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Austin English 11

Major Mechanical Errors. Austin English 11. Major Mechanical Errors. Sentence Fragment (frag) Comma Splice (cs) Fused Sentence (fs) Subject-Verb Agreement (S-V agr) Wrong Verb Form (vb) Pronoun Agreement (pro agr) Pronoun Reference (pro ref) Modification Error (mod) Parallelism (//)

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Austin English 11

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  1. Major Mechanical Errors Austin English 11

  2. Major Mechanical Errors • Sentence Fragment (frag) • Comma Splice (cs) • Fused Sentence (fs) • Subject-Verb Agreement (S-V agr) • Wrong Verb Form (vb) • Pronoun Agreement (pro agr) • Pronoun Reference (pro ref) • Modification Error (mod) • Parallelism (//) • Apostrophe (apos)

  3. Sentence Fragment • A word or group of words which is punctuated as a sentence, but does not meet the requirements for an independent clause. • WRONG: The board chairman declared that the new procedure would not be practical. And that it would be far too expensive in the long run. • RIGHT: The board chairman declared that the new procedure would not be practical and that it would be far too expensive in the long run.

  4. Comma Splice • Occurs when the writer connects, or splices, two independent clauses with nothing but a comma. • WRONG: A forest absorbs heat, it also creates downdrafts. • RIGHT: A forest absorbs heat; it also creates. . . • OR: A forest absorbs heat, and it also . . .. • OR: A forest absorbs heat, creating downdrafts. • OR: A forest absorbs heat. It also creates. . ..

  5. Fused Sentence • Consists of two independent clauses which are not connected by punctuation or a coordinating conjunction. • WRONG: Herpes simplex knows neither ethnic nor sexual barriers it is a disease that occurs in virtually all segments of the population. • RIGHT: CORRECTIONS ARE MADE IN THE SAME WAY AS THOSE SHOWN FOR THE COMMA SPLICE.

  6. First, know your subordinate conjunctions. Here is a list: afteralthoughasbecausebeforeeven ifeven thoughifin order thatonceprovided thatrather thansinceso thatthanthatthoughunlessuntilwhenwheneverwherewhereaswhereverwhetherwhilewhy A good writer will fix problem sentences using all four strategies: adding a period and a capital letter, using a comma and a conjunction, joining the two main clauses with a semicolon, or subordinating one of the parts with a subordinate conjunction Subordinate Conjunctions

  7. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT • Error occurs when a subject and its verb do not agree in number. • WRONG: British entomologist have completed an intensive study of this beetle. • RIGHT: British entomologists have completed an intensive study of this beetle.

  8. Wrong Verb Form • Error involves using an incorrect form of a verb (usually the wrong past or past participle form). • WRONG: Because the water had froze on the bridge, the truck skidded, hit the railing, and dumped its cargo into the river. • RIGHT: Because the water had frozen. . ..

  9. PRONOUN AGREEMENT • Error occurs when a pronoun does not correspond in number with its antecedent. • WRONG: Everyone should leave their luggage in the lobby. • RIGHT: Everyone should leave his or her luggage in the lobby. • RIGHT: All guests should leave their luggage in the lobby.

  10. PRONOUN REFERENCE • Error arises when there is no clear antecedent noun for a pronoun • WRONG: The tenant nailed all the windows shut to reduce heating costs, which created a serious safety hazard. • RIGHT: The tenant nailed all the windows shut to reduce heating costs; in doing so, he created a serious safety hazard.

  11. MODIFICATION ERROR • Occurs when the connection between a modifier and the word or word group it is intended to modify is not clear, usually because of a mistake in word order or logic. • WRONG: The students discussed the advantages and disadvantages of smoking marijuana in their sociology class. • RIGHT: In their sociology class, the students discussed the advantages and disadvantages of smoking marijuana.

  12. PARALLELISM • Error usually occurs when the writer signals that he is establishing some type of series or pattern in a sentence and then fails to maintain that series or pattern; the error is a matter of either grammatical or logical inconsistency. • WRONG: Sprigging the pasture will cost less than to leave it alone this winter. • RIGHT: Sprigging the pasture will cost less than leaving it alone this winter.

  13. APOSTROPHE • Error occurs when an apostrophe is incorrectly omitted from or inserted into a word, or when a singular possessive noun is written as a simple plural noun. • WRONG: The juries verdict pleased the reporters. • RIGHT: The jury’s verdict pleased the reporters. • WRONG: The dog wants it’s bone. • RIGHT: The dog wants its bone.

  14. CONCLUSION • REVIEW these rules and NEVER make these mistakes in your writing again!

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