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Step 10c: Grammar
As you edit the grammar of your
essay, you should particularly focus on the grammar concepts that
your teacher has previously marked on your papers. For example,
if your teacher has written "run-on" on your previous
papers, especially look at the following instruction on run-ons
and then look carefully over your essay to make sure you're avoiding
them. You should also be familiar with all the rest of the grammar
concepts here and be sure that your essay is grammatically correct.
If a term below looks unfamiliar, learn it. Although a grammatically
perfect essay won't mean that the essay is also perfect, a teacher
is less apt to give you a poor grade if he or she is unable to
justify that grade with grammatical errors. In the minds of many
old fashioned teachers, perfect grammar equals a perfect essay.
When you're done editing for grammar, and you've proofread your
essay a dozen times, you're done. Congratulations!
Colons:
Use a colon for three main reasons: (1) to introduce
a list, (2) to introduce a quotation, or (3) to set up a second
clause that answers the first. The one main rule with colons
is that an independent clause must precede the colon.
- They looked up at the constellations and could see a multitude
of different patterns Orion,
the Big Dipper, Cassiopia, and the Bear.
- Correction: They looked up at the constellations
and could see a multitude of different patterns:
Orion, the Big Dipper, Cassiopia, and the Bear.
- When Frank was confident he had Sally's respect, he asked
her a big question "Will you marry me?"
- Correction: Frank was confident he had Sally's
respect, he asked her a big question:
"Will you marry me?"
- Sally answered briefly and softly: "Love is like
an ocean wave. It rolls into
shore from seemingly nowhere."
- Correction: Sally answered briefly and softly:
"Love is like an ocean wave:
it rolls into shore from seemingly nowhere."
Practice with colons
Semi-colons: If
two independent clauses are closely related, you can join the
clauses with a semi-colon rather than a comma and coordinating
conjunction. You must be be sure, however, that independent
clauses are on both sides of the semi-colon.
- Frank asked Sally out for a date that night
she accepted enthusiastically.
- Correction: Frank asked Sally out for a date that
night; she accepted enthusiastically.
- Sally didn't know what to wear
all, her clothes were torn and ratty.
- Correction: Sally didn't know what to wear;
all her clothes were torn and ratty.
Practice with semicolons
Commas: In general,
use a comma wherever you want to insert a light, natural pause.
There are also specific rules to guide you in placing commas.
1. Use a comma after an introductory
clause.
- When Sally opened her eyes and looked around her
she thought she was in a dream.
- Correction: When Sally opened her eyes and looked
around her, she thought she was
in a dream.
- Seeing Sally return to full composure
Frank asked if he might have a sandwich.
- Correction: Seeing Sally return to full composure,
Frank asked if he might have a sandwich.
2. Use commas to set off non-restrictive
clauses or parenthetical expressions. (A non-restrictive clause
is a clause that doesn't restrict the sentence's meaning --
it can be dropped without changing the meaning.)
- The sandwich which was
pickle and peanut butter with ketchup mixed in
looked repulsive to Frank and made him almost vomit.
- Correction: The sandwich,
which was pickle and peanut butter with ketchup mixed
in, looked repulsive
to Frank and made him feel ill.
- Sally who grew up in a small farm town
in Nebraska said that's how everyone eats his or her sandwich.
- Correction: Sally,
who grew up in a small farm town in Nebraska,
said that's how everyone eats his or her sandwich.
3. When joining two independent
clauses with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, for,
so, nor, yet), put a comma before the coordinating conjunction.
(Note: an independent clause is a clause that can stand alone
as a full sentence.)
- Frank said to nevermind about the sandwich because he
wasn't hungry and he proceeded to lay down beside Sally.
- Correction: Frank said to nevermind about the sandwich
because he wasn't hungry, and he proceeded
to lay down beside Sally.
- Sally asked if Frank came to the beach often and he said
today was in fact the first time he had ever visited the
place.
- Correction: Sally asked if Frank came to the beach
often, and he said today was in fact
the first time he had ever visited the place.
Practice with commas
Misplaced Modifiers:
A misplaced modifier occurs when a clause is incorrectly placed
in a sentence such that it appears to modify the wrong word.
- Recovering slowly, the fainting
spell that Sally experienced gradually diminished.
(The fainting spell didn't recover slowly--Sally did!)
- Correction: Recovering slowly,
Sally gradually returned from her fainting spell.
- Ever worried, Frank quickly ran towards
Sally, very concerned about helping her. (Sally isn't
very concerned--Frank is!)
- Correction: Ever worried and very
concerned about helping her, Frank quickly ran towards
Sally.
Practice with misplaced modifiers
Tense Shifts:
A tense shift occurs when a verb breaks the unity of the other
tenses in the sentence. Be especially careful of shifting between
past and present tenses with your verbs.
- When Frank saw Sally sitting on her picnic blanket, his
jaw drops and his eyes get
all wide.
- Correction: When Frank saw Sally sitting on her
picnic blanket, his jaw dropped
and his eyes got all wide.
- Upon seeing Frank stand nobly above his glorious sandcastle,
Sally fainted and had fallen
backwards onto the ground.
- Correction: Upon seeing Frank stand nobly above
his sandcastle, she fainted and fell
backwards onto the ground.
Practice with tense shifts
Capitalization:
Capitalize words that are specific names. Do not capitalize
a word just to give it emphasis.
- st. petersberg beach is a
place where many a love has been ignited, according to local
Professors.
- Correction: St. Petersberg Beach
is a place where many a love has been ignited, according
to local professors.
- According to shakespeare's
romeo and juliet, the
Truest love is frequently a
star-crossed love.
- Correction: According to Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet, the truest
love is frequently a star-crossed love.
Practice with capitalization
Possessives:
To indicate possession, use an apostrophe before an "s."
To indicate possession for a plural subject, add an apostrophe
after the "s."
- Sallys hair needed washing.
- Correction: Sally's hair
needed washing.
- Ones need for companionship
is second only to ones need
for food.
- Correction: One's need
for companionship is second only to one's
need for food.
- The lifeguards tower chairs
were empty due to the lack of people on the beach.
- Correction: The lifeguard's
tower chairs were empty due to the lack of people on the
beach.
Practice with possessives
Pronoun
Agreement: Pronoun agreement errors occur when the pronoun
and the corresponding subject do not match up. Plural subjects
have plural pronouns, and singular subjects have singular pronouns.
- If a boy wants to impress a girl, they
better do more than build sandcastles.
- Correction: If a boy wants to impress a girl, he
better do more than build sandcastles.
- When someone is lonely, they
usually go on a picnic.
- Correction: When someone is lonely, he
or she usually goes on a picnic.
Note: The following pronouns
are singular pronouns: anyone, everyone, whoever, someone, no
one, nobody.
Practice with pronoun agreement
Subject-verb
Agreement: Subject-verb agreement errors occur when the
subject doesn't match up correctly with the verb. Usually the
error occurs when the subject is singular and the verb is plural,
or when the subject is plural and the verb singular.
- Sally's took out the biscuits, butter, and jam that
was
in her basket.
- Correction: Sally took out the biscuits, butter,
and jam that were in her basket.
- Frank made a sandcastle, along with a surrounding moat
and turret, that was very eye-catching.
- Correction:
Frank made a sandcastle, along with a surrounding
moat and turret, that were very
eye-catching.
Practice with subject-verb agreement
Run-ons:
There are two types of run-on sentences: fused sentences and
comma splices. A fused sentence occurs when two sentences
are fused or blended into one, without any punctuation. A comma
splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined together
with only a comma, rather than with a comma and a coordinating
conjunction. A comma is not sufficient to join two independent
clauses. You must use a comma and a coordinating conjunction
(and, but, or, for, so, nor, yet).
- Frank was an orphan from Kentucky he didn't have any parents
and lived in a foster home.
- Correction: Frank was an orphan from Kentucky.
He didn't have any parents and lived in a foster
home.
- He liked to spend his days at the beach no one bothered
him there.
- Correction: He liked to spend his days at the beach.
No one bothered him there.
- Sally went to the beach, she had a picnic there.
- Correction: Sally went to
the beach, and she had
a picnic there.
- The weather at the beach was rather windy, you had to
keep a hold of your hat or it would blow off.
- Correction: The weather at the beach was rather
windy, so you had to keep a hold
of your hat or it would blow off.
Practice with run-ons
Fragments:
Fragments are incomplete sentences that lack a subject
or verb. Or, if the sentence does seem to have a subject or
verb, the subject and verb appear in a subordinate clause rather
than the main, independent clause.
- Swam in the ocean. (no subject)
- Frank in the ocean. (no verb)
- Frank swimming in the ocean. (not an independent clause)
- Correction: Frank swam in
the ocean.
Fragments are harder to spot when they are next
to real sentences, but they are still fragments.
- Frank went to the beach. Swam in
the ocean.
- Correction: Frank went to
the beach and swam in the ocean.
- It was the last thing I thought
I'd see. Frank in the ocean.
- Correction: The last thing
I thought I'd see was Frank in
the ocean.
- There are a few things I hate. Frank
swimming in the ocean.
- Correction: There are a few
things I hate. Frank swimming
in the ocean is one of them.
Practice with fragments
Select
from the above to see an explanation.
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