Common Grammar Mistakes

Front

What is a common grammar mistake related to punctuation?

Back

Using a comma before 'but' in compound sentences, e.g., 'Elisa had a party, but not everyone was invited.'

Front

What is the correct form of the possessive pronoun for 'classmates'?

Back

The correct form is 'their', as in 'to support their classmates.'

Front

What is parallel structure in writing?

Back

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance, e.g., 'planning, coordinating, and organizing.'

Front

How should appositive phrases be punctuated?

Back

Appositive phrases should be set off by commas, e.g., 'Ms. Philippe, principal of Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School, spoke to the student body.'

Front

What is the subject-verb agreement rule for collective nouns?

Back

Collective nouns take a singular verb when the group is acting as a single unit, e.g., 'Every one of my friends thinks I should join the team.'

Front

What is the difference between 'there', 'their', and 'they're'?

Back

'There' refers to a place, 'their' is a possessive pronoun, and 'they're' is a contraction for 'they are.'

Front

What is a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses joined by a conjunction, e.g., 'I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain.'

Front

What is an appositive?

Back

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it, e.g., 'My brother, a skilled musician, plays the guitar.'

Front

What is the purpose of using commas in a list?

Back

Commas are used to separate items in a list to clarify meaning, e.g., 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'

Front

What is a run-on sentence?

Back

A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or conjunctions.