"What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing."

More Tips

Basic tips for editing your paper:

Not even those with a Ph.D. in English can usually produce long error free papers. Humans make errors. This is unavoidable. The important point is to have the least amount possible in order to communicate as clearly as possible. Of course, those who have trained their minds to spot errors usually have far fewer errors after editing than the average person. 

Besides learning the rules of grammar, you need to develop an "error radar." We all tend to look over many of our errors. Our minds simply gloss over them, reading them as being correct. This phenomenon also occurs in other aspects of our lives. For instance, you might not see that spot on your collar when grooming yourself in the mirror, but the next person you see will probably notice it right away. Thus, it is good to get another careful reader to look over your paper after you have looked it over carefully, but  before you turn it in for a grade. However, for in-class papers, you will have to develop your "error radar." First, learn what your typical errors are by looking back over several graded papers. These are the ones you will train your mind to spot. Perhaps a better way to put it is to "untrain" your mind or to give the input to the mind in a different fashion so it "sees" the paper in a different way. 

1. First, read the paper through in the typical way, beginning to end, except do it very slowly, keeping in mind your own typical errors.

2. Read your paper out loud. Your mind gets the information via the outer ear rather than just through the "inner ear."

3. Read the paper line by line backwards. This also makes unfamiliar what your mind remembers. That is, this makes you see each sentence as a separate entity rather than a small part of the meaning your paper is making, the meaning that your mind created and expects.

4. Put the paper away for awhile if it is an out-of-class assignment. Then, go through the above mentioned tips again. This will help you see the paper with fresh eyes. If it is an in-class assignment, you might go for a drink of water or take a five minute break, letting your mind wander and refresh itself. Both of these call for careful time management.

"The comma probably causes more anguish for apprentice writers than any other punctuation mark. There's no magic formula for accurate comma use. Most uses are conventional, but a few require judgment calls--and writers can develop the necessary judgment only through lots of reading and writing." 

From The Little, Brown Handbook, Eighth Edition, Teacher's Annotated.

Overall, major mechanical errors, such as run-ons and comma splices, can harm your ability to  communicate smoothly your message. In the university, these errors can cause your paper grade to go rapidly down. Out in the work world, these errors can cause a lack of respect for your communication ability, block your progress within a business, or cause your business to lose respectability.

You can get rid of the majority of your major mechanical errors simply by learning to useand punctuate correctly conjunctions. Most grammar handbooks have lists of the various types of conjunctions, including the use of the semicolon as a conjunction. Look up the lists of typical subordinating, coordinating, and correlative conjunctions. Also, look at the lists of conjunctive adverbs and transitional phrases. Memorize those that you use often when combining your ideas.