Grammar is the main thing when studying English
1. Subject-Verb agreement errors.
The subject and verb of a sentence must agree with one another in number whether they are singular or plural. If the subject of the sentence is singular, its verb must also be singular; and if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. This is a common error in grammar…
Example 1:
Incorrect: An important part of my life have been the people who stood by me.
Correct: An important part of my life has been the people who stood by me.
Example 2:
Incorrect: The two best things about the party was the food and the music.
Correct: The two best things about the party were the food and the music.
2. Misusing the apostrophe with “its”.
You use an apostrophe with it’s only when the word means it is or it has. Without the apostrophe, its means belonging to it.
Example 1:
Incorrect: I don’t believe its finally Friday. Correct: I don’t believe it’s (it is) finally Friday.3. Lack of parallel structure.
Faulty parallelism occurs when two or more parts of a sentence are similar in meaning but not parallel (or grammatically similar) in form. It often occurs with paired constructions and ítems in a series.
Example 1:
Incorrect: He wanted to learn more about careers in programming, engineering, biochemist, and research scientist.
Correct: He wanted to learn more about careers in programming, engineering, biochemistry, and research science.
Example 2:
Incorrect:
- The key directives of his boss were clear:
- Meet monthly sales quotas.
- Aggressive marketing techniques.
- Reporting in every day.
Correct:
- The key directives of his boss were clear:
- Meet monthly sales goals.
- Practice aggressive marketing techniques.
- Report in every day.
4. Comma splice.
A comma splice occurs when two separate sentences are joined with a comma rather than a period or semicolon. Writers often create comma splices when using transitional words, such as however, therefore, moreover, nevertheless, or furthermore.
Example 1:
Incorrect: My intention was to taker her out to dinner, however I decided not to invite her after all.
Correct: My intention was to take her out to dinner; however, I decided not to invite her after all.
Example 2:
Incorrect: My sisters and I love to go shopping, we then have lunch together when we’re done.
Correct: My sisters and I love to go shopping. We then have lunch together when we’re done.
5. Vague pronoun reference
A pronoun can replace a noun, and its antecedent should be the person, place, or thing to which the pronoun refers. A vague pronoun reference (including words such as it, that, this, and which) can leave the reader confused about what or to whom the pronoun refers.
Example 1:
Incorrect: When Jonathan finally found his dog, he was so happy. (The dog or Jonathan?)
Correct: Jonathan was so happy when he finally found his dog.
Example 2:
Incorrect: Don felt a lot of anger and bitterness as a result of Marie’s decision. This is what ended everything. (What ended everything? Don’s anger and bitterness or Marie’s decision?)
Correct: Don felt a lot of anger and bitterness as a result of Marie’s decision. Her choice ended everything.
So, don’t be afraid of grammar. The more you practice, the better your texts will be. Just be aware of using it properly and you’ll be just fine. We want to keep our readers entertained, but we also want them to understand what we’re trying to express, don’t we?
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