Other Errors

Missing Words

Missing word errors are easy to miss! Do you see which word is missing here?

Missing word errors make this list because we are too often in a hurry when we edit. Our brains are great. We can read right through sentences and put in the words that need to be there even if words are missing. Of course, others might quickly notice the error, so we have to find ways to slow ourselves down and edit carefully. You don’t want to write a sentence like the following example that is missing a small word with big meaning:

• I enjoy walking alone in the woods at night because I never what I will meet while I am out there in the dark.

Did you see the error? Look at the revised sentence below:

• I enjoy walking alone in the woods at night because I never know what I will meet while I am out there in the dark.

Incomplete or Missing Documentation

One very common error on Lunsford and Lunsford’s relates to proper documentation. It’s extremely important to remember to cite all borrowed information. No matter your documentation style, whether it is APA format, MLA format, or Chicago Style, all require some kind of citation for quoted, paraphrased, and summarized material.

Poorly Integrated Quote

Any teacher who has ever assigned and graded writing has probably complained about this error. Too often, beginning writers will simply “plop” a quote into a paragraph without any set up or context. This is incredibly confusing for your readers, so it’s important to make sure you smoothly integrate your quotes into the sentences around the quote.

Although there are no “rules” for such things, it’s always a good idea to provide a phrase of some kind to set up your quote and commentary after your quote to make sure your readers understand the relevance of the quote. Otherwise, you may end up with a this:

• Albert Einstein was a great man and a great scientist. He was one of the most advanced thinkers of our age. “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing” (Einstein Quotes, 2012).

Here, it feels like the quote is just dropped in without clear context. If you struggle with quote integration, you’ll want to check out the module on integrating sources.

LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS

20 Most Common Grammar Errors. Provided by: Excelsior College. Located at: https://owl.excelsior.edu/grammar-essentails/common-errors . Project: Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL). Licencse: CC BY: Attribution 

Missing word. Authored by: Warren B. Located at: https://www.flic.kr/p/4pskwB . LIcense: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike