Conquer Grammar Errors: A Guide To Academic Writing In 2024

Grammar errors are commonplace now. Modes of communication like WhatsApp and Messenger have normalized it. Look, there’s nothing wrong with making grammar errors in casual conversations if the other person gets it and doesn’t mind it.

It’s a whole different beast though when we factor in academic writing. Here, you have to be extra sharp as writing of the highest standards is expected. Strict regulations that you have to adhere to mean there is no place for grammar errors in academic writing.

So how do you conquer these errors? It’s not rocket science and I’ll explain it to you. Surprisingly it’s a lot easier than you think especially with all the resources available to students.

Overcoming Grammar Errors: An Academic Writing Guide For Students In 2024

Into The Realm Of Academic Writing

The simplest way to get an idea of what academic writing is by going over any research paper, journal article, university essay, thesis, dissertation, etc. You’ll get the gist of what it takes to write grammatically accurate academic writing.

You will read those materials and realize how everything is clear and precise. Nothing is confusing or left for the reader’s imagination. What you see is what you get. The tone is also formal in every way throughout the whole thing. With the base set, let’s look at the ways to avoid grammar errors in your educational endeavors.

1. 
   

   Know Your Grammar

   
   

The first rule of conquering grammar mistakes is actually knowing the grammar mistakes. You might think it’s funny and say “Well that’s a given. Of course I know what grammar mistakes are”. Do you though?

Are you aware of every instance of syntax and punctuation errors? To go in more depth, there’s poor word choice, misplaced modifiers, determiner errors, and of course how can we forget spelling mistakes. Not so funny now right?

It’s my job to put the fun right back where it belongs. Let’s go over these common grammar errors so you’re better equipped to deal with them.

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  Syntax Errors

  
  

Syntax errors refer to mistakes in the arrangement or structure of words and phrases within a sentence. Subject-verb agreement is included in it which is a grammatical rule that states that the subject of a sentence must agree with its verb in terms of number. The correct use of singular and plural verbs in accordance with their respective subjects.

Mismatching pronouns is another mistake that’s easy to miss. The mismatch could be of number or gender. It’s all about the disagreement between a pronoun and its antecedent. “The dog are barking” is incorrect. “The dog is barking” is the correct use.

Verb tense errors are a bit trickier to figure out. They occur when there are inconsistent or incorrect uses of verb tenses. The timing of events and actions needs to be portrayed accurately. For example, “We go to the church yesterday” is wrong. “We went to the church yesterday” is the right use.

Modifiers give/add more detail to the sentence but that same modifier when misplaced can lead to confusion of varying types. For example, “After eating dinner, the leftovers were stored in the refrigerator” is incorrect because the subject is ambiguous and unclear. “After eating dinner, he/she stored the leftovers in the refrigerator” is correct.

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  Punctuation Errors

  
  

Misuse of punctuation marks is quite common. Proper punctuation is crucial for conveying meaning, clarifying relationships between words and ideas, and ensuring the coherence of written communication.

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses (complete sentences) are incorrectly joined by a comma without a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or) or without proper punctuation. This leads to confusion for readers.

For example, “She loves to cook, she has a vast collection of cookbooks” is wrong. Both “She loves to cook, and she has a vast collection of cookbooks” and “She loves to cook. She has a vast collection of cookbooks” are correct uses.

Without appropriate punctuation or conjunctions as demonstrated above, leads to run-on sentences. Apostrophe misuse is a simple error that can even catch me off guard at times. Quotation marks, colon, semicolons, hyphenation, and overuse of punctuation can all bog down your academic writing.

That’s right. Remember what we’re here for. Grammar errors are excusable in other formats of writing but not in academic ones. I equipped you with the baseline knowledge of how to spot these errors on your own. Knowing is half the battle. Let’s delve into ways to fix it quickly in the most modern of ways.

2. 
   

   Online Grammar Check Tools For An Easy Time

   
   

The most 2024 thing you could do is rely on an online tool (preferably it has AI) to fix all their problems. This is exactly the kind of fix that undergraduate students and above will be looking for in their academic discourse.

Properly attempting academic writing requires a lot of dedication and hard work. Not everyone attempting it will be a master of linguistics (unless you’re a language major). Even if you are, you’re better off using one of these online grammar correction tools.

You’ll save a ton of time that would otherwise be consumed proofreading even if you do know how to correct every grammar error in the book. Your choice of tool will also be a huge contributing factor to the success of your academic writing.

Anything grammar checker that provides highly accurate results in no time is a surefire success. To get an idea of what a foolproof online grammar check tool looks like, here’s one down below:

This grammar check tool rooted out four punctuation errors already in the span of three passages. The best part is that you can correct those errors individually or at the same time just ignore those problems. The problems can also be ignored individually and collectively.

If a grammar check tool claims to be working based on AI models, you can bank on natural language processing (NLP) being a part of it. It’s why the tools are so accurate. They get this human-like grammar prowess because they can interpret the language like us. Which is the whole function of NLP.

Grammatic Ending

Grammar checker tools have evolved to the point where they can dictate the whole writing process if you allow them. AI-powered tools will not only point out where you went grammatically wrong but also provide suggestions for better overall sentences.

That much power in the hands of students is already raising concerns in the academic community. Until there are proper regulations in place regarding AI, you should maximize the use of these tools for great academic writing.