Can something as simple as a punctuation mark affect your blog? Why of course it can! It is so imperative to always edit copy before publishing it.

Common writing errors revolve around punctuation and grammatical mistakes.
Often, commas can be overused or forgotten. This presents a problem when trying to make sense of a sentence and the understanding of a statement’s point.

Be sure to comprehend the difference between words that have denotative similarities, but are connotatively different. Such examples to keep an eye on include effect and affect, their, there and they’re, weather and whether, lose and loose, etc. All are common mistakes made in writing and are often overlooked in the editing process.

Place emphasis on the subject/noun, verb, and modifier. If any of these writing elements is presented wrong, there is cause for confusion. The modifier is very important because it certifies or confines another word, phrase or clause. You wouldn’t modify a verb, it would make more sense to modify and identify the subject.

Two kinds of modifiers are adjectives, which modify nouns and pronouns; and adverbs, which modify adjectives, verbs and other adverbs.

e.g. The green grass wilted. Correct; modifies the noun ‘grass’.

e.g. The green wilted grass. Incorrect; modifies the verb ‘wilted’.

Also, pay attention to various modifiers. There is the pre-modifier, the post-modifier, as well as the dangling modifier. The pre-modifier is located before the modified component. The post-modifier is located after the modified component.

e.g. Quick (pre-modifier) naps in daytime (post-modifier).

The dangling modifier is a word or phrase that’s meant to modify one element of a sentence but, due to its placement in the sentence, seems to modify another element or no element at all.

e.g. Existing in a damaged state, she was capable of purchasing the car cheaply.

This statement is misleading, because instead of reading she purchased the car cheaply because it was damaged, the reader thinks she was in a damaged state.

When building trust and credibility with your readers, keep to proofreading and editing in order to bulletproof your content and keep readers engaged in your writing.