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.