As you edit the grammar of your essay, you should particularly focus on the grammar concepts that your teacher has previously marked on your papers. For example, if your teacher has written “run-on” on your previous papers, especially look at the following instruction on run-ons and then look carefully over your essay to make sure you’re avoiding them. You should also be familiar with all the rest of the grammar concepts here and be sure that your essay is grammatically correct. If a term below looks unfamiliar, learn it. Although a grammatically perfect essay won’t mean that the essay is also perfect, a teacher is less apt to give you a poor grade if he or she is unable to justify that grade with grammatical errors. In the minds of many old fashioned teachers, perfect grammar equals a perfect essay.
Fragments: Fragments are incomplete sentences that lack a subject or verb. Or, if the sentence does seem to have a subject or verb, the subject and verb appear in a subordinate clause rather than the main, independent clause.
- Swam in the ocean. (no subject)
- Frank in the ocean. (no verb)
- Frank swimming in the ocean. (not an independent clause)
- Correction: Frank swam in the ocean.
Fragments are harder to spot when they are next to real sentences, but they are still fragments.
- Frank went to the beach. Swam in the ocean.
- Correction: Frank went to the beach and swam in the ocean.
- It was the last thing I thought I’d see. Frank in the ocean.
- Correction: The last thing I thought I’d see was Frank in the ocean.
- There are a few things I hate. Frank swimming in the ocean.
- Correction: There are a few things I hate. Frank swimming in the ocean is one of them.
Run-ons: There are two types of run-on sentences: fused sentences and comma splices. A fused sentence occurs when two sentences are fused or blended into one, without any punctuation. A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined together with only a comma, rather than with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. A comma is not sufficient to join two independent clauses. You must use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, for, so, nor, yet).
- Frank was an orphan from Kentucky he didn’t have any parents and lived in a foster home.
- Correction: Frank was an orphan from Kentucky. He didn’t have any parents and lived in a foster home.
- He liked to spend his days at the beach no one bothered him there.
- Correction: He liked to spend his days at the beach. No one bothered him there.
- Sally went to the beach, she had a picnic there.
- Correction: Sally went to the beach, and she had a picnic there.
- The weather at the beach was rather windy, you had to keep a hold of your hat or it would blow off.
- Correction: The weather at the beach was rather windy, so you had to keep a hold of your hat or it would blow off.
Capitalization: Capitalize words that are specific names. Do not capitalize a word just to give it emphasis.
- st. petersberg beach is a place where many a love has been ignited, according to local Professors.
- Correction: St. Petersberg Beach is a place where many a love has been ignited, according to local professors.
- According to shakespeare’s romeo and juliet, the Truest love is frequently a star-crossed love.
- Correction: According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the truest love is frequently a star-crossed love.
Possessives: To indicate possession, use an apostrophe before an “s.” To indicate possession for a plural subject, add an apostrophe after the “s.”
- Sallys hair needed washing.
- Correction: Sally’s hair needed washing.
- Ones need for companionship is second only to ones need for food.
- Correction: One’s need for companionship is second only to one’s need for food.
- The lifeguards tower chairs were empty due to the lack of people on the beach.
- Correction: The lifeguard’s tower chairs were empty due to the lack of people on the beach.
Tense Shifts: A tense shift occurs when a verb breaks the unity of the other tenses in the sentence. Be especially careful of shifting between past and present tenses with your verbs.
- When Frank saw Sally sitting on her picnic blanket, his jaw drops and his eyes get all wide.
- Correction: When Frank saw Sally sitting on her picnic blanket, his jaw dropped and his eyes got all wide.
- Upon seeing Frank stand nobly above his glorious sandcastle, Sally fainted and had fallen backwards onto the ground.
- Correction: Upon seeing Frank stand nobly above his sandcastle, she fainted and fell backwards onto the ground.
Subject-verb Agreement: Subject-verb agreement errors occur when the subject doesn’t match up correctly with the verb. Usually the error occurs when the subject is singular and the verb is plural, or when the subject is plural and the verb singular.
- Sally’s took out the biscuits, butter, and jam that was in her basket.
- Correction: Sally took out the biscuits, butter, and jam that were in her basket.
- Frank made a sandcastle, along with a surrounding moat and turret, that was very eye-catching.
- Correction: Frank made a sandcastle, along with a surrounding moat and turret, that were very eye-catching.
Pronoun Agreement: Pronoun agreement errors occur when the pronoun and the corresponding subject do not match up. Plural subjects have plural pronouns, and singular subjects have singular pronouns.
- If a boy wants to impress a girl, they better do more than build sandcastles.
- Correction: If a boy wants to impress a girl, he better do more than build sandcastles.
- When someone is lonely, they usually go on a picnic.
- Correction: When someone is lonely, he or she usually goes on a picnic.
Note: The following pronouns are singular pronouns: anyone, everyone, whoever, someone, no one, nobody.
Misplaced Modifiers: A misplaced modifier occurs when a clause is incorrectly placed in a sentence such that it appears to modify the wrong word.
- Recovering slowly, the fainting spell that Sally experienced gradually diminished. (The fainting spell didn’t recover slowly–Sally did!)
- Correction: Recovering slowly, Sally gradually returned from her fainting spell.
- Ever worried, Frank quickly ran towards Sally, very concerned about helping her. (Sally isn’t very concerned–Frank is!)
- Correction: Ever worried and very concerned about helping her, Frank quickly ran towards Sally.
Commas: In general, use a comma wherever you want to insert a light, natural pause. There are also specific rules to guide you in placing commas.
1. Use a comma after an introductory clause.
- When Sally opened her eyes and looked around her she thought she was in a dream.
- Correction: When Sally opened her eyes and looked around her, she thought she was in a dream.
- Seeing Sally return to full composure Frank asked if he might have a sandwich.
- Correction: Seeing Sally return to full composure, Frank asked if he might have a sandwich.
2. Use commas to set off non-restrictive clauses or parenthetical expressions. (A non-restrictive clause is a clause that doesn’t restrict the sentence’s meaning — it can be dropped without changing the meaning.)
- The sandwich which was pickle and peanut butter with ketchup mixed in looked repulsive to Frank and made him almost vomit.
- Correction: The sandwich, which was pickle and peanut butter with ketchup mixed in, looked repulsive to Frank and made him feel ill.
- Sally who grew up in a small farm town in Nebraska said that’s how everyone eats his or her sandwich.
- Correction: Sally, who grew up in a small farm town in Nebraska, said that’s how everyone eats his or her sandwich.
3. When joining two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, for, so, nor, yet), put a comma before the coordinating conjunction. (Note: an independent clause is a clause that can stand alone as a full sentence.)
- Frank said to nevermind about the sandwich because he wasn’t hungry and he proceeded to lay down beside Sally.
- Correction: Frank said to nevermind about the sandwich because he wasn’t hungry, and he proceeded to lay down beside Sally.
- Sally asked if Frank came to the beach often and he said today was in fact the first time he had ever visited the place.
- Correction: Sally asked if Frank came to the beach often, and he said today was in fact the first time he had ever visited the place.
Semi-colons: If two independent clauses are closely related, you can join the clauses with a semi-colon rather than a comma and coordinating conjunction. You must be be sure, however, that independent clauses are on both sides of the semi-colon.
- Frank asked Sally out for a date that night she accepted enthusiastically.
- Correction: Frank asked Sally out for a date that night; she accepted enthusiastically.
- Sally didn’t know what to wear all, her clothes were torn and ratty.
- Correction: Sally didn’t know what to wear; all her clothes were torn and ratty.
Dashes: Dashes are used to set off an additional thought in your sentence. This additional thought doesn’t need to be an independent clause or complete thought at all. It can be a list, a clarification, a shift, an amplification–just some clause you wish to tack on to your sentence.
- They decided to meet once again at the beach. But at midnight!
- Correction: They decided to meet once again at the beach–but at midnight!
- At night they walked along the beach, looking up at the stars. A completely romantic evening for Sally.
- Correction: At night they walked along the beach, looking up at the stars–a completely romantic evening for Sally.
*Note that a dash is two hyphens: –, not one. MS Word usually combines these two hyphens into one long hyphen automatically, which is fine.
*For print mediums, do not put spaces around dashes. If you do, put spaces around both sides of the dash.
Colons: Use a colon for three main reasons: (1) to introduce a list, (2) to introduce a quotation, or (3) to set up a second clause that answers the first. The one main rule with colons is that an independent clause must precede the colon.
- They looked up at the constellations and could see a multitude of different patterns Orion, the Big Dipper, Cassiopia, and the Bear.
- Correction: They looked up at the constellations and could see a multitude of different patterns: Orion, the Big Dipper, Cassiopia, and the Bear.
- When Frank was confident he had Sally’s respect, he asked her a big question “Will you marry me?”
- Correction: Frank was confident he had Sally’s respect, he asked her a big question: “Will you marry me?”
- Sally answered briefly and softly: “Love is like an ocean wave. It rolls into shore from seemingly nowhere.”
- Correction: Sally answered briefly and softly: “Love is like an ocean wave: it rolls into shore from seemingly nowhere.”
When you’re done editing for grammar, and you’ve proofread your essay a dozen times, you’re done.
Congratulations!
