Super Fantastic Grammar Day!

1. Super Fantastic Grammar Day! Six sentence errors you need to know. If I see one in your summative, I am going to lose it!

2. Comma Splice • Easiest to recognize, yet most common sentence error: just look for commas in your work. • Comma splices join two complete sentences with a comma. • How do we know we have a comma splice? • Joey went to the grocery store, he needed to buy eggs for supper. • This sentence is incorrect because “Joey went to the grocery store” and “he needed to buy eggs for supper” are both complete sentences.

3. Comma Splice • How do we rehabilitate comma splice outlaws? • There are three main methods of fixing comma splices: 1. We can separate them into two sentences by replacing the comma with a period. • Joey went to the grocery store. He needed to buy eggs for supper.

4. Comma Splice 2. We can replace the comma with a semi-colon. • Joey went to the grocery store; he needed to buy eggs for supper. * You can only use a semi-colon when both complete sentences are related. The following is incorrect: Joey went to the grocery store; his dog is named Josh. A semicolon is a relative of the period NOT the comma!

5. Comma Splice 3. We can replace the comma with a conjunction - Joey went to the store because he needed to buy eggs for supper. • Now never make a comma splice error ever again! PROMISE? Say you promise!

6. Run On Sentence • Run-on sentences join two or more complete sentences with no punctuation. • How do we know we have a run-on sentence? • Michaela loves to draw horses she is a talented artist. • This sentence is incorrect because “Michaela loves to draw horses” and “she is a talented artist” can both stand as complete sentences.

7. Run On Sentences • How do we rehabilitate run on outlaws? • There are three main methods of fixing them: • Add a period • Add a semicolon • Add a conjunction

8. Run On Sentences • Michaela loves to draw horses she is a talented artist. • Michaela loves to draw horses. She is a talented artist. • Michaela loves to draw horses; she is a talented artist. • Michaela loves to draw horses, as she is a talented artist.

9. Sentence Fragment • There are two parts to every sentence: a subject and a predicate. • The subject is who or what the sentence is about. • The predicate is the verb or action • Example: The girl with the red hair is eating an apple. • Subject: The girl with the red hair • Predicate: is eating an apple.

10. Sentence Fragment • A sentence fragment is when you leave out the subject or the predicate. • Sentence fragments are easy to identify when reading your work out loud; they just don’t sound right.

11. Sentence Fragment • Examples: • Tom and Cindy, who went to the movie. • Because she went downstairs. • While she did the laundry. • When the principal announced the assembly. • Because the movie was too scary. • Since we cleaned our room. • Megan and Christy, amateur detectives.

12. Subject/Verb Agreement • Steps for avoiding subject-verb embarrassment: • Find the main verb • Find the subject of the verb • Is the subject singular or plural? • If your subject is singular, match it with the correct verb. If your subject is plural, match them with the correct verb.

13. Subject/Verb Agreement Rules for subject-verb agreement: • Subjects connected by and are plural: Bob and Henry are here. • Certain expressions (as well as, including, together with, with, etc.) logically seem to change a singular subject to plural. They don’t. These expressions will be set off from the subject by commas. • Bob, along with Dianne and Henry¸ is going on vacation. • Henry, as well as Bob, plans to vacation in his living room.

14. Subject/Verb Agreement • Singular subjects connected by a conjunction such as either-or, neither-nor, nor stay singular: Neither Bob nor Henry is able to get up from the couch. • If a singular and plural subject are connected by either- or, neither-nor, or, nor the verb should agree with the subject closer to it. • Neither Bob nor the otherswere able to get off the couch. • Neither the others nor Bob is able to get off the couch.

15. Subject/Verb Agreement • Collective nouns such as family, committee, jury, crowd, and group are almost always singular. “People” is an example of a collective noun that is plural. • Numbers that represent a single unit are singular. • A million dollars is a lot of money to keep under your mattress • Ten years is a long time to be without work

16. Faulty Verb Tense All I have to say about this is: USE PRESENT TENSE IN YOUR ESSAY! Unless you are talking about Golding, because he is dead and therefore past tense.

17. Misplaced Modifier • These ones make me laugh because they are so ridiculous: • The native woman was carrying a heavy jar on her head which was filled with water. • I left the house just as the sun rose and went fishing. • I have read the diary that my sister wrote many times. • He struck the goldfish bowl with his head which was fortunately empty. • A silk umbrella was lost by a wealthy gentleman with a carved head.

18. Commas • You are comma abusers! • Put commas where, if you were reading something out loud, you would have a natural pause. • With conjunctions, you need a comma if both sides of the conjunction can stand alone. • EXAMPLE: I bought a CD player, and we listened to Carla’s CD’s. • EXAMPLE: I bought a CD player and listened to Carla’s CD’s.