Top Student Writing Mistakes: The Real “Madness” in Higher Education
According to some estimates, March Madness costs companies up to $134 million in lost productivity — with employees streaming the tournament online, updating brackets, participating in office pools, and more.
Imagine if the United States cared as much about the quality of a school’s curriculum as we do about the caliber of its basketball team?
In keeping with the competitive spirit of the NCAA basketball championship, the Grammarly team created a “tournament” of our own. We reviewed articles from 16 student newspapers at colleges across the country to come up with our own “Final Four,” as determined by the most well-written student newspapers. Here they are:
- The Stanford Daily (Stanford University)
- Statesman (Utah State University)
- Dartmouth Review (Dartmouth College)
- The Prospector (University of Texas, El Paso)
Congratulations to these exceptional student newspapers for the quality writing!
Is quality of writing a predictor of inclusion in the actual Final Four tournament? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, here is an overview of some of the most common writing mistakes made by students using the Grammarly platform.
What types of writing mistakes did you make as a student?
March Forth to Celebrate National Grammar Day
National Grammar Day is upon us! Last week, the Grammarly team asked our Facebook fans to share original photos that capture some of the exceptional, awkward, and hilarious writing errors that they encounter every day. As a result, we received nearly 200 photo submissions that visually represent some difficult facts that have become representative of the state of English writing skills today.
In the United States alone, low literacy (the ability to read and write) costs the economy $225 billion a year in lost productivity; and, writers who are not yet in the workforce are already foreshadowing negative outcomes. For example, student writing scores on the SAT have declined five points since 2011 and consistently represent the lowest student outcomes of any section of the test. As is evidenced by the photos we received of misspelled street signs, dinner menus, elementary school worksheets, and more, many English writers simply do not learn proper spelling and grammar skills.
Writing is one way in which people are measured, and a properly written sentence or paragraph can make the difference in receiving a passing or failing grade, job offer, promotion, or pay raise. National Grammar Day is a fun opportunity to celebrate grammar with photos, haikus, “grammar” crackers, and “grammartinis,” but let’s not lose sight of the overall goal of the day: To reflect on the importance of proper grammar.
Happy National Grammar Day!
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Grammarly’s National Grammar Day Photo Contest ran from February 22 to March 1 on the Grammarly Facebook Page. The winner of the contest and recipient of a $100 Amazon Gift Card as well as bragging rights on National Grammar Day is Julia Catton. Julia sent us this gem:
I guess they really do ship anything, anywhere.
Here are some more entertaining photos submitted for the contest:
Shared by Michele Lemmon
Shared by Tim Thompson
Shared by Crystal Thomas
Shared by Anne Marsh
Shared by Nancy Morin
Shared by Lee-Anne Lawrance
Shared by JoAnna Belligan Lewis
Shared by Amy Carroll
Shared by Johanna Brown
Shared by Emily Rohrer
definitely
-adv.
- Without question and beyond doubt. — The mother definitely has love for her child.
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defiant
-adj.
1. Defying.
2. Boldly resisting opposition.
- adv. — defiantly
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Download Grammarly Lite to write without mistakes on Tumblr, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook and more. It’s FREE. http://bit.ly/XSjvbA
Bear vs. Bare
Bear and bare are homophones—words that sound alike but have different meanings.
bear
-v.
1. To carry something.
2. To be equipped with something.
- the right to bear arms
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bear
-n.
- 1. A large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and raccoon, having shaggy hair, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of family Ursidae, particularly of subfamily Ursinae
- (informal) An animal that resembles a bear, such as a koala or ant bear.
(Visit Grammarly Words for a more complete definition.)
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bare
-adj.
- Minimal; that is or are just sufficient.
- the bare necessities
2. Naked, uncovered.
- Don’t show your bare backside in public.
3. Having no supplies.
- a room bare of furniture
- The cupboard was bare.
(Visit Grammarly Words for a more complete definition.)
Download Grammarly Lite to write without mistakes on Tumblr, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook and more. It’s FREE. http://bit.ly/XSjvbA
Its = possessive form of “it”
It’s = contraction of “it is”
Grammarly Lite is a FREE tool to help you write without mistakes on Tumblr, Facebook, Gmail, and anywhere else on the Web. Download at http://bit.ly/VJ8SIJ.
“Like” if you’re good with weekends!
Have a great one, everyone!
Spelling counts!
What if you really were allergic to spelling and grammar errors?
