TOO-COMMON ERRORS

These errors occur too frequently
- SO LEARN THEM NOW!
Others have been assigned their own pages:

CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS:
- however, furthermore, therefore, moreover
- These words will always have a comma after them.
- However, it is a Comma Splice Error to place a comma before them when they come between two independent clauses, for they cannot join sentences like coordinating conjunctions (and, but, yet, or, nor, for, so).
- In this instance, you must place a semicolon (;) before the conjunctive adverb, and the semicolon will join the two sentences.
  - “You claimed that the maid killed Sir Randolf; however, the butler did it.”
    - Here, the C.A. comes between two independent clauses, so a semicolon, or a period, is necessary.
  - “The truth is, however, that the butler did it.”
    - Here, the C.A. simply comes in the middle of a single sentence; there is no independent clause on either side of it.)
COMMA SPLICES:
- commas do NOT join; they signal and/or separate.
- Thus, it is an error to use a comma to join 2 independent clauses (complete sentences).
- For example, “I went to the store, I bought some beef jerky.”
- Here, a comma is used to join 2 complete thoughts, and this is an error.
- This sentence needs a semicolon (;) between store and I.
- Generally, we make this error when we want to show a connection or continuation of thoughts. This is a good intention, but use proper punctuation to do so.
CANNOT:
- The word “cannot” is just that, one word.
- Unlike “did not” or “will not,” it is not spelled “can not.”
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS:
- and, but, yet, or, nor, for, so
- These 7 words join like/similar items, but they do NOT start sentences in Formal Academic Writing
  - despite what you see in newspapers or magazines.
- Thus, it would be improper to write: “But I wanted the red one instead.”

*** No “THING”:

one of the lamest words in the English language
“thing(s)” is not descriptive and has relatively no meaning
thus, no place within Formal Academic Writing.
Therefore, say what you mean AND use the exact word you intend
- if you do not know it, use a THESAURUS!!
- see the DICTION handout for alternatives

No CONTRACTIONS:
- in Formal Academic Writing, you must avoid these.
- Thus, use no “it’s,” no “can’t,” and no “isn’t.”
No SLANG/PAT EXPRESSIONS:
- in Formal Academic Writing, you must avoid these.
- Thus, use no “nice,” “cool” (nor any of its modern incarnations), or “easy as pie” and no “a lot,” “lots,” “things,” or “stuff.”
- Here's a link to a list of too-common clichés & pat expressions.
No ABBREVIATIONS:
- in Formal Academic Writing, you must avoid these,
- so no “TV” or “CD.”

**THESIS STATEMENT:

as the word “statement” implies, this is only 1 sentence, not several. Follow the formula:
topic + main idea + support.
In a Comparison essay, for example, you will list the 3 points of comparison in the “support” part—“High school and college are similar in terms of A, B, and C.”

SONGS vs. ALBUM TITLES:
- Use “quotation marks” around song titles, short poems, magazine articles, book chapters, and TV shows.
- Underline (or italicize) album titles, long poems, magazine names, newspaper names, book titles, and movie titles.
- Basically, remember that
  - short material get quotation marks and
  - long material get underlined.
PUNCTUATION GOES WITHIN “.”
- Most of the time, 9 out of 10 times, all punctuation will go within quotation marks.
  - For example, I just love that new song by Marvin and the Martians called “Out of This World.”
  - Notice the period is within the quotation marks, not outside.
- Exceptions involve semicolons and colons; they can go outside the marks.
DIFFERENT FROM vs/ DIFFERENT THAN:
- “different from” is proper English;
- “different than” can be abbreviated d.t., and the DTs (delirium tremens) are bad—
  - that’s how I remember the difference.
PARALLEL STRUCTURE:
- basically, this means that items in a series must be of the same grammatical type,
  - such as 3 nouns, 3 prepositional phrases, or 3 “because” clauses.
  - Poker Metaphor: 3 of a Kind
- For example, “I hate my English class because I do not like grammar, because I do like to write, and because I do not like my teacher.”
- Incorrect P.S. would look like this: “I hate my English class because I do not like grammar, writing makes me break out in hives, and because my teacher is a jerk.”
SUCH AS:
- When you want to give an example of something, use “such as” in the following manner: “Some students just disappear during the semester, such as Tom, Dick, and Harry.”
  - Note the comma before “such as”:
    - it attaches the such-as phrase to the sentence as a tree ornament,
    - and its function is ornamental in nature.
  - The commas between the names are to set off the items in a series.
  - No comma, however, is necessary after “such as” and before the examples.
- Although you can use it in a similar manner, try to avoid using “like.”
FOR EXAMPLE:
- Do NOT use “for example” as you would “such as”
- and do NOT use “for example” to start a sentence without following it with a subject and verb
  - (*otherwise, you will create a Fragment).
- Essentially, you want to employ this transition at the start of sentences only and follow it with a complete thought (subject and verb).
  - For example, S + V.
- For example, “One reason Metallica is my favorite band is because of their live shows. For example, I saw them at the old Philadelphia Spectrum in 1996, and it was one of the greatest concerts of my life.”
  - Note the comma after the transitional expression.
- “For instance” can be used in the same way.
HYPHENS vs. DASHES:
- remember it this way:
  - 2 hyphens = 1 dash.
- HYPHEN-
  - Thus, to type a hyphen, simply hit one “-”
  - and use it between words like pro-Choice, anti-Republican, or non-invasive.
- DASH-
  - To type a dash, use 2 hyphens (“--”)
  - and put it between two clauses without any spaces before it or after it—hook it up to the last letter of the last word in the first clause and the first letter of first word in the second clause
  - (just as I have done here with the “t” in it and the “h” in hook).