General Proofreading Tips
For many writers, it can be difficult to proofread their own writing, especially right after they have written it. Give yourself some time after writing before proofreading, ideally a day or two. Reading your writing out loud can help you identify errors that you may not have caught otherwise. Finally, have another person read your writing to help with proofreading.

Spelling and Grammar
One of the biggest mistakes that writers make is relying on the spelling and grammar checking programs that are included with most word processing programs. No automated spelling or grammar check can make up for proofreading performed by a human. The key problem with an automated spell check system is that the system cannot detect when the wrong word is used. For example, if a writer used “on” instead of “one,” spell check would not catch that mistake, since both words are spelled correctly.

Instead of relying entirely on automated programs, you should carefully read your work for mistakes in spelling and grammar. Here are tips on some of the most common spelling and grammatical errors:

• “Lose” vs. “Loose” – the word “lose” is the opposite of win, while “loose” refers to something that is not tight.
• “They’re,” “their,” and “there” – “They’re” is an abbreviation for “they are,” ”there” is possessive, as in “their clothes,” and “there” refers to a place. Similarly, “your” is possessive and “you’re” stands for “you are.”
• “It’s” and “its” – “Its” is possessive, while “it’s” represents “it is.”
• “Affect” and “effect” – usually, “effect” is a noun, while “affect” is a verb. If you are unsure of which one to use, replace the word with another verb; if the verb works as a replacement, then the word you should use is “affect.”
• “A lot” is always two words.

Writing Style
While writing style is likely to vary from piece to piece, some key concepts remain the same. A good piece of writing includes an introduction and a conclusion; both the introduction and conclusion should summarize the main points of the piece without being repetitious. The introduction of a piece should include a well-written, clear thesis statement: a single sentence that conveys the key point of the writing. A thesis statement should be easy for anyone to identify. In the same way that the thesis statement introduces a paper, a key sentence should be included in each paragraph. Typically the first sentence, a key sentence introduces or summarizes the main point of the paragraph. If you have a great essay, you should be able to read the thesis sentence and the first sentence of each paragraph and get the piece’s purpose.

Related posts:

1. Tips to Help Keep Readers Interested in Your Writing
2. Structuring a Formal Paragraph Correctly
3. The Essentials of Readable Writing

Mistake number one is confusion about the proper uses of three similar words. They are “there,” “they’re” and “their.” It is important to remember that “their” is a possessive, “they’re” is a contraction of the words “they are,” and “there” is an adverb for a particular direction. However, because they only have slight differences with regards to spelling and pronunciation, these three words are sometimes interchanged.

Mistake number two is confusing the use of the possessive with the plural form. Sometimes, some writers omit the apostrophe even when the context indicates that the possessive form should have been used. On the other hand, some people may insert an apostrophe before the letter “s” even if what they mean is the plural form of the word.

Mistake number three is another common error because the only difference between the words “its” and “it’s” is the apostrophe. The confusion arises because the apostrophe is often used for the possessive form. However, in this particular example, it is the word without apostrophe that denotes the possessive form while the one with the apostrophe is a contraction of the words “it is.”

Mistake number four is very similar to mistake number three but it involves the words “your” and “you’re.” Once again, the word without the apostrophe denotes the possessive form while the word with the apostrophe is a contraction of the words “you are.” To prevent confusion it is always important to remind oneself, which of these words are contractions.

Mistake number five has to do with the placement of commas in a list or series. Commas are to be used to separate the various components of the list but it should not be placed before the conjunction in a series.

These are but a few of the common mistakes made in English writing. Constant practice and keeping these rules in mind will be helpful in ensuring that we can avoid these mistakes. Some of these mistake may appear insignificant but there are reasons for the rules and one of these is to avoid confusion. To make sure that you will be understood by the reader, it is important to abide by the rules.

Related posts:

1. English Punctuation
2. What Is an Adjective and How Are They Used?
3. Proofreading Tips