Writing Error Types and Explanations:
SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT
Verbs must agree with their subjects in number.
ex.
One of the girls on the team have left her shin guards on the bus.
(incorrect: change HAVE to HAS to agree with the subject ONE.)
explanations and exercises:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/599/01/
http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=WCN3302
http://www.chompchomp.com/handouts/sva05.pdf
PRONOUN/ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT
Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, person, and gender.
ex.
If a person wants to lose weight, they should exercise and eat good
food.
(incorrect: change THEY to HE to agree with the antecedent PERSON.)
Explanations and exercises:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/595/01/
http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/2569239/35950.htm
http://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/exercises/agreement_pa_ex1.htm
PRONOUN USAGE ERROR
The choice of pronoun (either SUBJECT or OBJECT) must reflect the word’s use within
the sentence.
ex.
We have heard many stories about you and he.
(incorrect: change the SUBJECT PRONOUN HE to the OBJECT PRONOUN HIM-- used
as an object of a preposition).
Explanations and exercises:
http://www.esatpreptips.com/sat-writing-grammar-rules-pronoun-case/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/595/01/
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/niu/niu8.htm
http://www.towson.edu/ows/procase.htm
PRONOUN REFERENCE
A pronoun must have a clear connection to its antecedent.
ex.
Sam needed a book from
the library, but he could not find it.
(incorrect: rewrite the sentence to make clear what Sam could not find, the book or the
library.)
Explanations and exercises:
http://www.towson.edu/ows/proref.htm
http://owlet.letu.edu/grammarlinks/pronouns/pronoun1d2.html
http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/pronref.html
DANGLING MODIFIER
A modifier must clearly and sensibly describe a word found in the sentence.
ex. Coming out
of the market, the bananas fell on the pavement.
(incorrect:
Rewrite the sentence so that something is actually coming out of the market-- this
sentence has the bananas exiting the market; Coming out of the market, I dropped my
bananas on the pavement.)
Explanations and exercises:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/597/1/
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/langan/sentence_skills/exercises/ch16/p4exi.h
tm
http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/reading-writing/on-line/mismod-a.html
MISPLACED MODIFIER
A modifier must be placed as close as possible to the word it describes.
ex.
She handed
out brownies to the children stored in tupperware.
(incorrect: rewrite
the sentence so that the brownies are what is clearly stored in tupperware.)
Explanations and exercises:
http://www.esatpreptips.com/sat-writing-grammar-rules-misplaced-modifiers/
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/langan/cws/stu_olc/graphics/langan5ecws_s/
exercises/p4exh.htm
http://aliscot.com/bigdog/dmmm_exercise.htm
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_fowler_lbh_10/46/11852/3034353.cw/index.html
FRAGMENT
When an incomplete thought is punctuated as if it were a complete thought.
(Like the above definition is--- there needs to be an independent clause attached to this
dependent clause.)
Explanations and exercises:
http://www.esatpreptips.com/sat-writing-grammar-rules-sentence-fragments/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/5/18/38/
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/fragments_add1.htm
http://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/exercises/fragments_ex1.htm
RUN-ON/COMMA SPLICE
Two (or more) complete thoughts/independent clauses must be joined using the proper
conjunctions and/or punctuation.
ex.
Few cats catch their prey by outrunning them they
stalk their
victims patiently and
silently.
(incorrect-- place a period at the end of the first independent clause, which ends after the
word them.)
Explanations and exercises:
http://www.esatpreptips.com/sat-writing-grammar-rules-comma-splices/
http://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/exercises/run-ons_ex1.htm
http://www.englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Run%20on%20Sentences.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/runons_quiz.htm
PARALLEL STRUCTURE
Sentence structure should remain consistent and balanced.
ex.
We
found the film repulsive, offensive, and we thought it was embarrassing.
(incorrect:
change the last part to the adjective EMBARRASSING).
Explanations and exercises:
http://www.esatpreptips.com/sat-writing-grammar-rules-parallelism/
http://www.wilbers.com/part36.htm
http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/writingc/handouts/parallel3.htm
http://www.write.com/writing-resources-articles/general-writing/mechanics/parallelstructure-in-lists/parallel-structure-in-lists-worksheet/
ACTIVE/PASSIVE VOICE
Whenever possible, active voice, rather than passive voice, should be used.
(Active voice is when the subject of a sentence DOES the action of the verb. Passive voice
is when the subject RECEIVES the action of the verb.
ex.
Tall buildings and mountain roads were avoided by James because he had such a
fear of heights.
(incorrect: rewrite the sentence so James is the SUBJECT of the
first clause-- James
avoided tall buildings and mountain roads because he had such a fear of heights.)
Explanations and exercises:
http://www.esatpreptips.com/sat-writing-grammar-rules-passive-voice-and-wordiness/
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/active-voice-versus-passive-voice.aspx
http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/qwrtcntr/resources/handouts/activepassive.htm
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/gram_passive_voice.html
WRONG WORD
Be sure to use the correct word within a sentence-- pay attention to context.
ex.
I would rather go to Rome this summer then visit my irritating cousins in New
Jersey.
(incorrect-- change THEN to THAN.)
Explanations and exercises:
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/langan/sentence_skills/exercises/ch29/p4exr.
htm
http://www.gmc.edu/students/arc/documents/commonlyconfusedwords.pdf
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_licklider_vocabulary_2/6/1631/417669.cw/index.html
FAULTY COMPARISONS
A faulty comparison is one that is not logical. Items that are compared must in fact be
similar.
ex.
The weather in Canada is colder than Mexico.
(incorrect-- weather should not be compared to a country. Instead the sentece
should read: The weather in Canada is colder than the weather in Mexico.
http://winrow.wordpress.com/2006/05/12/need-to-know-grammar-faulty-comparisons/
http://uwf.edu/writelab/reviews/faulty/
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-avoid-writing-illogicalcomparisons.html
PUNCTUATION
Apostrophes:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/621/01/
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp
Commas:
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/1/
Grammar Resource Sites
http://winrow.wordpress.com/
http://uwf.edu/writelab/reviews/
http://www.testprepreview.com/sat_practice.htm