UFS 211 - TASK 6: What are the common mistakes that you always do in writing? Do you find writing in English is difficult? What kind of problem do you face when you start writing? What are your suggestions to overcome the problem? Discuss.

We make hundreds of mistakes when writing, but most writers end up making the same mistakes over and over again often without even noticing. These repeated stumbles leave our writing dull and lifeless, and it eventually cause the readers to think the work always sounds the same.

Actually, English is not too difficult, as long we understand the theory and the method about English component, and it will help us to learn it easily. Although, the main problem that we face when start our writing is due to minor things like typos, grammar and spelling mistakes. As with the last time we explored grammatical errors, I feel compelled to mention that copy, writing and blogging should be conversational and engaging, and breaking formal grammatical and spelling conventions can often be a good thing. Every time I see a comment complaining about something like, oh, I don’t know… the improper use of an ellipsis or one-sentence paragraphs, I shake my head with sadness.

Suggestions to overcome this problem such as:

Ø Keep it simple. Stick to one point per sentence.

Ø Format. Know the structure/style of the format that is writing in.

Ø Audience. Keep them in mind at all times.

Ø Avoid missing commas. Commas are those little things that imply that there should be a pause taken between words. They may seem insignificant, but they're actually quite important.

Ø Remember those pesky verb endings! Make sure to end all of the verbs properly. For example, She drop the rock on my toe is missing the ending for the verb 'drop'. The correct sentence is, She dropped the rock on my toe.

Ø Remember to use the right preposition at the right time.

Ø Avoid comma splices. Comma splices occur when we try to connect two clauses that could stand alone as a sentence. I hated the sweaters, my grandma bought them every year is an example of a comma splice. Fix the sentence by adding a semicolon or period, connecting the clauses with a word such as and or because, or re-writing the sentence. For example, I hated the sweaters that my grandma bought every year. We took out the comma, replaced it with the word "that", and removed the word "them".

Ø Be careful when starting a sentence with a conjunction. When writing, it's best to avoid starting a sentence with a conjunction (words like 'and', 'but', etc.). It is permissible, but if we’re going to start a sentence with a conjunction, be sure that we’re written a complete sentence.

Ø Make sure that your pronoun references are clear. In the sentence, "The Lifeguard Station posted warnings around the beach regarding jellyfish in the area. However, theywere not heeded", they is the vague pronoun reference. The correct sentence would be, "The Lifeguard Station posted warnings around the beach regarding jellyfish in the area. However, those warnings were not heeded".

Ø Make sure the verb tense is correct. Avoid using a verb that doesn't indicate when an action is, was, or will be completed. 

Ø Make sure that there is a subject-verb agreement. The verb has to agree with the subject in number and in person. If the subject is singular, the verb should be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.

Ø Avoid run-on sentences. A run-on sentence is a sentence that is made of 2 sentences that could stand alone. Add words or punctuation to separate run-on sentences

Ø Choose the right words. Use a dictionary to make sure that our words convey the intended meaning. Words that sound the same or are spelled similar do not always mean the same thing, so be sure to check when we're picking out a word.