COM 206 Fundamentals of Journalism
“Word Crimes” handout
Common errors of grammar: First, there are 20 errors in Appendix 3 that your textbook authors
consider common. We have already seen some of these in the AP style exercises dealing with
commas and hyphens, and in my Super Quick AP Style Guide handout. Some others from
Appendix 3 to watch for:
1. AP style does not use the “serial comma,” also known as the “Oxford comma.” So we would
write:
He had three apples, four bananas and an orange. (no comma after “bananas”).
Exceptions are when the items in the series are longer, or there might be confusion:
She demanded cheese, salsa with jalapenos, and onions.
2. Use complete sentences, not fragments or comma splices. This is a comma splice:
The women who settled the Southwest led difficult lives, they had to face isolation and
hardships. (Q: How could you correct that error?)
Sometimes sentence fragments can be used to dramatic effect, but usually they are simply errors.
The following is a sentence fragment:
Emily was a little nervous about Monday. Her first day at her new job. (Q: How could you
correct this?)
3. Add a comma to a series of coordinate adjectives (if the comma could be replaced by “and”):
The small, gray car was parked in the driveway.
4. Misplaced/dangling modifier: This is incorrect (and what is it actually saying?):
Nestled between the driver’s legs, the policeman noticed a bottle of beer.
(To correct this you need to need make the subject of the sentence clear)
5. Make sure the verb and subject agree: This is incorrect:
The bag that is made of cotton fabric with green stripes belong to her. (Note that the subject
is “bag” which is a long way from the verb, which should be “belongs”).
But several important ones are in Weird Al’s recent video, Word Crimes (a parody of Robin Thicke’s
“Blurred Lines”):
These are in the video:
It’s/its
Fewer/less than
Figuratively/literally
Irony is not coincidence
To whom, not to who
Espresso not expresso
Lightning not lightening
Doing well (OK)/doing good (charity)
I have my own list: What is wrong, or might be wrong, with each of the following? Call out a
number if you think you know.
1. After five long years, she finally graduated college.
2. Here’s three things that you need to know.
3. The thing is, is that the school board is not doing its job.
4. This apple is bigger then that one.
5. I have never seen such a huge amount of people in one room.
6. That was a time where everything was simpler.
7. I shave everyday.
8. That pizza was so big.
9. The athletes came from across the globe.
10. My neighbor’s movie is finally having its premier in October.
11. Officials reported that between three and five people were killed.
12. The national media has fallen short on a number of occasions.
13. When I got to the meeting, I noticed that there were less people there than I had expected.
14. He took my wife and I to dinner.
15. She welcomed whomever knocked on her door.
16. The players seemed disinterested in watching the game.
17. The company released their annual report Tuesday.
18. The officials that attended the meeting were upset.