Common Grammar Mistakes: Master's Personal Statement

Common Grammar Mistakes: Master's Personal Statement

For Chinese, Japanese and Korean writers, the grammar mistakes that cost most in a master's personal statement are the ones that still make a correct sentence: a tense that hides when you did the work, "we" where the reader needs "I", and technical nouns used as countable. A grammar checker has no reason to flag a sentence that is grammatical.

Running a checker and asking a friend to proofread is sound advice, but it fixes the easy layer first. Missing articles and plural slips are easy to spot and cost little. The errors that change what the reader believes about your work need a different check, and this page gives it. If the content is also still in draft, you can get a free review of the statement for fit and evidence.

The university pages quoted below were checked on 31 October 2026. None of them says how grammar is weighed against content, so that weighting is unknown.

What universities say about English in the statement

Two UK universities say it directly. Edinburgh: "You should write it in formal English, using appropriate grammar and punctuation. It is a good idea to ask a friend to proofread your statement for you before you submit your application" (Edinburgh). Warwick: "Check your grammar and spelling, and keep your sentences short and concise," and "It must be in English and in your own words" (Warwick).

Some programmes test the same skill separately. HKU's MA(TESOL) asks applicants from non-English-medium universities for "a score of 94 or above in the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)# with a score of 25 or above in the Writing section (for tests taken before January 21, 2026)" (HKU MA(TESOL)).

Which errors matter to a reader

Our view: sort every error into one of three tiers and fix them in order.

The basis: a reader uses your statement to decide what you have already done. A tier 1 error changes that answer. A tier 2 error changes how much the reader trusts the rest. A tier 3 error changes neither.

The countercase: where the field limit is short, or English is the subject of the degree, tier 3 matters more. An Edinburgh form field holds "no more than 3,500 characters", and a TESOL programme reads your English as evidence for the course itself. Polish every line there.

For sentence-level rules, such as one idea per sentence and past tense for finished work, see the simple English SOP guide for non-native writers. This page does not repeat them. For a college application essay rather than a master's statement, see which grammar mistakes matter in an ESL college essay.

Mandarin, Japanese and Korean transfer errors

These patterns are in our constructed sentences because they come from how meaning is marked in the first language. We do not claim how often any group makes them.

Articles. WALS, a linguistics reference database, classes Korean as "No definite or indefinite article" and Japanese as "No definite, but indefinite article" (WALS Korean, WALS Japanese). WALS has no entry for Mandarin on this feature. Neither language has a word that works like English "the", so "the" goes missing or appears where English does not use it. This is usually tier 3.

Three pairs of constructed examples, written by us, not real applicant statements:

Before: "I am researching on battery materials since 2024."

After: "I have worked on battery materials since 2024."

Tier 1. "Am researching … since" does not say whether the work is finished, and "researching on" is not standard English.

Before: "We designed a new sampling method and reduced cost by 20%."

After: "Our team of four reduced sampling cost by 20%. I designed the new method."

Tier 1. In English, "we" hides your role. The reader needs to know which part was yours. Our guide for Chinese applicants covers turning "we" into "I" in team projects.

Before: "Through this project I learned a lot of knowledges and improved my ability."

After: "In this project I learned to clean sensor data and write unit tests."

Tier 2. "Knowledge" is uncountable, and "learn knowledge" and "improve my ability" are word-for-word set phrases (学习知识, 提高能力 in Chinese). They state that you learned without saying what.

Other patterns to search for:

• Countable technical nouns (tier 2): "researches", "equipments", "softwares", "datas", "feedbacks". Write "research", "equipment", "software", "data", "feedback".
• Translated openers (tier 2): "With the development of [field]…" is a word-for-word rendering of 随着……的发展. It fits any field, so it says nothing about yours.
• Dropped subjects (tier 1 when the reader cannot tell who acted): "Was responsible for the testing." WALS classes Mandarin, Japanese and Korean alike as having "Optional pronouns in subject position" (WALS Feature 101A). English needs the subject. Write "I was responsible for the testing."

What free checkers catch and miss

Our view: a grammar checker is built for sentence-level errors, the tier 3 kind and a few tier 2 ones such as "equipments". It reads each sentence against rules for a grammatical sentence, so it has no way to know:

• whether "we" was you, your team or your supervisor
• whether the work in a present-tense sentence is finished
• whether "with the development of" is a template, because it is grammatical
• whether a technical term is used in your field's sense

Template phrasing is a different problem from grammar. See why your SOP sounds like a template and the template sentences section of the China SOP guide rather than a second list here.

If you use an editing tool, disclose where asked

Some applications ask you to say what tools you used, including for language editing. These rules are quoted as information.

HKU's research postgraduate (MPhil and PhD) supporting-documents page says (HKU Graduate School):

"It is the responsibility of the applicant to disclose details of AI usage, including but not limited to the models/systems/tools being/to be used, purpose of usage, how and the extent of such AI usage in preparing the application. For the avoidance of doubt, use of AI for all purposes should be disclosed, including but not limited to generating research ideas and refining research questions; literature review and information retrieval; language editing assistance; citation management; and data analysis. Applicants are reminded to review, verify and validate AI generated content. Applicants assume full responsibility for the scholarly and scientific integrity, accuracy, originality and intellectual content of all AI-generated content in the proposal and research work if funded. In the event of a non-disclosure, or when an applicant makes an incomplete/inaccurate disclosure about the use of AI models/systems/tools with regard to an application, the University reserves the right to take appropriate actions."

The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme's 2027/28 Guidance Note, paragraph (s), says it is "the responsibility of the applicant to disclose, where applicable, the use of AI models / systems / tools in preparing the application submitted to the relevant institution, and to ensure that the submitted application complies with the relevant institutional policies of his / her university." It lists the same purposes, including "language editing assistance" (HKPFS Guidance Note).

Edinburgh's postgraduate personal statement page says: "The information you give us must be true. Copying information from elsewhere, asking someone else to write your statement or using AI apps such as ChatGPT could be considered fraud."

These are research-programme and fellowship rules at HKU and the HKPFS, plus one UK university's statement page. Other programmes say different things or nothing. For a country-by-country view, see AI rules for UK master's personal statements and how to write an AI use statement. If a programme publishes no rule, the certification inside the application is what you sign, so read it there.

Constructed example: one paragraph, marked by tier

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Context (invented): Wang Lei is applying for an MSc in Environmental Engineering. The paragraph is 72 words, not counting the tier marks; each error is followed by its tier in brackets.

With the development of society [2], water pollution becomes more and more serious problem [3]. In my third year, we [1] did a project about removing heavy metal [3] from river water. Was responsible [1] for the experiments and I am analysing [1] the datas [2] now. Through this project I learned many knowledges [2] and improved my ability [2] of research. So I want to study in your esteemed university [2] to learn more advanced technology and contribute for [3] my country.

The corrected version, 67 words:

In my third year I worked in a team of three on removing lead and cadmium from river water. I ran all twelve adsorption tests and wrote the analysis, which I finished in June. That project showed me what I cannot yet do: model how an adsorbent behaves at plant scale. I want to learn that in this programme's [named course], and then work on drinking-water treatment.

What changed: the three tier 1 errors went first, because they hid who did the tests and whether the analysis was finished. The tier 2 phrases were deleted, not corrected; each was replaced with a fact. The tier 3 slips disappeared when the sentences that held them were cut or rewritten.

A 10-minute self-edit list

1. Search for "we". For each one, decide whether it was you. If it was, write "I".
2. Search for "-ing" verbs about past work. Change finished work to past tense.
3. Search for "since". A sentence with "since 2024" needs "have" plus a past participle: "I have worked on it since 2024".
4. Search for these nouns with an -s: research, equipment, software, data, feedback, knowledge. Remove the -s.
5. Search for "with the development of", "ability" and "knowledge". Replace each sentence with a fact.
6. Search for "your university" and "esteemed". Replace with the programme's name.
7. Read every sentence that starts with a verb. Add the subject.
8. Run a grammar checker last, for articles and commas.
9. Count characters or words against the programme's own limit.
10. Read it aloud once. Stop at each sentence you would not say to a professor. Found a slip after you submitted? See when a mistake after submitting is worth an email.

Get a free review of your personal statement

Get a free Quick Review of your personal statement against GradPilot's general MS statement of purpose rubric. It reads for fit to the programme, evidence that you are prepared, specific detail, and whether your past work leads to the goal you name. For a UK course, use the UK master's personal statement rubric, or start from the personal statement review page. If your draft began in Korean or Japanese, see turning a Korean or Japanese essay into an English statement before you edit the grammar. More guides are in the graduate school essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.

• The University of Edinburgh, Personal statement (no year stated): formal English and proofreading sentences, 3,500-character limit, truth and fraud sentence.
• University of Warwick, Personal statement (no year stated): grammar and spelling, short sentences, English and own words.
• HKU, MA(TESOL) programme page (September 2027 intake): TOEFL Writing requirement.
• The University of Hong Kong Graduate School, Supporting documents (no year stated): AI disclosure paragraph for research postgraduate applications.
• Research Grants Council, HKPFS 2027/28 Guidance Note: paragraph (s), AI disclosure.
• WALS Online, Feature 37A Definite Articles (Dryer), datapoints for Korean and Japanese: article classification. WALS has no Mandarin datapoint for this feature.
• WALS Online, Feature 101A Expression of Pronominal Subjects (Dryer), datapoints for Japanese, Korean and Mandarin: "Optional pronouns in subject position".