by Mike Robertson
Mike is from Australia but has called Bristol home for five years. He’s a teacher of ESL and a keen travel writer, using his global experiences to sculpt adventure stories.
Writing an academic essay in another language can be really daunting, so ESL teacher Mike Robertson has put together some common errors to avoid.
1. Usage of apostrophes
Apostrophes are used to indicate possession (ownership) or a contraction (letters removed). In the first case, we must include one on every subject that owns something else – e.g. Tim’s jacket. If the subject is plural, an apostrophe is placed after the ‘s’ – e.g. the teachers’ staff room. If the subject ends with an ‘s’, there is a choice to either add a second ‘s’ – e.g. James’s house – or, remove it and place the apostrophe at the end – e.g. James’ house. As a general rule, you should write the word how it is said, but make sure you are consistent. For words that are already plural – e.g. children – the apostrophe should be included before the ‘s’.
2. Contracting words
This is a mistake that is easy to make, especially when you are writing fast. We have a tendency to type or write the words that we hear as we are thinking, but we should rethink this approach when writing essays. Common contractions like don’t, they’re, and couldn’t should be written in their complete form. Contractions that may be disguised as possessive punctuation – e.g. ‘Pete’s tired of writing all day’ – must also be written in long form. However, please don’t confuse possession and contraction – e.g. it’s and its. ‘It’s a sunny day today’ includes a contraction of the verb to be where it is becomes it’s and the apostrophe indicates the i that has been removed, whereas ‘the tree has lost its leaves’ is about possession.
Another common mistake that arises with contractions is the ‘could of’ phenomenon. Phrases like could have, should have, and would have become could’ve, would’ve and should’ve when contracted. The confusion lies in the fact that when spoken, the ‘ve’ sounds like ‘of’. There will not be many occasions where you have cause to write down these contractions as they are very informal, but if you do, make sure you have done so correctly.
3. There, their and they’re
They may all sound similar in conversation, but these words have their own meaning and use. Don’t fall into the trap of misusing them – there is for location, their is for possession and they’re is a contraction of they are. Double check your usage before submitting your essay.
4. Inconsistent tenses
Be mindful of using the correct tenses when you are forming ideas. Generally, we must have consistency in our sentences, so once we have decided on a tense we should stick to it. Write in past tense to talk about research or quotations that have actually occurred in real time; write in present tense to talk about the ideas on a broader scale.
5. Incomplete sentences
Every complex thought needs a subject and a verb. This may sound obvious, but sometimes our meaning can be lost in a long sentence that doesn’t entirely make sense. It is usually more effective to write simply, and only use complex sentence structures when you feel confident. If you are unsure about whether or not your expression is correct, ask a respected friend or family member for clarification.
6. Second person
Avoid using the second person pronoun you by reworking the phrase, and if it can’t be avoided, and replace it with one.
7. Using too many describing words and not enough evidence
Use of adjectives and adverbs can enhance your writing, but make sure that you are also giving evidence. The same can be said for the use of informal expressions that we say in conversation. When writing your essay, ensure that you write formal sentences without colloquialisms.