Correct The Following Sentences With Answers

Correcting Grammatical Errors: A Comprehensive Guide with Examples

This article provides a comprehensive guide to correcting grammatical errors in sentences. We'll explore common mistakes and offer clear explanations and corrections, improving your writing clarity and accuracy. Understanding grammar is crucial for effective communication, whether you're crafting a professional email, writing a blog post, or simply sending a text message.

Common Grammatical Errors and Their Corrections:

Here are some frequently encountered grammatical errors, along with explanations and corrected versions:

Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

Incorrect: The dog, along with their puppies, barks loudly. Correct: The dog, along with its puppies, bark loudly.

Explanation: The subject of the sentence is "dog," which is singular. Although "puppies" are plural, the verb must agree with the singular subject.

Incorrect: Each of the students are responsible for their own project. Correct: Each of the students is responsible for their own project.

Explanation: "Each" is a singular pronoun, requiring a singular verb.

Pronoun Agreement Errors

Incorrect: Everyone should bring their own lunch. Correct: Everyone should bring their own lunch. (While traditionally grammatically incorrect, using "their" as a singular gender-neutral pronoun is becoming increasingly accepted.) Alternative (more formally correct): Everyone should bring his or her own lunch.

Explanation: The pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent (the word it refers to). While using "his or her" is grammatically correct, using "their" as a singular gender-neutral pronoun is now widely accepted in informal writing and even creeping into more formal contexts. Consider your audience and context when choosing.

Tense Consistency Errors

Incorrect: I went to the store, and I buy milk. Correct: I went to the store, and I bought milk.

Explanation: Both clauses should use the past tense to maintain consistency.

Incorrect: She will go to the park after she finishes her homework. She always go there. Correct: She will go to the park after she finishes her homework. She always goes there.

Explanation: The first part is in the future tense, while the second part needs to be in the present tense (habitual action).

Incorrect Use of Modifiers

Incorrect: Running down the street, the red car was visible. Correct: Running down the street, I saw a visible red car. OR The visible red car was running down the street.

Explanation: The modifier "running down the street" incorrectly modifies the car. It should modify the subject performing the action.

Comma Splices

Incorrect: I love to read, I also enjoy writing. Correct: I love to read, and I also enjoy writing. OR I love to read; I also enjoy writing. OR I love to read. I also enjoy writing.

Explanation: A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined only by a comma. The correction uses a coordinating conjunction ("and"), a semicolon, or separates the clauses into two distinct sentences.

Run-on Sentences

Incorrect: The cat sat on the mat, it was a fluffy Persian cat, and it purred loudly. Correct: The cat, a fluffy Persian, sat on the mat and purred loudly.

Explanation: A run-on sentence combines multiple independent clauses without proper punctuation. The corrected version uses a concise and effective structure.

Improving Your Grammar:

Consistent practice is key to improving your grammar. Read extensively, pay attention to sentence structure in well-written texts, and use online grammar checkers as supplementary tools (but always proofread carefully yourself). Understanding the rules and consistently applying them will significantly enhance your writing skills.