The five most common grammar problems

Problem 1 - Punctuation

This is one of the most common problems in grammar. People only use punctuation when it feels good and nothing else. If adding punctuation can not be justified by a rule, then it is not needed. All sentences that abuse punctuation are complex. They must be remodeled as such.

Example - I wanted to get to bed, but my father had other ideas.

Problem 2 - Subject and Verb Agreement

The subject and verb must always be in agreement. If the subject is "The pencil", then the verb must be plural, as in "flies". The resulting sentence will end up being "The pencil flies into the trashcan". The opposite applies if the subject is plural. In that case, the verb must be singular.

Incorrect - The apple fall at my feet.

Correct - The apple falls at my feet OR the apples fell at my feet.

Problem 3 - Correct Use of Pronouns

The original use of pronouns is to cut down on mindless repetitions. Collective subjects are treated as singular subjects. As a result, they must have their correct counterparts.

Example - The Pencil Corporation likes firing people.

Problem 4 - Sentence structure

Two categories that cause major problems among students are faulty parallelism and modifier placement. All lists must be in parallel form. In the area of modifiers, the modifying clauses must be closest to their modifiers.

Example 1 - The lurker likes eating pizza, carving turkeys and finding subliminal messages.

Example 2 - The strap flew off after I finished carrying the bookbag.

Problem 5 - Word Usage

The correct word must be used for the correct situation. A sentence can easily be taken in another direction if the wrong word is used.

Example - I decided to lay on the sofa/I decided to lie on the sofa.