Here is a list of common errors. Match the errors in your writing with the list! It should help you understand your errors.

 

, (ç comma è connecting two independent sentences)

If you connect two independent (complete) sentences with some linkers, such as ‘and,’ ‘but,’ or ‘so,’ you should use a comma.

(ç a linkerè)

Use linkers to help your reader navigate your essay. Not using linkers or avoiding them is bad advice and can result in a low score. Do not practice confusing your reader!  

(ç Unclear meaning)

This error suggests that part of your text is too confusing, complicated, or unclear to be understood. The problem is not the meaning of the words, but that particular phrase or piece in your essay does not make any sense altogether. The cause for this error is that when we are writing, the meaning of our sentences is obvious to us, but we do not consider our readers at all.

(ç unclear referencing)

Pronouns stand for a noun in a sentence. Whenever a pronoun is used, it should be obviously clear what it is referring to; otherwise, the result is a muddled sentence and a confused reader. Unclear referencing is not ONLY about pronouns. Any part of your essay that refers to another part in previous sentences must be unmistakably clear.

(çunfit for the context)

Sometimes, we use certain words in our essays because we think those words are advanced, uncommon, or simply ‘cool.’ However, those ‘cool’ words do not often fit our context. They might be correct in other contexts, but not in our essay about the topic we are writing about. The rule about using a word is that ‘Use a word if you know it 100%. By 100%, I mean you must know its spelling, part of speech, meanings (plural), connotations, level of formality, and everything else. Otherwise, do not risk it!

(ç unclear linking è)

Sometimes, you connect two sentences that, in your mind, seem perfectly connected, but your reader has to suffer and spend a lot of energy to understand why or how the two ideas are logically connected. The reason your reader is confused is that between the two sentences or ideas, you have left out one or several ideas. For instance, you link an apple to a car accident like this:

The apple was delicious. So, there was a car accident.

However, you fail to explain why the driver decided to eat the apple, not paying attention to the road, and crashed into another car.

, (ç comma è non-essential clause)

Non-essential clauses (non-restrictive clauses) include information that is not important to the meaning of the sentence. A comma always precedes a non-essential clause.