As a seasoned teacher, my mission was consistent year after year: guide my students toward crafting the “perfect” essay. We may not have achieved perfection, but we made noteworthy strides—some students even got incredibly close, which I considered a win.
However, despite well-structured essays complete with compelling introductions and solid thesis statements, recurrent errors held us back from reaching that elusive perfection. That's when I realized: many of these mistakes could be headed off at the start of the school year. So I created a resource, complete with student notes to refer to while planning and writing their essays. Below, I've listed these common mistakes in order of frequency, based on the hundreds of essays I've graded over the years.
Mistake #12: Incorrect MLA Date Format
It's always disappointing to see a vibrant and creative essay marred by a simple date formatting error.
Tip: Teach students to follow the day-month-year format: '16 June 2015', not 'June 16, 2015'."
Mistake #11: Misusing Italics and Quotes
I've seen students go overboard with italics and quotes. It can get a little ridiculous.
Tip: Tell them to use italics for novels and movies, and quotes for short stories and poems.
Mistake #10: Missing Book Title or Author's Name
Sometimes essays turn into a guessing game. Who wrote this? What book is it about?
Tip: Remind them—book title and author have to be in the intro.
Mistake #9: Using First-Person in Formal Papers
Switching from "I think" to a more general viewpoint is a big step for analytical writing.
Tip: Guide them towards third-person for formal papers unless it's a personal essay.
Mistake #8: Incorrectly Citing Passages
The mantra here is, “When in doubt, cite it out.”
Tip: Teach them how to properly cite, especially for longer quotes. Use those indentation rules.
Mistake #7: Run-On Sentences
We've all slogged through that never-ending sentence. It's time to teach them better.
Tip: Show them how to use semicolons or just break those sentences up.
Mistake #6: Failing to Introduce Quotations
Dropping quotes without introductions is like walking into a party and not saying hello.
Tip: Teach them to introduce the speaker and the context before dropping the quote.
Mistake #5: Vague Titles
A good title sets the stage. Make it clear and related to the essay's main point.
Tip: Urge them to pick titles that hint at the essay’s main argument.
Mistake #4: Incorrect Punctuation for Citations
You’d be surprised how many people mess this up.
Tip: Make sure they know how to punctuate citations. Periods and commas have their places.
Mistake #3: Repeating the Author's Name in Citations
An essay isn’t a fan letter. One mention of the author's name is usually enough.
Tip: Tell them to use just the page number after the first citation, unless they bring in a new source.
Mistake #2: Using Past Tense for Literary Works
Talking about a book in past tense can make it feel less immediate.
Tip to Avoid: Encourage present tense. It makes the text feel alive and relevant.
Mistake #1: Punctuating Quotes Incorrectly
Punctuation matters, especially when quoting.
Tip: Drill the rules into them. It makes their writing clearer and more professional.
Conclusion
We've all been there—essays that are nearly perfect but trip up on seemingly minor errors. These tips are a compilation of years of grading papers and can genuinely make a difference in your students' writing. If you're interested in taking it a step further, I've packaged all of these tips, along with helpful student notes, into a comprehensive resource available on my Teachers Pay Teachers store. It's a wonderful aid designed to head off these common mistakes at the start of the school year. Feel free to click on the product image below to learn more and decide if it might be a good fit for your teaching toolkit.
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