1. Parallel Structure  Using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level.  Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling.  Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.  The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercises before the game.

2. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement  A pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun. A pronoun should refer clearly to one, clear, unmistakable noun coming before the pronoun. This noun is called the pronoun’s antecedent.  President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address in 1863  The pronoun his refers back to President Lincoln. President Lincoln is the ANTECEDENT for the pronoun his.  So basically the pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number. A.K.A…A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun; a plural pronoun must replace a plural noun.  Each of the clerks do a good deal of work around his or her office - correct  Each of the clerks do a good deal of work around their office – incorrect because there is plural

3. Hyphens vs. Dashes  Hyphens (-) are used to connect two or more words (and numbers) into a single concept, especially for building adjectives.  There are fewer Italian-American communities these days.  The family’s money-saving measures have been helping them to build their savings.  She has stopped buying 2-liter bottles and has started buying 0.5-liter bottles, instead.  I had a conversation with Mrs. Skinner-Kcrycek this morning.  Dashes (—) can be used to indicate an interruption, particularly in transcribed speech  The chemistry student began to say, “An organic solvent will only work with—” when her cell phone rang.  Hyphens are shorter than dashes are

4. Semicolons  A punctuation mark that separates major sentence elements. A semicolon can be used between two closely related independent clauses, provided they are not already joined by a coordinating conjunction.  The upperclassmen are permitted off-campus lunch; the underclassmen must remain on campus.  You could replace the semicolon with the word “but” and then the semicolon would not be needed  Semicolons can also be used to separate parts of a list that have commas in them already  I have been to Seattle, Washington; San Diego, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Orlando, Florida