{"id":14504,"date":"2016-10-12T20:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-10-12T14:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internshala.com\/blog\/?p=14504"},"modified":"2017-07-29T16:02:32","modified_gmt":"2017-07-29T10:32:32","slug":"most-common-grammatical-mistakes-students-make-while-applying-for-an-internship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internshala.com\/blog\/most-common-grammatical-mistakes-students-make-while-applying-for-an-internship\/","title":{"rendered":"Most common grammatical mistakes students make while applying for an internship!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"10<\/p>\n

In this article of English with Internshala<\/em> series, we look at some of the most common grammatical mistakes students make in their internship applications which hamper their chances. But before that, let’s do something fun! :)<\/p>\n

Take\u00a0this quick quiz<\/a><\/span> to see how many of these common mistakes\u00a0you may be making yourself. If you score less than 130 (of total 160 marks) –\u00a0come back and read this article. And if you score more than 130?\u00a0Well done! But even then,\u00a0come back and read the article to refresh the concepts :)<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0<\/strong>Your vs You\u2019re:<\/strong> The word your<\/em>\u00a0is possessive \u2013 it describes something belonging to you. You\u2019re<\/em>, on the other hand, means You are.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0Same is true for their<\/em><\/span> (belonging to them) and they’re<\/span><\/em> (they are).
\nExample<\/em> \u2013 If your<\/span> cover letter has grammatical errors, you\u2019re<\/span> not going to receive a positive response.<\/p>\n

\"mostImage source – Oatmeal.com.<\/p>\n

2. Its vs It\u2019s:<\/strong>\u00a0Similarly, the word its<\/em> is possessive \u2013 a genderless version of his\/her<\/em>. The word it\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0stands for it is<\/em> or it has.<\/em>
\nExample<\/em> \u2013 It\u2019s<\/span> clear that his application lost its<\/span> value when he blatantly copied answers from Google.
\nTip:<\/strong>\u00a0Whenever you use it’s<\/em> in a sentence, replace it with it is<\/em> and if the sentence\u00a0doesn\u2019t make sense, use its<\/em>. Similarly, substitute you’re<\/em> with you are<\/em> and if it doesn\u2019t make sense, use your<\/em>.<\/p>\n

3. Random Capitalization and not capitalizing the word \u2018i\u2019:<\/strong>
\n\"mostAlways remember that the correct form is I<\/strong> and not i<\/strong>. Also, don\u2019t capitalize words just for emphasis. Capitalize the first\u00a0of every sentence. Capitalize proper nouns.
\nExample<\/em>: A<\/span>s an avid writer, I<\/span> maintain a regular blog and was also the editor of my college magazine – S<\/span>apphire
\nTip:<\/strong> If you want to emphasize on a particular word or phrase in a sentence, use bold<\/strong> or italics<\/em>.<\/p>\n

4. Did + verb usage:<\/strong>
\nWhile writing about their past experiences and educational qualifications, many\u00a0students use\u00a0did\/didn\u2019t<\/em> with past tense of the following verb. This is a critical error. Here did<\/em> acts as an \u00a0auxiliary verb (also called helping verb)\u00a0which is followed by the main verb. When did is used, the following verb is always used in its base form.<\/p>\n

Incorrect<\/em>: In the first semester, I didn\u2019t participated<\/span> in any workshops or training programs.
\nCorrect<\/em>: in the first semester, I didn\u2019t participate<\/span> in any workshops or training programs.<\/p>\n

5. Not using tenses correctly:<\/strong>
\n\"mostMany students use different tenses haphazardly while writing about the responsibilities they held in the past. As shown in the image, the incorrect present perfect continuous tense is responsible for the glaring errors in the answers.
\nIncorrect<\/em>: I have been participated<\/span> in various English competitions for years now.
\nCorrect<\/em>: I have been participating<\/span> in various English competitions for years now.<\/p>\n

6. Errors in punctuation:<\/strong>
\n1. Not using a comma in the correct place can totally change the meaning of a sentence. Using it properly can save someone’s life!
\nIncorrect<\/em> – Let’s eat mother.
\nCorrect<\/em> – Let’s eat,<\/span> mother.<\/p>\n

2. Putting unnecessary space between a\u00a0comma and the word preceding the comma is another common mistake.
\nIncorrect<\/em> – If you don’t use proper punctuation ,<\/span> your writing becomes incomprehensible.
\nCorrect<\/em> – If you don’t use proper punctuation,<\/span> your writing becomes incomprehensible.<\/p>\n

3. Not using comma\/semicolon\/full stop properly in your answer, makes it very difficult for the employers to understand and is considered sloppy and unprofessional.<\/p>\n

7. Apostrophes and plurals:<\/strong>
\nAn apostrophe (‘<\/span>) followed by s<\/span> is normally used to denote possession (Ex. – This is Ram‘s<\/span> bat). Many students, however, use an apostrophe before the s in plural words too\u00a0which you shouldn’t\u00a0even when pluralizing abbreviations like DVD or CV. To denote possession for plural noun, you put an apostrophe after<\/em> s and not\u00a0before <\/em>it. See the example below –<\/p>\n

DVD = one DVD (Ex. – I have the Tom & Jerry show on a DVD.)<\/p>\n

DVD’s = of one DVD (Ex. – This DVD’s cover is broken.)<\/p>\n

DVDs – More than one DVD (Ex. – I have hundreds of DVDs of English movies.)<\/p>\n

DVDs’ – of many DVDs (Ex. – All these DVDs’ covers are blue.)<\/p>\n

You can know more about the use of apostrophes through a comic strip here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Incorrect<\/em>: I have worked with a team of 10 employee\u2019s<\/span> during a freelance project.
\nCorrect<\/em>: I have worked with a team of 10 employees<\/span> during a freelance project.<\/p>\n

8. Using SMS lingo:
\n<\/strong>You are writing a cover letter and not an SMS or a\u00a0WhatsApp message to a friend. There is absolutely no need of using abbreviated forms. Using words such as u, lyk, coz, gr8<\/em>\u00a0etc.\u00a0gives an impression that you are not a serious applicant.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apart from these grammatical mistakes, students make some other mistakes too that annoy employers, leading to their rejection like:<\/p>\n