Top 5 Grammar Errors Rosie Gabrielyan

Consequences of Knowing Proper Grammar

Frag… Fragments are incomplete sentences. They may lack either a subject or a verb, or they may not express a complete thought. -hit me!

…ments Fragments are often dependent clauses that have been separated from the main clause.

Subjects & Verbs Rosie likes ice cream. The dog with the brown fur barks loudly. She is a beautiful person. Subject Verb SubVerb

Fragment Practice 1.I felt much better. After seeing the doctor. 2. Because she ate too much cake. 3. Historical records show that during times of war many societies rebuild and form stronger nations that boost economic growth.

Run-Ons A run-on sentence is a sentence with two or more independent clauses that join together without appropriate punctuation or conjunctions. Conjunctions are the connecting words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

How to Fix Run-Ons 1)Place a period between the two complete thoughts. 2) Place a semicolon between the two complete thoughts. 3) Place a comma and a conjunction between the two complete thoughts.

Run-On Practice I heard The Great Gatsby is a good movie I want to watch it. I heard The Great Gatsby is a good movie. I want to watch it. I heard The Great Gatsby is a good movie; I want to watch it. I heard The Great Gatsby is a good movie, so I want to watch it.

Run-on Practice Adam Levine is a coach on The Voice it airs on Tuesday night. The Notebook made me cry Ryan Gosling is a great actor. I was driving in the left lane when he cut me off and braked.

Comma Drama 1)Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, so, nor, yet). I went to the store, but it was closed. Professor Smart was sick so he canceled class. ^Each side of the coordinating conjunction “but” can stand on its own as a sentence. Therefore, you must put a comma before “but.”,

Comma Drama 2) Use commas to set off non-essential clauses, clauses that are not necessary to understand the meaning of the sentence. Selena Gomez, a young actress and pop singer, performed at the Staples Center yesterday. ^ The incomplete clause describing Selena Gomez is not necessary for us to know who she is. It is just extra information.

Comma Drama 3) Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase. Sandra Silencio gave Tomas a raise. However, Tomas didn’t feel that he deserved it. Because her TV was broken Rachel went over to her friend’s house to watch a Grey’s Anatomy marathon.,

Comma Drama 4) Use commas to separate items in a list. Timmy ate pasta, pizza, and pickles.

Pronoun Usage and Agreement Dr. Tina delivered the teacher’s baby. She was a screamer. When using pronouns, make sure the reader clearly knows who your pronoun is referring to.

Pronoun Practice Marilyn Monroe was an actress in the 1950s. In several of her movies, she worked with Bette Davis. She was a wonderful actress. She starred in many popular films. In America, shopping has become a way of life. They shop when they need things and even when they don’t. He or she may even shop to feel better about themselves. American citizens just buy things out of habit.

Commonly Misused Words Effect vs Affect Noun Can substitute with “consequences” Verb Can substitute with “influence” or “change” 1. The ________ of a violent childhood are often alcoholism and depression. 2. A violent home can _________ a child. effects affect

its vs it’s it’s= it + is I know it’s too late to call her. its= shows possession and belonging The dog wagged its tail. its’ does not exist!

There, Their, They’re There- refers to location and can also substitute a noun – There are too many people in the bar. – I put the book over there. Their- shows belonging or possession – Their homework was incomplete. – I wish I could buy their album. They’re- equivalent to they + are – They’re going to be late for work.

Then vs Than Then= shows an sequence of order or refers to time – I went to the store and then I filled up gas. Than= shows a comparison – I like cookies better than chips.

The Oatmeal

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