In this post, we’re going to look at the most common mistakes that all English learners make when writing. Not only people who study English make these mistakes, but also, if your job involves working in English, it is likely that you encounter these errors, even when you already have solid knowledge of the English language. For this reason, it’s a good idea to review some of them.
Let’s have a look…
How to Reduce Errors in Your Writing
1. First write and then edit.
This can be separated into two different parts. First is the creative part — the writing. Second will be the correction of the writing — the editing. It’s important that we make this separation between the two parts, as the writing part requires freedom and the ability to flow smoothly, while the editing part requires a good eye for detail. So, it is very important to not do both tasks simultaneously. You will get better results by separating them both.
2. Give yourself time.
Stress is certainly your enemy. In most cases quality over quantity is much more valuable. Write less but make sure you have taken your time and that it’s correct. This way you can check that the writing has no grammatical errors and that it has a good structure.
3. Print your text.
View your text in a different environment — by doing so you may be able to pick up on any mistakes you may have made. Furthermore, by having it in paper format, you’ll be able to highlight and write any relevant comments and critiques on the actual page, giving you the opportunity to go back and correct the mistakes on your original document.
Although you are printing it, try to be conscious of the amount of paper you are using. Try to print it on double sides, in a small font, preferably on recycled paper.
4. Find a person to help correct your texts.
It is always a good idea to find another pair of eyes to go over the text you have written. Why? Well, maybe there were some aspects that you took for granted. There may be words or sentences that are hard for others to understand even though they look fine to you. Ask a friend or someone in your family who is proficient in English if it is possible to give you constructive feedback.
5. Read in English.
We know that this is something you hear all the time, but it really is very effective to read books to improve your writing, among the many other benefits of reading. Reading books can also teach you how to write correctly, since sentences are usually grammatically correct. If you are a habitual reader, you will learn without realizing it.
6. Organize your mistakes.
Organizing your mistakes will help you locate them more easily. For example, first try to find all of the typos, after that try to find all the grammatical errors you may have made. Once you’re done, go back to read it again, making sure your paragraphs are linked by consistent connectors.
These are very simple steps but will definitely help you find any mistakes you may have made. Also, once you recognize what mistakes you have made and then you correct them, you will have learned to not make the same mistakes again.
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About the author: This post was written by Brandon, a teacher from ABA English. ABA English–the American & British Academy–is an online academy specializing in teaching English with a unique learning methodology based on the principles of natural learning methods. ABA English teaches you English through short films that take place in real-life situations with 144 free video classes. Go to ABA English and start improving your English with your free 144 video classes.
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