13.1. Common Errors in Grammar and Punctuation http://www.ck12.org
13.1 Common Errors in Grammar and Punctua-
tionLesson Objectives
- Identify and correct subject/verb agreement errors.
- Identify and correct comma splices.
- Avoid creating fragments with semicolons.
- Capitalize titles, names, and events properly.
- Avoid unnecessary passive voice.
Subject/Verb Agreement
Sometimes a long phrase or clause will separate a subject from a verb. Consider the following error in subject/verb
agreement:
- Theplay with such true witticisms and parablescome highly recommended.
The author has misconstrued the subject as “witticisms and parables” and has thus used the plural form of the verb.
You must always identify the actual subject of the sentence—in this case the noun “play.” One way to identify the
subject of a sentence is to find the word or phrase that comes before the verb and does not modify anything else.
Prepositional phrases can never act as the subject of the sentence, so you can separate them with brackets to find the
subject:
- Theplay [with such true witticisms and parables]comes highly recommended.
Subjects can be phrases as well. Consider these two examples:
- Toattendapartywithoutpants is quite foolish.
- Runningamarathon is his idea of a vacation!
In the above sentences, the underlined phrases function as subjects. Subject phrases always take singular verbs.
There are also several rules related to the conjunctionsand, or, andnor. If the subject is composed of two or more
nouns or pronouns connected with anand, then the verb is plural:
- Herwatchandwalletwere stolen from the locker at the train station.
When two or more singular nouns are connected byorornor, use the singular form of the verb: