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Run-on Sentences
Run-on sentences are two or more independent clauses that are connected incorrectly. They often result in lengthy and awkward sentences that can be hard to read and follow. To avoid run-on sentences, you should use a period (.) to end one clause and start another or use a comma and coordinating conjunction (e.g., and, but, or) to join two related clauses. When in doubt, break your sentences into smaller and more concise statements for clarity.
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Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb agreement is one of the common types of grammatical errors in English that can easily be avoided. This error occurs when the subject of a sentence does not agree with the verb. To ensure that your subject and verb agree, remember to identify the subject first and then conjugate the verb correctly.
Moreover, be sure to watch out for tricky phrases like “everyone,” which appears to be singular but is actually plural. The correct sentence would be, “Everyone read the book.” Don’t forget that irregular verbs have to be conjugated differently from regular verbs in order to ensure subject-verb agreement.
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Modifiers
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that provides a description of another part of a sentence. Misplaced modifiers can be tricky and confusing to readers, making it essential that they are used correctly. If the modifier is placed too far away from the word it is modifying, the reader may misinterpret the meaning of the sentence. To make sure your modifiers are placed correctly, pay attention to their placement within your sentence.
Modifiers should be positioned close to the word they are modifying. If you have a long or complex sentence with multiple modifiers, try restructuring the sentence for clarity. You can use commas to separate the modifier from the rest of the sentence when necessary. With these tips, you can ensure that your modifiers are being used correctly and that your readers are getting the correct meaning from your sentence.
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Parallelism
A parallelism is an important tool for making sure that all parts of a sentence have the same level of importance. To create parallelism, all parts of a sentence should have the same grammatical structure, for example, if one part of the sentence is a verb, then all other parts should also be verbs. This allows for sentences to have clear and concise meaning.
The use of parallelism, allows readers to better understand the sentence. Parallelism is often used in academic writing to create clarity and emphasize certain points. If used correctly, it can help writers construct sentences that are easy to read and understand.
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Shifts
In order to maintain clear and consistent writing, it is important to be conscious of shifts. The students facing difficulty with shifts often say I need someone to write my assignment. Shifts occur when a sentence does not maintain the same tense or point of view throughout.
An example of this is writing “The girl said she was working on an assignment, but she slept” instead of “The girl said she works on an assignment, but she slept.” The example shows that you should always make sure that the tense of the verb should be the same tense in the whole sentence to avoid shifts. It can also help to use pronouns consistently which will keep your writing unified and easy to read.
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Ambiguous References
When writing, it is important to ensure that references are as clear and concise as possible. Ambiguous references occur when an author refers to something without providing enough context for the reader to understand its meaning. This can lead to confusion and frustration. Some students ask where can I pay someone to do my assignment so that they can fix this issue.
To avoid this issue, be sure to provide sufficient context for any references you make. Consider using a pronoun to refer to something earlier in the text or to explicitly identify the noun you are referencing. Always, be sure that the nouns you use are specific and clearly defined. This will help your readers understand your intent and make your writing easier to comprehend.
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Dangling Participles
A dangling participle is a phrase that starts with a participle but doesn’t refer to the subject in the sentence. It is important to avoid this error as it can create confusion and make the sentence difficult to understand.
For example, “Walking through the forest, the moon was looking bright” implies that the moon was walking through the forest, which is not what was intended. To fix this error, make sure that the subject of the sentence is clearly identified after the participle. This sentence can be written as walking through the forest, he noticed that the moon was looking bright.
Conclusion:
No matter how experienced a writer you are, making grammatical errors is easy to do. But with a bit of attention and practice, you can avoid the most common grammatical errors on students’ writing. (Banjar Putri Kumala, 2018) Make sure to proofread your work. All these mistakes can be avoided with practice and attention to detail. With just a bit of effort, you will be able to create clean and effective academic writing.
Works Cited
Banjar Putri Kumala, S. A. (2018, July 13). An Analysis of Grammatical Errors on Students’ Writing. English Language and Literature International Conference (ELLiC) Proceedings. Vol. 2. 2018., 2.
helpwithdissertation. (2022, November 25). How to Write a Dissertation Proposal in Professional Way? https://www.helpwithdissertation.co.uk/blog/how-to-write-a-dissertation-proposal-in-professional-way/.
