{"id":1121,"date":"2019-06-05T18:20:19","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T18:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1121"},"modified":"2025-01-21T17:23:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T17:23:19","slug":"obvious-grammatical-errors","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/chapter\/obvious-grammatical-errors\/","title":{"raw":"Obvious Grammatical Errors","rendered":"Obvious Grammatical Errors"},"content":{"raw":"Grammatically, writers tend to make their most obvious errors in the areas below.\r\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\" border=\"1\">\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr class=\"shaded\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<h2>Error<\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\r\n<h2>Practice revising it!<\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr style=\"height: 13px;\">\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Subject\/verb agreement<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>can usually be addressed by identifying each subject and verb in a sentence, ignoring the other words mentally, and making certain subjects\/verbs match in number and sound<\/li>\r\n \t<li>the word \u201cand\u201d linking two subjects makes them plural, as in, \u201cGrammar and mechanics are related.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>when subjects are connected by \u201cor\u201d the subject closer to the verb determines the verb\u2019s number, as in, \u201cEither the punctuation marks or the usage is flawed.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><iframe title=\"Subject\/Verb Agreement\" src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&amp;id=37\" width=\"959\" height=\"334\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/h5p\/h5p-php-library\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Verb tense<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>must be considered both for consistency and context<\/li>\r\n \t<li>writers can switch verb tenses within a paragraph if context calls for it, but unnatural shifts in verb tense stand out loudly, as in, \u201cThe sample was heated and then cool before storage.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>generally the simplest verb tense should be chosen for the circumstances (avoid \u201chas,\u201d \u201chave,\u201d and \u201chad\u201d as helpers except when necessary)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>the present tense brings the material \u201ccloser\u201d to the reader, so use it whenever possible<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><iframe title=\"Verb Tense\" src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&amp;id=39\" width=\"959\" height=\"323\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/h5p\/h5p-php-library\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Runs-ons and fragments<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>can be addressed by identifying subjects and verbs<\/li>\r\n \t<li>sentence length can sometimes be a clue<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><iframe title=\"Sentence Fragments and Run-ons\" src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&amp;id=38\" width=\"959\" height=\"799\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/h5p\/h5p-php-library\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nWriters often also have trouble with some commonly confused terms. \u00a0The chart below briefly describes a few.\r\n<div>\r\n<table class=\"lines\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>affect<\/strong> vs. <strong>effect<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td>\u201cAffect\u201d is usually a verb meaning \"to influence,\" while \u201ceffect\u201d is usually a noun meaning \"outcome\" or \"result.\"<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>it\u2019s<\/strong> vs. <strong>its<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td>\u201cIt\u2019s\u201d always means \"it is,\" while \u201cits\u201d always shows possession.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>e.g.<\/strong> vs. <strong>i.e.<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td>The abbreviation \u201ce.g.\u201d is Latin for exempli gratia and means \u201cfor example,\u201d while \u201ci.e.\u201d is Latin for id est and means \u201cthat is.\u201d<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>imply<\/strong> vs. <strong>infer<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td>The word \u201cimply\u201d means \"to suggest\" or \"to indicate,\" while \u201cinfer\u201d involves a person actively applying deduction.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>that<\/strong> vs. <strong>which<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td>The word \u201cthat\u201d is used to define and limit a noun\u2019s meaning, while \u201cwhich\u201d is used to provide descriptive information not central to the noun\u2019s definition.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>practice<\/h3>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h4>Accessible Version:<\/h4>\r\nThis draft contains 5 grammatical errors. Identify each one in the text box and check your answers:\r\n\r\nSports reporters and the media in general treat professional female athletes unfairly, as can be seen in the recent controversy over Serena Williams\u2019 catsuit. Returning to tennis soon after giving birth to her daughter, Serena was advised by her doctors to wear something that would effect the blood flow in her legs due to her history of blood clots. To go along with her doctors\u2019 request, Serena wore a black Nike catsuit to the French Open (Friedman). This suit, that Serena Williams tried to wear for her health, caused so much commotion that new rules about dress for women at the French Open are set in place. Elle magazine reporter Megan Friedman explains, \u201cThe rules won\u2019t be as strict as Wimbledon ... but they will be asking designers to give them an advance look at designs for players and will impose certain limits.\u201d The fact that Serena Williams, someone who has won four Olympic medals, cannot wear something needed for health reasons is ridiculous. Not only have sportswriters stated their views on this issue, but now the people running these events are making rules against what female athletes can wear while performing their sport, inferring that female sports are more about fashion than athletics. Whether it is for health reasons or not. Women should be able to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable while they perform the sport they are good at.\r\n\r\n[practice-area rows=\"8\"][\/practice-area]\r\n\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"557120\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"557120\"]1. Affect should replace effect in the second sentence. 2. Which should replace that in the fourth sentence. 3. The verb (are) should be in the past tense (were) in the fourth sentence. 4. Implying should replace inferring in the seventh sentence. 5. The second to last sentence is a fragment; it should be combined with the last sentence. [\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<p>Grammatically, writers tend to make their most obvious errors in the areas below.<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"shaded\">\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\n<h2>Error<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">\n<h2>Practice revising it!<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 13px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Subject\/verb agreement<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>can usually be addressed by identifying each subject and verb in a sentence, ignoring the other words mentally, and making certain subjects\/verbs match in number and sound<\/li>\n<li>the word \u201cand\u201d linking two subjects makes them plural, as in, \u201cGrammar and mechanics are related.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>when subjects are connected by \u201cor\u201d the subject closer to the verb determines the verb\u2019s number, as in, \u201cEither the punctuation marks or the usage is flawed.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Subject\/Verb Agreement\" src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&amp;id=37\" width=\"959\" height=\"334\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/h5p\/h5p-php-library\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Verb tense<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>must be considered both for consistency and context<\/li>\n<li>writers can switch verb tenses within a paragraph if context calls for it, but unnatural shifts in verb tense stand out loudly, as in, \u201cThe sample was heated and then cool before storage.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>generally the simplest verb tense should be chosen for the circumstances (avoid \u201chas,\u201d \u201chave,\u201d and \u201chad\u201d as helpers except when necessary)<\/li>\n<li>the present tense brings the material \u201ccloser\u201d to the reader, so use it whenever possible<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Verb Tense\" src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&amp;id=39\" width=\"959\" height=\"323\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/h5p\/h5p-php-library\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Runs-ons and fragments<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>can be addressed by identifying subjects and verbs<\/li>\n<li>sentence length can sometimes be a clue<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sentence Fragments and Run-ons\" src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&amp;id=38\" width=\"959\" height=\"799\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/h5p.tcwms.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/h5p\/h5p-php-library\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Writers often also have trouble with some commonly confused terms. \u00a0The chart below briefly describes a few.<\/p>\n<div>\n<table class=\"lines\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>affect<\/strong> vs. <strong>effect<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>\u201cAffect\u201d is usually a verb meaning &#8220;to influence,&#8221; while \u201ceffect\u201d is usually a noun meaning &#8220;outcome&#8221; or &#8220;result.&#8221;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>it\u2019s<\/strong> vs. <strong>its<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>\u201cIt\u2019s\u201d always means &#8220;it is,&#8221; while \u201cits\u201d always shows possession.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>e.g.<\/strong> vs. <strong>i.e.<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>The abbreviation \u201ce.g.\u201d is Latin for exempli gratia and means \u201cfor example,\u201d while \u201ci.e.\u201d is Latin for id est and means \u201cthat is.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>imply<\/strong> vs. <strong>infer<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>The word \u201cimply\u201d means &#8220;to suggest&#8221; or &#8220;to indicate,&#8221; while \u201cinfer\u201d involves a person actively applying deduction.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>that<\/strong> vs. <strong>which<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>The word \u201cthat\u201d is used to define and limit a noun\u2019s meaning, while \u201cwhich\u201d is used to provide descriptive information not central to the noun\u2019s definition.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>practice<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Accessible Version:<\/h4>\n<p>This draft contains 5 grammatical errors. Identify each one in the text box and check your answers:<\/p>\n<p>Sports reporters and the media in general treat professional female athletes unfairly, as can be seen in the recent controversy over Serena Williams\u2019 catsuit. Returning to tennis soon after giving birth to her daughter, Serena was advised by her doctors to wear something that would effect the blood flow in her legs due to her history of blood clots. To go along with her doctors\u2019 request, Serena wore a black Nike catsuit to the French Open (Friedman). This suit, that Serena Williams tried to wear for her health, caused so much commotion that new rules about dress for women at the French Open are set in place. Elle magazine reporter Megan Friedman explains, \u201cThe rules won\u2019t be as strict as Wimbledon &#8230; but they will be asking designers to give them an advance look at designs for players and will impose certain limits.\u201d The fact that Serena Williams, someone who has won four Olympic medals, cannot wear something needed for health reasons is ridiculous. Not only have sportswriters stated their views on this issue, but now the people running these events are making rules against what female athletes can wear while performing their sport, inferring that female sports are more about fashion than athletics. Whether it is for health reasons or not. Women should be able to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable while they perform the sport they are good at.<\/p>\n<p><textarea aria-label=\"Your Answer\" rows=\"8\"><\/textarea><\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q557120\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q557120\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">1. Affect should replace effect in the second sentence. 2. Which should replace that in the fourth sentence. 3. The verb (are) should be in the past tense (were) in the fourth sentence. 4. Implying should replace inferring in the seventh sentence. 5. The second to last sentence is a fragment; it should be combined with the last sentence. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1121\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Obvious Grammatical Errors. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Karen Forgette. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: University of Mississippi. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":15005,"menu_order":21,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Obvious Grammatical Errors\",\"author\":\"Karen Forgette\",\"organization\":\"University of Mississippi\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"7cee665e-8392-42b7-be52-7f19aaccd498, b4d5e327-e595-4814-a705-9b210f1900f5","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1121","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":1056,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15005"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1703,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1121\/revisions\/1703"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/1056"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1121\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1121"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1121"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-writing100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}