5 Common Grammar Mistakes That Hurt Your Professional Writing

Professional writing is crucial for business success, yet many professionals unknowingly make grammar mistakes that undermine their credibility. As an experienced editor, I've seen these errors countless times across various industries. Here are the five most common grammar mistakes that could be hurting your professional image – and how to fix them.

1. Misusing Apostrophes in Possessives and Plurals

One of the most frequent errors I encounter is the incorrect use of apostrophes. Remember: apostrophes show possession or contractions, not plurals.

❌ Incorrect: 'The company's are merging' or 'Apple's for sale'

✅ Correct: 'The companies are merging' or 'Apples for sale'

2. Subject-Verb Disagreement

When subjects and verbs don't match in number, it creates confusion and appears unprofessional.

❌ Incorrect: 'The team are working on the project'

✅ Correct: 'The team is working on the project'

3. Confusing Homophones

Words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings can trip up even experienced writers.

Common mix-ups include: their/there/they're, your/you're, its/it's, and affect/effect.

4. Dangling Modifiers

These occur when a descriptive phrase doesn't clearly relate to the word it's meant to modify.

❌ Incorrect: 'After reviewing the proposal, the errors were obvious'

✅ Correct: 'After reviewing the proposal, we found the errors obvious'

5. Comma Splices

Joining two independent clauses with only a comma creates a comma splice – a common error in business writing.

❌ Incorrect: 'The meeting was productive, we accomplished all our goals'

✅ Correct: 'The meeting was productive, and we accomplished all our goals' or 'The meeting was productive; we accomplished all our goals'

Why Professional Editing Matters

These mistakes might seem minor, but they can significantly impact how your audience perceives your professionalism and attention to detail. Professional editing ensures your message is clear, credible, and compelling.

At Raven's Wing Editing Services, I help businesses and authors polish their writing to perfection. Whether you need proofreading, copyediting, or developmental editing, I'm here to help your words make the best possible impression.

Ready to elevate your professional writing? Contact me today for a consultation.