While they might appear harmless, punctuation mistakes can affect the quality of your essays or articles. They can either change the meaning of your sentences or make them hard to read. Essays and academic assignments are often factored in your grades, and you want to get excellent scores.
Make your essays and other assignments flawless by getting rid of all punctuation errors. To do so, learn more about the most common mistakes you should look out for in your writing.
1. The Wrong Use of Commas
Both the overuse and the lack of commas are mistakes that you should avoid. Using commas even where they are unnecessary can make your work hard to read. The reader is also likely to get fatigued if the commas are too many.
If your essay lacks commas, the information might end up confusing the reader. Even worse, the reader might make the wrong interpretation. Use grammar checkers to identify whether you have used commas the right way. Alternatively, you can rely on the write essay for me service and let professional writers review and edit your essay for you.
2. Using Commas and Semicolons Interchangeably
Students often use commas and semicolons interchangeably, while that shouldn't be the case. The two punctuations serve different purposes in writing. Note that semicolons are used to separate two independent clauses and therefore cannot be used in place of commas and vice versa.
Commas are not used to emphasize the relationship between two clauses, but semicolons do. Commas should be used after a coordinating conjunction.
The two punctuations have different uses. Understand how and when semicolons are used to avoid making the mistake of using them interchangeably with commas.
3. Using Unnecessary Quotations
You have probably come across banners with quoted phrases. They are usually confusing and will take you sometime before you understand the message. Likewise, when you misuse quotation marks in your essay, you will confuse your reader.
Sometimes your statement may sound sarcastic and throw off the person reading your work. If there is nothing to quote, it is best to avoid quotation marks, both single and double.
Never use quotation marks to emphasize a point. It is better if you bold the phrases or italicize them.
4. Overusing Exclamation Marks
Overusing exclamation marks is a common punctuation error in writing. Too many exclamation marks can be overwhelming. They can be distracting and draw the reader's attention from the main message in your work.
You also need to limit their usage so that they have the desired impact when you actually need to use them. Also, the use of exclamation marks in formal writing is not recommended at all. This is because it takes away the seriousness in the tone used in writing.
It is best to use exclamation marks to show surprise.
5. Using "It's" Instead of "Its" and Vice Versa
The wrong use of "it's" and "its" is a common punctuation error. "Its" is possessive, while "it's" is a contraction for "it has" or "it is." By understanding how the two are used, you can avoid making that mistake in your writing.
Also, proofreading your work before submitting it will help in spotting the error and fixing it. Most of the time, students know the difference between the two but still make this writing mistake. Like the rest of the punctuation marks, using the two interchangeably can change a phrase's meaning.
To avoid confusion, be keen when using the two punctuations.
6. Mixing the Hyphen and Dash
The hyphen and dash are often used instead of one another in writing. You should steer clear of this sneaky mistake. The two are different and should also be used in separate instances.
Dashes are used to separate parenthetical statements to qualify things and indicate introductory sentences or conclusions. They are also used to break dialogue and to bring to the attention additional information.
Hyphens, on the other hand, are used to join words together.
7. Adding Periods Outside Quotation Marks
The use of periods outside quotation marks is one of the most common punctuation errors made. You will be surprised by how many people are guilty of using periods outside quotation marks. You must use commas and periods inside the quotation marks.
However, note that this is relative. If you have been requested to write in the American style, the periods and commas should be inside the quotation marks. If you are using the British style, then you can use the punctuations outside the quotation marks.
If instructions on which style to use have not been provided, use the punctuations inside the quotation marks.
Conclusion
If you want your academic writing to appear professional, you should avoid punctuation errors at all costs. The seven above are the most common punctuation mistakes that can cause your work not to be taken seriously.
Take time to understand how different punctuations are used, and proofread your work to ensure it is clear of both punctuation and grammar mistakes.