Common Problems - Do's

Be consistent in number agreement between nouns and pronouns.

• Incorrect: The student must have their assignment ready.
• Correct: The student must have his/her assignment ready.
• Better: All students must have their assignments ready.

Use clear transitions to show relationships between ideas.

Use parallel structure when writing a sentence with related components.

• Incorrect: If you expect your neighbors to respect you, you must make sure your pets don't trample their gardens, pruning your bushes so they don't look messy, and you cut the grass regularly.
• Correct: If you expect your neighbors to respect you, you must keep your pets from trampling their gardens, prune your bushes neatly, and cut the grass regularly.

Use verb tenses correctly. Do not change tense in writing without reason.

• Incorrect: When he went on vacation, his friend watches his dog.
• Correct: When he went on vacation, his friend watched his dog.

Make sure the subject and verb agree.

• Incorrect: Each of the people on the picnic are going to bring extra food.
• Correct: Each of the people on the picnic is going to bring extra food.

Make sure past participle forms of the verb are used correctly.

• Incorrect: She was suppose to return her library books by the due date.
• Correct: She was supposed to return her library books by the due date.

When possible, use strong, active verbs

Common Problems - Don'ts

Document Level

Document is not focused around a single controlling idea.

Students sometimes write too hastily and too broadly about a subject that is not well defined. You will do better if you take the time to think about your ideas and then to plan the presentation of your argument or report. The first thing you will need to have is a single main idea (or a thesis) for your paper or report. This idea should reflect the general topic as well as your attitude about that topic. The thesis of your paper is strongly connected to your title. Papers without titles often indicate that the document is not strongly focused around a single idea.

Paragraph Level

Paragraph is underdeveloped.

Underdeveloped paragraphs are a common problem in student writing. Student writers often make assumptions that readers know what the writers know or that readers feel what the writers feel. Because of these assumptions,  student writers often do not explain things as well as they could. In order to avoid this problem, be sure to develop each paragraph around a single idea, and that you explain, support, and thoroughly describe that idea.

Paragraph is overdeveloped.

 An overdeveloped paragraph is generally difficult to read because it contains too much information. Overdeveloped paragraphs are usually a result of students not taking the time to separate a large idea into manageable chunks. Since it is sometimes difficult to judge how much of an idea can be developed in a single paragraph, it's important to revise your work.

Sentence Level

Sentence fragments

Avoid sentence fragments. Write in complete sentences. All sentences consist of at least a subject and verb combination.

Incorrect: Which means waiting until tomorrow.
Correct: The package didn't arrive today, which means we must wait until tomorrow.

Comma splices and fused sentences

Complete sentences that are joined by either a comma or lack punctuation are run-on sentences. Two types of run-on sentences are the comma splice and fused sentences.

Comma splice: My plan is to first spend several hours reviewing my calculus homework, I will spend the rest of the night reading my history assignment.

Fused: My plan is to first spend several hours reviewing my calculus homework I will spend the rest of the night reading my history assignment.

Note: A semicolon can be used in place of a period if you want to show that two sentences are closely related in their meaning.

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Adapted from: Capitol College. 2005