Typical Mistakes in Book Review Writing and How to Avoid Them

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A book review is a very interesting style of writing. A book reviewer has to read and analyze different literary works. The books they review will be either assigned or chosen. The review should be impartial and fair. However, there are a few common typical that are made by those learning to write book reviews.

These common mistakes may spoil an impression that might have been positive. Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid many of these writing mistakes. ENL academic writers from a book review writing service highlighted the typical ones and provided some tips to avoid each error.

The typical mistakes in book review writing are:

1. Typos.
2. Grammar errors.
3. “It’s” versus “its”.
4. Plagiarism.
5. Inconsistent spacing.
6. The absence of page numbers.
7. Too many watery sentences.
8. The issue of capitalization after quotation marks.

Let’s look closer at these issues and find out how to avoid them.

Book Review Writing Mistake #1 – Typos

One of the most common mistakes is to make typos (short for typographical errors.) Many people may not be even aware that they’re making typos. For example, some people don’t notice that they use “advise” instead of “advice”, “message” instead of “massage” or “piece” instead of “peace”. These typos are serious mistakes because the words have different meanings and the misuse of them ruins the entire message of the sentence.

Tip: To avoid this issue you, always proof and re-read your book reviews. Applications like Grammarly can help you spot typing errors. Memorize them and never repeat them again.

Writing Mistake #2 – Grammatical Errors

Everyone makes grammatical errors. It’s simply inevitable. We all occasionally forget or mess up some rules. nonetheless, it’s important to strive to eliminate grammar mistakes that could make the review seem less professional.

Tip: To fix grammar mistakes, you should brush up your grammar. Continuous practice and repetition of correct grammar is important. If you don’t understand some rules, you can hire a tutor or pick-up a grammar guide.

Mistake #3 – It’s vs Its

A common typo. While it’s technically just another typo, this mistake is worth reviewing separately as it occurs frequently. The mistake is the use (or misuse) of “it’s” (it is) and its. First of all, they belong to different parts of the language. Secondly, they always have different meanings. Note the difference in usage in these sentences: “It’s my book” and “The company has to solve its problems”.

Tip: Simply try to memorize the difference between the two usages. Write different sentences and use them separately to learn the differences and never forget it.

Mistake #4 – Plagiarism

The next problem is typical for book reviews. As you read and review a book, you will likely include citations to show the readers what you’re talking about. Many book reviewers forget about one important necessity. They forget to place quotation marks. As a result, they violate one important academic requirement – all text MUST be authentic. If you make a quotation but forget to use the quotation marks, you plagiarize the text by making someone else’s words appear as your own.

At times, book reviewers may use quotation marks but violate other rules of citation. For example, they may use the name of the author or the name of the book incorrectly or totally forget to add them after they finish the citation.

Tip: Learn all the requirements of the assigned writing format. Commonly, it is APA or MLA. Be attentive to the slightest detail and adhere to the rules.

Mistake #5 – Spacing

Sometimes, writers forget about spacing. Some of them use inconsistent spacing between lines or paragraphs. The space between the lines must be the same for the entire length of the article.

Tip: As you begin to type on your laptop, use single spacing for the whole text. The length of the spacing is dependent on the demands of the assigned writing format.

Mistake #6 – Page Numbering

Don’t forget about the page numbers. This message relates to both book quotations and writing the review. Sometimes, reviewers forget to number the pages or the chapters of their book reviews.

Tip: Be attentive and always check the numbering in a book review and pages you review in a book.

Mistake #7 – Capitalization

It may seem odd, but many folks have difficulties with capitalization. They write the capital letter after they finish the quotation and it looks like this: “I will do this for you!” He said. The word “he” shouldn’t be capitalized. Never! Remember this!

Tip: Write sentences with the use of quotation marks and never capitalize the words after them (unless it is someone’s name). Thus, you will train your memory and will solve the common writing mistake of capitalization.