A Writer's Dozen - Archive

12 Common Grammatical Mistakes
List compiled by Marlene First posted March 2005
I once read that writing is not so much correct versus incorrect, but rather effective versus ineffective. That being said, there are still some common mistakes writers make, even though the rules often aren’t as clear cut as they used to be. So here’s my list of a dozen, for what it’s worth. In each of the examples I’ve tried to use relevant sentences, i.e. something you might see in a romance novel. However, these are for grammatical purposes only, and don’t necessarily represent writing that would ever get published. So please look past the romance, and for those of you who cringe at the text below, why not make it an exercise to see if you can come up with something more gripping and believable? Run-on Sentences (e.g. two main clauses connected with a conjunctive adverb) Wrong: Sara was still fuming, however she didn’t want Josh to see how easily he could upset her. Correct: Sara was still fuming; however, she didn’t want Josh to see how easily he could upset her. When joining two sentences with “however” you must use a semicolon to separate these. Technically Wrong: Sara grabbed her cup of coffee, then she marched out of the kitchen. Technically Correct: Sara grabbed her cup of coffee. Then she marched out of the kitchen. (Sounds a bit choppy.) Also Technically Correct: Sara grabbed her cup of coffee and then marched out of the kitchen. While the first one is technically incorrect, it’s often used and is becoming more accepted. So depending on who’s editing your manuscript, this one might pass. Sentence Fragments Wrong: Josh wished that he could just sit by the stream and keep on fishing forever. Hopefully until the ache in his heart went away. Correct: Josh wished that he could just sit by the stream and keep on fishing forever, hopefully until the ache in his heart went away. (Lacks emphasis.) Better: Josh wished that he could just sit by the stream and keep on fishing forever—or at least until the ache in his heart went away. (Packs more of an emotional punch.) While it’s technically a no-no, sentence fragments can sometimes work and be quite effective. However, you as an author need to be aware of what you’re doing and have a valid reason for doing this. One example would be to use phrases to emphasize an emotion. (For me, using three usually sounds the best. But using just one works too, and even a single word sentence will often be very effective.) Josh wished that he could just sit by the stream and keep on fishing forever. Until the long empty hours became a blur. Until the ache in his heart went away. Until Sara was just a small, sad memory. Clear Reference of a Pronoun to the Subject of the Sentence Wrong: When Sara visited her mother at the Lodge, she had a really high temperature. (Whose temperature was high?) Correct: When she visited her mother at the Lodge, Sara had a really high temperature. Parallel Construction Wrong: Sara has many passions, such as writing poetry, an avid reader and an accomplished flute player. Correct: Sara has many passions—she writes poetry, loves to read and plays the flute for the Calgary Philharmonic. Also Correct: Sara has many passions: writing poetry; reading; playing the flute for the Calgary Philharmonic. Consistent Tense (e.g. mixing past and present tense) Wrong: Sara said that she wants to go fishing. Correct: Sara said that she wanted to go fishing. Shifting Tense (e.g. mixing active and passive voice) Wrong: As Sara approached the bedroom, giggling could be heard. Correct: As Sara approached the bedroom, she could hear giggling. Dangling Modifiers Wrong: Coming home late after a night out, the house was in total darkness. (Who was coming home?) Correct: Coming home late after a night out, Sara found the house in total darkness. Misplaced Parts (different location of adverbs changes the meaning of a sentence) Sara’s only wish was to see Josh again. Sara’s wish was only to see Josh again. Sara’s wish was to see only Josh again. All of the above sentences are correct but you, as an author, need to decide the meaning you're trying to convey and then select the appropriate placement of the adverb. Subjunctive Mood (expresses doubt, a wish, or a condition that’s contrary to fact) Wrong: Sara could tell us the answer if she was here. Correct: Sara could tell us the answer if she were here. (But she’s not here.) Split Infinitives Awkward: Sara tried not to deliberately hurt Josh’s feelings. Clear: Sara tried not to hurt Josh’s feelings deliberately. Passive Versus Active Voice Ineffective: Sara was given a flu shot to protect her when she visited her grandmother. More Effective: The nurse gave Sara a flu shot to protect her when she visited her grandmother. (Sometimes the subject is omitted in the passive voice, and needs to be added when changing to the active voice.) Subject/Verb Disagreement (singular and plural) Technically Wrong: Every writer has their own style. Correct But Fussy: Every writer has his or her own style. Better Choice: Writers all have their own style. I’ve double-checked with a reliable source (thanks Marg!) and found out that the first sentence didn’t used to be correct, but is now generally accepted. However, this one still bugs me and you might find that it also bugs whoever is checking your story; therefore, try and stay away from this usage if you can. So…as you re-read your manuscript that final time, keep an eye open for some of these problems. An editor will not only appreciate a clean draft, but it might also make a difference in getting asked for a full submission. Happy editing!!
March 2005