Common Writing Mistakes
COMP3040 > The Writing Process
Introduction
Everyone has read articles, papers or instructions littered with errors which can be either humourous or frustrating. With technical writing, you don't want either of these scenarios. Your writing should be clear and concise because the goal of what you are writing is to explain a topic. Having the errors in your writing appear either humourous or frustrating to the reader is the last thing you want the reader to experience. The reader should be able to clearly understand the concepts of what is being explained to them.
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...by studentsWriting this section has probably got to be the most difficult to write. People don't usually tolerate mistakes in writing on how to fix writing mistakes. I just hope I didn't make any blatantly obvious errors which destroys all the credibility of this section. The best way to make sure the reader understands what has been written is to get rid of all the common mistakes in our writing. Some of the common errors are hard to catch because of the word's spelling or pronunciation. Lets take a look at some of these errors so that they can be fixed. Many of us are guilty of committing these errors, so lets try and reduce them.
Common ErrorsIt can't be stressed enough: if you are guilty of these mistakes often use the search function in your word processor to find these words to double check your usage of them. When in doubt, try using another word. A thesaurus is good for looking up similar meaning words. Word PhrasesAvoid using obscure technical terms or buzz words. When using technical terms, make sure that they are clearly defined in your document. Using terms that the audience may not know will only lead to feelings that the document is unnecessarily wordy or above their grasp. Reading academic papers is often difficult for this reason. Remember that you are better off writing something that everyone understands[1].
As for buzz words, nothing says you're B.S.ing like buzz words.
TensesMaintaining a consistent tense throughout a sentence or paragraph can be difficult. Sentences can sound perfectly correct even when the sentences switch from present tense to past tense. Tense allow a reader to understand the time frame in which events occur [4]. Mastering the use of tenses will allow your writing to be understood clearly.
When writing technical documents or instructions it is best to use the present tense. With instructions, the user will be performs the step in the present, not in the future[1]. Also, avoid the use of conditional phrases because conditionals make instructions lack clarity.
The outcome from the above example is not clear. The conditional only confuses the reader where proper instructions lead to a clear outcome.
Improper UsagesHere are a few of the more commonly misused words.[5] [6] See here for a much larger list of errors.
References
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