Lassiter High School English Department

Lassiter High School English Department

Writing Errors to Avoid

Your English teachers at Lassiter have compiled a list of basic errors to avoid. These errors will always result in a lower grade for written work, although individual teachers may weigh errors differently. You may also find that in-class, timed tests and essays are not penalized as heavily for errors as are out-of-class assignments for which you have plenty of time and access to handbooks and dictionaries. We hope, by insisting that you write in a certain way for your four years at Lassiter, that writing mechanics will become automatic for you and enable you to concentrate on the truly important aspects of writing – clear communication through sound organization and good style.

SERIOUS ERRORS

1.  SENTENCE FRAGMENT:

Remember that a sentence expresses a complete thought and contains a subject and a verb. Fragments are often the result of a phrase that belongs to the previous sentence.

Error: Last Saturday I saw Gloria. Riding her new ten-speed bicycle.

Correction: Last Saturday I saw Gloria riding her new ten-speed bicycle.

Sometimes fragments are the result of separating subordinate clauses from a sentence.

Error: The orchestra played A Night in the Tropics. Which Louis Gottschalk wrote in 1859.

Correction: The orchestra played A Night in the Tropics, which Louis Gottschalk wrote in 1859.

2.  RUN-ON SENTENCE:

Remember that you may not string sentences together without punctuation or with commas alone.

Error: The choice of a camera is difficult, there are many good ones on the market.

Correction: The choice of a camera is difficult. There are many good ones on the market.

OR

The choice of a camera is difficult; there are many good ones on the market.

OR

The choice of a camera is difficult because there are many good ones on the market.

3.  VERB ERROR:

Verbs must agree with their subjects.

Error: The theory of plate tectonics have explained causes of earthquake activity throughout the world.

Correction: The theory of plate tectonics has explained causes of earthquake activity throughout the world.

Verbs must be consistent in tense.

Error: George returns to Mary’s party and ate most of the refreshments.

Correction: George returned to Mary’s party and ate most of the refreshments.

OR

George returns to Mary’s part and eats most of the refreshments.

4.  PRONOUN ERRORS:

Do not use vague references.

Error: Jack felt in learning to drive that it would help him.

Correction: Jack felt that learning to drive would help him.

Error: This is why he was imprisoned.

Correction: This crime is why he was imprisoned.

Use the right case.

Error: Between you and I, the team performed poorly.

Correction: Between you and me, the team performed poorly.

Do not shift the person.

Error: The director maintains the audience’s interest so well that you cannot take your eyes from the screen.

Correction: The director maintains the audience’s interest so well that the viewer cannot take his eyes from the screen.

Pronouns should agree with their antecedents.

Error: Everyone should do their share of cleaning up after the huge meal.

Correction: Everyone should do his or her share of cleaning up after the huge meal.

LESS SERIOUS ERRORS (BUT STILL IMPORTANT)

5.  FAULTY USE OF COMMAS:

Remember always to use a comma after an introductory adverb clause.

Error: Although I had fallen in love before this time seemed truly unique.

Correction: Although I had fallen in love before, this time seemed truly unique.

Remember to use commas after introductory prepositional phrases of more than five words or consisting of two or more prepositional phrases strung together.

Error: On the last day of class in my high school career time seemed endless.

Correction: On the last day of class in my high school career, time seemed endless.

Remember to use commas with participial phrases.

Error: Giggling like a child he unwrapped the last present.

Correction: Giggling like a child, he unwrapped the last present.

Remember to set off nonessential elements with commas but leave essential elements alone.

Error: The train will I am sure be on time. (nonessential)

Correction: The train will, I am sure, be on time.

Error: Carla Harris who was offered a scholarship will attend Harvard in

September. (nonessential)

Correction: Carla Harris, who was offered a scholarship, will attend Harvard in September.

Correct: New Orleans is the city which interests me most. (essential)

Correct: The man who sang the anthem is my father. (essential)

Remember never to separate the subject and predicate in a sentence.

Error: The girl who was carrying the book, fell and broke her leg.

Correction: The girl who was carrying the book fell and broke her leg.

Remember to use a comma before a conjunction in a compound sentence.

Error: The man’s face was covered with cuts and bruises marred his arms.

Correction: The man’s face was covered with cuts, and bruises marred his arms.

6.  FAULTY ENDMARKS:

Use question marks and exclamation points appropriately.

Error: Will you dance with me.

Correction: Will you dance with me?

Error: He won the gold medal!!

Correction: He won the gold medal! (one end mark only)

Error: He asked if I were the salesman?

Correction: He asked if I were the salesman.

7.  FAULTY PUNCTUATION WITH QUOTATION MARKS:

Remember that commas and periods always go inside the final quotation marks.

Example: “I’m sure,” said Joe, “that we’ll be done with this project by Friday.”

Colons and semicolons always go outside the final quotation marks.

Example: “Eva,” my grandmother said, “you should keep up with your chores”; then she reminded me to wash the dishes.

Question marks and exclamation points are placed inside the closing quotation marks if the quotation is a question or an exclamation; otherwise they are placed outside.

Example: “Is everyone present?” asked the teacher.

Example: “How perceptive you are!” she exclaimed.

Example: Were you surprised when he said, “You win”?

Example: How exciting it was to hear him say, “Our band trip is

approved”!

8.  MISPLACED MODIFIERS:

Keep modifiers and the words they are modifying close together.

Error: We only ran from the bear for a few minutes.

Correction: We ran from the bear for a few minutes only.

9.  FAULTY PARALLELISM:

Remember to express parallel ideas in the same grammatical form.

Error: Water-skiing no longer interests me as much as to go scuba diving.

Correction: Water-skiing no longer interests me as much as scuba diving.

10. ERROR IN TITLE FORMS:

Remember that shorter or minor items require quotation marks while longer or major works require underlining.

Example: Have you read the short story “The Lottery” in our textbook, Literary Tradition ?

11. MISSPELLED WORDS:

English spelling is often illogical, so consult your dictionary when in doubt. Pay attention to the way words look on the page and spell by visualizing (careless pronunciation will throw you off).

12.  CONTRACTIONS:

Your writing will improve if you avoid contractions. Remember that your teachers expect most of your written work to be composed in standard formal English.

13.  OVERWORKED, TIRED VOCABULARY:

Avoid these overused words. Use fresh, specific words instead. Use details to illustrate your points. Show rather than say.

Vague, boring words to avoid:

all right grand sweet a lot

gross terrible absolutely hopefully

beautiful terrific horrible thing big interesting ugly creative

cute nice neat very

dynamic pretty weird wonderful funny really also great

so super boring

14.  VOICE:

Use active voice and simple tenses. Avoid passive voice and the verb to be in your writing.

Avoid: The car was wrecked by the sixteen year old.

Correction: The sixteen year old wrecked the car.