ACC professors Roger Griffin and Peggy Holly have compiled the following lists:

Common errors in usage, punctuation and spelling

• Do not use contractions. Don't should be do not in formal writing.
• Periods and commas go inside quotation marks. Mary said, "See the dog."
• Pronouns must agree with antecedents. The South seceded. It (not they) left quickly.
• Subject and verb must agree in number. Pilgrims were (not was) Congregationalists.
• Avoid passive voice. Booth shot Lincoln rather than Lincoln was shot by Booth.
• Do not use personal pronouns such as I and we or possessives such as my and our, etc.
• Do not use slang. Jefferson was well-dressed not the Dude was radical.
• Do not be "wordy". Use as few words as possible to convey the meaning.
• Try not to begin a sentence with "However." Place it within the sentence.
• Use 1800s instead of 1800's
• Spell separate not seperate
• Their=possessive;  there=at that place, point, etc.
• Its=possessive; It's=It is.

• Does my paper answer the question (or in our case, give the reasons) that I posed at the beginning?
• Does my introduction adequately prepare the reader for all that follows?
• Does my writing flow smoothly and logically from point to point? Are there adequate transitions between sentences and paragraphs?
• Does each sentence make its case completely, concisely, and clearly?
• Is each fact, idea, opinion, interpretation, etc., placed in its logical location within the paper?
• Does the conclusion adequately sum up the facts and ideas contained in the paper?
• Have I proofread and revised for spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors?
• Have I followed all instructions from my instructor about typing, margins, pagination, footnotes, and bibliography?

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