Welcome to the second edition of this series!
TextRanch received a great response to part 1, so we couldn’t help but follow it up with 5 additional solutions…
1. Not capitalizing ‘I’
This pronoun is always capitalized, so it’s a straightforward rule to follow. This also goes for contracted forms like I’ve, I’ll, and I’d.
❌ Incorrect: i knew what i needed to do.
✅ Correct: I knew what I needed to do.
2. Forgetting apostrophes in contractions
Speaking of shortened words, it is important to include an apostrophe in contractions. In some cases, the meaning will change without one (like well vs. we’ll). To do this correctly, place the apostrophe in the spot where the letter(s) used to be.
❌ Incorrect: Shell get angry if were late!
✅ Correct: She’ll get angry if we’re late!
3. ‘Look forward for’
Although it is perfectly correct to look for something, the preposition for does not belong in the phrasal verb look forward to. No matter what you’re looking forward to, make sure to switch “for” to “to”!
❌ Incorrect: Are you looking forward for Halloween?
✅ Correct: Are you looking forward to Halloween?
4. Using present perfect with past time markers
The present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) is not compatible with time indicators that are clearly in the past and already over (e.g., yesterday, last month, and in 2019). Solution? Change the verb to simple past tense.
❌ Incorrect: I have paid the electric bill two weeks ago.
✅ Correct: I paid the electric bill two weeks ago.
5. Mixing up ‘wedding’ & ‘marriage’
These terms are closely related but not interchangeable. Marriage is a lifelong partnership between two people, and to make a marriage official, couples have a wedding ceremony. If you get invited to one of these celebrations, please be sure to call it a wedding and not a marriage!
❌ Incorrect: Did everyone have fun at the marriage?
✅ Correct: Did everyone have fun at the wedding?
Remember, making mistakes is a natural part of learning to write in English, but that doesn’t mean you can’t recognize errors and fix them.
After all, practice makes perfect!
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