writing

On Monday we received our corrected homework back and what startled me was the fact that my work was seen by Lisa as satisfactory.

However, there were a few mistakes here and there which I'm going to write down here both to do my utmost not to make them again and as a help to others:


1. The citizens are to a country like cultivation is to a soil.
but what I should have wrote is:
Its citizens are to a country like cultivation is to soil. (the citizens are not defined; it is a general statement)

2. Nowadays, Croatia is a free state which has closed the door on the past some time ago.
but what I should have wrote is:
Nowadays, Croatia is a free state which closed the door on the past some time ago. (I must become much more aware of tenses)

3. In the last but one paragraph I used the linking phrase secondly and finally and in the last paragraph I used in the end which is a synonym for finally.

4. I also made the error of misinterpreting a sentence as non-defining when in fact it was defining:
....are two character traits, which I feel, are typical of every Croatian soul.

.....are two character traits which I feel are typical of every Croatian soul.

The fact that we are blissfully unaware of our mistakes when we write amuses me. Fortunately, we get a lot of practice in writing which will be of service to us in our endeavour to write more concisely and to double-check more each and every essay.