Common Writing Errors

This page collects several of the most common writing errors that I have noticed in papers, reports and theses. Many are related to incorrect translation from German (or other languages) to English.

See also: Get it Write

And see also How to Write Good, by Michael O'Donoghue ;-)

• Never say "allows to" again
• Citations are annotations, not parts of speech
• "Who" vs "Which" and "That"
• "Which" vs. "that"
• No comma before "that"
• Don't join sentences with commas
• "Amount" vs. "number"
• "Less" vs. "Fewer"
• "Little" vs. "few"
• "Its" vs. "it's"
• "A" vs. "an"
• Avoid Nounification
• Hyphenate adjectives, not nouns
• Software — countable or uncountable?
• Get the "Lead" Out
• "Such that" vs "so that"
• Evaluate That Donkey