Choosing the correct word or phrase to convey your thought is vital. Choosing the wrong word or phrase not only shakes a marker's confidence in your essay, it can also completely change your meaning. The best way to improve your ability to choose exactly the right word or phrase for the context is to read good writing.

There are two kinds of mistakes: word/phrase confusions and poor word/phrase choice.

Word confusion:
It is all too easy to confuse words that sound the same but have different meanings, or words that subtly differ in verb and noun form.

Common word confusions include:

Common phrase confusions include:

due to / owing to:

Poor word/phrase choice:
Poor word or phrase choice can have seriously misleading consequences.

'This essay concurs' does not mean the same as 'this essay concludes'. 'Concur' means to agree. 'Conclude' means to deduce, or to bring to a close.

To stop something happening is not the same as preventing something from happening. To stop something happening implies that the action has already begun. To prevent something implies that whatever it is hasn't yet begun.

Wrongly used prepositions

Prepositions are short words such as in, at, with, on, over, through, between. Prepositions indicate place, time or relationship. Students often choose the wrong preposition, hence:

If you aren’t sure about the meaning of a word, or what preposition to use, consult a dictionary, ask somebody or think of an alternative. Never just guess.