All university students are put to multiple challenges. One of the compulsory and inevitable is to write papers. There are different paper types that have different purposes. This greatly confuses many students. Of course, there are some things in common. Unfortunately, one of them is to make grammar mistakes.
There are certain grammar mistakes that seem to be “universal”. It means that they are made by millions of people in any university assignment. This drawback ought to be improved. You can overcome an obstacle only if you know what you should improve. In other words, you should realize your major problems. Expert writers from assignment writing service AdvancedWriters have investigated this important case and have found typical grammar mistakes you should avoid in university assignment writing.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Many students cannot define the right agreement between a subject and a verb. There are multiple ways when even native speaking students are not able to settle the agreement. It is especially vital when a sentence contains teams, companies, organizations, etc.
For example: “Harper and Collins are the official publishers of the Lord of the Rings”. Such a sentence is incorrect. The correct version is “Harper and Collins is the official publisher of the Lord of the Rings”.
It’s remarkable that when you use grammar checking applications, they will not spot this mistake. Apps don’t know that this is the name of a company. They will consider it as two surnames.
Tense Agreement
Another kind of incorrect agreement is related to the tense. One may likewise find multiple examples. Let’s review at least two of them. For example, many people change the past tense when the sentence begins with the present.
- Wrong: She begins to run slow and then sped up.
- Right: She started to run slow and then speeded up.
Another typical error is the lack of a comma after the introductory phrase. A comma should stand after the words that go before the main clause.
- Wrong: In case he is too late I’ll win the race.
- Correct: In case he is too late, I’ll win the race.
Split Infinitives
If a sentence is correct, it should not separate the infinitive. “To” should be bound right to its verb.
- Wrong: He wanted to quickly get rid of fat.
- Correct: He wanted to get rid of fat quickly.
Apostrophe Misunderstanding
The issue of the apostrophe is a real disaster for many folks. Some people are even unaware that they make a mistake. Everything seems fine when we speak because many words sound the same, but are written with or without the apostrophe and thus, belong to different parts of speech.
Compare: “Its time to get serious.”(incorrect) to “It’s time to get serious.” (correct).
Another common error:
- “Your early today.” (incorrect)
- “You’re early today.” (correct)
Incorrect Selection of Words
The next mistake is also related to the wrong choice of words that are spoken similarly but spelled differently. One of the examples is a pair “except” and “accept”. These are confusing words and you should always know their differences.
- “He excepted the invitation.” (wrong)
- “He accepted the invitation.” (right)
Incomplete Comparisons
Another mistake is oftentimes misunderstood by teachers and professors. Many students do not finish the comparisons they begin in their sentences. It seems as if they wanted to finish the sentence but somebody abruptly stopped them.
Read the following examples:
- “Norway is much colder.” It’s an incorrect sentence because it doesn’t show over what country is it colder.
- The correct variant is “Norway is much colder than Denmark”.
Messing Up the Meanings
There are certain pairs of words that are related to another but have a different meaning. Students are not aware of them and thus, create great confusion. One of the most typical confusions is the wrong use of “Who and Whom”.
“Who” is a subjective pronoun. It is used with he, she, it, we, and they. “Whom” is used with him, her, it, their, and us. It should be used as the object of a clause. If you cannot understand the difference, check troublesome sentences. To define “who”, substitute it with subjective pronouns. For example, “Who hates me? He hates me.” “Whom” example is “I consulted a doctor whom I know for many years. I consulted him.”
Another common confusion is induced by “Farther and Further”. The first one is used to show a distance that can be measured. The second one is used to show an abstract distance.
Other troublesome pairings are “Which and That”, “Lay and Lie”, “Fewer and Less”, etc. Read about the meanings of all pairs you can’t separate.
How to Improve Grammar?
If you want to improve your grammar skills, you should be aware of certain points and opportunities:
| Measures | Instructions |
| Learn Basics | Know and understand all parts of speech;
Recognize points of view (singular and plural persons); Learn the correct word order; Define how to conjugate verbs properly; |
| Practice | Practice every day;
Play grammar and word games; Read various materials (both grammar and non-academic books); Listen to how other people talk; |
| Avoid Mistakes | Know the difference between similar pairs of words;
Learn punctuation rules; Use active voice; Take care of reflexive pronouns; |
| Use Help | Try grammar applications;
Read tutorials; Hire a tutor; Attend special grammar courses; Use online resources; |
Memorize this table and practice as much as you can. Read tutorials and try to understand every rule. Don’t forget about helpful grammar applications.