1. Spelling Errors
• There is no good excuse for spelling errors in a final draft.
• Everyone should use a dictionary or turn on Spell Check. When in doubt, check it out!
2. Run-on Sentences
• Run-ons occur when you try to make one sentence do too much. For example:
William gazed across the broad Pacific his heart was filled with dread.
• Avoid run-ons by: a. breaking the long sentence into separate sentences:
William gazed across the broad Pacific. His heart was filled with dread.
b. reducing one of the clauses to a subordinate clause and adding a comma:
When William gazed across the broad Pacific, his heart was filled with dread.
c. adding a comma and coordinating conjunction between the two clauses:
William gazed across the broad Pacific, but his heart was filled with dread.
3. Sentence Fragments
• Fragments occur when you’ve written only part of a sentence. For example:
Because there was no other way of escaping the fire.
• Fix fragments by making sure your sentence contains both a subject and a verb:
He leaped out of the window because there was no other way of escaping the fire.
4. Subject/Verb Agreement
• If the subject is singular, use a singular verb; if the subject is plural, use a plural verb:
The arrival of many friends promises a good time.
Either the principal or the coach usually attends the dance.
• Remember: the subject of a sentence is never contained within a prepositional phrase!
5. Pronoun Agreement
• Almost everyone makes this mistake: Everyone should get out their books.
• A pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent (the word to which the pronoun refers).
• Rewrite the sentence using singular pronouns: Everyone should take out his or her book.
Singular pronouns include: each, either, neither, one, everyone, no one, everybody, nobody,
anyone, someone, somebody.
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