Just remember the argument or the point you are pointing out in your essays/papers are very important too in which can give you different results in your final marks. Different high school teachers mark them differently. I use to have an English teacher that marks more purely on grammar (in which all I had was Wordpad, not MS word). So even with my argument very vague and not thought out (last minute papers), I put in the illusion and used as much correct grammar as possible.
Another teacher I had for my last year of High school was more purely on arguments and the point you make (how everything you write supports your thesis), so even with almost perfect grammar, I got a low 75% base on my laziness to think up of an argument, with only my grammar keeping the mark up. This is also a factor in final exams in which you don't know your marker, even with good grammar, bad arguments can prove fatal.
Both grammar and your point in your essay will have to be thought out.
With grammar, there is a site that will help you on fixing the top mistakes people make. Here is one that can at least help you off your feet. My old English teacher used it every single time he marks our essays. And every time, he picks on all the papers with the errors on it, emphasizing on how it eats him up on why people still make those mistakes. Just get these off your case, and then you can move up to improve. It's hard to tackle the more "complicated" stuff until you get rid of these common mistakes.
Some common mistakes. Try to make sure you know the difference. I won't assume you don't know the difference between all of them. So unless you ask, I'd explain.
Loose for lose
Bear for bare
there," "their," and "they're
Effect for affect
Lay for lie
your, you're
Then for than
There's more but I can't think up the whole list
Actually, it'd be easier. This site have some explanations on them.
http://spot.colorado.edu/~pasnau/writing/top10.html----------------------
Another word of advice is that, for most of what you write, try not to use this symbol too often (apostrophe, I almost forgot the name *sweatdrop) ---> ' <--- to stay safe if you are unsure in many cases. Such as write out all words fully. That was one advice I got somewhere (I forgot where) to write a..."serious paper". Though it's not almost correct, but I use it in any English assignment.
Example:
You're, write You are
You'll, write You will
I'll, write I will
he'll, write he will...
For myself, I'm lucky to have a English Guide notebook. But for all of us that need freebies, internet is a lovely source.
Try this site. Not sure if it's too advanced depending on the paper you're writing. You might want to concentrate on one area first so brains don't explode. This is briefly on essays for the future in how to write "your point"
http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/paragrph.html
Subject: I got bad English grammar 
Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:32 pm
