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The following twenty mistakes comprise 91.5 percent of all grammar errors appearing in students’ text.
This
article was originally written for college applicants, however the
writing tips are valuable for other types of writing as well.
1. Missing comma after introductory phrases
For example: After studying abroad for two years I gained a greater
understanding of the cultural challenges that immigrants face. (A comma
should be placed after “years.”)
2. Vague pronoun reference
For
example: My friend and her sister were very disappointed when she lost
the election for class president. (Who? My friend? Her sister? Some
other person?)
3. Missing comma in compound sentence
For
example: I received a great deal of satisfaction from my work at the
domestic violence shelter and the children that I worked with seemed to
respond well to me. (Comma should be placed before the "and.")
4. Wrong word
For example: Working at the domestic violence shelter really effected me. I felt that I was really affective in my role as a child advocate.
5. No comma in nonrestrictive relative clauses
Here you need to distinguish between a restrictive relative clause and
a nonrestrictive relative clause. Consider the sentence, "My brother in
the red shirt likes ice cream." If you have TWO brothers, then the
information about the shirt is restrictive, in that it is necessary to
defining WHICH brother likes ice cream. Restrictive clauses, because
they are essential to identifying the noun, use no commas. However, if
you have ONE brother, then the information about the shirt is not
necessary to identifying your brother. It is NON-RESTRICTIVE and,
therefore, requires commas: "My brother, in the red shirt, likes ice
cream."
6. Subject-verb agreement
A common mistake in
subject-verb agreement involves wrong usage of who/whom. "Who" is a
pronoun with a subjective case; "whom" is a pronoun with an objective
case. We say "Who is the speaker of the day?" because "who" in this
case refers to the subject of the sentence. But we say, "To whom am I
speaking?" because, here, the pronoun is an object of the preposition
"to."
7. Wrong/missing preposition
Identifying the correct
preposition to use can be difficult for many writers. For example which
is a properly used preposition? "different from," or "different than?"
Though both are used widely, "different from" is considered
grammatically correct. Another commonly misused preposition surrounds
the words "toward" and "towards." Though both are used, "toward" is
preferred in writing.
8. Comma splice
A comma splice happens
when two independent clauses are joined only with a comma, or when a
subject is separated from its verb by the comma.
9. Possessive apostrophe error
Sometimes
apostrophes are incorrectly left out (my dogs collar, etc.); other
times, they are incorrectly put in (her's, their's, etc.)
10. Tense shift
Be
consistent in your tense. If you move from past to present tense
without a good reason your reader will be confused or annoyed.
11. Unnecessary shift in person
Don't shift from "I" to "we" or from "one" to "you" unless you have a rationale for doing so.
12. Sentence fragment
Bad
idea, poor impression on readers. Unless, like here, you are using them
to achieve a certain effect. Remember: sentences usually have both
subjects and verbs, and this is for a good reason.
13. Wrong tense or verb form
Students
sometimes use the wrong tense, saying, for example, "In the evenings, I
like to lay on the couch and watch TV" "Lay" in this instance is the
past tense of the verb, "to lie." The sentence should read: "In the
evenings, I like to lie on the couch and watch TV." (Please note that
"to lay" is a separate verb meaning "to place in a certain position.")
14. Subject-verb agreement
Single
subjects need singular verbs. This can be a bit tricky when you are
using collective nouns or pronouns. You may be tempted to think of them
as plural nouns. This can also happen when your verb is far from your
subject. For example, "The media, who has all the power in this nation
and abuses it consistently, uses its influence for ill more often than
good." (Note that media is an "it," not a "they." The verbs are chosen
accordingly.)
15. Missing comma in a series
Whenever you list things, use a comma.
16. Pronoun agreement error
Many
students get tripped up with pronoun agreement. They will write a
sentence like "Anyone can follow their dream." The problem is, "anyone"
is a singular pronoun. They need to use "his" or "her."
17. Unnecessary commas with restrictive clauses
See number five.
18. Run-ons
Run-on sentences run on forever, they should have been two or even
three sentences but the writer didn't put the brakes on, leaving the
reader exhausted by the sentence's end which takes forever to come.
(Get the idea?)
19. Dangling, misplaced modifierThose who let
their modifiers dangle, do so at their own risk. Modifiers are
adjectives, adverbs, phrases, or clauses that a writer uses to
elaborate. When used wisely, modifiers enhance your writing. But if
they are not, the results can be less than eloquent. Consider, “This
morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas.” Who is wearing the PJs? One
hopes that it’s the speaker. If it is, then the original sentence
contains a misplaced modifier and should be re-written accordingly:
"While still in my pajamas this morning, I shot an elephant.” Or
consider this sentence: "Walking through the dark trees, my hair stood
on end." Is it your hair that is walking through the woods? It is more
accurate (and more grammatical) to say, "Walking through the dark
trees, I felt my hair stand on end." Here you avoid the dangling
modifier.
20. Its/it's
"It's" is a contraction for "it is." "Its" is a possessive pronoun.
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About the Author: Monique Danielle owns Portland Marketing Agency, DivaDesignWorld.com,
a full service firm that offers web development, graphic design,
consulting, and a wide variety of creative services. She is also
the founder of divadirectories.com,a
free online resource designed to promote the growth and development of
female business owners throughout Oregon, Washington, and the
Northwest.
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