English 255 final prep

15 common errors

1. Sentence Fragments

A sentence fragment is a group of words that is not a

sentence. At its minimum, every sentence must form an
independent clause; that is, it must have a subject and a
predicate.

2. Comma Splices and Run-on sentences

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A comma splice is a frequent writing error committed by

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using a comma to join two independent clauses,

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“splicing” them together. The comma by itself is not

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rs e considered a strong enough piece of punctuation to join
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or coordinate two independent clauses.

Tip : Here are the four most common ways to correct a comma splice:
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 1. Add one of the seven coordinate conjunctions (mnemonic device

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FANBOYS) after the comma joining the two independent clauses.

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 2. Keep the comma but change one of the independent clauses into a
dependent clause.
 3. Delete the comma and separate the independent clauses with a
semicolon instead.
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 4. Delete the comma and use a period instead to make the two
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independent clauses into two sentences.

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3. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

In English, subjects and their verbs agree in number. If

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your subject is singular, then your verb form should be

singular. If your subject is plural, then your verb form
should be plural.

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 4. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Errors, Pronoun Reference Errors,
and Unwarranted Shift in Person Errors

Pronouns need to agree in number and gender with the

nouns they represent, sometimes called their referents
or antecedents.

5. Dangling Modifiers (participles)

Dangling participles do not match the subjects or nouns

they intend to qualify. A participle is a verb form ending
in –ing or –ed. Participles and participle phrases modify
nouns. When a participle or participle phrase appears at

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the beginning of a sentence, it functions as an

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introductory qualifier for the subject that should follow it

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directly.

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6. Misplaced Modifiers
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Be alert to what your modifiers are qualifying. Be sure
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they modify what you intend to qualify rather than

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modifying any noun or concept haphazardly.

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7. Pronoun Case Errors

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Case refers to the different forms that personal pronouns

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take to indicate their function in a group of words. Many

people use the incorrect form of personal pronouns,
especially when trying to sound formal. Personal
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pronouns have three cases: subjective,

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objective, and possessive. Problems usually arise,

however, in deciding simply between the subjective and
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objective forms.

8. Missing Commas

Comma errors are common in first-year, undergraduate,

graduate, and even professional writing. Often, bad

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 advice circulates regarding the comma; this
misinformation amounts to the claim that one should
insert a comma wherever you would pause to draw
breath if you were speaking. This bad advice, which is
sometimes called “rhetorical punctuation,” will mislead
you. It whimsically bases itself on fluctuating vocal
patterns. For example, since people from New Jersey
have speech rhythms that differ from those of people
from Saskatchewan, you need to rely on defined, logical,
and mechanical rules to sort out the proper locations of
commas rather than on inconsistent chit-chat from
around the globe.

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9. Misused Colons or Semicolons

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These two pieces of punctuation are neither mystical nor

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rs e inscrutable. The colon and semicolon are distinct units of
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punctuation and are governed by simple, definite rules.

10. Tense errors

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Knowing when to use the various tenses in English can

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be a challenge; however, a number of tense errors occur

simply because the writer is unfamiliar with the correct
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form of the verb called for in certain contexts.

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11. Mixed Constructions

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Because English has alternative syntactical ways to

express the same idea, writers sometimes find
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themselves stuck between two approaches.

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12. Parallel Structure Errors

Some sentence structures require a writer to complete—

by making parallel—a grammatical structure that he or
she has already begun earlier in the sentence.

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 Parallelism requires this completion of a language
pattern. This is really a matter of word order, which is
also called syntax. Your sentence construction will be
parallel if it expresses equivalent elements in equivalent
syntactical divisions.

13. Apostrophe Errors

The apostrophe signals possession or contraction.

14. Passive Voice (overuse or awkward use)

“Voice” is conveyed partly by the form of the verb and its

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helpers (the predicate); however, be careful to

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distinguish between the concepts of tense (when a thing

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is taking place) and voice (whether the subject of the

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action is stated as the grammatical subject of the
rs e sentence). Passive voice can operate in any tense.
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15. Non-Restrictive Qualifiers
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Some qualifiers require two commas to set them off from

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the rest of the sentence, while other qualifiers do not.

Qualifiers that require commas are called non-essential
or non-restrictive. They are not structurally necessary
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for the sentence in which they appear. Qualifiers that do

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not require commas are called restrictive and are

essential for meaning in their sentences.
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Here is a sample exam question:

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Each of the sisters knows how to operate the jackhammer themselves.

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(Agreement)

Essay questions before writing:

 Who is my audience?

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  What is my purpose?
 Therefore, what should be my style and type of writing? (e.g. personal, expository,
persuasive)?
 What is my thesis?
 What is the topic/topic sentence in each of my three or four body paragraphs?
 What sort of supporting detail will I need to mention for each point made in each
paragraph?

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