More English 101

I have been blogging and providing tips for writers. Now even the most seasoned writer can make these common mistakes. Since I have been providing the most common mistakes made by new and seasoned writers alike, I will continue that theme. Here are some of the mistakes I see the most often.

Non-parallel verb structure: this is hard. The sentence can seem like it reads right, but it's not right. Non-parallel verb structure is when your verb tenses don't match. Here is an example:

Wrong: He walked to the store, stopping and picking up a paper, and continued inside.
Right: He walked to the store, stopped and picked up a paper, and continued inside.

Shifting from present to past tense in storytelling: this one is another common mistake. The rule: pick a tense and stay in it. For example, if you decide to write your story in present tense, you have to stay in the present tense the entire story. You can only shift to past tense when referring to something that did, indeed, happen in the past.

Wrong: She feels great today. The sun shines and the wind blows. She decided to go the store. She leaves and rode her bike.

Right: She feels great today. The sun shines and the wind blows. She decides to go the store. She leaves and rides her bike.