Module 14

Editing for Grammar and Punctuation

What grammatical errors do I need to be able to fix?

Learn to fix these six errors.

Six grammar errors are common in students’ papers:

· Subject-Verb & Noun-Pronoun Agreement

· Pronoun Case

· Dangling Modifiers

· Misplaced Modifiers

· Parallel Structure

· Predication Errors

For some of your students, these terms will be new or confusing. Use the examples found in the module to help students understand these concepts.

Should I put a comma every place I’d take a breath?

No! Commas are not breaths.

Among the half-truths that exist about English style and grammar is the notion of treating a comma as a breath. Clearly, commas function beyond that notion—to separate items in a list, for instance—and using a “breath” to measure where a comma should fall is a highly individualistic and therefore fallible methodology.

Instead, show your students that a comma is just one of several punctuation marks that alert the reader to what comes next. (Commas are covered in more detail under the next heading; the discussion here is a good preamble—and a less technical introduction—to the later discussion.)

þHow can I find sentence boundaries?

Learn to recognize main clauses.

Sentences can contain

· Main Clauses

· Subordinate Clauses

· Phrases

· Comma Splices

· Run-On Sentences

· Sentence Fragments

What punctuation should I use inside sentences?

Use punctuation to make your meaning clear to your reader.

Eight forms of punctuation inside sentences are important:

· Apostrophes

· Colons

· Commas

· Dashes

· Hyphens

· Parentheses

· Periods

· Semicolons

What do I use when I quote sources?

Quotation marks, square brackets, and ellipses.

Four forms of punctuation for quoting sources are important:

· Quotation Marks

· Square Brackets

· Ellipses

· Underlining & Italics

In all likelihood, students will have used these forms of punctuation while quoting sources in their composition courses. However, some of them will still be confused, particularly with regard to when to use quotation marks (titles of “short works”) versus when to use underlining or italics (titles of “long works”).

How should I write numbers and dates?

Usually, spell out numbers under 10 and at the beginning of sentences.

In general writers should spell out numbers from one to nine and use numerals for anything higher. Use numerals for days and years in dates and in amounts of money. Spell out numbers when they begin a sentence (or rewrite the sentence so that the number falls elsewhere).

How do I mark errors I find in proofreading?

Use these standard proofreading symbols.