Writing Don’ts: Mistakes You Should Avoid in Your Next Piece

Are you guilty of these writing no-nos?

Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash

You have probably read loads of articles on what you should be doing when it comes to writing.

But what about the things you shouldn’t be doing?

Here is a quick list for you about the things you shouldn’t be doing in your text, whether that’s in fiction or non-fiction.

1. Spelling, Punctuation and Grammatical Errors

With technology, there is no excuse for having spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors anymore (*she quickly checks her own piece*). Proofread your work, put it through a spell checker, and something that will check the grammar. Fix them and move on.

2. Run-on Sentences

A run-on sentence (also known as a fused sentence or comma splice) occurs when two or more independent and complete sentences are joined together without the appropriate punctuation or conjunctions (joining words) to separate them.

For instance, a comma splice occurs when two sentences are separated by a comma and not the correct conjunction (e.g., I wanted to go to the store, I needed some milk). To correct this, use a semi-colon: I wanted to go to the store; I needed some milk.

A fused sentence happens when two sentences are placed together without any punctuation or conjunction. For example, I wanted to go to the store I needed some milk. Fix this by using a comma and coordinating conjunction: I wanted to go to the store, and I needed some milk. Or you could use a full stop (or period) to separate the two sentences: I wanted to go to the store. I needed some milk. Or you could use a subordinating conjunction to turn one of the sentences into a dependent clause: Since I wanted to go to the store, I needed some milk.

That last one was not a great sentence, but you get the gist.

3. Fragmented Sentences

These are sentences that lack a subject or verb. In other words, something is missing to make it a correct sentence. Examples of fragmented sentences include: In the park on a sunny day. To fix this, you could add in the missing elements: The children played in the park on a sunny day.