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It is common to come across grammatical mistakes in dissertations. A dissertation is a lengthy document, and many students only focus on completing the word count. But only completing the word count is not enough for a dissertation. It requires editing and proofreading to ensure that there are no grammatical mistakes. Dissertations that contain grammatical mistakes are hard to read and fail to convey the gist of the arguments.
Good writers always focus on sharpening their writing skills by writing clearly. It is because nobody wants to read a dissertation full of grammatical errors. Readers lose interest in the dissertation because they face difficulty comprehending its contents. As an immature writer, you can commit grammatical mistakes in your dissertation. But, you can improve them and refine your dissertation by knowing about the general grammatical errors. It will help you enhance the quality and comprehensibility of your dissertation. Here are a few tips for eliminating grammatical mistakes in your dissertation.
Common Grammatical Errors
Here are the common grammatical errors that students make in dissertation writing:
Agreement Errors
Subject/Verb Agreement
For every Sentence to be grammatically correct, the subject and the verb must agree. A singular subject always takes a singular verb by adding s or es. Consider the following example:
- He drives carefully
- It works perfectly
In the case of a plural subject, the verb must be plural, and there is no need to add s or es to the verb. For example:
- They work at the cafeteria
- We pray daily
It is easier to remember this rule in the examples mentioned above. But dissertation writing encompasses complex sentences, and sometimes it becomes confusing. You have to make sure that you are referring to the correct subject. For example:
Incorrect: The father and his three small children are dead.
Correct: The father and his three small children are dead.
Noun-Pronoun Agreement
Ensuring that the pronouns refer to the nouns in the dissertation writing is essential. There should be an agreement between the nouns and the pronouns.
Preposition at the end of the Sentence
Writing a preposition at the end of the sentence is a common mistake in dissertation writing. The rule is that a preposition comes after a word.
Comma Usage
Comma mistakes are frequent in dissertation writing, and many writers commit this error. Also, a comma signifies a pause in a sentence that enhances the meaning of the text. But the wrong usage of a comma changes the entire meaning of the Sentence. For example:
Incorrect: One of the perks of getting a club membership is a free spa
Correct: One of the perks of getting a club membership is a free spa
Capitalization
Capitalization is a common mistake that repeatedly occurs in dissertation writing. Titles that precede the name have to be in capital letters. The name of the groups and organizations has to be in capital letters. Further references to the already capitalized names shall be in lowercase letters.
Sentence Fragments
A sentence fragment is also a common mistake in dissertation writing. A sentence contains a subject and a verb. Further, a sentence fragment occurs when a writer introduces a new idea. For example:
Incorrect: You should stop smoking. Because it is bad for the health
Correct: You should stop smoking because it is bad for your health
Modifiers
Modifiers are those words that add information or describe a particular element in a sentence. Writers often place the modifiers away from the subject, making the sentence unclear. A dangling modifier is a common mistake that students often make. It happens when the sentence does not have the subject and the object being modified is missing from the Sentence.
Homonyms
Sometimes the spelling checker tools are unable to recognize the errors of homonyms. Homonyms are words different in spelling, but the sound is similar. Students must proofread carefully to get rid of this error. For example:
- It stands for possessive where it is a contraction for it is
Punctuation Mistakes
Students make punctuation mistakes in quotations. Periods and commas have to be inside the quotation marks. Question marks, commas and semicolons have to be inside the quotation marks.
Parenthetical Punctuation
It is important to place the punctuation at the end of the sentence in parenthesis or square brackets and outside the parenthesis.
Conclusion
Grammatical mistakes can change the entire meaning and context of your dissertation. There are common errors that students make in their dissertations. But these grammatical errors can sabotage the efforts and hard work of students. So, following all the guidelines mentioned above is essential and avoiding making grammar mistakes.
You can hire editing and proofreading services if you face grammatical mistakes in your academic assignments.
