WRONG WORD
There are many word pairs that can be confused with each other, and if the writer isn’t careful, it could change the meaning of the sentence–sometimes completely. E.g., affect vs. effect, ensure vs. insure, etc. It also reflects poorly on the writer’s skills. So, when in doubt, check the dictionary for the right definition of the word.
Examples:
WRONG: The seminar had the right affect on him.
CORRECTED: The seminar had the right effect on him.
WRONG: This month, with my fasting, I plan to loose weight
CORRECTED: This month, with my fasting, I plan to lose weight
WRONG: Her performance was stellar, accept for last year’s.
CORRECTED: Her performance was stellar, except for last year’s.
MISSING WORD
This is a pet peeve with writers when they assume they’ve written everything, only to find the missing word once the work has been published. You are more likely to spot missing words if you read your writing aloud before submitting it.
Example:
The director was so impressed his work that he was hired on the spot. (In this example, the word with is missing before his work)
SPELLING
Spelling mistakes are seen as a sign of a writer's carelessness. Use electronic spell checks or online tools to spot spelling mistakes. However, even with the help of technology, you may still have spelling errors. Spell checks overlook complex words, homonyms (real/reel), and proper nouns, especially names. Be careful about it because these mistakes may not be obvious to the writer at the first glance.
Example:
Johnathon Lovingston Seagull is a motivational fable. (Here, the title of this popular book is spelled wrong, even though it isn’t picked up by most spell-checkers. In case you didn’t spot the mistake, it is Lovingston in place of Livingston).
VAGUE PRONOUN REFERENCE
Using vague pronouns (e.g., she, he, this, it) can confuse the reader about what or to whom the pronoun refers to/replaces (called the antecedent). If you're writing a sentence with multiple nouns that have the same pronoun, edit to make the meaning clear. A vague pronoun reference (including words such as it, that, this, and which) can confuse the reader.
Examples:
VAGUE USAGE: They say that we lose many brain cells as we age. (In the following sentence, to whom does "they" refer?)
CORRECTED: Scientists say that we lose many brain cells as we age.
VAGUE USAGE: The king decided to meet the sage even though he was old. (Here, the pronoun "he" is vague; it could refer to the king or the sage.)
CORRECTED: Even though the sage was old, the king decided to meet him. (The sentence has been rewritten to make it clear.)
Also Read:
UNNECESSARY OR MISSING APOSTROPHE (INCLUDING ITS/IT'S)
Apostrophes indicate possession for nouns but not for personal pronouns (its, their, your, and whose). To make a noun possessive, add an apostrophe and an s (John’s book).
In the case of "Its/It’s" it is a common error to confuse the apostrophe. “Its” is possessive, and "it's" is a contraction of "it is," so use the apostrophe with "it's" only when you mean it is, or it has.
Examples:
Incorrect: The judge argued that it is the states responsibility to care for the affected.
Correction: The judge argued that it is the state's responsibility to care for the affected.
Incorrect: In the case of the new phone model, we are told that its better than the previous one because it’s battery lasted longer.
Correction: In the case of the new phone model, we are told that it’s better than the previous one because its battery lasted longer.
COMMA SPLICE
A comma splice occurs when two separate sentences are joined with a comma. Independent clauses are clauses that can stand alone as a sentence. So, avoid using commas to connect sentences that stand alone.
There are multiple ways to combine independent clauses in the same sentence. First, you can use a semicolon (;)--this is the easiest way to get rid of comma splices. Second, you can also use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (unless you also use a coordinating conjunction: and, but, or, for, nor, etc.). Third, use an em-dash to separate the clauses. Lastly, you can use a period (.) and rewrite the sentence.
Examples:
Comma Splice: The new trainees wore fluorescent shirts, they stood out from the rest of the crowd.
Correction:
The new trainees wore fluorescent shirts; they stood out from the rest of the crowd.
OR
The new trainees wore fluorescent shirts, and they stood out from the rest of the crowd.
OR
The new trainees wore fluorescent shirts—they stood out from the rest of the crowd.
OR
The new trainees wore fluorescent shirts. They stood out from the rest of the crowd.
SUPERFLUOUS COMMAS
Using too many commas when none are needed is a common writing faux pas. Here are some examples, along with the correction.
Examples:
Incorrect: I carried an umbrella, because I thought it would rain today. (Here, the comma before “umbrella” is superfluous)
Correction: I carried an umbrella because I thought it would rain today.
Incorrect: We should meet together the next time, and take the idea forward.
Correction: We should meet together the next time and take the idea forward.
Incorrect: It is my way, or the high way.
Correction: It is my way or the high way.
Incorrect: The number of books, he read last week, surprised me.
Correction: The number of books he read last week surprised me.
OMITTED COMMAS
This is the converse of the previous rule. There are many rules about when to use a comma, but in general, they are used to separate the parts of a compound sentence, list the items in a series, or avoid confusion.
Examples:
Incorrect: The taste of that orange man that was good! (the omission of commas here could mean “orange man”)
Correction: The taste of that orange, man, that was good!
Incorrect: The refugees who were exhausted were given warm food and water.
Correction: The refugees, who were exhausted, were given warm food and water. (Note: Without the comma, one would assume that only the “refugees who were exhausted” were given food and water. “Who were exhausted” is the non-essential or non-restrictive information, and without the comma, it alters the meaning of the sentence)
SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
Sentences are the basic building blocks of written language. To be independent and stand-alone, a sentence must have both a subject and a verb. In the absence of these, a sentence becomes incomplete and is called a “sentence fragment." This can be confusing to readers.
Examples:
Incorrect: Talk to you tomorrow. (this is a sentence fragment because there is no subject in this sentence)
Correction: I'll talk to you tomorrow. (corrected by adding a subject and a modal verb)
Incorrect: This year, the trek will be better. Even after bad weather predictions.
Correction: This year, the trek will be better, even after bad weather predictions.
Incorrect: I heard they were going to the bazaar to buy mangoes. Although this isn't the best time to buy them.
Correction: I heard they were going to the bazaar to buy mangoes, although this isn't the best time to buy them.
OR
I heard they were going to the bazaar to buy mangoes. However, this isn't the best time to buy them.
RUN-ON SENTENCES
When two independent clauses are joined together without a comma, semicolon, or conjunction, the sentence is called a "run-on." The punctuation marks are used to show where a natural break in speech would be. Without them, the sentence would seem too fast and hard to read.
Examples:
Incorrect: I was hungry so I ate some food at the newly opened Indian restaurant.
Correction:
I was hungry, so I ate some food at the newly opened Indian restaurant.
OR
I was hungry and so I ate some food at the newly opened Indian restaurant.
OR
I was hungry; so I ate some food at the newly opened Indian restaurant.
OR
I was hungry, and so I ate some food at the newly opened Indian restaurant.
Incorrect:
The sun was shining the sky was blue and the flowers were in bloom.
Correction:
The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the flowers were in bloom.
Incorrect:
I love the color green it's my favorite.
Correction:
I love the color green; it's my favorite.
SENTENCE SPRAWL
A sentence sprawl is when a sentence has too many commas (superfluous commas) and too many equally weighted clauses. Sentence sprawls make the sentences long or difficult to read.
Examples of a sentence sprawl:
I went to the store this morning, I bought some chocolate chip cookies, those are my favorites since I was a child, and I brought a box of them.
The boy ran down the street, it was raining, and he had no umbrella, he felt worried about running in the rain without an umbrella, he danced and felt happy.
FAULTY PARALLELISM
Faulty parallelism occurs when two or more parts of a sentence are not parallel in structure. When words or phrases in a sentence follow the same pattern, this is called parallel structure.
Incorrect:
In the morning, I like to meditate, to bath, and play.
Correction:
In the morning, I like to meditate, bath, and play.
OR
In the morning, I like to meditate, to bath, and to play.
Incorrect:
The instructor told us the following...
1.) Complete the assignment. 2.) Train on the new software. 3.) Meeting again next week
Correction:
The instructor told us the following...
1.) Complete the assignment. 2.) Train on the new software. 3.) Meet again next week
MISPLACED AND DANGLING MODIFIERS
Misplaced modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that are separated improperly from the word they modify in a way that doesn't make sense.
Examples of Misplaced Modifiers:
Incorrect: The school decided to reward the students with books.
Correct: The school decided to reward books to the students.
Incorrect: We smelled curry walking past the restaurant
Correct: Walking past the restaurant, we smelled curry
In the case of the Dangling Modifier,
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that leaves the reader confused about what part of the sentence it modifies. As a result, it leaves the sentence "dangling" since it does not modify anything.
Examples of Dangling Modifiers:
Incorrect: After dressing well, the door was opened. (Who was the door opened for? this implies that door was dressed well)
Correct: After dressing well, the door was opened for me.
Incorrect: Having heard the song, the singer will be a hit.
Correct:
Having heard the song, I believe the singer will be a hit.
OR
I believe the singer will be a hit after hearing the song.
Modifiers describe words/phrases or clarify their meaning. In both of these cases (misplaced modifier or dangling modifier), the meaning of the sentence is changed, and it can lead to confusion, awkwardness, or even a completely different meaning to the sentence.
SPLIT INFINITIVES
The splitting of an infinitive (to + verb) with an adverb or adverbial phrase is known as a “split infinitive."
Incorrect:
He was told to fully dress for the occasion.
Correct:
He was told to dress fully for the occasion.
Incorrect:
He had to slowly walk home.
Correct:
He had to walk home slowly.
Incorrect:
We will have to closely follow the progress of the improvement.
Correct:
We will have to follow the progress of the improvement closely.
Experts generally disapprove of split infinitives, but there are no grammar rules that prohibit them. In cases where the split makes the sentence sound awkward, our rule of thumb is to correct it according to what makes the most sense in the context of the sentence.
E.g., "To boldly go where no man has gone before," used in the popular series “Star Trek”, sounds better than "To go boldly where no man has gone before."
PASSIVE VOICE
In passive sentences, the object is at the beginning, not at the end of the sentence. Passive voice makes your writing sound weak and difficult to understand.
Examples:
Passive Voice: The door was opened by the owner of the house. (In this example, the object of the sentence, “the door,” has been elevated to the subject)
Corrected Active Voice: The owner of the house opened the door.
Passive Voice: The new ball was kicked by the player.
Corrected Active Voice: The player kicked the new ball.
Passive Voice: The new car was driven by me.
Corrected Active Voice: I drove the new car.
TITLE CAPITALIZATION
Capitalization is writing a word with an initial capital letter (upper case) and making all subsequent letters in that word lowercase. Most of us know that definition, but we need clarification about the myriad rules that apply to capitalization.
Some of these basic rules may be familiar to you, while the rest are not as well known. Here are some common rules ...
- Always Capitalize the first and last word.
- Capitalize Nouns
- Capitalize Pronouns
- Capitalize Adjectives
- Capitalize Verbs
- Capitalize Adverbs
- Capitalize Subordinate Conjunctions.
- DO NOT Capitalize Articles (a, an, the)
- DO NOT Capitalize Coordinating Conjunctions
- DO NOT Capitalize Prepositions (regardless of length)
These were just some common rules; for a more comprehensive set of rules with examples, read Capitalization Rules in English.
ME VS. I
The words “me” and “I” are both first-person singular pronouns, which means that they refer to the speaker in the first person. However, there is a big difference between the two words.
The word “me” is an objective pronoun, meaning it is used as the object of a verb or a preposition. For example, you would say, “He gave me a book,” or “The book is for me.”
The word “I” is a subjective pronoun, which means that it is used as the subject of a sentence. For example, you would say, “I am reading a book.”
Additionally, you should always place "I" and "me" last in a series of nouns or pronouns. "You and I in this beautiful world" is correct, while "I and you in this beautiful world" is incorrect.
Pro Tip: To understand which one to use, simply remove "[Noun/Pronoun] and" from the sentence and see if it still makes sense.
Example:
Incorrect: Arunn and me went to a Kabuki show in Tokyo. (If you remove “Arunn and” from this sentence, it becomes "Me went to a Kabuki show," which makes no sense.)
Correct: Arunn and I went to a Kabuki show in Tokyo. (The correct usage here is "I," the subjective pronoun.)
Incorrect: The prizes were given to Jeanette and I. (After removing “Jeannette and”, you can see the pronoun “I” doesn’t make sense in the sentence.)
Correct: The prizes were given to Jeanette and me. (The correct usage here is "me," the objective pronoun.)
EN DASH VS. EM DASH
The em dash is a long dash that indicates a break in thought or sentence structure. It’s the width of an “m” in most fonts.
The en dash is shorter than an em dash and is used to indicate a range of numbers, such as dates or times. It’s the width of an “n” in most fonts.
The hyphen is the shortest of the three and is used to connect two words, such as “e-mail” or “co-op.” It's half as wide as an em dash.
Examples:
I was born in 1984—the best year for pop music (em dash)
150–200 miles per hour (en dash)
We need more sugar-free options. (hyphen)
TOO MANY DOTS IN AN ELLIPSIS
An ellipsis (...) is used to indicate an omission in a text or show thoughts trailing off. Generally, people misuse the ellipsis by adding extra dots when an ellipsis only has three dots.
Example:
Incorrect: I know this has been a long time coming, but.... (there is an extra dot in the ellipsis)
Correct: I know this has been a long time coming, but...