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Common Mistakes in Writing

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Common Mistakes in Writing: Comma Splice
In your writing, there are 3 major problems that we commonly have to address as teachers/instructors/professors/etc. I want you to take the time to read about these. While we don 't expect this to fix your issues instantly, we are hoping that you 'll aim to make less of these mistakes in the future (especially on your papers, where these errors WILL be counted off for).

Comma Splice -- Commas are tricky because there are so many different ways you can use them, but one of the most common ways to use commas is to separate two main clauses that are connected by a coordinating conjunction. That just means that when you join two things that could be sentences on their own with a word such as …show more content…

You 'll notice that with run-on sentences and comma splices, the two are very similar issues and solved in the same manner. It 's a good rule of thumb to remember them together. If you need any help, contact Dr. Wilson or myself.

Common Mistakes in Writing: Sentence Fragments
The last major error that we encounter in writing is the sentence fragment. These are a bit trickier to solve than the other two issues, but you should have no problem as long as you take your time with them.

Sentence Fragment--A part of a sentence that is punctuated as a complete sentence. It may lack a subject, a predicate, or both, or it may be a dependent clause. It can be fixed in one of three ways:
He quit his job. And cleared out his desk. (the second sentence is wrong)
This deals with a missing subject or predicate. These are usually the result of faulty punctuation of a compound predicate. Either add the subject, or change the punctuation to incorporate the fragment into the preceding sentence:
He quite his job. And he cleared out his desk.
Or:
He quit his job and cleared out his desk.
A missing or incomplete predicate is often the result of using a verbal instead of a finite verb. Usually, the best remedy is addition of a helping verb:
Sheila waiting to see you.
Becomes:
Sheila is waiting to see you.
Although a dependent clause has a subject and a predicate, it cannot stand alone as a sentence because it begins with a relative

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