Common Grammatical Errors in Writing
 “THIS” IS NOT A NOUN
When writing a formal essay, “this” can only be used as an adjective, and every adjective needs a noun.
Example:
- Wrong: This shows his independence, and not needing other people to make up his opinion.
- Right: This example (conversation, idea, concept, action, etc.) shows his independence, and not
needing other people to make up his opinion.
 ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE
To become a better writer, an author needs to use active voice which utilizes action verbs because the
subject does the action instead of passive voice which utilizes being verbs because the subject receives
the action.
Example:
- Wrong: Atticus is used by Lee as a demonstration of moral behavior and courage to teach Scout the
ethical way to behave in society.
- Right: Lee utilizes Atticus as a demonstration of moral behavior and courage to teach Scout the
ethical way to behave in society.
 SIGNAL TAGS THAT MAKE SENSE
Signal tags are sentence starters that flow directly into the example the author is providing. For that
reason, signal tags need to connect to the example in a way that makes them read as a complete sentence.
Example:
- Wrong: She shows this when her friend Lula states, “Lula stopped, but she said, 'You ain't got no
business bringin' white chillun here-they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss
Cal?'"(Lee 119).
- Right: Lee demonstrates this idea of racism when she writes, “Lula stopped, but she said,
'You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here-they got their church, we got our'n. It is our
church, ain't it, Miss Cal?'"(Lee 119).
Signal tags also provide information to the reader about the example so when a character is directly
speaking, the signal tag must state who the speaker is.
Example:
- Wrong: Lee interjects, "’For one thing, Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s a
-
woman —” (221).
Right: Atticus interjects, "’For one thing, Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s
a woman —” (Lee 221).
 INFORMAL REFERENCES TO THE NOVEL
In formal essay writing, the author should not use informal phrases that directly state the example, the
quote, or the novel because the reader already knows that such references are the focus of the paper.
Example:
- Wrong: In this example, the bias of the jury displays the superiority the whites have over blacks.
- Right: The bias of the jury displays the superiority the whites have over blacks.
 SNGLE QUOTATION MARKS INSIDE CITED EXAMPLES
When a character is directly speaking in the novel, the author of the paper must include single quotation
marks inside the cited example.
Example:
- Wrong: Atticus proclaims, “There’s something in this world that makes men lose…” (Lee 224).
- Right: Atticus proclaims, “‘There’s something in this world that makes men lose …’” (Lee 224).