Common grammatical mistakes and other things to watch out for:

● Homonyms: your/you’re, their/there/they’re, too/two/to, etc.

○ Spell check doesn’t catch these, so you have to!

● Subjects: make sure your subject is consistent throughout your sentence, unless you
explicitly change it--the same is true for Point of View: you can’t change this back and
forth throughout a paper

● Subject-Verb agreement: if you have a dependent clause like the one below starting off
your sentence, it will technically refer to the subject or object closest to it in the
accompanying independent clause.
○ Correct example: Having decided on a paper topic, I was able to finish my
assignment quickly and easily.
○ Incorrect example: Having decided on a paper topic, the paper was fast and easy
for me to write.

● Repetition of words: switch it up--if you use the same word (or name) several times in
the same sentence (or in subsequent sentences), you start losing major style points from
any reader

● Tense: if you start with one family of tenses (present, past), you have to stick with it
throughout the paper

● “From...to…” constructions: If you start one of these, don’t get lost in a list and forget you
need to have a “to” somewhere in there. Example: “From Boston or New York to Philly or
Miami…” is correct; “From Boston or New York, Philly or Miami…” is not.

● Comparatives: In conversation, “It was a darker blue” or “it was more like X” or “it was
more of a” can be appropriate. In writing, it comes across as overly colloquial, and
leaves the critical reader asking: “darker than what?” “more X than what?” It’s more of a
speaking thing. (See what I did there?)

● “Literally” is not synonymous with “really” or “seriously” or “very”.

Some helpful suggestions:

● The Writing Center here at Brown has excellent resources--check them out! Here’s a link
to one of their grammar pages:
http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Writing_Center/resources_writers/grammar.html
● Use your TAs: we all have office hours, and you should feel free to drop by with a draft
of a paper (as well as any other questions you may have)! We want to help you succeed,
and we’re happy to look things over with you. (We are not, however, free copy editors,
so please read your paper over quickly for glaring errors).
● Read out loud: Reading your paper over in your head is a useful editing tool, but reading
it out loud to yourself--or a friend, classmate, or TA--will help you catch more mistakes,
awkward sentences, or other problem spots.