Twelve Common Errors: A Student Self-Editing Guide

The following list contains only brief examples and explanations intended as reminders while you are editing papers. To learn more:

• Set up an appointment in the Communication Center.
• Confer with your course instructor.
• Look at the grammar and punctuation materials on the Communication Center website.
• Consult other resources for additional examples and complete explanations.

1. Sentence fragments

Make sure each word group you have punctuated as a sentence contains a grammatically complete and independent thought that can stand alone as an acceptable sentence.

Incorrect: Tests of the Shroud of Turin have produced some curious findings. For example, the pollen of 48 plants native to Europe and the Middle East.

Revised: Tests of the Shroud of Turin have produced some curious findings. For example, the cloth contains the pollen of 48 plants native to Europe and the Middle East.

2. Sentence sprawl

Too many equally weighted phrases and clauses produce tiresome sentences.

Incorrect: The hearing was planned for Monday, December 2, but not all of the witnesses could be available, so it was rescheduled for the following Friday. (There are no grammatical errors here, but the sprawling sentence does not communicate clearly and concisely.)

Revised: The hearing, which had been planned for Monday, December 2, was rescheduled for the following Friday so that all witnesses would be able to attend.

3. Misplaced and dangling modifiers

Place modifiers near the words they describe; be sure the modified words actually appear in the sentence.

Incorrect: When writing a proposal, an original task is set for research (Who is writing a proposal?)

Revised: When writing a proposal, a scholar sets an original task for research.

4. Faulty parallelism

Be sure you use grammatically equal sentence elements to express two or more matching ideas or items in a series.

Incorrect: The candidate’s goals include winning the election, a health program, and education.

Revised: The candidate’s goals include winning the election, enacting a national health program, and improving the educational system.

5. Unclear pronoun reference

Pronouns must clearly refer to definite referents (nouns). Use it, they, that, these, those and which carefully to prevent confusion.

Incorrect: Einstein was a brilliant mathematician. This is how he was able to explain the workings of the universe.

Revised: Einstein, who was a brilliant mathematician, used his quantitative ability to explain the workings of the universe.

6. Pronoun agreement

Be sure that each pronoun agrees in number (singular or plural) with the noun to which it refers (its antecedent or referent).

Incorrect: When a candidate runs for office, they must expect to have their personal life scrutinized.

Revised: When candidates run for office, they must expect to have their personal lives scrutinized.

7. Incorrect pronoun case

Determine whether the pronoun is being used as a subject, object, or possessive in the sentence, and select the pronoun form to match.

Incorrect: Castroʼs communist principles inevitably led to an ideological conflict between he and President Kennedy.

Revised: Castroʼs communist principles inevitably led to an ideological conflict between him and President Kennedy.

8. Omitted commas

Use commas to signal nonrestrictive or nonessential material to prevent confusion, and to indicate relationships among ideas and sentence parts.

Incorrect: When it comes to eating people differ in their tastes.

Revised: When it comes to eating, people differ in their tastes.

9. Superfluous commas

Unnecessary commas make sentences difficult to read.

Incorrect: Field trips are required, in several courses, such as, botany and geology.

Revised: Field trips are required in several courses, such as botany and geology.

10. Comma splice

Do not link two independent clauses with a comma (unless you also use a coordinating conjunction and, or, but, for, nor, so yet). Instead use a period or semicolon, or rewrite the sentence.

Incorrect: In 1952 Japanʼs gross national product was one third that of France, by the late 1970s it was larger than the GNPs of France and Britain combined.

Revised: In 1952 Japanʼs gross national product was one third that of France. By the late 1970s it was larger than the GNPs of France and Britain combined.

11. Apostrophe errors

Apostrophes indicate possessives and contractions but not plurals. Caution: its, your, their, and whose are possessives (but no apostrophes). Itʼs, youʼre, theyʼre, and whoʼs are contractions.

Incorrect: In the current conflict its uncertain whoʼs borders their contesting.

Revised: In the current conflict it is [itʼs] uncertain whose borders they are [theyʼre] contesting.

12. Words easily confused

Effect is most often a noun (the effect) and affect is most often a verb. Other pairs commonly confused: lead/led and accept/except. Check a glossary of usage to find the right choice.

Incorrect: The recession had a negative affect on sales.

Revised: The recession had a negative effect on sales; (or) The recession affected sales negatively.