We all have certain things that bug us more than they do other people: a driver not using a blinker, a wet towel crumpled on the floor instead of hung to dry, etc. As a student, when it comes to writing it is good to be aware of the pet peeves that the person evaluating your writing has. Here are five of mine.

1) I HATE the pronoun "this." Almost always when I read the pronoun "this" in papers I have no idea what "this" is supposed to be. If you do use the word "this," use it carefully and use it as an adjective. In other words, you can use "this" if it modifies a noun. "This is annoying" does not mean anything. "This webpage about pet peeves is annoying," is entirely clear.

2) Similarly, the words "certainly" and obviously" often take the place of analysis in a paper. If something is certain or obvious, you probably do not need to say so.

3) Use apostraphes properly. An apostraphe in formal academic writing ONLY indicates possession (something belongs to someone or something else). It never indicates the plural. In more casual writing an apostraphe can indicate a contraction of two words (eg., can't), but it is best not to use contractions in formal writing. This brings us to the words "its" and "it's."

In San Francisco there is a lovely ice cream confection made with a slab of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies and then covered in chocolate.

The IT'S IT does not mean "it belongs to it" (because it belongs to me; I love ice cream), rather it means "it is it," because there is nothing better. The only kind of "its" that should appear in your writing is the one without the apostraphe, and it only means "belonging to it." There is no such word as "its'."

4) Spell ancient words and names correctly (even if they are difficult to spell). If you are writing about the Pharaohs of Egypt, take the time to spell Pharaohs correctly. If you don't you give the professor the idea that you do not care about your work. How do you think that will affect her evaluation of your writing?

5) The past tense of "lead" is "led."

6) Know the difference between than and then, and use each word correctly.