Common Errors in Rough Drafts

• Writing numbers --- write out numbers under 100
• No “there is/are” sentences
• No contractions
• Run-on, fused, or comma splice sentences
• Titles of books – capitalize, italics
• Parallel construction
• Using “too”  -- use a comma
• Handwritten rough drafts – clear lower case and capital letters
• Verb tenses
• Correct preposition use
• There – they’re – their
• Noun & pronoun agreement
• Introductory phrases and commas
• Indent first line of a paragraph
• No spaces between paragraphs
• Avoid beginning sentences with conjunctions
• Avoid using “things”
• God – he or He
• Pronouns and antecedent agreement
• Split infinitives
• Using first person
• Unclear – awkward – expand
• Commas & compound sentences
• Parentheses, ellipses, dashes
• Sentences too long
• A lot – two words
• Exclamation points
• Essay titles
• Name of Organization (NoO)
• Paragraph constructions
• “So” and “then” overuse
• “The reason is because …”
• Using questions
• Informal language
• Expanding introductions and conclusions