There are quite a number of glaring grammatical mistakes I make in my academic writing; this explains why I am taking this module. In this entry, I shall identify and discuss 3 errors I commonly make.
One of the most common errors I make is fragments. I tend to add transitions with semi colons into my sentences unnecessarily. For example, in my writing assignment 2, I wrote “They (stem cells) can be used to study the human cell differentiation process; therefore, providing us an insight into the causes of genetic abnormalities and birth defects.” A transition with a semi colon is used to join 2 independent clauses together. In the above example, the second sentence is a dependent clause; therefore, adding a semi colon and a transition after the first sentence results in a fragment. The sentence should be written as “They (stem cells) can be used to study the human cell differentiation process, and therefore provide us an insight into the causes of genetic abnormalities and birth defects.”
Another mistake I make is with regards to pronoun reference. I tend to be unaware of the shifting in my pronoun. In my writing assignment 1, I wrote “They hold great potential to improve our lives. However, if it is misused, it can destroy our lives.” The corrected version should be“They hold great potential to improve our lives. However, if they are misused, they can destroy our lives.” In view of the above, I will remind myself to specifically look out for pronoun shifting in my future academic writings.
Lastly, I do not know the difference between a relative clause and a restrictive clause, or the significance of which versus that. I have been using them inter-changeably, until Ms Khoo pointed them out during the conferencing session. The following is an extract from my written assignment 2: “Since ESCR uses embryos which are less than 14 days old, the argument of ESCR being unethical is unsound and lacking.” Relative clause can only be applied in situations when the gist of the sentence still remains even after the removal of part of the sentence after the relative clause. In this specific example, the embryos used in ESCR must be less than 14 days old. If I remove the part of the sentence after which, the sentence does not make logical sense. Therefore, I should use a restrictive clause instead of a relative clause. The sentence should be written as “Since ESCR uses embryos that are less than 14 days old, the argument of ESCR being unethical is unsound and lacking.”
After making the attempt to identify and explain my common grammatical mistakes, I hope I will pay extra attention to them during my future writings.
I hope you will overcome your problem areas, John. Read more, not just for vocabulary, but also for exposure. As you become more exposed to English, you will absorb more of the grammar and writing conventions. Your writing will also improve if you continue to apply the techniques that you were taught in EG1471.
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