Nothing says impressive more than a paper without spelling or grammatical errors. Your instructor will appreciate not having to pull out their red pen, and it shows you took the time to proofread carefully. So, instead of relying on spellcheck reach out to a family member, one with close attention to detail, and have them read through your paper(s).
Yes, your spellchecker will catch obvious misspellings, but it won’t be able to detect the tone and intended definition for the word you’re using. Here are some examples of frequently misused and misspelled words for college students; thanks to Huffington Post College for the great article.
Common words you may be misusing or misspelling:
- Their / They’re / There: The first is possessive, the next is a contraction of they and are, and the third is location.
- Acquire: I’ve probably left out the “c” a few times before as well, but a word you should consider double checking before using.
- Conscience: Whenever I use this word I repeat to myself that it’s “con-science”; with this method I never spell it wrong. Misspelling words like this may look like you don’t know how to properly use it in a sentence.
- Grateful: This is something I did a double take on yesterday. It’s sad it isn’t used more, but remember to “grate” your words when you’re “grateful”.
- Your / You’re: Again, this should be simple, when using these words read out loud if you are seems more appropriate then your.
Don’t be embarrassed if they uncover multiple mistakes; you’d rather it be a friend than your professor.
By: J. Mason
Comments are closed.