It’s Wednesday again and that means it is grammar time. Today it’s part two of the most common grammatical errors and we will be looking at pronoun errors, apostrophe usage, verb agreement, and misplaced modifiers.
Pronoun Errors
Pronoun errors occur when the pronoun you are using does not agree in number with the noun to which you are referring to. If the noun you are using is singular, the pronoun you use must be singular to. If the noun you are using is plural, the pronoun must also be plural.
Here’s an example:
Incorrect: Everybody must bring their own laptop.
Correct: Everybody must bring their own laptops.
Correct: Everybody must bring his or her own laptop.
Apostrophe Mistakes:
Apostrophes are used when talking about possession. You do not need to use an apostrophe after a possessive pronoun though. Here’s an example:
Incorrect: My brothers car is red.
Correct: My brother’s car is red.
Check out Nick Daws guest article “Put Apostrophes In Their Place” for more great information on apostrophies.
Subject and Verb Agreements
When you are writing in the present tense your subjects and verbs need to agree. If your subject is singular, your verb must be singular and vice versa. For example:
Incorrect: The books is great for research.
Correct: The books are great for research.
Misplaced Modifiers
Misplaced modifiers can be a little tricky and you need to make sure that your ideas are clear. You need to place your modifier directly next to the word you are modifying. For example:
Incorrect: At thirty years old, my friends threw me a surprise party.
Correct: When I was thirty years old, my friends threw me a surprise party.
That’s it for this week. I hope you have found these grammar tips interesting.
For more information on correct grammar usage you can visit http://www.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules
Until next time,
Keep Writing
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Amanda,
I like these bite sized grammar bits! I was thinking the format is highly tweetable. Could be an interesting mini project.
George
Thanks George,
Had a bit of a hectic week so very little time to prepare this post. Glad it was appreciated though.
Amanda