DISCLAIMER: Your assignment instructions or discipline’s writing conventions may be different from what you see in this document. Always refer to your assignment instructions for clarification.
1. Agreement Errors
The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular vs. plural) and person (first, second, or third person). Pronouns need to agree with their antecedents in number and person.
A. Subjects and verbs must agree.
NO: The books in the box is for sale.
YES: The books in the box are for sale. (Subject: Books, Number: Plural, Verb: To be)
B. Pronouns must agree with their antecedents.
NO: Each student club collected their attendance list.
YES: Each student club collected its attendance list.
YES: All the student clubs collected their attendance lists.
C. Pronouns must agree with each other.
NO: Once one has read the article, you have to answer the questions.
YES: Once one has read the article, one has to answer the questions.
2. Comma Splices
Joining two independent clauses with only a comma creates a comma splice. Adding periods, semicolons, a comma and a coordinating conjunction, or a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb can fix a comma splice.
Example:
WRONG: The politician gave his speech, the crowd cheered and applauded.
“The politician gave his speech” and “The crowd cheered and applauded” are independent clauses.
Fix a comma splice using a period (.)
NO: The politician gave his speech, the crowd cheered and applauded.
YES: The politician gave his speech. The crowd cheered and applauded.
Fix a comma splice using a semicolon (;)
NO: The politician gave his speech, the crowd cheered and applauded.
YES: The politician gave his speech; the crowd cheered and applauded.
Fix a comma splice using a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
NO: The politician gave his speech, the crowd cheered and applauded.
YES: The politician gave his speech, and the crowd cheered and applauded.
Fix a comma splice using a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb.
NO: The book was interesting, the conclusion was very abrupt.
YES: The book was interesting; however, the conclusion was very abrupt.
| Common Coordinating Conjunctions | Common Conjunctive Adverbs | |
| And | Also | Therefore |
| But | Then | Consequently |
| Or | Finally | Furthermore |
| However | Otherwise | |
3. Word Choice
Avoid using words that you don’t understand. If you don’t know the meaning of a word, look it up. Sometimes words have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used.
Example:
NO: An examination of the current literature will help distill this myth.
YES: An examination of the current literature will help dispel this myth.
4. Misplaced Modifiers
A modifier is a word that describes or limits another word. A misplaced modifier is placed incorrectly in a sentence. It changes the meaning of a wrong word and alters the author’s meaning.
A. Squinting Modifier
A squinting modifier affects more than one word in the sentence.
NO: The student being taught carefully listened to the professor.
Is the student being taught carefully? Is the student listening carefully? Fix the squinting modifier by changing its position:
YES: The student being taught listened carefully to the professor.
YES: The student being carefully taught listened to the professor.
B. Dangling Modifier
A dangling modifier affects a word that does not appear in the sentence.
NO: Watching the sunset, the sky was breathtaking.
What is “watching the sunset”? Fix this dangling modifier by adding a subject:
YES: Watching the sunset, I thought the sky was breathtaking.
YES: I watched the sunset and thought the sky was breathtaking.
5. Possessive Case
Apostrophes are often added to the end of a word to show possession. However, this is not always the case. Check out each of these examples for the different ways possession can be shown.
Singular nouns that end with “s”
Add an apostrophe (’) or “apostrophe s” (‘s) to the end of the noun.
YES: The bus’ tire is flat.
YES: The bus’s tire is flat.
“Its” versus “it’s”
“Its” is the possessive form of “it”.
“It’s” is the contraction of “it is”.
NO: The company held it’s annual party in June. (This sentence actually says: The company held it is annual party in June.)
YES: The company held its annual party in June.
Words that do NOT end with “s” Add “apostrophe s” (‘s) to the end of the noun.
NO: This is Johns house.
YES: This is John’s house.
Plural nouns
Add an apostrophe (‘) to the end of the word.
YES: These are the boys’ shirts.
The above sentence means that the shirts belong to many boys.
6. Pronoun Reference
The word that a pronoun replaces is called an “antecedent”. For example: “Jester” can be the antecedent for “he” or “him”. “Shahad” can be the antecedent for “she” or “her”. “The table” can be the antecedent for “it”. “The books” can be the antecedent for “they” or “them”.
Ensure the pronoun only refers to one antecedent
NO: Doris told Shirley that her watch was broken. (Whose watch is broken? Is it Doris’ or Shirley’s?)
YES: Doris told Shirley, “My watch is broken.”
Don’t overuse the pronoun “this”
NO: Most of the class earned a passing grade on the exam; however, only a few students did well on the essay. This caused concern for the professor. (You can’t tell what “this” is referring to. Is the professor concerned that most of the class passed the exam or that only a few students did well on the essay?)
YES: Most of the class earned a passing grade on the exam; however, only a few students did well on the essay. This inconsistency caused concern for the professor.
Don’t overuse the pronoun “it”
NO: In the report, it states that the reign of King George III was a prosperous time for England. YES: The report states that the reign of King George III was a prosperous time for England.
7. Punctuation
The Comma ,
The Comma is a mild separator used to separate words, phrases, and clauses from each other when no heavier mark is required.
Use commas to separate items in a series of three or more
NO: I love to eat pineapples apples oranges and raspberries.
YES: I love to eat pineapples, apples, oranges, and raspberries.
Use commas between two coordinate adjectives that modify the same noun
NO: The speaker delivered an insightful dynamic speech.
YES: The speaker delivered an insightful, dynamic speech.
Use commas between independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions
NO: The sun was shining but the air was very cold.
YES: The sun was shining, but the air was very cold.
Coordinating conjunctions include these words: and, but, so, nor, for, yet, or.
Use commas after an introductory element
NO: In the spring I will plant my garden.
YES: In the spring, I will plant my garden.
Introductory elements include: clauses, phrases, and transitional expressions.
Use commas for non-restrictive elements in a sentence
NO: My friend who has brown hair called me last night.
YES: My friend, who has brown hair, called me last night.
Non-restrictive elements are descriptors that provide additional non-essential information.
Do NOT use commas to separate a verb from its subject
NO: The dogs, are jumping over lazy foxes.
YES: The dogs are jumping over lazy foxes.
Do NOT use commas with restrictive elements in a sentence
NO: Many provinces re-test drivers, who are over sixty-five, to check their driving competency.
YES: Many provinces re-test drivers who are over sixty-five to check their driving competency.
Restrictive elements are descriptors that provide essential information. You need to specify the type of driver because not all of them are re-tested.
The Semi-colon ;
The Semi-colon is a heavy separator, often equivalent to a period. Semi-colons are used to connect independent clauses that are closely related in meaning.
Use semi-colons between independent clauses when the second one starts with a conjunctive adverb or transitional expression
NO: The man entered the shop however, he did not buy anything.
YES: The man entered the shop; however, he did not buy anything.
Use semi-colons between independent clauses closely related in meaning
NO: The sky turned grey, the wind died suddenly.
YES: The sky turned grey; the wind died suddenly.
The Colon :
The Colon is a full stop that draws attention to the words that follow. Colons commonly introduce a list or a quotation. They can only be used at the end of an independent clause.
Use colons to introduce a quotation after an independent clause
NO: Hamlet’s speech in the graveyard speaks to the fragility of life “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.”
YES: Hamlet’s speech in the graveyard speaks to the fragility of life: “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.”
Use colons to introduce a list after an independent clause
NO: There are three parts to this essay an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
YES: There are three parts to this essay: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
8. Passive Voice
“Voice” tells the reader whether a subject is acting or is being acted upon. The active voice shows the subject as the doer of the action. Using the active voice promotes good sentence structure. In contrast, the passive voice shows that the subject is being acted upon. Generally, using the active voice is preferred, but there are cases where you should be writing in the passive voice. For instance, scientific writing often uses the passive voice.
Passive Voice Structure
[“to be” conjugation] + [past participle of desired verb] + by
Let’s say we want to write this sentence using the passive voice:
Active Voice: The cat ate the cake.
The cat— doer of the action
Ate— the action
Passive Voice: The cake was eaten by the cat.
9. Sentence Fragments
Sentence fragments look like sentences, but they are actually incomplete. Often sentence fragments are missing a subject or a verb, or they begin with a subordinating word that turns them into a dependent clause.
Sentence fragment: Missing a verb
NO: The girl in her house.
YES: The girl stayed in her house.
Sentence fragment: Missing a subject
NO: Went out to play.
YES: The child went out to play.
Sentence fragment: Dependent clause
NO: Because it was raining very hard.
YES: Because it was raining very hard, the car skidded on the road.
10. Wordiness
“Wordiness” occurs when you use empty words or phrases that do not contribute to the meaning of the sentence. Remember, a sentence should express only one idea or a closely linked set of ideas.
Example:
NO: Although there are many humorous moments in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and there are many things which are satiric, there are also some important points to be made about Victorian England, namely how the upper classes were extremely pretentious and often they were very superficial.
— Although there are many humorous and satiric elements in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, the play also makes a serious statement about the pretension and superficiality of Victorian upper-class society.
YES: Through the use of humour and satire in his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde makes a serious statement about the pretension and superficiality of Victorian upper-class society.