Grammar Mistakes

The three common mistakes that I make is the subject-verb agreement, the use of connecting words (transition) and fragments. Firstly we shall take a look at subject verb agreement. It is very important that we are able to identify the subject and verbs in the sentences after which we can check whether the subject agrees to the verb. It is also important that when the sentence consist two or more nouns/pronouns connected by and, we should us a plural verb. For example, Steven and his friends are at the supermarket. When a phrase comes between the subject and the verb the verb agrees with the subject and not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase. This is a common mistake that I make.

The second mistake that I make is the use of connecting words. Connectors are used between words, clauses, sentences and paragraphs. Therefore it is important for us to use connecting words in our essay to show contrast/similarity/results and many others. Some of the connecting words that are used for similarity are likewise, similarly and in the same way. Connecting words such as however, in contrast, conversely, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, still, instead are used to show differences or contrast. These are some connectors that I do not use in my essays and they are very useful in writing argumentative essays.

Lastly, the common mistake that I make is fragments. Fragments are incomplete sentences that are usually detached from the main clause. Coordinators such as “but” and “because” can be used to correct these sentences. Punctuation may also be required for the newly combined sentence. For example the sentence “I need to get a new shirt. Because the one I have now is too old” shows a fragment error. This sentence can be re-written as “I need to get a new shirt because the one I have now is too old”. It is important that in academic writing, fragment errors are avoided.

Bibliography
University, O. a. (n.d.). Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling. Retrieved April 1, 2009, from Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/