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Common Grammatical and Punctuation Errors

Lists of typical writing errors abound, and it’s impossible to cover every potential mistake here. However, there are some errors instructors encounter more often than others:

• Apostrophes: Apostrophes should never, ever be used to indicate a plural. Apostrophes indicate contractions or possession, as in:
  • Ex: That’s Ellie’s biology book.
• Commas: Frequently overused, commas are used to separate items in a list, after an introductory phrase, or to separate distinct, yet related thoughts. The use of a conjunction is a good indicator of proper comma placement.
  • Ex: I’ll take the red, blue and yellow ones, but I don’t care for the green.
• Semicolons: Often confused with commas, a semicolon is used to separate related thoughts that are each independent clauses in their own right. No conjunctions are used.
  • Ex: Abby sings beautifully; she has studied with a private voice coach for many years.
• Comma splices: These happen when usage rules for semicolons and commas are confused. Related independent clauses with no conjunction result in a comma splice:
  • Ex: My daughters have lovely taste, they often exceed my budget.
  • Instead, separate each thought with either punctuation or a conjunction following the comma: My daughters have lovely taste, but they often exceed my budget.
• Affect and Effect: Affect is usually a verb, and effect is a usually a noun. The exceptions are unusual.
  • Ex: Skimpy clothing on teenaged girls affects teenaged boys’ ability to concentrate. I don’t think girls are aware of this effect.
• That and Which: That is a restrictive pronoun, meaning that it has no qualifiers and is tied to its noun: Ex: I don’t like clothes that itch. Which, on the other hand, introduces a relative clause that allows qualifiers. Ex: I don’t like cashmere sweaters, which are itchy.
  • A good rule of thumb: if a comma is required, which is probably your best choice.
• That and Who: Who is used in reference to people. That is used in reference to inanimate objects, animals or entities.
  • Ex: He is a person who cares deeply, and Apple is a company that values innovation.
• Quotation marks: Quotation marks indicate a quote. They do not indicate emphasis of any kind. They must also exist outside of any punctuation.
  • Ex: Catie answered, “I’d much rather write fiction.” (Not: Catie “disliked” algebra vehemently and said, “I’d much rather write fiction”.)
• Then and Than: Then is used in reference to time. Than is used when making comparisons.
  • Ex: Then we left the conference, rather than attend the next seminar.
• It’s and Its: It’s is a contraction of it is, which is the only time it’s necessary to use an apostrophe for this word. Its is a possessive pronoun.
  • Ex: This party is its own special hell. It’s time to leave.
• Fewer and Less: Fewer refers to something that is tangible and can be counted. Less refers to intangible ideas.
  • Ex: I ate fewer carbs than yesterday, and I intend to weigh less by next month.