Every time we write, we are prone to making errors. The key is to catch and correct them before they go public. Some people read their writing out loud so their brain doesn’t “autocorrect” what they read. Others have another person review their writing (always recommended for professional writing). You can find a lot of errors yourself by carefully focusing on the words. Here’s a quiz to see how good you are at catching errors! 🙂
There are misspelled words, incorrect words, repeated words, missing words, etc. I see these type of errors repeatedly when I edit. Keep track of the ones you miss because those are your weak areas! You want to watch out for those. (Note: some of the sentences are correct.)
1. Miss Macker, the bank teller, misstakenly thought my mother was my aunt.
2. The rodeo got really exciting when the bull kicked the gate and got it’s leg caught.
3. We were in such a rush that we forgot the the stove was on, and the house caught on fire.
4. The cat raced toward the helpless bird with broken wing and pounced on it.
5. We had to read the entire Constitution of United States and do an extensive report on it.
6. I was so upset that my printer broken that I flung it on the floor in a fit of rage.
7. Billy told the bully, “You’re in big trouble! I’m going to tell your dad what you did!”
8. The kids love to race around trying to catch lightening bugs as they lite up the night.
9. When Rex kept pressuring Barb for the money, she said, “I don’t have it yet. Please bare with me a little longer.”
10. The twenty tongue twisters were to hard for us to say without laughing hysterically.
11. When Bo saw a large envelope stuffed under the door, it peaked his interest.
12. I though I heard a screeching sound coming from the attic.
13. Sandy asked, “Whose turn it it now?”
14. Jerome answered, “It’s your turn!”
15. The three racoons stared at us with there funny masked faces.
16. Valerie clutched the bouquet of roses. “Oh, thank you! Their sooooo beautiful!”
17. Manny grinned at Valerie. “Your welcome. I know how much you love lavender roses.”
Did you catch all of the errors? If not, note the ones you missed and check for them in your writing.
1. Change misstakenly to mistakenly.
2. Change it’s (it is) to its.
3. Delete repeated word the the.
4. The word a is missing (a broken wing).
5. The word the is missing (Constitution of the United States).
6. Change broken to either was broken or broke.
7. Correct! (Note the correct way to write you’re and your.)
8. Change lightening to lightning and lite to light.
9. Change bare to bear (bear with me). Bare means to be naked. In this sentence, bear means to be patient or tolerant.
10. Change to to too.
11. Change peaked to piqued.
12. Change though to thought.
13. Change it it to is it.
14. Correct! (Note the correct use of it’s and your.)
15. Change racoons to raccoons and there to their.
16. Change their to they’re (they are).
17. Change your to you’re (you are).
Also, did you notice the typo in the title? I spelled “Errors” incorrectly. 😉
Savvy Writer Tip:
When you write, it’s easy to make errrors. (Like that!) Be sure to review your words before making them public. Often reading out loud will help you catch errors. If you write professionally, use an expert to proofread your work. Savvy writers keep their writing error free! 🙂
Edits by Lora 