A Brief

Guide to
Common
Writing
Errors
 By Alicia Tebeau-Sherry
University of Vermont
Undergraduate Writing Center
Spring 2020
 Contents
What are these Symbols & 2-5
When do I use Them?
- periods, exclamations, questions, dashes
- hyphens, slashes, semicolons, colons
- apostrophes and contractions
- commas

Don’t get tense over TENSES! 6

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS! 7-8

- prepositions and articles
- commonly confused words
- capitalization

SENTENCE-Level Stuff 9-10

- run-ons and comma splices
- Subject-verb agreement

Other Resources 11

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1. What are these Symbols
& When do I use Them?
Periods are used at the end of declarative
sentences. These types of sentences make
commands or statements.

Example: You should eat all of your vegetables

because they are very nutritious.

Exclamation points (or marks) are used at the

end of exclamatory sentences. These types of
sentences usually express an intense emotion, like
anger or joy.

Example: You better eat all of your vegetables!

Question marks are used to indicate that a

sentence is a question. NOTE: Indirect questions do
not use question marks. They are usually embedded
within declarative sentences and thus end with a
period.
Example: Did you eat all of your vegetables?
Indirect: I wonder if they ate all of their
vegetables.

Dashes can be short (en dash) or long (em dash), and either
shows a range in numbers or acts similarly to a comma. When it
acts like a comma, it separates phrases (groups of words rather
than individual words like a hyphen does) and indicates a pause.
En dash: I have lived in my home from 1999-2019.
Em dash: My home reminds me of one thing—time with my
family.
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 Hyphens connect compound words and create
compound modifiers. Compound words are two or
more words that, when put together, create a new
word with a new meaning. Similarly, compound
modifiers include two or more words to function like
an adjective.
Compound word without hyphen: Butter+fly = Butterfly
Compound word with hyphens: Merry-go-round
Compound word with hyphen to act as adjective: Good-hearted
Sentence: The good-hearted butterfly circled the merry-go-round filled with kids.

Slashes mean either “and”, “or”, or both “and” and “or.”

Examples: Or: Each athlete must pick up his/her uniform.
And: They are all students/athletes.
And/Or: The students want cake/ice cream at the
athletics meeting.

Semicolons connect two independent clauses (a clause that can stand alone
as a sentence) in one sentence. However, these clauses must be closely
related in thought. Also, semicolons can be used before conjunctive adverbs
or transitional phrases between two independent clauses.
Examples: I love dogs; they are good companions.
I love dogs; however, they require a lot
of care.

Colons are placed after an independent clause to introduce a

list, phrase, or quotation.
Examples: My first aid kit has the essentials: bandaids,
gauze, medicine, tape and scissors.
I know what will heal your cut: bandages and ointment.
You know what they say: “Happiness is the best medicine.”

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 Apostrophes are used to form contractions or possessives.
To form possessives, you usually add an apostrophe before
the “s.” If the word already ends in an “s,” then you add the
apostrophe after the “s.”
However, be careful of words that are already plural and do
not need an apostrophe + “s,” like children, teeth, octopi, etc.
Also, you do not apostrophes if the words are simply plural,
like “several apricots” or “ten kittens.”

Examples: Contractions:
Could + not = couldn’t
I + have = I’ve
Possessives:
The dog’s bark is loud.
James’ dog is loud.

Contractions are not punctuation marks. A contraction is a

word made by shortening or combining two others, such as “I

IT S
have” or “do not,” and uses apostrophes to do so. As
contractions, these examples would look like “I’ve” and
“don’t.” A common mistake with contractions comes down to
the word “it’s.” An apostrophe is used with “it’s” only when
the word is acting as a contraction for “it is” or “it has.”
Without an apostrophe, it means belonging to it.

Examples: I don’t like seafood.

It’s been a while since I have eaten
fish for dinner.
The fish enjoys swimming around
its big bowl.

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Commas are used to create a break within a sentence by separating
words, clauses, or ideas. Placing commas within sentences can often be
determined by speaking the sentence aloud and then noting any pauses.
However, there are several common errors when it comes to using
commas correctly. When used incorrectly, commas can break connections
between ideas within a sentence or cause unnecessary pauses.

Examples:
1. A comma shouldn’t separate a subject from its verb:
Incorrect: My friend Ruth, is a beautiful singer.
Correct: My friend Ruth is a beautiful singer.
2. Don’t add a comma before the word “that” if it’s introducing a
restrictive clause:
Incorrect: My microphone, that broke can’t be used tonight.
Correct: My microphone that broke can’t be used tonight.
3. A comma is used after introductory phrases.
Incorrect: After the performance they went out to eat.
Correct: After the performance, they went out to eat.
4. Use a comma between two independent clauses connected by a
coordinating conjunction.
Incorrect: I sang at the concert but I did not have a solo.
Correct: I sang at the concert, but I did not have a solo.
5. But don’t use a comma before a subordinate conjunction. In sentences
that use subordinate conjunctions, the conjunction links the two clauses to
express the correct meaning so no comma is needed.
Incorrect: My throat is sore, because I sang a lot last night.
Correct: My throat is sore because I sang a lot last night.

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2. Don't Get TEnse over Tenses!
There are many verb tenses in English grammar and they can be complicated, but the most
important thing to remember is to keep them consistent in your writing. Below are two charts
that provide brief explanations and examples of the fours main verb tenses. Specifically, if you
are writing in the present tense, stay in present tense throughout the piece of writing, and if
you are writing in past tense, continue writing in past tense!

Present Past Future

Simple (for verb/verb+s (+s for pronouns other verb+ed or will + verb
short actions) than I) or am/is/are (use the present past tense
forms of to be when you do not have
form of word
another verb)
Continuous (for am/is/are + verb+ing was/were + will be +
long actions) verb+ing verb+ing
Perfect (often used have/has + past tense form had + past will have +
with words like of verb tense form of past tense
already, just, ever,
verb form of verb
never, yet, for, since,
many times, by)
Perfect Continuous have/has been + verb+ing had been + will have been
(Considers duration, verb+ing + verb+ing
especially long
durations and often
includes the word for
or by)

Present Past Future

I want to run. She wants to run. This morning, I Later, I will
Simple I run. It is an oval track. wanted to run. run.
This morning, I ran.
Currently, I am running. I was running. Later, I will
Continuous be running.

I have just run 10 miles. When she arrived I will have run
back home, I had 10 miles by the
Perfect time she arrives
already run.
home.
I have been running everyday. I had been running I will have been
Perfect for two years before I running for more than
Continuous won a race. an hour by the time I
finish the race.
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 3. words, words, words!
Articles and Prepositions
The three articles are the, a, and an. Articles may be indefinite or definite, and identify
nouns that are countable or noncountable, or specified or unspecified. Sometimes no
article is required as well. Regarding prepositions, their function is to connect either
nouns or pronouns to another part of a sentence, whether with a single word or in a
prepositional phrase.

Prepositions and
A/An (Indefinite) The (Definite)
Prepositional Phrases
1. Used for objects that are 1. Used for specific objects 1. Act as connecting words that link
not specific or are one of or objects that both speaker related words, describe certain
several things of a similar and listener know. circumstances, locate specific spaces and
type. Ex. Can you hand me the times, explain directions, or show how
Ex. I need a phone. telephone? something happens.

2. Used when you first 2. Used when we mention Ex. at, by, for, from, in, of, on, to, with, about,
an object again. above, after, against, along, among, before,
introduce an object.
below, between, but, despite, during, inside, into,
Ex. I saw a movie last night. Ex. The movie is based on like, near, onto, over, past, since, through, under,
true events.
until, up, upon, versus, within, without

3. Used as a synonym for 3. Used before plural 2. More than one word that create
the number one. countries/regions/bodies relationships in time and space by placing
of water. objects, ideas, and facts in a descriptive
Ex. I made a phone call context
yesterday. Ex. The Pacific Ocean is
used as a setting in the
movie.

4. Used to indicate one of 4. Used before certain Ex. according to, along with, apart from,
a group adjectives to create plural because of, by way of, due to, except for, in
meaning. addition to, in case of, in front of, in regard to, in
Ex. He is an actor. place of, in spite of, instead of, next to, on
Ex. The rich produce
account of, on top of, out of, up to, with the
many movies. exception of

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Commonly Confused Words
There are a variety of words that are commonly confused
because of their similar spellings or spoken sounds. If you are
using a new word for the first time or are unsure of a word's
spelling, check a dictionary to verify the meaning and spelling.
Some examples of commonly confused words include, then vs.
than, breath vs. breathe, excepted vs. accepted, or there vs.
their vs. they’re.
Examples:

Incorrect: I slept longer then I did yesterday.

Correct: I slept longer than I did yesterday.

Incorrect: The child went over to there house for a sleepover.

Correct: The child went over to their house for a sleepover.

Capitalization
Missing capitalizations or capitalizing words that do not need to be capitalized can be
misleading to readers. Proper nouns should be capitalized because they refer to
specific groups of people, places, or things. Common nouns, on the other hand, refer to
general groups of people, places, or things.
Tip: One way to identify the difference is to place the (or another article like a or an)
before the word. If you can place the before the noun and it portrays the correct
meaning, then it is likely a common noun. Ex. the game, a dog, an ice cream cone

Examples:
Incorrect: joe went to boston to watch the red sox play. While at the Game, he caught a
Baseball.
Correct: Joe went to Boston to watch the Red Sox play. While at the game, he caught a
baseball.
*Joe is the individual’s name, Boston is a city, and the Red Sox are an official sports team, so all
of these nouns need to be capitalized. The nouns game and baseball are common nouns and do
not need to be capitalized.

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4. Sentence-Level Stuff
Run-ons and Comma Splices
A run-on sentence combines two complete thoughts or independent clauses
without correct punctuation or sentence structure.
Tip: Remember you must have some kind of boundary between your independent
clauses. These boundaries can include a period, semicolon (with or without a
conjunctive adverb, like however, therefore, then, etc.), or a comma with a
coordinating conjunction (for, and, not, but, or, yet, so).

A comma splice occurs when a comma is used to separate two independent

clauses rather than a period, semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction.
Tip: A comma splice acts similarly to a run-on sentence. The difference is that it
includes a comma incorrectly. It can be corrected in the same ways as a run-on by
adding a period, a semicolon, or just placing a coordinating conjunction after the
comma.

Examples:
Incorrect:
Run On: Fred went to the store he bought some candy.
Or
Comma Splice: Fred went to the store, he bought some candy.
Correct:
Fred went to the store. He bought some candy.
Fred went to the store; he bought some candy.
Fred went to the store; then, he bought some candy.
Fred went to the store, and he bought some candy.

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Subject-Verb Agreement
This grammatical component has to do with the balance of a sentence. The subject
and the verb of a sentence must agree with one another in number whether they
are singular or plural. If the subject of the sentence is singular, its verb must be as
well; and if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. Tip: If there’s a
singular subject, the verb usually ends in s. If there’s a plural subject, then the verb
does not usually end in s.

Examples:
Incorrect: My mom respect me.
Correct: My mom respects me.

* Mom is singular, so the verb respect must match by adding an s.

Incorrect: My mom and dad respects me.

Correct: My mom and my dad respect me.

* Mom and dad is plural, so the verb respect does not end in an s.

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 5. Other Resources
For more elaborate explanations on any of
these topics, check out these resources below!
Book a tutoring session at UVM’s Writing Center to explore
any writing concerns you have with a peer!
https://www.uvm.edu/undergradwriting/writing-tutor
ing-services/appointments

“Writing Matters: A Handbook for Writing and

Research: Second Edition” by Rebecca M. Howard
This book covers a vast array of grammatical components and
writing elements. We have several copies here in the writing
center, so feel free to ask if you can take a look during a
session!

The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina

at Chapel Hill has created an elaborate online resource
covering writing processes, styles, genres, and grammatical
components.
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/

The Writing Center at the University Wisconsin -

Madison has developed an online handbook for grammar and
punctuation.
https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/grammarpunct/

The Howe Center for Writing Excellence at Miami

University has formed another online resource to be available
at your fingertips that explains writing processes, styles,
genres, and grammatical components as well.
http://miamioh.edu/hcwe/handouts/index.html

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