Writing your research paper is not easy to do, but as long as you know the basic mistakes that you should avoid, you can easily write an A research paper. First of all, you need to know that writing a research paper takes time and a lot of attention. Although you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to make for it, you still need to pay attention to some of the most common grammar mistakes that would affect your grade. So, here are some advice you can use to help you write a great research paper.
Five Main Grammar mistakes to avoid in the research paper and how to avoid them
The five most common grammar mistakes to avoid are:
1. Pronouns
Pronouns are commonly used elements in speech, as they can take the functions of nouns. Here are some advice for you when using pronouns:
Proofread your paper to see whether there are any pronouns that you did not agree with the linked nouns
Don’t overuse pronouns
2. Nouns
Nouns accomplish the functions of objects and subjects. In what regards the use of nouns, here is what you need to know:
Make sure all the uncountable nouns in your paper are used in singular
Make sure all your countable nouns are used with the correct determiners
3. Verbs
The use of auxiliary verbs is important and when used correctly, it adds grammatical or functional meaning to a clause. Auxiliary verbs accompany a main verb and they are typically used to help express aspect, mood and voice. Here are some things to keep count on:
Check whether you used all the auxiliaries and the modal verbs correctly
4. Subject-Predicate Agreement
How to check if you correctly agreed the subject with predicate:
Check all of your sentences to see whether the subject and predicate agree in person and number
5. Expressing possession
Checking that you correctly expressed possession:
Ensure that you used the correct possessive forms in all of your sentences.
Grammar Rules to Follow when Writing your Research Paper
Additionally to these grammar mistakes, you should also pay attention to the following rules, in order to make your research paper be grammatically correct:
- Write in complete sentences. In English language, a complete sentence is one that includes a verb and a subject.
- Match your tenses. Don’t change the tenses throughout the course of your writing, but make sure that both the subject and the verb are used in the same tense, whether it is past or present.
- Know when to use Me and when to use I. You need to pay attention to the sentence in order to determine whether it is correct to use “me” or “I” in your sentence.
- Don’t use double negatives. For example, instead of writing “I’m not watching nothing”, you must write “I’m not watching anything”.
- Using “well” and “good”. “Well” describes an action, while “good” describes a noun.
- Who versus Whom. “Who” is a subjective or nominative pronoun that is used when the pronoun performs as the subject of a clause.“Whom” is an objective pronoun used when the pronoun performs as the object of a clause.
- Which versus That. “Which” introduces a relative clause and its meaning is more flexible, so that it can be used in restrictive clauses. “That” is a restrictive pronoun and it is important to the noun to which it refers.
- Lay versus Lie. “Lay” is a transitive verb that requires a direct subject and at least one object. “Lie” is an intransitive verb and it needs no object.
- May versus Might. “May” refers to a possibility, while “Might” refers to a more uncertainty.
- Whether versus If. “Whether” expresses a condition in which there are at least two alternatives. “If” expresses a condition with no alternatives.
- Bring or Take. “Bring” is used when the object is moved toward the subject, while “Take” is used when the object is moved away from the subject.
- Few or Less. “Few” is used for things that can’t be quantified, while “Less” is used for hypothetical quantities.
- The use of Nor. “Nor” expresses a negative condition and its meaning is “and not”. You must use “nor” if your sentence expresses a negative and it is followed by another negative condition.
Many students make grammatical errors when they write their research papers and the grammatical errors affect the grade they get in their papers. For this, it is very important to learn how to recognize the most common grammar mistakes, in order to be able to avoid them in your future research papers. Remember to always proofread your research paper in order to correct any possible grammar mistakes that you might have done in it.