The Pub Hub

A Resource for Student Publication Workshop

Common Mistakes

No comma after introductory element
“According to police, fashion trends are changing.”
Vague pronoun reference
“He wasn’t willing to accept the changes around him.”
No comma in compound sentence
Wrong word
“On that point, I conclude defeat”
No comma in non-restrictive element
“State Farm donated $4 million to United Learning, a non-profit organization in the Southern California area.”
“The mayor, along with city officials and residents, welcomed former Senator Nathan Petrelli to the Azusa Pacific University campus.”
Wrong inflected endings
“At the library, I became emersion in British literature.”
Wrong preposition
You’re not ignorant to a fact; you’re ignorant of a fact.
Comma splice (no conjunction)
You can’t be a good person, you eat cats for brunch.
Possessive apostrophe
Tense shift
“Burn After Reading is an engaging film with unique performances by a stellar cast. Brat Pit shined in his role as an idiot.”
Shift in person
Sentence fragment
“We can move forward with new ways of thinking. You must ready to explore new forms of critical thinking.”
Wrong verb form
“I’m warning you”; not “I’m warn you”
Subject-verb agreement
“Too many people is dying every year.”
Lack of comma in series
Comma before and
Pronoun agreement error
“He went to work to find their new life.”
He, his, him
They, them, their
Unnecessary comma with restrictive element (Choose that over which [no comma before “that”])
“I have a friend that lives in Arizona”
“My friend, who lives in Arizona”
Run-on or fused sentence
Jack and Jill hung out for five hours before learning that that stupid hill they were on was actually the home of a giant dragon and they turned and started running before they fell into a great cavern where they got stuck for 20 years before they decided that is was safe to come out but the dragon was still waiting and ate them both.
Dangling/misplaced modifier
Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, your home should be a place to relax.
Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, you should be able to relax at home.
Its/it’s error