Common Writing Problems

Study Aids - Common Writing Problems

There are many common problems most students experience as they are learning how to write an analytic essay. I have listed below a number of common problems I have found in the essays I have graded. It is easy to fall into a pattern and then repeat a mistake over and over. In fact, as most people begin to concentrate more on making an argument in their paper (that is, on the paper's content), they often suffer problems with paper mechanics they didn't have before. This problem is normal and easily understood: as you focus on one task, you tend to neglect other aspects of the paper. Fortunately, this problem is also easily fixed by carefully proofreading your paper. Writing is a process that continues after getting to the end of the first draft. Don't just look for typos when you proofread, also look for unclear language or unclear thought. Don't be afraid to radically reorganize the paper. Often, until the first draft is completed, the argument of the paper is not clear in your mind. Many passes are sometimes necessary to iron out the problems in a paper. I have listed the most common problems below along with the phrase or phrases I usually write on the paper to indicate that the paper has this problem. These problems vary from student to student and some are more easily fixed than others.

Phrase or Key Word	The Top Ten Most Common Problems
No thesis/ get to the point	1. The paper lacks a clear thesis statement in the introductory paragraph or simply does not offer an argument at all. Be sure to get to the point (the argument) as quickly as you can. Have a thesis which proposes an idea/argument separate from that of the reading.
Use past tense about past events	2. Be sure to use past tense verbs when explaining events in the past. They are over and done with and the people involved are dead; the present tense implies ongoing events and actions. Stay in the past tense consistently.
indent/ use block quotations	3. The convention when quoting a source is to place the material in the text and in quotation marks if the material is 3 full lines or less. If it is more, the convention is to indent the quotation by half an inch on both sides and separate it from the text in a different paragraph. Such longer quotations are not given quotation marks! Also, learn to use punctuation before quotes correctly (comma in first case, colon in second).
do not use "this" as a subject	4. Words like "this" are indefinite pronouns and should not be used as the main subject of sentence to avoid confusing the reader. Use a real noun instead. If you must, say "this strategy" or "this emperor" or use some other noun to clarify what the subject is. In general, this problem results from writing too similarly to how one speaks (see next item).
too colloquial	5 . Many inexperienced writers write as they speak in everyday life. This tendency often produces phrases or sentences that do not read well or look good in formal writing, even though they may sound fine when read aloud. Avoid such "colloquial" expressions and replace them with more formal prose. For example, don't say "Augustus was doing his own thing...", say "Augustus had his own plan..."
Avoid using "I"/"you"	6. Formal prose is written in the 3rd person voice, except on rare occasions. Avoid using "I" or "you" (the first and second person voices).
cite needed/ learn when to cite	7 . Faulty citation mechanics can be fixed by adopting a consistent system of reference (see "how to write an essay" for an example). However, one must also know when and where to provide a citation. Every direct quotation requires a reference. Any paraphrase of a source requires a reference. Any analysis of a source which summarizes the content of a long section should have a reference. See "how to cite sources correctly" and the "plagiarism" page for further clarification or consult a style manual.
Analyze don't just describe	8 . Spending a lot of your paper simply describing what a source says or what the author argues is not advisable unless it serves to prove a particular point. It is also not the way to write a good, convincing paper. Try to limit narrating events or description of the source to only what is needed to prove your argument fully and completely. Do not waste time with unnecessary information.
learn to use apostrophe/ it's does not equal its	9. Possessive words ending in "s" take an apostrophe after the s and don't add another "s". For example: "Augustus' reign established the empire...". The only exception is for the word "its", which has no apostrophe (it's= it is, and is a contraction)
unclear wording/ wrong word/ awkward phrasing	10 . Something about the sentence (usually circled or underlined) either doesn't make sense, is so poorly worded as to be unclear, or simply if the wrong word for what you mean to say. If necessary, look up the word in a dictionary to understand its true meaning. This problem is worst when it occurs with verbs, which completely twists the meaning of the sentence.

Sally Hadden
401 Bellamy Bldg.
Dept. of History
Florida State University
Tallahassee FL 32306-2200