Common English Grammar Mistakes to Avoid While Writing Your Next Research Paper

Student’s difficulties in writing are known from a large number of grammatical errors in German short story texts written by students. When writing essays, students also make mistakes. The grammatical errors found in student essays include morphological, syntactic, and orthographic errors [1].

Professional English language editing services offer thorough checks for all grammatical mistakes in your paper. Having your manuscript edited by trained editors can enhance clarity, tone, and ultimately increase its visibility and readership on a global scale.

The analysis of language errors has been a beneficial exercise in academia and research, particularly for individual learners who use English as a second or foreign language [2].

IRP provides three levels of English language editing services, all centered around a thorough English grammar check. Ensuring that a document adheres to the rules and principles of English grammar is essential for effectively conveying the author’s intended message. A well-crafted research paper not only presents novel research but also maintains grammatical accuracy and error-free writing to uphold its quality.

Grammatical skills are critical to any form of writing since they help the writer express ideas clearly and accurately. Writing well and succeeding in academic settings require writers to adhere to accepted English grammar conventions, which include precise sentence structure, proper subject-verb agreement, consistent and appropriate tense usage, and the correct use of articles [3].

Grammatical errors signal negligence and detract from the quality of your paper. Simple English grammar mistakes or proofreading oversights can undermine your credibility as an author.

Here are five common grammar mistakes to avoid in your next research manuscript.

Subject-verb disagreements:

The subject of a sentence is the noun that carries out the action described in the sentence. When the subject is singular and the verb is plural, it creates a disagreement. English grammar rules stipulate that the subject and verb must agree in number, meaning they should both be either singular or plural.

– Singular subjects should have singular verbs

e.g.: The table is red.

– Plural subjects should have plural verbs.

e.g.: The tables are red.

Missing introductory commas

When starting sentences with an introductory phrase, word, or clause, it’s important to use a comma to separate the introductory text from the rest of the sentence. This comma, known as the introductory comma, signals to the reader to pause slightly before proceeding.

E.g. However, Jim had left by then.

Or

In this study, we were unable to include red blood cells.

Nominalization of verbs

Nominalization occurs when non-nouns, like verbs, are used as nouns. Some writers tend to excessively employ nominalized verbs, leading to cumbersome and verbose writing. These “smothered verbs” can diminish the clarity and impact of the writing.

In the example provided below, the verb “discuss” is used as a noun, needlessly elongating the sentence.

Incorrect: We had a discussion about the issue.

Eliminating weak, smothered verbs and employing the verb in its original form creates concise and impactful sentences, enhancing the clarity and effectiveness of academic writing.

Example: We discussed the issue.

Use of the adverb “respectively”

The adverb “respectively” denotes the order in which items are presented. When attributing one list of items to corresponding items in another list, using “respectively” enhances clarity and brevity.

Original sentence: Jim is 8 years old, John is 9 years old, and Joe is 10 years old.

(This sentence, although grammatically correct, is long and repetitive.)

Concise form: Jim, John, and Joe are 8, 9, and 10 years old, respectively.

(This sentence construction is concise and eloquent.)

Lack of parallelism

Parallelism, also referred to as parallel structure, is attained by employing grammatically similar components or phrases within a sentence. This technique balances nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, and clauses with clauses, among others, thereby enhancing the overall coherence and readability of the text.

Incorrect: Tina likes reading, painting, and to cook.
Correct: Tina likes reading and cooking.
Or
Tina likes to read, paint, and cook.

References

1. Perdamean, A., Sari, T., & Aini, I. (2024, January). Grammar Mistakes in Writing Short Stories by Second Semester Students of German Language Education Study Program of Universitas Negeri Medan. In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Innovation in Education, Science, and Culture, ICIESC 2023, 24 October 2023, Medan, Indonesia.
2. Mitari, M., Anguru, P. U., & Uwamariya, J. (2024). Classification of Grammatical Errors Found in English Verb Forms from Students’ Academic Writing Tasks at Gishari Integrated Polytechnic Regional College (IPRC), Rwanda. African Journal of Empirical Research, 5(1), 319-328.
3. Carandang, J. M. F., Batica, T. L. M., Echalar, J. A. T., Pangan, J. A., & Mosende, K. D. An evaluation of online grammar checkers in the development of students’ grammar skills: Basis for proposed instructional guidelines. SDCA Asia-Pacific Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 72.