A Sentence a Day

[A.m.ir]

1
Incorrect:
The students found it very hard to believe that Mrs Snodwhumple had ever been a teenager herself, in fact they found it hard to believe that she was human at all.

Correct:
The students found it very hard to believe that Mrs. Snodwhumple had ever been a teenager herself. In fact, they found it hard to believe that she was human at all.

Notes:
“Mrs.” requires a period.

The item is a run-on sentence. A period or a semicolon should be placed after “herself.”

Introductory phrases like “by the way, “on the other hand,” and “in fact” should be set off with commas.
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2
Incorrect:
The envelope enveloping the leter.

Correct:
The envelope enveloping the letter was covered with pink hearts and red lipstick kisses.

Notes:
The item is a sentence fragment. What about the envelope enveloping the letter?
Try complete the sentence in at least two more ways—adding something before the fragment (Bart cautiously opened the envelope enveloping the letter) and after the fragment (The envelope enveloping the letter was covered with pink hearts and red lipstick kisses).

“Letter” has two t’s.
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3
Incorrect:
The nieghbors supposebly had a pet dodo bird that excaped but I no that dodo birds are extinct.

Correct:
The neighbors supposedly had a pet dodo bird that escaped, but I know that dodo birds are extinct.

Notes:
“Neighbors” is one of those aggravating words that does not follow the “i before e except after c” rule.

Despite how some people pronounce the word, there is no b in “supposedly.” Similarly, there is no x in “escaped.”

“Know” is the word needed, not “no.”

The sentence is a compound sentence (two complete sentences connected with “and,” “but,” “or,” “for,” “nor,” and sometimes “yet” and “so.”) Therefore, it needs a comma.
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4
Incorrect:
The star athlete turned out to be a alien. From the newly discovered planet gezbarkawda.

Correct:
The star athlete turned out to be an alien from the newly discovered planet Gezbarkawda.

Notes:
Students often create sentence fragments by putting in a period too soon.The two fragments above are easily fixed by simply removing the period.

“A” is used before words beginning with a consonant sound. “An” is used before words beginning with a vowel sound.

Because “Gezbarkawda” is the name of a specific planet, it should be capitalized even if it is fictional.
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5
Incorrect:
My brother, Sundar, he puts catsup and maple syrup on everything.

Correct:
My brother Sundar puts catsup and maple syrup on everything.

Notes:
People often use double subjects, especially when they are talking informally.
Examples: My mother, she won’t let me go camping with my boyfriend for three weeks in Alaska. My boyfriend, he thinks she’s being unreasonable. My dad, he won’t even let me talk to
him about it. However, these double subjects are completely unnecessary and actually kind of silly. My mother won’t let me go camping is simpler and just as clear as My mother,
she won’t let me go camping.

Appositives interrupt a sentence to give more information about a noun in the sentence. Usually they are set off with commas. However, a one-word appositive such as “Sundar” doesn’t really need commas.
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6
Incorrect:
It is supposebly difficult to pat your head rub your stomach and chew gum at the same time.

Correct:
It is supposedly difficult to pat your head, rub your stomach(,) and chew gum at the same time.

Notes:
Although many people pronounce the word “supposebly” (with a b), the word is really “supposedly” (with a d).

Words in a series should be separated by commas. However, the final comma (the serial comma) is really optional, unless its elimination creates confusion in meaning.
Interestingly, magazine and newspaper publishers tend to leave it out, following the Associated Press Stylebook. Book publishers are more likely to rely on the Chicago Manual of Style, which recommends leaving it in. Students are often amazed to find out that authorities can differ on punctuation rules.
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7
Incorrect:
Who’s idea was it to allow students to ride skateboards in the hall.

Correct:
Whose idea was it to allow students to ride skateboards in the hall?

Notes:
Any sentence that asks a question should have a question mark at the end.

“Who’s” is a contraction of “who is.” A test: try substituting “who is” in the sentence to see if it makes sense. If it does, use “who’s.” If it doesn’t, use “whose.”

[A.m.ir]

8
Incorrect:
A even-toed ungulate which is better known as a camel keeps the sand out of it’s eyes with 3 eyelids.

Correct:
An even-toed ungulate, which is better known as a camel, keeps the sand out of its eyes with three eyelids.

Notes:
“An” is used before words beginning with a vowel sound.

“Which is better known as a camel” is an appositive. It interrupts the flow of the sentence to give more information about “ungulate” and should be set off with commas.

“Its” is a pronoun used to show ownership or possession.There is no apostrophe in it.

Numbers smaller than ten are generally spelled out, not written as numerals. Therefore, “3” should be written as “three.”
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9
Incorrect:
After Lee took a break to walk his Iguana and pet his Python he went back to work on his marshmellow sculpture.

Correct:
After Lee took a break to walk his iguana and pet his python, he went back to work on his marshmallow sculpture.

Notes:
“After Lee took a break to walk his iguana and pet his python” is an introductory element (a clause).Therefore, it should be followed by a comma.

“Iguana” is a kind of lizard, just as “python” is a kind of snake. However, they aren’t the names of specific iguanas or pythons. If the iguana’s name is “Ethel,” “Ethel” is what should be capitalized, not “iguana.”

“Marshmallow” is the correct spelling.
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10
Incorrect:
The mall closed it’s doors lifted into the air and flew off into space with a large and handsome truck stop.

Correct:
The mall closed its doors, lifted into the air(,) and flew off into space with a large and handsome truck stop.

Notes:
Never mind that the mall in this sentence is behaving in a decidedly peculiar fashion. It is doing three things, and those three things should be separated by commas.The final comma in a series is considered optional.

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is.” A test: substitute “it is” in the sentence to see if “it’s” is what is needed. If it doesn’t sound right, “its” should be used.
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11
Incorrect:
Pleeze do not sneeze, or wheeze near there cheeze.

Correct:
Please do not sneeze or wheeze near their cheese.

Notes:
Annoying as it may be that all these words with an “eez” sound aren’t spelled alike at the end, they are not.

Should it be “there,” “they’re,” or “their”? “Their” is the word used to show possession. It is “their” cheese someone should not be sneezing or wheezing near.
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12
Incorrect:
As Lionel was finally doing his laundry after letting it sit, in a heap for two weeks. He watched in horror as a mustard splotch on one of his shirts, unstuck itself and crawled out of the laundry basket, and down the hall.

Correct:
As Lionel was finally doing his laundry after letting it sit in a heap for two weeks, he watched in horror as a mustard splotch on one of his shirts unstuck itself and crawled out of the laundry basket and down the hall.

Notes:
Students commonly create sentence fragments simply by inserting a period too soon. Read aloud the first “sentence” so that students hear how it is left hanging and needs to be completed.

All the commas in the incorrect version are unnecessary. (An argument can be made for including one before “in a heap” for emphasis. In that case, a comma is necessary after “heap” as well.)

Some grammarians would point out that splitting the verb “was doing” with the word “finally” is not a good idea.They might leave out the word “finally” altogether or write, “As Lionel was doing his laundry, finally, he…” Others would leave the “finally” where it is.
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13
Incorrect:
“I looked over the close in my closet and decided I’m going to wear to scarfs around my neck and one on my head, to,” said Tiffany. “Is that all your going to where?” gasped her mother.

Correct:
“I looked over the clothes in my closet and decided I’m going to wear two scarves around my neck and one on my head, too,” said Tiffany.
“Is that all you’re going to wear?” gasped her mother.

Notes:
The corrected sentences use “to, two, and too” correctly.

“Clothes” refers to what you wear. “Close” is what you do to a door.

“Wear” is what you do with clothes. “Where” is used to refer to a place.

In dialogue, a new paragraph begins with each change of speakers.
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14
Incorrect:
The eye-catching float adorned with silver and yellow balloons. Carried a gigantic ice sculpture of a earthworm, the high schools mascot.

Correct:
The eye-catching float adorned with silver and yellow balloons carried a gigantic ice sculpture of an earthworm, the high school’s mascot.

Notes:
The two sentence fragments above can be turned into a complete sentence simply by removing the period.

Since “earthworm” begins with a vowel sound, the phrase should be “an earthworm.”

The mascot “belongs” to the high school.Therefore, an apostrophe is needed before the s.

[A.m.ir]

15
Incorrect:
A skunk wandered through the neighbor hood and caused quit a scene when it ambled over to the busstop and crawled up on the bench.

Correct:
A skunk wandered through the neighborhood and caused quite a scene when it ambled over to the bus stop and crawled up on the bench.

Notes:
“Neighborhood” is one word.

“Bus stop” is two words.

“Quite” is the word needed above, not “quit,” which means to give up.
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16
Incorrect:
Iris ate icecream on the ice berg while the yak yakked about frozen Yogurt.

Correct:
Iris ate ice cream on the iceberg while the yak yakked about frozen yogurt.

Notes:
“Ice cream” is two words.

“Iceberg” is one word.

There is no need to capitalize “yogurt.”
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17
Incorrect:
The scarred moose vamoosed disapearing behind the caboose.

Correct:
The scared moose vamoosed, disappearing behind the caboose.

Notes:
Some students may insist that the moose really was scarred in an accident, not scared. They could be right, though it is more likely that the moose is disappearing because it is scared, not because it is scarred. However, allow their argument. It’s good for them to see that small things like an r can completely change the meaning of a sentence.

“Disappearing,” however, definitely does need two p’s.

“Disappearing behind the caboose” is an ending element (a phrase) that interrupts the
flow of the sentence. It should be preceded by a comma.
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18
Incorrect:
“Before you buy shoes for your pet millipede”, he said. “Consider the cost.

Correct:
“Before you buy shoes for your pet millipede,” he said, “consider the cost.”

Notes:
Commas go inside (before) closing quotation marks.

If a quotation is interrupted with a dialogue tag (“he said,” “she said,” etc.), the next part of the quotation should not be capitalized unless it starts a new sentence. “Before you buy shoes for your pet millipede, consider the cost” is a complete sentence interrupted with “he said.” Therefore, “consider” is not capitalized.

Quotation marks always come in pairs. One set is always followed by another.
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19
Incorrect:
Bram had a hard time remembering things, he always came to school with a sticky note list stuck in the middle of his fourhead.

Correct:
Bram had a hard time remembering things. He always came to school with a sticky note list stuck in the middle of his forehead.

Notes:
The important thing to note in the incorrect item above is that it is a run-on sentence (or comma splice). A comma alone cannot separate two sentences. An interesting exercise is to have students see how many ways they can fix the run-on. A few ways:

• Because Bram had a hard time remembering things, he always came to school with a sticky note list stuck in the middle of his forehead.

• Bram had a hard time remembering things.That’s why he always came to school with a sticky note list stuck in the middle of his forehead.

• Bram always came to school with a sticky note list stuck in the middle of his forehead because he had a hard time remembering things.

“Forehead” is the correct spelling.
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20
Incorrect:
Aisha asked the telemarketer, “if she could call him back tomorow around dinnertime at his home phone number.”

Correct:
Aisha asked the telemarketer if she could call him back tomorrow around dinnertime at his home phone number.

Notes:
Quotation marks can be compared to a “bubble” in a cartoon strip.The bubble shows the words coming out of the cartoon character’s mouth. Similarly, quotation marks surround only the words a character actually says.The incorrect item above is an indirect quote. It tells what Aisha asked, but without using her exact words.The sentence could also be corrected this way: Aisha asked the telemarketer, “May I call you back tomorrow around dinnertime at your home phone number?”

“Tomorrow” has two r’s.

Incidentally, Aisha’s technique for dealing with telemarketers can be very satisfying.
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21
Incorrect:
Oliver was upset this morning, because his little brother fed his homework to squeezy there pet Boa Constrictor.

Correct:
Oliver was upset this morning because his little brother fed his homework to Squeezy, their pet boa constrictor.

Notes:
“Because” is a conjunction that is not generally preceded by a comma. (The conjunctions that are generally preceded by a comma when they separate two sentences are “and,” “but,” “or,” “for,” “nor,” and sometimes “yet” and “so.”)

“Squeezy” is the name of a specific boa constrictor.Therefore, it is a proper noun that should be capitalized. “Boa constrictor” is the name of a type of snake, but it is not the name of a specific, individual snake.Therefore, it is not capitalized.

“Their” is used to show possession. It was “their” boa constrictor; it belonged to them.

[A.m.ir]

22
Incorrect:
Irregardless of what I thought of the movie I definitely enjoyed the gigantic bucket of buttered popcorn that me and my friend shared.

Correct:
Regardless of what I thought of the movie, I definitely enjoyed the gigantic bucket of buttered popcorn that my friend and I shared.

Notes:
Some would say that “irregardless” is not really a word, just as “ain’t” is not. However, both clearly are words, since people use them all the time. However, they are considered “nonstandard.” They should not be used in most writing or speaking.

“Me and my friend” is increasingly showing up everywhere. “My friend and I” is the correct form. An interesting point of discussion is why “me and my friend” is becoming so common. Some say it might have to do with a growing self-centeredness in our society.That “me first” attitude seeps into language as well as behavior. It’s something to think about, in any case, and could lead to an interesting discussion. (The item is not written as a direct quotation. If it had been, “me and my friend” could remain in order to record the person’s words accurately.)
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23
Incorrect:
Dont slam the door, you will wake up the penguins.

Correct:
Don’t slam the door because you will wake up the penguins.

Notes:
“Don’t” needs an apostrophe. As in all contractions, the apostrophe takes the place of the letter or letters left out in the contraction. (In this case, it stands for the o in “not.”)

The item is a run-on sentence. A comma, alone, cannot separate two sentences.
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24
Incorrect:
Adriana knew something was wrong when she seen a giraffe poke it’s head out of her chimney.

Correct:
Adriana knew something was wrong when she saw a giraffe poke its head out of her chimney.

Notes:
“Seen” always needs a helping verb before it—she has seen, she will have seen, she was seen, she will be seen, etc. Unfortunately, “she seen” is so common that it sounds right to some students.

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is.” “Its” (without the apostrophe) is always used to show possession of some kind (its fur, its wheels, its stomach, its head, etc.).
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25
Incorrect:
In the alley behind the restaurant Margo was cornered by a gang of fried chickens who demanded that she put down her coleslaw and mashed potatos and come out with her hands up.

Correct:
In the alley behind the restaurant, Margo was cornered by a gang of fried chickens who demanded that she put down her coleslaw and mashed potatoes and come out with her hands up.

Notes:
The introductory prepositional phrases (“in the alley behind the restaurant”) should be followed by a comma.They precede the main part of the sentence: “Margo was cornered by a gang of fried chickens.”

The word “potato” does not end in an e. An e is added, however, when the word is made plural (Students may be interested to hear the story about former Vice President Dan Quayle’s famous gaffe regarding the word. When visiting a school, he corrected a student who had spelled potato correctly, without an e. Quayle told him that “potato” had an e on it—and was the butt of jokes for a very long time.)
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26
Incorrect:
Instead of ringing the phone made a sound like boots squishing thru mud.

Correct:
Instead of ringing, the phone made a sound like boots squishing through mud.

Notes:
“Instead of ringing” is an introductory phrase. (It comes before the main part of the sentence: “the phone made a sound like boots squishing through mud.”) Therefore, it should be followed by a comma.

You might want to talk about the increasing use of “thru” in advertising, instant messages, text messages, and many e-mail messages.The proper spelling is still “through,” but it is very likely that one day “thru” will be accepted as normal. Students need to know that language rules do change. For example, “skyscraper” used to be considered a slang word. Now it is actually the proper name for very tall buildings.
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27
Incorrect:
To get alot of attention put on a carrot costume and walk around on a pair of expecially high stilts.

Correct:
To get a lot of attention, put on a carrot costume and walk around on a pair of especially high stilts.

Notes:
“A lot” is two words, not one. No one writes “alittle.”Why write “alot”? It doesn’t make sense.

“To get a lot of attention” is an introductory element (a phrase) that should be followed by a comma.

People often mispronounce “especially” as “expecially”—which leads them to spell the word incorrectly as well. There is no x in “especially.”
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28
Incorrect:
Elizabeth didn’t ever take all the attention she got from James and Sam and Delmar for granite, and she kept all the boy’s hundreds of letters in a special file cabinet in her closet.

Correct:
Elizabeth didn’t ever take all the attention she got from James and Sam and Delmar for granted, and she kept all the boys’ hundreds of letters in a special file cabinet in her closet.

Notes:
“Granted” is the word needed, not “granite,” which is a kind of rock.

In most cases, the apostrophe goes after the s if the possessive refers to more than one person. In this case it does. (An example of when it would not: Jodie shopped in the women’s department.) If it referred to only one boy’s letters, the apostrophe would go before the s.

[A.m.ir]

29
Incorrect:
The banana split that I ate last night at humongo ice cream shoppe, sat in my stomache like a ball of hardened clay.

Correct:
The banana split that I ate last night at Humongo Ice Cream Shoppe sat in my stomach like a ball of hardened clay.

Notes:
There is no need for the comma before “sat.”

Humongo Ice Cream Shoppe is the name of a store, so it should be capitalized.

“Shoppe” is part of the store’s name, so the spelling should remain. Many retail establishments use the spelling “shoppe” to give their stores an old-fashioned flavor. (Whether their technique is effective or not is another question.)
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30
Incorrect:
I crept along the hallway to surprise Mom with a boquet of flours, I also wanted to shock my sister with the digital photo I took of her kissing her friend when she was suppose to be studing at the libary.

Correct:
I crept along the hallway to surprise Mom with a bouquet of flowers. I also wanted to shock my sister with the digital photo I took of her kissing her friend when she was supposed to be studying at the library.

Notes:
It takes an eagle eye to catch all the little (and big!) things wrong with this sentence. “Bouquet” and “flowers” are the correct spellings of Mom’s surprise.

The sentence is a run-on.The comma after “flours” should be replaced with a period or a semicolon. An alternative would be to leave the comma and add “and.”

Even though it sounds like “suppose to” when we say it, the correct spelling is “supposed to.”

“Studying” is what the sister was supposed to be doing at the library.
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31
Incorrect:
Our nieghbor poured cool gray concrete over his entire yard cuz he didnt want to water the grass anymore.

Correct:
Our neighbor poured cool gray concrete over his entire yard because he didn’t want to water the grass anymore.

Notes:
This item is a sea of misspelled words. “Neighbor” is, unfortunately, one of those words that breaks the “i before e except after c” rule.

The word is “because,” not “cuz.” “Cuz” is an abbreviation used only in the most informal writing among friends.

“Didn’t” needs an apostrophe.The word is a contraction of “did” and “not,” and the apostrophe is used in place of the missing o.
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32
Incorrect:
My best freind sally, she says you should always wash your elbows before going out 2 eat.

Correct:
My best friend Sally says you should always wash your elbows before going out to eat.

Notes:
“Friend” is very commonly misspelled as “freind.” The word does follow the “i before e except after c” rule.

There is no reason to say “my best friend Sally” and “she.” The sentence needs only one subject.

Using “2” instead of “to” may be acceptable in text messages to friends, but it should not be used in other kinds of writing.
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33
Incorrect:
I should of bought the robot, it would of cleaned my room, taken out the trash, and done my homework.

Correct:
I should have bought the robot. It would have cleaned my room, taken out the trash(,) and done my homework.

Notes:
When we speak, the contractions “should’ve” and “would’ve” sound like “should of ” and “would of.” The “of ” should be “have,” however. (The item could also be written like this: I should’ve bought the robot. It would’ve cleaned my room, taken out the trash, and done my homework.)

Two complete sentences cannot be separated by a comma.They require a comma and a coordinating conjunction (“and,” “but,” “or,” “for,” “nor,” “yet,” “so”), a semicolon, or a period between them.
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34
Incorrect:
“Your such a know-it-all” said the Heart, to the Brain.

Correct:
“You’re such a know-it-all,” said the heart to the brain.

Notes:
“You’re” is a contraction of “you are” and is the word needed in this sentence.

The quotation should be separated from “said the heart to the brain” with a comma.

There is no need for a comma after “heart.”

There is no need to capitalize “heart” and “brain.”
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35
Incorrect:
“Your overly sensitive”, said the brain.To the heart.

Correct:
“You’re overly sensitive,” said the brain to the heart.

Notes:
This short item has a lot wrong with it. First, “your” should be “you’re.” “You’re” is a contraction of “you are.”

The comma should go inside (before) the closing quotation marks. Except in very rare cases, the comma always goes inside the quotation marks.

Finally, “To the heart” is a sentence fragment. It is really part of the previous sentence.

[A.m.ir]

36
Incorrect:
Her and me are gonna go shoping for a Collie puppy and a yo-yo.

Correct:
She and I are going to go shopping for a collie puppy and a yo-yo.

Notes:
Ask students what they would say if only one person were going shopping. Would they say, “Her is going shopping”? “Me is going shopping”? Of course not.Then why say “her and me”?

“Gonna” should be “going to.”

“Shopping” needs two p’s. It is common to double the final consonant before adding “ing.”

“Collie” is the name of a kind of dog. However, it is not the name of a specific dog, like “Sophie” or “Spot.” Therefore, it should not be capitalized.
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37
Incorrect:
“Alright, I’ll do it” sighed the dragon. “I’am not going to like it, but I’ll stop breatheing fire on the village.”

Correct:
“All right, I’ll do it,” sighed the dragon. “I’m not going to like it, but I’ll stop breathing fire on the village.”

Notes:
“All right” is two words.

“All right, I’ll do it” should be set off from “sighed the dragon” with a comma.

“I’am” is a common misspelling, even though it doesn’t make much sense. An apostrophe in a contraction stands for a letter left out, but in “I’am,” nothing is left out. “I’m” is the correct spelling.

“Breathe” has an e at the end. “Breathing” does not. In most cases, the final e is dropped before adding “ing” to a word that ends in e.

If you’ve got to have a dragon, it’s nice to at least have an agreeable one.
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38
Incorrect:
He held out his hands to catch the football, then he glanced at Kiyoko to see if she was chearing for him, when he turned back, the football hit him right in the face.

Correct:
He held out his hands to catch the football and then glanced at Kiyoko to see if she was cheering for him. When he turned back, the football hit him right in the face.

Notes:
“Cheering” is the correct spelling.

The item is one long run-on sentence.You might have students experiment to see how many ways they can rewrite the sentence, correcting it and keeping the same meaning.Two examples:

After holding out his hands to catch the football, he glanced at Kiyoko to see if she was cheering for him. When he turned back, the football hit him right in the face.

He held out his hands to catch the football. He glanced at Kiyoko to see if she was cheering for him. He turned back.The football hit him right in the face.
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39
Incorrect:
“You hafta let me go mom,” whined Keisha. “I want to see the singing burro”!

Correct:
“You have to let me go, Mom,” whined Keisha. “I want to see the singing burro!”

Notes:
“Hafta” should be “have to.”

Because “Mom” is what Keisha calls her mother, it is a name that should be capitalized.

Because Keisha is directly addressing her mother, “Mom” should be set off with commas.

The exclamation point belongs inside the quotation marks since it applies to the sentence, “I want to see the singing burro!”
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40
Incorrect:
After the tiny baby bird opened it’s tiny beak, and let out an earsplitting squawk that made my sister drop her Slurpee. I laughed.

Correct:
After the tiny baby bird opened its tiny beak and let out an ear splitting squawk that made my sister drop her Slurpee, I laughed.

Notes:
“Its” (with no apostrophe) is the word needed to show possession. (The beak “belongs” to the baby bird.)

The item is really one sentence. “I laughed” is the main part of the sentence (the independent clause). “After the tiny baby bird opened its tiny beak and let out an earsplitting squawk that made my sister drop her Slurpee” is a very long introductory element (a subordinate clause).
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41
Incorrect:
I ain’t gonna be no candy cane in no school play!

Correct:
I’m not going to be a candy cane in any school play!

Notes:
The incorrect version of this sentence has a certain flavor missing in the correct version. You might want to see if students have any ideas why the correction is less satisfying than the original.

“Ain’t” is indeed a word. It is used all the time. However, it is considered “nonstandard” usage and should be avoided in most circumstances.

“Gonna” should be “going to.”

A very old guideline in English is to avoid double negatives. Since the sentence starts out early on with a “not,” the “no’s” should be omitted.
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42
Incorrect:
Then the career counselor goes, “we have alot of job openings for accountants that are abominable snowmen.

Correct:
Then the career counselor said, “We have a lot of job openings for accountants who are abominable snowmen.”

Notes:
The career counselor didn’t “go.” She “said.” Informally, people use “go” instead of “said” a lot, but it’s better to avoid it, especially in writing.

“A lot” is two words.

The first word in a sentence should be capitalized. The first word in the sentence the career counselor is saying should therefore be capitalized.

Quotation marks always come in pairs.They should appear at the beginning and the end of the quotation.

“Who” is for people. “That” is for things.

[A.m.ir]

43
Incorrect:
I never before new a gnu, said the new zoo worker.

Correct:
“I never before knew a gnu,” said the new zoo worker.

Notes:
“New” is used for things that are not old. “Knew” is used for things you understand or
are acquainted with.

Quotation marks go around the exact words that someone speaks.
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44
Incorrect:
There is a word for every thing, including the pale area shaped like a half-moon at the base of a finger nail, it’s a lunule.

Correct:
There is a word for everything, including the pale area shaped like a half-moon at the base of a fingernail. It’s a lunule.

Notes:
“Everything” is one word. So is “fingernail.”

The incorrect item is a run-on sentence. A comma cannot be used, by itself, to separate two sentences. A period, a semicolon, or a comma with a coordinating conjunction (“and,” “but,” “or,” “for,” “nor,” “yet,” “so”) should be used to separate the sentences.
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45
Incorrect:
Carmen my friend who loves music even more than chocolate had a iPod surgically inplanted in her brain.

Correct:
Carmen, my friend who loves music even more than chocolate, had an iPod surgically implanted in her brain.

Notes:
“My friend who loves music even more than chocolate” is an appositive that gives more information about the noun, Carmen. It interrupts the flow of the sentence and should be set off with commas.

What do you do with the word “iPod”? It’s annoying to have a brand name that does not follow the rules about capitalizing proper nouns. In this case, the company has chosen to write the name of a product with a lowercase i.Therefore, that’s the way we should write it, too. (The exception would be if “iPod” comes at the beginning of the sentence.Then it should be capitalized.)

Because it begins with a vowel sound, it should be “an iPod,” not “a iPod.”

The word is “implanted,” not “inplanted.”
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46
Incorrect:
If I had one wish. I would wish that I had a milion more wishes.

Correct:
If I had one wish, I would wish that I had a million more wishes.

Notes:
“If I had one wish” is a sentence fragment. Replacing the period with a comma easily fixes it, making “If I had one wish” an introductory clause.

“Million” is the correct spelling.
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47
Incorrect:
Be careful not to mispell your name on the entry form for the Spelling Bee.

Correct:
Be careful not to misspell your name on the entry form for the spelling bee.

Notes:
“Misspell” is, sadly, often misspelled. Note that the letter s appears twice.

There is no need to capitalize “spelling bee,” just as there is no need to capitalize “the track meet” or “the club meeting.” If the official name were mentioned, the name would be capitalized. (Example: Roberts County Annual Spelling Bee.)
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48
Incorrect:
The affects of my sun burn—peeling itching blistered skin and a lot of pain—effected my ability to attend the annual beach BBQ.

Correct:
The effects of my sunburn—peeling, itching, blistered skin (,) and a lot of pain—affected my ability to attend the annual beach barbecue.

Notes:
Students have to be really on their toes for this one. “Effects” is a noun. “Affects” is a verb.Therefore, the sentence should read, “The effects of my sunburn...” and “...affected my ability to attend....”

“Peeling, itching, blistered skin, and a lot of pain” is a series that requires commas.

“Sunburn” is one word.

“BBQ” is fine for informal e-mail or text messages. However, for most other situations, the word should be spelled out as “barbecue” or “barbeque.”
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49
Incorrect:
Who says men are’nt nurturing, a male Emperor Penguin protects his egg for sixty days or more, and doesn’t eat during the time he is waiting for the egg to hatch.

Correct:
Who says men aren’t nurturing? A male emperor penguin protects his egg for sixty days or more and doesn’t eat during the time he is waiting for the egg to hatch.

Notes:
The item above has a host of problems. First of all, it is a run-on sentence. “Who says men aren’t nurturing?” is a question and should have a question mark.

The apostrophe is in the wrong place in “aren’t.”

The term “emperor penguin” describes a kind of penguin. It should not be capitalized. (If we were talking about a penguin named Frank, “Frank” would be capitalized.)

In most cases, a comma is not needed between the subject and the predicate of a sentence. There is no need for a comma after “more.”

[A.m.ir]

50
Incorrect:
The principle’s principle principal is, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Correct:
The principal’s principal principle is, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

Notes:
“Principal” and “principle” are easily confused. When referring to a person, “principal” is the word. (Think, “The princiPAL is my PAL.”) “Principal” is also used to mean “main, first, or foremost in importance,” as in “the principal focus of the meeting.” “Principle” is used to refer to a rule or standard.

If students point out that the sentence is confusing even when the words are spelled correctly, great. It is. Have them suggest ways to improve it, as in, “The principal has one main rule for students to remember:Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

The sentence should end with quotation marks, as quotation marks come in pairs.
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51
Incorrect:
Between you and I, I’m glad the cats’ stole the fish sticks.

Correct:
Between you and me, I’m glad the cats stole the fish sticks.

Notes:
Though many believe “between you and I” is correct, it is not. The phrase requires the objective case of the pronoun—“me.” (If you don’t want to try to explain this to kids having a hard time just recognizing a complete sentence, no one will blame you.)

Something you definitely should note is the superfluous apostrophe in “cats.” After they start studying apostrophes, students all too often start sprinkling them everywhere, even where they are not needed.
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52
Incorrect:
All of the sudden the Loch Ness Monster decided to come out of the water and open a Chuck E. Cheese franchise.

Correct:
All of a sudden, the Loch Ness monster decided to come out of the water and open a Chuck E. Cheese franchise.

Notes:
For some unknown reason, people have begun saying “all of the sudden” instead of “all of a sudden.” Why? Who knows? The conventional phrase, and the one that should appear in written works, is “all of a sudden.”

“Loch” is capitalized because it is the name of a lake (Lake Ness).There is no reason to capitalize “monster.”

“All of a sudden” is an introductory element (a phrase) that should be followed by a comma.
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53
Incorrect:
Maria ceretainly can throw that javellin good.

Correct:
Maria certainly can throw that javelin well.

Notes:
“Well” is used to describe how someone does something. “Good” is used to describe a noun.
Examples:
He coached them well.
He was a good coach.
She cooks well.
She is a good cook.

“Certainly” and “javelin” are the correct spellings.
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54
Incorrect:
These ones are diferent from those ones.

Correct:
These are different from those.

Notes:
An oddity that has crept into language is the use of “these ones.” There is no need for the “ones.” Why not just say “these”? Or “those”?

“Different” has two f’s.
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55
Incorrect:
I ain’t got no problem attending english class but I wish the teacher would stop talking to us about using good grammer. I don’t want no part of learning how to speak good.

Correct:
I don’t have any problem attending English class, but I wish the teacher would stop talking to us about using good grammar. I don’t want any part of learning how to speak well.

Notes:
One thing to point out about the word “ain’t” is how often it is used by writers to help suggest that a character is uneducated or not very bright. “Ain’t” users can, of course, be both educated and bright, but others may not always perceive them that way.

“I ain’t got no” is a double negative—another no-no (pun intended!).

“English” is capitalized because it is the name of a language.

“Grammar” is spelled “grammar,” not “grammer.” Many people are surprised to learn that.

“Well” is used to describe how someone does something. “Good” is used to describe a noun. (It was a good concert. She sang well.)
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56
Incorrect:
My Mom, went to the store too buy some bread!!!!! And I ate it!!!!!

Correct:
My mom went to the store to buy some bread, and I ate it.

Notes:
“Mom,” “Dad,” “Grandma,” “Grandpa,” etc., are not capitalized when they are preceded by a pronoun such as “your” or “my.” However, if “Mom” is used as a person’s name, it is capitalized. (Example: I looked around and saw Mom.)

“To” is the word to use, not “too.” “Too” is used to express a degree of something, as in “too much ice cream.” “Too” can also be used to mean “also.”

Exclamation points should be used very sparingly.They should be reserved for the truly amazing. Eating bread doesn’t qualify.

[A.m.ir]

57
Incorrect:
Richard didn’t understand why he didn’t get the job at the Insurance company. After all he was friendly in his interview. He winked at the secretary and called the President “dude.”

Correct:
Richard didn’t understand why he didn’t get the job at the insurance company. After all, he was friendly in his interview. He winked at the secretary and called the president “dude.”

Notes:
No capital letter is needed for “insurance company” since the name of the insurance company isn’t used.

“After all” is an introductory expression like “on the other hand” or “nevertheless.” Therefore, it needs a comma.

In most cases, “president” is not capitalized unless it is used with the president’s name, as in “President Kennedy.” Many textbooks teach that “President” should be capitalized when it is used to refer to the president of the United States, whether it is used with his name or not. However, many other references take the opposite approach—for example, the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style.
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58
Incorrect:
The narly not on the old tree, looked like a nome’s nuckle.

Correct:
The gnarly knot on the old tree looked like a gnome’s knuckle.

Notes:
Students may have trouble figuring out what the item above means. If they do, it’s a good opportunity to point out why spelling matters.The item includes words that use “gn” and “kn” for the “n” sound.

There is no need for the comma in the sentence.
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59
Incorrect:
Because the meatball rolled off the table on to the floor and out the door yesterday at noon in the cafeteria.

Correct:
Because the meatball rolled off the table, onto the floor(,) and out the door yesterday at noon in the cafeteria, I didn’t get any protein for lunch.

Notes:
Sentence fragments are not necessarily short.The fragment above is an example of a fairly long one. It needs to be completed. However, you might first have students see if they can make the fragment even longer, while keeping it a fragment. For example, they might write, “Because the meatball rolled off the table, onto the floor, and out the door yesterday at lunchtime in the cafeteria during the third lunch period at Hamilton Junior High in the center of South Dakota.” That long introductory element (a clause) would still be a fragment.

Items in a series need to be separated by commas.The last comma is optional.
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60
Incorrect:
Over the course of six weeks we learned how to lasso a Groundhog, and throw a elegant holiday dinner party for eight.

Correct:
Over the course of six weeks, we learned how to lasso a groundhog and throw an elegant holiday dinner party for eight.

Notes:
“Over the course of six weeks” is an introductory element consisting of two prepositional phrases. It should be followed by a comma.

There is no need to capitalize “groundhog,” just as there is no need to capitalize “cat”
or “dog” or “scissors” or “car.”

“An” is used before words that begin with a vowel sound.

There is no need for a comma after “groundhog.”
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61
Incorrect:
when pennsylvania state university honored ralph for his dedication to studing insects, he was thrilled and celebrated by giving cake crumbs to all the bugs in his lab.

Correct:
When Pennsylvania State University honored Ralph for his dedication to studying insects, he was thrilled and celebrated by giving cake crumbs to all the bugs in his lab.

Notes:
Names of specific schools are always capitalized, as are names of people.

“Studying” is a word that is often misspelled.The y is important.
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62
Incorrect:
My dad couldn’t decide weather or not to let me borrow his car again, even though I done it last week and didn’t have any problems except for crashing into the tour bus outside the Museum.

Correct:
My dad couldn’t decide whether or not to let me borrow his car again, even though I did it last week and didn’t have any problems, except for crashing into the tour bus outside the museum.

Notes:
“Weather” refers to rain, sunny skies, snow, hurricanes, etc. “Whether” is the word needed for “whether or not.”

“I done” is always incorrect. “Done” needs a helping verb. (“I have done,” “I will have done,” “We are done,” for example.) “I did” is correct in the sentence above.

“Museum” should not be capitalized unless it is part of the name of the museum, as in “Metropolitan Museum of Art.”
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63
Incorrect:
Fern felt kinda funny after the all-you-can-eat octopus buffet the one held every friday night at Fish R Us.

Correct:
Fern felt kind of funny after the all-you-can-eat octopus buffet, the one held every Friday night at Fish R Us.

Notes:
“Kinda” may be okay for very informal e-mails between friends. In other cases, it should be spelled “kind of.”

The sentence ends with an appositive, “the one held every Friday night at Fish R Us.” It interrupts the sentence to give us more information about the buffet. It should be preceded by a comma.

Days of the week are capitalized.

“Fish R Us” is an unfortunate name for a restaurant, and that R instead of “Are” is annoying. However, if a restaurant chooses to spell its name incorrectly, we have to live with it.