10 things about the Minimum Standard of Correctness

1. Which is correct? Homer ate six donut’s. Homer ate six donuts.

When do you use an apostrophe? To show a contraction – it’s = it is; don’t = do not To show possession – the cat belonging to Lisa = Lisa’s cat An apostrophe is not used for plurals or verbs – two dogs; Bart runs down the street

2. Which is correct? Homers donuts were very tasty.

Apostrophes and the letter s Add ’s after any word to show possession – the cat’s food; Mr Skinner’s students; the children’s playground If the word ends in s, only add an apostrophe – Smithers’ passion for Mr Burns; the Simpsons’ house

3. Three words to be aware of: The changing room for women = the women’s changing room The cars belonging to the men = the men’s cars The teachers of the children = the children’s teachers

4. What needs a comma? I have 2 cats but I used to have five. I forgot to bring your essays to class today so you can collect them on Friday. I like swimming and playing computer games when I have time. I want to finish class early on Friday because I have a meeting.

What’s the rule? FANBOYS conjunctions need a comma. A comma is not necessary if what follows the FANBOYS is not a complete sentence. Subordinating conjunctions (e.g. “because”) do not need a comma if they follow the main clause in a sentence.

5. What needs a comma? Unfortunately I missed the new episode of The Simpsons last Sunday. However my husband did manage to tape it for me. When I watched it I enjoyed the references to Maurice Sendak’s book, Where the Wild things Are.

Why? A comma is needed to separate introductory elements in a sentence from the main clause. This is not a comma rule that violates the minimum standard, but it does annoy your instructor when it is left out.

6. Are these commas correct? I wanted to cook dinner last night, however, I had to take my daughter to her violin lesson. She was very excited about starting violin, she went to music camp in the summer. Many people think that the sound of a young child learning the violin is painful, they are correct.

What is the rule? Two separate sentences cannot be joined with a comma alone. Use a semicolon, or a FANBOYS conjunction with a comma: I learned viola and clarinet as a child; I have not continued to play them as an adult. I learned viola and clarinet as a child, but I have not continued to play them as an adult.

7. What is wrong here? When a person wants to write a good essay, they must start with a strong thesis statement. If one has a strong thesis, then you can make a coherent argument. Everyone needs to make their thesis clear at the beginning of their essay.

Pronouns must be consistent If one starts with one, one must continue to use one. A student: his or her essay. Students: their essays. Everyone: his or her thesis. Avoid using: you, our, we and us when you are writing academic argument.

8. What’s wrong here? Ralph asked Chief Wiggum to take him to the science museum; he said he would. Many people enjoy discussing tv shows with their friends or on websites. This can be seen on televisionwithoutpity.com. The MRC code of conduct prohibits cheating, which many students think is unfair.

Pronoun references must be clear When in doubt, it is better to restate the noun than to use a pronoun which might be unclear. The MRC code of conduct prohibits cheating; many students agree that cheating or plagiarism is unfair. Ralph asked his father to take him to the science musem; Chief Wiggum said he would.

9. What’s the problem? The argument is clear at the start, than the author goes off-topic. I want to know there long-term plans. Do you know how the snowstorm is going to effect our plans for the weekend? This essay is more about relationships then about materialism.

The spell-check is not your friend If you misspell words but manage to create new words, the spell checker will not find these errors. It doesn’t know which word you meant to use. Be aware of words that cause problems: affect/effect; then/than, there/their/they’re; too/to/two

10. What’s wrong here? Everyone who likes chocolates, even white chocolates, are more likely to be happy. The requirements for the assignment is posted on the instructor’s website. The author describes his childhood experiences and told a humorous story about his father.

Verbs must be correct Subjects and verbs must agree. The icing on these cupcakes is delicious. Tenses must stay consistent. The author describes his childhood experiences and tells a humorous story … The author described his childhood experiences and told a humorous story…

Bonus: don’t annoy your teacher In today’s society… In the essay, “The Yukon,” the author, Douglas Coupland, he argues… In doing so… …due to the fact that… By comparing the ideas, Smith shows… Being that it was the first day of term…