Student writing skills often are deficient. This page identifies some problems commonly found in student writing and provides links to information about improving writing skills. Students are strongly advised to read this page carefully and make a commitment to improve their written communication skills this semester. All written work submitted in my classes will have points deducted for spelling and grammar mistakes, incorrect word use, and muddled thoughts, as well as content errors. If meanings are garbled, communicate is not effective.
Effective communication requires the elimination of errors and the clarification of expression.
Students commonly fail to eliminate errors because they don't proofread their work or edit it to correct spelling and grammar, and clarify thoughts. Read and reread your writing to find errors, then take the time to make corrections. If you wait until the last minute to edit your writing, you won't have the time to do a really thorough job. Read your work out loud to make sure your words clearly express your thoughts. Agreement means that a verb must agree with its subject.