One of the major factors why people sometimes fail in their application essay is not proofreading their work. To skip proofreading and editing is to increase your chance of not getting hired because it reflects highly on your work attitude. Keep in mind that what you write shows a piece of your mind, which is why it is important to proofread your work.
So, when you start writing your essay, you have to be vigilant with the following common essay writing mistakes that you should avoid.
Spelling
The train of thought is one of the reasons why spelling mistakes happen. You are so engrossed in writing what’s on your mind that you type nonstop. And once you start proofreading your essay, that’s the time you’ll realize you have lots of misspelled words.
It’s even harder when you write your essay with paper and pen because there’s no autocorrect or prompts that will help you locate your mistake. That’s why if you are writing an article with a pen and paper, make it a habit of reading your essay from the top and don’t rush writing.
Basic Grammar
Most people encounter grammar mistakes regarding subject and verb agreement. You must remember that if you use a singular subject, the verb must be in the singular form (She sells, Anna dances). The same thing with plural, if the subject is plural, the verb that follows must be in the plural form (They eat, We sing).
One tip that could help you identify if something is wrong with your grammar in writing is when you read your sentences, and you heard that something is off. The part where it sounded off only means that there’s a grammar mistake that you should address. But if it sounded right, you can move on to another sentence.
Run-on sentences
Punctuation marks are free so never get discouraged to use them as much as you want. Run-on sentences happen when you try to explain or describe something. If you will notice, whenever you speak, there’s no comma unless you stop talking. That’s your pause or rest. In writing, punctuations are essential because it helps the reader determine your tone and pace. When you use run-on sentences in your essay, you only make your article difficult to read because there are no rest or stops.
As much as possible, try to write your ideas in short but concise sentences. Make use of transitional devices so there will be cohesion on the ideas you want to present.
Confusion in the use of pronouns
The first mistake often commits in writing is the use of apostrophes in words that are joined together such as you’re for you are and they’re for they are. What happens is that instead of your, which is to express possession of an object of the second person, people mistakenly write you’re. And if the sentence meant to point at something, for instance, the use of ‘you are.’ Instead of ‘’you’re”, what people write is ‘your.’
These are the most common essay writing mistakes that you should avoid. So, before you hand in your piece, make it a habit of proofreading and editing your article.