Adopting an academic writing style in a foreign language can be very challenging for students. With so many things to keep in mind, it’s easy to make mistakes, but in marking my students’ essays and exam papers, I’ve noticed that many of the errors that frequently occur can easily be avoided. So, to help students avoid these common writing errors and show how to fix them, I’ve listed some of the mistakes I’ve come across. Here’s just one example.
Common error
The underlined words indicate the main problem in the example. However, there are other improvements that need be made (see explanation).
The team members are responsible to analyse the current working processes and consider ways of improving them.
The team members are responsible for analysing the current working processes and for considering ways of improving them.
The verb is ‘to be responsible for something’. So the verb after ‘for’ needs to be in the -ing form (analysing). Notice too, the repetition of ‘for’ in ‘and for considering’.
If you are interested in improving your writing skills, you can find five more examples of common errors and how to avoid them here: Common academic writing errors.
