There\u2019s nothing more gratifying for a researcher than to get their manuscript published. The opposite is also quite true when their manuscript gets rejected because of preventable grammatical errors.<\/p>\n
This article will explore the most common grammatical mistakes discovered in manuscripts. When researchers learn to avoid these mistakes by\u00a0revising their work<\/a>, they inevitably enhance their chances of manuscript publication.<\/p>\n Typos<\/strong><\/p>\n Typos surely\u00a0affect the credibility of a manuscript<\/a>. Certain common grammatical mistakes can change the entire meaning of a statement. Avoid typos by investing time in editing your work attentively.<\/p>\n Colon<\/strong><\/p>\n Generally, a list of items starts with a colon.<\/p>\n Wrong: I want to send these gifts to my cousins, Novels, Watches, and Perfumes.<\/em><\/p>\n Right: I want to send these gifts to my cousins: Novels, Watches, and Perfumes.<\/em><\/p>\n There is a rule for colon usage in lists. If the part of the sentence prior to the colon is incomplete without the part that comes after, then the colon must be avoided.<\/p>\n Wrong: My brother\u2019s favorite outdoor activities are: Horseracing, Marathons & Hiking.<\/em><\/p>\n Right:\u00a0My brother\u2019s favorite outdoor activities are Horseracing, Marathons & Hiking.<\/em><\/p>\n Semicolon<\/strong><\/p>\n Semicolons usually\u00a0separate two sentences<\/a>\u00a0that are related directly. But, incorrect use of semicolons needs to be avoided.<\/p>\n Wrong: London is the world\u2019s financial capital, it is also super expensive.<\/em><\/p>\n Right: London is the world\u2019s financial capital; it is also super expensive.<\/em><\/p>\n Commas<\/strong><\/p>\n Omitting or misplacing commas can change the entire meaning of a sentence. For instance,<\/p>\n Wrong: Anyhow I must book the cab now or I may miss my flight.<\/em><\/p>\n Right: Anyhow, I must book the cab now, or I may miss my flight.<\/em><\/p>\n Commas also follow abbreviations such as e.g., i.e., etc., though not compulsory, the majority of the style guides favor using a comma after these acronyms.<\/p>\n Apostrophes<\/strong><\/p>\n An incorrectly placed apostrophe can totally\u00a0change the meaning of the sentence<\/a>. Apostrophes signify contractions, possessive forms, etc. Plural forms must never have apostrophes.<\/p>\n Wrong: The ring is beautiful, but I cannot take it as its your\u2019s \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Right: The ring is beautiful, but I cannot take it as it\u2019s yours<\/em><\/p>\n The words \u201cits\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s\u201d have the same phonetic sound, but totally different meanings. \u201cit\u2019s\u201d can mean either \u201cit is\u201d or \u201cit has.\u201d \u201cIts\u201d represents a possessive form.<\/p>\n Wrong: The tiger is losing it\u2019s eyesight.<\/em><\/p>\n Right: The tiger is losing its eyesight.<\/em><\/p>\n Periods Before or After the Quotation Marks<\/strong><\/p>\n Periods signify the completion of a sentence. Often, the writers forget to put the period due to oversight or hurry. Even more intriguing question is whether to put the period before or after the quotation marks.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no definite rule here as both options are correct, depending on the style guide. In British English, the period comes after the quotes \u2013 American English does it the other way round.<\/p>\n American English: She shouted, \u201cDo not enter that old building; it\u2019s haunted.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n British English: He said, \u201cDo not enter that old building; it\u2019s haunted.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Overuse of Exclamation marks<\/strong><\/p>\n Excessive use of exclamation marks diminishes the impact of each exclamation mark. They need to be utilized judiciously to ensure they do not lose their value and make the reader feel overwhelmed.<\/p>\n Hyphens, Em dash, and En dash<\/strong><\/p>\n Punctuation marks<\/a> such as hyphens, en dash and em dash appear similar but vary in length and usage. Hyphen\u00a0is utilized to link two or more words serving as a single adjective prior to a noun, such as \u201c73-year-old veteran.\u201d<\/p>\n En dash is shorter than the Em dash but longer than a hyphen. Here\u2019s an example of Em dash & En Dash usage:<\/p>\n Em dash: The employees \u2014who were on leave\u2014serendipitously escaped the tragedy.<\/em><\/p>\n En dash: Anyone who is in the age range of 13-19 can audition for the lead role.<\/em><\/p>\n Lengthy & Complicated Sentence Structures<\/strong><\/p>\nCommon Grammatical Mistakes that Result in Manuscript Rejection<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Most Common Grammatical Mistakes<\/strong><\/h2>\n