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QUICK-AND-DIRTY-GRAMMAR. Correcting the basic mechanical errors from your papers. Contents. Frequently misused words Fragments Comma splices, fused and run-on sentences Agreement . Frequently Misused Words.
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QUICK-AND-DIRTY-GRAMMAR Correcting the basic mechanical errors from your papers
Contents • Frequently misused words • Fragments • Comma splices, fused and run-on sentences • Agreement
Frequently Misused Words • Similarity of spelling or pronunciation: a/ an/the, affect/effect, accept/except, to/too/two, principal/principle, loose/lose, passed/past, etc. • Irregular verbs: lie/lay, set/sit, raise/rise • Possessive pronouns/pronoun-verb contractions • Consult my List of Frequently Misused Words for definitions and examples.
Fragments • Cause: one or more necessary elements missing from a sentence—subject, verb, or complete thought • Example: Because Gwen went to UMBC. • Solutions: • Supply the missing element. • Attach the fragment to the preceding or following sentence if the meanings are similar.
Comma Splice • Cause: a comma placed between two main clauses • Example: Clint made many movies, he is both an actor and a director. • Solutions: • Place a comma and conjunction (and, but, or, so, nor, for, yet) between the clauses. • Place a semicolon between the clauses.
Fused and Run-on Sentences • Cause of fused sentence: no punctuation between main clauses • Cause of run-on sentence: conjunction without its comma between main clauses • Solutions: • See previous slide.
Agreement • Cause: subjects, verbs, and pronouns don’t agree in gender and number • Example: Northrop Grumman are hiring for their R&D department. • Solutions: • Write in 3rd person plural and the past tense rather than in 3rd person singular and the present tense.