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Grammar and Punctuation Guides: Home

The tutorials below address basic grammar and punctuation errors writers routinely have. Use these guidelines to proofread and correct errors in your papers before submission.

Word Crimes

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Fun and helpful grammar sites

How to check for grammar errors:

Has your instructor told you to proofread your papers? Have you run spellchecker but don't know what else to look for? This checklist can help!

 

Learn which common errors you make with, and then learn how to avoid them in the list below or the matching tab above.

 

1) Check for run-on sentences - two or more independent clauses joined without a conjunction.

2) Check for sentence fragments - A phrase or clause that is not a complete grammatical sentence.

 

Note - if you're having trouble with sentences, review the 3 types above - Simple, Compound, and Complex.

 

3) Check to make sure you have used the correct verb:

  • Does your verb agree with your subject?
  • Do you stay in the same tense throughout?

4) Check that you use pronouns correctly.

  • Is it clear who or what you refer to?
  • Have you used the correct form?

5) Check for commonly confused words such as their, there, and they're.

6) Check your punctuation. Try circling every punctuation mark on your rough draft to make it stand out as you read it.

Books to check out

Books on grammar and writing skills will be found in two areas of the library:

  • 428.2 (Standard English usage)
  • 808 (Rhetoric - including compostion and style manuals)

Subject headings:

  • English usage
  • Grammar

Sources note

This citation guide is based on the LibGuide developed at St. Petersburg College Libraries. The content is used with permission. Thank you to Kathy Bryson for the use of material in her LibGuide Basic Grammar and Punctuation.