subject: Article Submission Guidelines: 9 Silly Grammar Mistakes That Can Get Your Article Declined [print this page] If you adhere to these article submission guidelines, you will improve the chances of your articles being published! Thats a pretty big reason to take the extra time to be sure that your article is free of grammar and spelling errors.
The following are major grammar errors that commonly result in articles being declined. As you look over these basic rules of grammar, you will say to yourself, I know this stuff already!
Yes, these are very silly mistakes, but they are extremely common nonetheless.
1 - The subject and verb of your sentence must agree. For example: He runs in the race rather than He run in the race.
2 - The first letter of each sentence should be capitalized.
Duh, right? I think this type of error is a spillover from texting and instant messaging where people tend to be very relaxed with capitalization. Your articles should be written with the same level of formality as if you were crafting a cover letter to send to a future employer. Potential customers are looking at your article, so you want to make the best impression possible.
3- Each sentence needs to have a full stop at the end (period, exclamation point, question mark). This is another very obvious and silly mistake, but one I see quite frequently. I think this one is probably the result of the writer being in a hurry and not proofreading the article.
4 - Always capitalize the word I. For example, He wanted to leave, but i decided to stay. Obviously, this should be He wanted to leave, but I decided to stay. I am seeing this error more frequently, so this is just a friendly reminder that the word I should always be capitalized.
5 - Use multiple paragraphs in your article. You should not submit articles that are only one paragraph long. Your article should have an introductory paragraph, a concluding paragraph, and paragraphs in between that support the topic of your article.
6 - Its and Its
"Its" is a contraction for the words it is or it has. Ex: Its going to snow today!
"Its" is a possessive pronoun. Ex: The Golden Retriever is known for its friendly personality.
7 - Your and Youre
The word "your" refers to something that belongs to you or is related to you. Ex: Did you remember to bring your wallet?
"Youre" is short for "you are". Ex: Youre going to be late if you dont hurry.
8 - Their, There, and Theyre
"Their" is a plural possessive pronoun: Their house is lovely.
"Theyre" is short for they are:" Theyre going to the beach.
"There" can be an indication of place (Can I go there with you?) or a pronoun (There is a new restaurant opening tonight.).
9 - To, Two, and Too
Use "two" if youre referring to the number 2. Ex:They have two kids.
You can use "too" in place of "also" or "in addition to". Ex: Id like to go too.
I know that this information is likely just a reminder for you. These are very silly mistakes, but they are also very common, which makes them even more embarrassing when we make them! The bright side is that all of these errors are easily fixed and can be prevented with careful proofreading.
