College Writing Workshop: Improve Your Grammar and Punctuation Skills
Enhance your writing proficiency by addressing common errors such as comma usage, pronoun agreement, and vague pronoun reference. Understand the impact of mistakes on how readers perceive your communication. Elevate your knowledge of writing rules to convey a professional image effectively.
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Looking for a workshop to compliment your knowledge of writing rules? Wonder if the amount of mistakes in your emails really do effect the way readers view you? Sarah Liggett CxC enligg@lsu.edu
SOURCE OF ERROR Why do you make mistakes? Lack knowledge Misinterpret rule Too much faith in technology
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS No comma after introductory clause No comma in compound sentence Mechanics and Punctuation She got the job, so she headed to the BMW dealership. After she learned she d gotten the job, she headed to the BMW dealership. FAN BOYS for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so She got the job and headed straight to the BMW dealership.
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS Mechanics and Punctuation Comma splice She got the job, she headed to the BMW dealership. ; She got the job she headed to the BMW dealership.
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS Mechanics and Punctuation No comma(s) in a non-restrictive (non-essential element) Bananas have lots of K. my favorite fruit , Bananas have lots of K. , Apples which are green are often not sweet.
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS Vague Pronoun Reference Robert enjoyed his work at the zoo last summer, and this may be his career choice. Robert enjoyed his work at the zoo last summer, and a career as a veterinarian of exotic animals may be in his future. Pronoun Errors Ann told Sarah that she had ridden her bike to the park. Without permission, Ann rode Sarah s bike to the park.
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS Pronoun Agreement Error Everybody has their own opinions. Everybody has his or her own opinions. Everybody has opinions. Pronoun Errors
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS Criterion or criteria A lot or a lot? An or a LSU student? Few or less? Usage Amount or number? Between or among? Its or it s?
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS Subject/verb Agreement Errors The life span too long for me. Dangling or misplaced modifier is of cockroaches are After running the stop sign, the car failed to stop to help the injured. After running the stop sign, the drunk driver failed to stop to help the injured. Sentence Structure Errors While shopping at the mall, a crook stole Dave s wallet. While shopping at the mall, Dave had his wallet stolen by a crook. . Karen was told that she was fired by her immediate supervisor. Karen s immediate supervisor fired her. Karen was told that she was fired by her immediate supervisor.
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS Wrong Tense In the first chapter, the author identified Boris, who I thought would be the main character, but in the second chapter Boris dies. In the first chapter, the author identifies Boris, who I thought would be the main character, but in the second chapter Boris dies. Verb Form Errors Wrong Form His boss had spoke very highly of him. His boss had spoken very highly of him. Wrong Verb She lays in bed all day. She lies in bed all day.
FREQUENT ERRORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS Receive or recieve? Separate or seperate? Cite or site? Spelling and Homophones Could of or could ve? Your or you re
PROOFREADING TIPS Take a break between writing and proofreading. Read the paper aloud. Get out your list of frequent errors. Change your font to 14 point; put a return after every sentence. Work from a printed copy. Circle subjects, locate verbs. Cover the paper with a ruler or another paper or scroll down so you see only one line at a time. Circle pronouns, locate the nouns to which they refer. If you tend to overuse commas, give the rule for each one you use. Use find/replace for passive voice, wordy phrases, vague pronouns. Use a handbook, the Purdue OWL, on-line grammar guides. Basic Sentence Patterns
SO. . . Know the mistakes you make most often. Understand why you make them and how to fix them. Proofread just for the common mistakes. Proofread once again.
