39 T T he majority of grammar, punctuation, and capitalization mistakes are just a few dozen
common ones. If you learn these common errors and how to avoid or correct them,
your writing will greatly improve. Therefore, the focus of this chapter is on those errors
that occur most frequently.
No matter how original an idea you come up with, the inability to express yourself clearly
and accurately through the written word will hinder the success of your essay. The rules of
mechanics are complex; in fact, they sometimes confuse even professional writers. How-
ever, you do not need to become a strict grammarian in order to write well.
