1.5: Ten Most Common Mistakes in 101 Essays from the OWL
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)1) Missing commas or comma overuse For help with commas, see Chapter 26. This chapter includes in-depth explanation of the rules as well as examples and exercises.
2) Sentence issues: Fragments, Comma splices, and Run-on Sentences For help with sentence mistakes see Chapter 25, and for help building the sentence types correctly, see Chapter 24.
3) Lacking transitions between paragraphs For help building transitions see section 8.6 on organizing your paper, and for help revising transitions as well as a list of transitions, see section 9.3. Also, consider looking at the section that addresses the type of paper you are writing, such as Narrative transitions (section 11.4), Cause and Effect transitions (section 15.3), or Comparison transitions (section 13.3). For more in-depth help, consider reviewing this page from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Writing Center on transitions.
4) Lacking a strong and clear thesis For help with your thesis, see section 7.1 for thesis basics and section 9.2 for help revising your thesis. Also, consider looking at the chapter or section that addresses the type of paper you are writing, such as the thesis section in the Comparison and Contrast chapter (section 13.4) or the Synthesis paper section (section 17.7).
5) The focus/purpose is too broad For help narrowing the scope of your paper, see section 8.4.
6) Dangling/misplaced modifiers See section 28.9 for help with this issue as well as practice exercises. See this page for help avoiding dangling and misplaced modifiers.
7) Apostrophe errors Apostrophes are covered in section 27.2 of the punctuation chapter.
8) Pronoun overuse, leading to confusion See pages 28.4 for help with pronouns. When you are overusing pronouns, it is not clear who you are referencing with the pronoun; to fix this, use a more specific word to replace the pronoun.
9) Parallelism/tense shift issues Chapter 28 is helpful with tense shifts, especially the verb section, section 28.5. See this page for more help with avoiding unnecessary shifts in verb tense from Writing Commons. Parallelism is covered in section 28.8 of the same chapter.
10) Issues with source requirements or source citation In-text citations are covered in Chapter 22, and Chapter 23 covers MLA in-text citations and the Works Cited page.