QUICK-AND-DIRTY-GRAMMAR

Correcting the basic mechanical errors from your

papers

Contents

• Frequently misused words• Fragments• Comma splices, fused and run-on

sentences• Agreement

Frequently Misused Words

• Similarity of spelling or pronunciation: a/ an/the, affect/effect, accept/except, to/too/two, principal/principle, loose/lose, passed/past, etc.

• Irregular verbs: lie/lay, set/sit, raise/rise• Possessive pronouns/pronoun-verb

contractions• Consult my

List of Frequently Misused Words for definitions and examples.

Fragments

• Cause: one or more necessary elements missing from a sentence—subject, verb, or complete thought

• Example: Because Gwen went to UMBC.• Solutions:

– Supply the missing element.– Attach the fragment to the preceding or

following sentence if the meanings are similar.

Comma Splice

• Cause: a comma placed between two main clauses

• Example: Clint made many movies, he is both an actor and a director.

• Solutions: – Place a comma and conjunction (and, but, or,

so, nor, for, yet) between the clauses.– Place a semicolon between the clauses.

Fused and Run-on Sentences

• Cause of fused sentence: no punctuation between main clauses

• Cause of run-on sentence: conjunction without its comma between main clauses

• Solutions:– See previous slide.

Agreement

• Cause: subjects, verbs, and pronouns don’t agree in gender and number

• Example: Northrop Grumman are hiring for their R&D department.

• Solutions:– Write in 3rd person plural and the past tense

rather than in 3rd person singular and the present tense.