Common Errors
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.
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Periods and commas go inside quotation marks. Mary said, "See the dog."
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Pronouns must agree with antecedents. The South seceded. It (not they)
left quickly.
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Subject and verb must agree in number. Pilgrims were (not was) Congregationalists.
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Avoid passive voice. Booth shot Lincoln rather than Lincoln was shot by
Booth.
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Do not use personal pronouns such as I and we or possessives such as my
and our, etc.
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Do not use slang. Jefferson was well-dressed not the Dude was radical.
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Do not be "wordy". Use as few words as possible to convey the meaning.
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Try not to begin a sentence with "However." Place it within the sentence.
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Use 1800s instead of 1800's
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Spell separate not seperate
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Their=possessive; there=at that place, point, etc.
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Its=possessive; It's=It is.
Questions to answer before submitting your paper.
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Does my paper answer the question (or in our case, give the reasons) that
I posed at the beginning?
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Does my introduction adequately prepare the reader for all that follows?
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Does my writing flow smoothly and logically from point to point? Are there
adequate transitions between sentences and paragraphs?
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Does each sentence make its case completely, concisely, and clearly?
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Is each fact, idea, opinion, interpretation, etc., placed in its logical
location within the paper?
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Does the conclusion adequately sum up the facts and ideas contained in
the paper?
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Have I proofread and revised for spelling, grammatical, and typographical
errors?
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Have I followed all instructions from my instructor about typing, margins,
pagination, footnotes, and bibliography?

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