Normal
0
Ah, the college essay. There will be many dozens
of these in your future as a college or university student. So the best plan is
to learn some simple tricks (rules) that will keep you from looking dumb when you
write them!
Normal
0
College Essay Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb
Ah, the college essay. There will be many dozens of these in
your future as a college or university student. So the best plan is to learn
some simple tricks (rules) that will keep you from looking dumb when you write
them!
It’s
or Its? This is the number one mistake that students make on their college
essays. Hard to believe, right? Its true! (Did you catch it? It’s true!).
Your computer spell check is NOT going to catch this one either. So learn
this: “It’s” is a contraction for it is. Try reading your sentence
out loud and substituting it is for your word. If it sounds goofy,
then chances are good the correct choice is “Its.”
Your
or You’re? Another example of confusing a possessive pronoun with a
contraction in your college essays. “Your” goes in front of something you
own – “your computer” or “your essay.” “You’re” is a contraction for you
are. Do the read out loud trick. If you are not sure which one to use,
you will hear which one is correct.
There
or Their? Sometimes this mistake in college essays is simply a typo. All
the more reason to rely on your brain rather than the spell check! “There”
can be used in many ways. However, “their” always means more than one
person and they own something. For example, “They went there on vacation,
and spent all their money.”
Effect
or Affect? This is a tough one even for the most seasoned writers. Despite
the propensity of the media and others mixing these two, there is a
distinct difference. “Effect” is a noun. Think back to elementary school
and recall that a noun is a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. If that
fits your sentence, then “effect” is the correct choice. “Affect” is a
verb. Flashback again and recall that verbs indicate an action, event or
state.
Learn these four simple points and the scores you receive on
your college essays will improve. If you are not sure, ask someone. A tutor,
professional writer, or even your professor can assist with these and other
types of mistakes. Avoid them and you won’t look dumb!
Jon Ginsburg is a partner with PowerPapers.com, an
innovative academic writing company that specializes in providing
custom-written, original model papers on all topics and in all formats.
PowerPapers firmly believes that a quality model paper can be a key learning
tool for almost any student. Check them out at http://www.powerpapers.com.
