20 Most Common Errors Writers

MakeAdapted from The Bedford St.

Martins Handbook

Missing comma after an introductory element

Check your sentences to see which ones open with an introductory word, phrase, or clause. Readers usually need a small pause between the introductory element and the main part of the sentence, a pause usually signaled by a comma.

 

EX: Although I love chocolate I hate it when I fall asleep with it in bed.

Commas

Commas

Missing comma in a compound sentence

A compound sentence is made up of 2 parts that could each stand alone as a sentence. When these two parts are joined by FANBOYS there needs to be a comma after the first complete thought.

 EX: My children make all A’s in school but they fail housework at home.

Complete Sentence , ____ Complete Sentence 

FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So 

Commas

Comma splice

A comma splice occurs when a comma separates two complete sentences. This is not allowed but can be corrected by putting a period, a semicolon, or a comma and a FANBOY.

 

EX: The dog is my favorite cleaning utensil, he mops up spills before I know they are there.

Commas

Fused Sentence

A fused sentence is actually two complete sentences not joined by any of the above mentioned correct punctuation.

 

EX: The birds sing outside my window they redecorate my car each morning

Commas

Missing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive element (Don’t need it)

A nonrestrictive element is a part of the sentence that is not essential to the basic meaning of the sentence. You can remove it from the sentence, and it will still make sense. This part of the sentence needs commas before and after it.

 

EX: Coffee my best friend makes sunrise tolerable.

Commas

Unnecessary comma(s) with a restrictive element (Need it)

A restrictive element is a part of the sentence that is essential to the basic meaning of the sentence. If you take this out, it changes the meaning of the sentence. This information does not need commas around it.

 

EX: Students, who use their cell phones during class, should call the principal’s office.

Commas

Missing Comma in a series

When three or more items are listed in a series, they should be separated from one another with commas.

 

EX: My therapist says I should laugh cry, and drink more often.

Missing or misplaced possessive apostrophe

Make sure all nouns that are possessive have an apostrophe, and make sure it’s in the right place.

 EX: My neighbors advice is like the Horoscope section. He always tells me what to do and is usually wrong.

• Singular possessive: One cat’s toy• Plural possessive: Ten cats’ toys

Apostrophes

Apostrophes

Its/It’s confusion

Its is the possessive form and It’s is the contraction of It is. Make sure you are using these correctly.

 

EX: Its easy to find a cat that does not meow, as long as its food bowl is always full.

Wrong or missing verb ending

It is easy to put the wrong verb endings. This happens because the verb endings are not pronounced clearly or used properly when we talk.

 

EX: The girl swang higher than her sister, even though she was wearing heavier shoes.

Verbs

Wrong tense or verb

This can include using a tense that does not indicate clearly when an action or condition is, was, or will be completed. Also, errors may occur when the writer confuses the forms of irregular verbs.

 

EX: I had just left the shower when the mailman putted the mail in the mailbox.

Verbs

Unnecessary shift in tone

Make sure all verb tenses in each of your sentences work together appropriately. When you shift from one tense to another with no clear reason, you can confuse readers.

EX: The moon looks like a dime in the sky when it was full.

Remember when using the perfect tenses to use the past participle of the verb not the simple past tense!

• EX: I have eaten already.• Not: I have ate already.• EX: He had broken his arm.• Not: He had broke his arm.

Verbs

Vague pronoun reference

There are two kinds of vague pronoun reference. The first occurs when there is more than one word that the pronoun might refer to. The second occurs when the reference is to a word that is implied but not explicitly stated.

 

EX: My map was useless in the desert when I got lost in it.

Pronouns

Unnecessary shift in pronoun

This occurs when a writer who has been using one kind of pronoun to refer to someone or something shifts to another pronoun for no apparent reason. The most common shift in pronoun is from one to you or I.

 

EX: The way you look in the mirror is the way one looks at a car accident.

Pronouns

Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents (the words they are replacing) in gender (he to replace Abraham Lincoln and her to replace Queen Elizabeth) and number (it to replace a book or them to replace 15 books).

 

EX: All the teachers were exhausted which is why she were ready for summer.

Pronouns

Sentence fragment

A sentence fragment is basically an incomplete sentence standing alone as if it is complete. Usually it lacks a verb or a subject.

 

EX: It is easier to cry for candy than to.

Miscellaneous

Wrong word

This error can involve mixing up words that sound somewhat alike, using a word with the wrong shade of meaning, or using a word with a completely wrong meaning.

Word processors do not catch everything. Consider that Microsoft Word fails to catch the basic punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors in the following sentence: The build in grammar checker leaves far mooch to be desired its lacks ability to now basic sentence error.

 

EX: The birds were attacking there tomato plants while the neighborhood cat laid down to watch.

Miscellaneous

Wrong or missing preposition

Make sure all prepositions are the ones you meant to use because specific prepositions express specific relationships. Many words in English are regularly used with a particular preposition to express a particular meaning.  

EX: Her favorite pastime was showing up her Karate kicks to the bullies in her class.

Think about the difference in meaning:• To take on a project• To take out a date• To take up a habit

Miscellaneous

Misplaced or dangling modifier

Every modifier (word, phrase, or clause) needs to be as close as possible to the word it describes or relates to. Also, the word that is being modified must be stated.

 

EX: We saw the blue jays fighting the crows with the aid of Mike’s telescope.

Miscellaneous

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