Common Grammar Mistakes and How to Correct Them

Clause Fragments

Clause Fragments occur when a dependent clause is not attached to an independent clause. A sentence is missing a verb or a subject.

How to Correct a Fragment:

• Give the subject an adequate verb. Give the verb a subject.
• Combine the fragment with the sentence before or after it.
• Change a word or two in the fragment and make it into a sentence.

Avoiding Double Negative Constructions

Double negation is grammatically incorrect: any negative proposition must only contain one negative. Some pronouns or adverbs such as no, nothing (not anything), nobody (not anybody), never (not ever) are called negative terms.

When negation already exists in the sentence, the following are used:

• Any instead of no, anything instead of nothing, anybody instead of nobody, ever instead of never, etc. He has no friends. He doesn't have any friends. I see nothing from here. I can't see anything from here.

Avoiding Common Usage Problems (Accept/Except)

AFFECT / EFFECT - Affect is almost always a verb meaning to influence. Affect is an action word. Effect, usually a noun, means result. Occasionally, effect is a verb meaning to bring about or to cause.

a. I would not let my personal problems affect the quality of my work.

b. The effect of the earthquake on Beijing was disastrous.

c. She effected policies that benefited the entire organization.

The Four Principal Parts of a Verb

• Base/Present - same as infinitive without to. Add -s to form third person singular.
• Present Participle - add -ing.
• Past - add -ed.
• Past Participle - add -ed.

Three Cases of Personal Pronouns

Pronouns have three cases, which indicate how the pronoun is related to the words it is used with. The three cases are: nominative, possessive, and objective.

• The Nominative Case is used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. The nominative form pronouns are: I, you, he/she, it, we/they.
• A pronoun that is in the possessive case is used to show ownership or possession. The possessive form pronouns are: My, mine, our(s), his/her(s), their, its, and yours.
• A pronoun that is in the objective case is used as the direct object, indirect object, or the object of the preposition. The objective form pronouns are: Me, you, him, her, it, and them.

Parts of a Business Letter

• Date
• Sender's address
• Recipient's address
• Salutation
• Body text
• Closing
• Signature Block
• Enclosures

Types of Advertisement

• Comparative advertising
• Cooperative advertising
• Informational advertising
• Direct mail
• Outdoor