Writing
Errors of Possesive Pronoun Agreement
Check if possesive pronouns agree in person and number.
INCORRECT: If anyone calls, take their name.
CORRECT: If anyone calls, take his name.
INCORRECT: Those of us who care should write to their congressman.
CORRECT: Those of us who care should write to our congressman.
INCORRECT: Some of you will have to come in their own cars.
CORRECT: Some of you [...]
Errors in Question Word Connectors
When a question word such as when or what is used as a connector, the clause that follows is not a question. Do not use interrogative form.
INCORRECT: Do you know when does the movie start?
CORRECT: Do you know when the movie starts?
INCORRECT: I don’t know what is his name.
CORRECT: [...]
The reason is because …
It is incorrect to say: The reason is because…. Use: The reason is that…
INCORRECT: The reason he was rejected was beause he was too young.
CORRECT: The reason he was rejected was that he was too young.
OR
He was rejected because he was too young.
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Error of Possessive Pronoun Agreement
Check if possessif pronouns agree in person and in number.
INCORRECT: If anyone calls, take their name.
CORRECT: If anyone calls, take his name.
Error with WHO and WHOM 2
There was a discussion as to who/whom was better suited.
Try substituting she/her:
she was better suited / her was better suited.
Here the pronoun is the subject of the verb suited:
CORRECT: There was a discussion as to who was better suited.
Error with WHO and WHOM
When in doubt about the correctness of WHO/WHOM, try substituting the subject/object of a simpler pronoun to clarify the meaning:
I don’t know who/whom Sarah meant.
Try substituting he/him; then rearrange the clause in its proper order:
he/him Sarah meant / Sarah meant him.
Now it is clear that the pronoun is the object of the verb meant, so [...]
Error in Pronoun Subject-Object
Check if a pronoun is the SUBJECT or the OBJECT of a verb or preposition.
INCORRECT: All of us–Fred, Jane, Alice, and me–were late.
CORRECT: All of us–Fred, Jand, Alice, and I–were late.
INCORRECT: How could she blame you and he for the accident?
CORRECT: How could she blame you and him for the accident?
Error in Negative Imperatives
Note the two forms for negative imperatives:
A. Please don’t do that.
B. Would you please not do that.
INCORRECT: Would you please don’t smoke here.
CORRECT: Please don’t smoke here.
[...]
Error in Conditional Sentences 2
The verb to be will ALWAYS appear as were in present conditonal:
INCORRECT: If I was you, I wouldn’t do that.
CORRECT: If I were you, I wouldn’t do that.
