Style&Editing

10CommonErrors:StudentChecklist
1. SentenceFragments.Makesureeachwordgroupyouhavepunctuatedasasentencecontainsa grammaticallycompleteandindependentthoughtthatcanstandaloneasanacceptable sentence.
Incorrect:TestsoftheShroudofTurinhaveproducedsomecuriousfindings.Forexample,thepollenof fortyeightplantsnativetoEuropeandtheMiddleEast. Revised:TestsoftheShroudofTurinhaveproducedsomecuriousfindings.Forexample,thecloth containspollenoffortyeightplantsnativetoEuropeandtheMiddleEast.
More information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_frag.html

2. SentenceSprawl.Toomanyequallyweightedphrasesandclausesproducetiresomesentences.
Incorrect: ThehearingwasplannedforMonday,December2,butnotallthewitnessescouldbeavailable, soitwasrescheduledforthefollowingFriday.[Therearenogrammaticalerrorshere,butthesprawling sentencedoesnotcommunicateclearlyandconcisely] Revised: Thehearing,whichhadbeenplannedforMonday,December2,wasrescheduledforthe followingFridaysothatallwitnesseswouldbeabletoattend.
More information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_sentclar.html

3. MisplacedandDanglingModifiers.Placemodifiersnearthewordstheydescribe.
Incorrect: ManytouristsvisitArlingtonNationalCemetery,whereveteransandmilitarypersonnelare buriedeverydayfrom9:00a.m.until5:00p.m. Revised: Everydayfrom9:00a.m.until5:00p.m.,manytouristsvisitArlingtonNationalCemetery, whereveteransandmilitarypersonnelareburied.
More information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_dangmod.html

4. FaultyParallelism.Besureyouusegrammaticallyequalsentenceelementstoexpresstwoor morematchingideasoritemsinaseries.
Incorrect: Thecandidatesgoalsincludewinningtheelection,ahealthprogram,andeducation. Revised: Thecandidatesgoalsincludewinningtheelection,enactinganationalhealthprogram,and improvingtheeducationalsystem.
More information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_parallel.html

5. UnclearPronounReference.Pronounsmustclearlyrefertodefinitereferents[nouns].Use(it, they,that,these,those,)and(which)carefullytopreventconfusion.
Incorrect: Einsteinwasabrilliantmathematician.Thisishowhewasabletoexplaintheworkingsofthe universe. Revised:Einstein,whowasabrilliantmathematician,usedhisquantitativeabilitytoexplaintheworkings oftheuniverse.
More information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_pronuse.html

6. PronounAgreement.Besurethateachpronounagreesinnumber(singularorplural)withthe nountowhichitrefers(itsantecedentorreferent).
Incorrect: Accordingtotenetsofthenewurbanism,everyoneneedstoconsidertherelationshipof theirhousetothesurroundingcommunity. Revised:Accordingtotenetsofthenewurbanism,everyoneneedstoconsidertherelationshipofhisor herhousetothesurroundingcommunity.
More information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/595/01/

7. IncorrectPronounCase.Determinewhetherthepronounisbeingusedasasubject,object,or possessiveinthesentence,andselectthepronounformtomatch.
Incorrect: Castroscommunistprinciplesinevitablyledtoanideologicalconflictbetweenheand PresidentKennedy. Revised:CastroscommunistprinciplesinevitablyledtoanideologicalconflictbetweenhimandPresident Kennedy.

8. OmittedCommas.Usecommastosignalnonrestrictiveornonessentialmaterialtoprevent confusionandindicaterelationshipsamongideasandsentenceparts.
Incorrect: TheHunswhowereMongolianinvadedGualin451. Revised: Huns,whowereMongolian,invadedGualin451.[WhowereMongolianaddsinformation butdoesnotchangethecoremeaningofthesentencebecauseHunswereaMongolianpeople;itis thereforenonrestrictiveornonessentialandshouldbesetapartwithcommas.]

9. SuperfluousCommas.Unnecessarycommasmakesentencesdifficulttoread.
Incorrect: Fieldtripsarerequired,inseveralcourses,suchasbotanyandgeology. Revised: Fieldtripsarerequiredinseveralcourses,suchasbotanyandgeology.

More information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_comma.html

10. CommaSplices.Donotlinktwoindependentnotclauseswithacomma(unlessyoualsousea coordinatingconjunctionand,or,but,for,nor,so,yet).Insteaduseaperiodorsemicolon,or rewritethesentence.

Incorrect: In1952JapansgrossnationalproductwasonethirdthatofFrance,bythelate1970sitwas largerthantheGNPsofFranceandBritaincombined. Revised: In1952JapansgrossnationalproductwasonethirdthatofFrance.Bythelate1970sitwas largerthantheGNPsofFranceandBritaincombined. Incorrect: Diseasedcoronaryarteriesareoftensurgicallybypassed,however,halfofbypassgraftsfail withintenyears. Revised: Diseasedcoronaryarteriesareoftensurgicallybypassed;however,halfofbypassgraftsfail withintenyears.
More information: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/598/02/

Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison. (December 2008). The writing center. Retrieved December 15, 2008, http://writing.wisc.edu/ Used with permission. Handout revised: August 10, 2009 .