Common Writing Mistakes in Essays

Correct Errors So Readers Understand One's Paper

Sep 27, 2009

Some errors in essays are easy to overlook, but others can make a paper difficult to read. Below find some common writing mistakes and how to avoid them.

Errors in writing can make readers dismiss one's message, not just because it makes it seem like the writer didn't care enough, but also because the mistakes can be distracting to readers. Here are a few common writing mistakes found in essays involving the use of pronouns and how to fix them. (What is a pronoun?)

Broad Pronouns

Broad pronouns refer to those pronouns that are unspecific. Words that are considered broad pronouns include this, that, those, them, and it. They are called broad because, in a sentence, it is often difficult for the reader to know what the writer means. Broad pronouns make for vague writing.

Here is an example of a broad pronoun used in a sentence: "I think this is a good solution." Readers are left wondering what "this" is. Here is a better way to write the sentence: "I think this idea proposed by the students is a good idea." When someone reads the second sentence, there is no question about what "this" is. Writers can usually avoid confusion by making sure that this, that, and those are always followed by a noun ("this plate," "that television," "those cats").

Writers should try to clarify their message, avoiding vague language in their writing; otherwise, readers will be confused or misunderstand. A writer should always aim to make his intent clear.

One last example: "Take the disks out of the computers and fix them." What does the reader need to fix-the disks or the computers? By clarifying one's sentence, readers will not have to wonder.

Subject-Pronoun Disagreement

In today's colloquial speech, many people will often make the mistake of having their subject and pronoun disagree. In an academic paper, however, both the subject and pronoun must be singular or plural.

Here is an example of subject-pronoun disagreement: "A parent should not spank their child because the child will then fear their parent." “A parent” and “their” as well as “the child” and “their” disagree. “A parent” is a singular subject, but “their” is a plural pronoun. Both the subject and pronoun must be either singular or plural. A correct way to write this sentence follows: "A parent should not spank his child because the child will then fear her parent."

Many instructors are not particular about the pronoun a student uses. Students can often use the generic he and his or they can switch pronouns around in the politically-correct fashion by also incorporating she and her. Some instructors don't mind if students use s/he and his/her. Their main concern is that the subject and pronoun agree.

It is often difficult to find these errors, but a writer can sometimes catch these kinds of mistakes by reading through his paper and looking for "they" and "their," then finding the original word the pronoun is referring to.

Extra Attention Ensures a More Professional Paper

Sometimes just taking a little more time combing through one's paper is all that a writer needs to catch some of these common errors. If a writer knows she is prone to making these kinds of mistakes with pronouns, she can look more closely at her essays to make corrections.

The copyright of the article Common Writing Mistakes in Essays in Essay Writing is owned by Cynthia Jones-Shoeman. Permission to republish Common Writing Mistakes in Essays in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.