TWENTY MOST COMMON ERRORSDr. Andrea Lunsford’s research identified the following error patterns to be the most common among U.S. college students. Sentences containing the relevant errors, marked in red, are given first; corrections, marked in green, follow. 1) Missing comma after an introductory elementDetermined to get the job done we worked all weekend. 2) Missing comma in a compound sentenceThe words "I do" sound simple but they mean a life commitment. 3) Comma spliceMany are called, however few are chosen. 4) Fused sentenceThe current was swift I could not swim to shore. 5) Sentence fragmentWe ventured closer to the shoreline. Where the bluefish waited. 6) Missing comma in a seriesSharks eat squid, shrimp, crabs and small fish with equal gusto. 7) Unnecessary comma with a restrictive elementPeople, who want to preserve wilderness, oppose development. 8) Missing comma with a non-restrictive elementThe so-called civet cat which is not really a cat produces highly valued musk. 9) Misplaced modifierWe watched the eagles swoop and dive in awe and admiration. 10) Wrong word choiceParadise Lost contains many illusions to classical mythology. 11) Vague pronoun referenceCompany policy prohibits smoking, which many employees resent. 12) Wrong or missing prepositionRichard Nixon compared the U.S. with a "helpless giant." 13) Missing or misplaced apostropheOverly ambitious parents can be harmful to a childs development. 14) Its/It's confusionThe car was lying on it's side in a ditch. 15) Wrong or missing verb endingThe civet cat, which is not really a cat, produce valuable musk. 16) Unnecessary shift in verb tenseI watched the plane lift off, and then it glides silently westward. 17) Wrong tense or verb form He lied like a dog in the middle of Main Street. 18) Lack of subject/verb agreementMy peer reviewers or my instructor catch my errors. 19) Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent Each of the boys thrived in their new home. 20) Unnecessary shift in pronounWhen one sees a Durer woodcut, you recognize it immediately.
Adapted from Andrea Lunsford’s The Everyday Writer, 3rd edition, Bedford/St. Martin’s. |
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