Error 1: Subject-Verb Agreement
Error 2: Fused Sentence or cComma Splice
Error 3: Apostrophe Error
Error 4: Confusing Pronouns
Error 5: Incoherent Sentences
The Fatal Five is a list of five of the worst and most common errors in English made by students in the TTU College of Business. To help students communicate more clearly and professionally, teachers in the COB may emphasize these errors.
This Web site is designed to introduce you to the Fatal Five errors, to help you recognize and correct them, and to test your understanding of them.
To explain the Fatal Five errors, we have had to use some terms like “independent clause,” “coordinating conjunction,” and so forth. We encourage you not to get bogged down in this terminology; in many cases you will learn these errors best by looking at the examples rather than by studying the definitions. You may link to the definition of terms page for help.
All writing and speaking errors will not be covered in the Fatal Five list. For example, spelling errors demonstrate a lack of attention to detail. You are encouraged to use dictionaries as well as spell checkers when you edit and proofread your own papers. The Fatal Five list was compiled from the results of ongoing communication assessments and from faculty input. We will make adjustments to the list as we evaluate its effectiveness.
We encourage you to continue to polish your communication skills throughout your career by studying, by listening, by editing your own work, and by paying attention to changes in the language in the years to come.
See the tabs above for details and exercises.
Error 1: Subject-Verb Agreement
Error 2: Fused Sentence or Comma Splice
Fused Sentences
Comma Splices
Error 3: Apostrophe Error
Error 4: Confusing Pronouns
Vague Pronouns
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Error 5: Incoherent Sentences
Fragments
Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers
Faulty Predication
Thanks to Nancy Alexander and the English Department of Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC, for giving us permission to adapt their Dirty Dozen online tutorial.
Error 1: Subject-Verb Agreement Error
The subject and verb must agree in number: both must be singular, or both must be plural.
In the following examples, the subject is in bold, and the verb is in italics.
The simplest way to determine whether a verb is singular or plural is to ask which form of the verb you would use with it and which form you would use with they. It uses singular verbs, and they uses plural verbs.
Frequently Used Irregular Verbs:
Regular verbs add ed or d to the present tense form to form the past tense. Many verbs, however, form the past tense and the past participle irregularly. A writer, presenter, or job candidate can quickly appear unprepared and uneducated by choosing the wrong tense of frequently used irregular verbs, especially begin, come, do, and see. Saying these verb forms over and over, especially in the following pattern, can help you become comfortable with the standard, correct forms.
A past participle is preceded by have, has, had, or a form of the verb be (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been). Here are examples of simple conjugations:
| I dream | I dreamed | I have dreamed |
| you dream | you dreamed | I have dreamed |
| (it, he, she) | ||
| he dreams | he dreamed | he has dreamed |
| they dream | they dreamed | they have dreamed |
| I see | I saw | I have seen |
| you see | you saw | you have seen |
| he sees | he saw | he has seen |
| they see | they saw | they have seen |
Checking for Subject-Verb Agreement
Several subject-verb agreement rules that are frequently broken are listed below.
All the examples in this section are correct.
1. A subject and a verb must agree even when other words or phrases come between them. Frequently, prepositional phrases come between subjects and verbs. Ignore these prepositional phrases.
2. Subjects joined by “and” usually take a plural verb.
Note: For phrases like each girl and boy or every cat and bird, where the subjects are considered individually, use a singular verb.
Note: Use a singular verb for two singular subjects that form or are one thing.
3. Collective nouns are words that refer to groups of people or things; for example, class, jury, family, crowd, and audience. Collective nouns can be either singular or plural depending on the context of the sentence. If the context of the sentence makes you visualize the group doing something together, as one unit, then the noun is singular and takes a singular verb. If the context of the sentence makes you visualize different members of the group performing different actions, then the noun is plural and takes a plural verb.
Note: To avoid awkward-sounding plural collective nouns, place the members of before the collective noun.
4. Indefinite pronouns that include one, body, or thing require singular verbs. The words each, either, every, much, and neither also require singular verbs.
5. The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some can be either singular or plural, depending on whether the word they refer to is singular or plural.
6. The indefinite pronouns both, few, many, and several take plural verbs.
7. The verb must agree with its subject even when the subject follows the verb. Questions, sentences beginning with here or there, and sometimes sentences beginning with a prepositional phrase place the subject after the verb.
8. Many nouns ending in -ics (such as economics, statistics, and politics) take singular or plural verbs, depending on how they are used. When these words refer to a course of study or a body of knowledge, they are singular. When they refer to activities or qualities, they are plural.
9. Subjects that look plural (because they end in s) but refer to only one thing are singular.
10. Some nouns (such as glasses, pants, pliers, scissors, and trousers) are considered plural unless they are preceded by the phrase pair of.
11. A linking verb (usually a form of the verb to be) agrees with the subject (which usually comes before the verb), not the subject complement (which usually comes after the verb).
12. In a dependent clause with a relative pronoun (who, that, which), the verb agrees with the antecedent.
13. Titles and words referred to as words take singular verbs.
14. With subjects joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the subject closer to it.
Note: For a more natural-sounding sentence, place the plural part of a compound subject second.
Exercise on subject-verb agreement
Subject-verb agreement exercise with answers
Error 2: Fused Sentence or Comma Splice
Fused Sentence
A fused sentence (sometimes called a run-on sentence) is an error that occurs when two independent clauses have no punctuation separating them. Fused sentences tend to occur with pronouns and conjunctive adverbs (transitional words or phrases).
Comma Splice
A comma splice is an error that occurs when two independent clauses are joined with only a comma.
Comma splice example: I ate raspberries, I developed a rash.
1. Check to see if the sentence contains two or more independent clauses.
2. If the sentence contains two independent clauses, check the way the independent clauses are joined. There are three acceptable ways to connect independent clauses:
Correcting Fused Sentences
There are several ways to correct fused sentences like this one:
1. Use a period between the two independent clauses to create two sentences.
2. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to create a compound sentence.
3. Use a semicolon to create a compound sentence.
4. Use a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb to create a compound sentence.
5. Use a colon between the two sentences if the second sentence explains the first sentence.
6. Change the sentence so it no longer contains two independent clauses; for example, use a subordinating conjunction and a dependent clause to create a complex sentence.
1. They are so common that many people think they are correct.
2. Frequently, the second clause will begin with a pronoun (he, she, they, etc.) or then.
3. Frequently, the second clause (sentence) will begin with a conjunctive adverb (transitional word or phrase).
Checking for Comma Splices
1. Check to see if the sentence contains two or more independent clauses (sentences).
2. If the sentence contains two independent clauses, check the way the independent clauses are joined. There are three acceptable ways to connect independent clauses:
Correcting Comma Splices
There are several ways to correct comma splices:
Comma splice example: I ate raspberries, I developed a rash.
1. Use a period between the two independent clauses to create two sentences.
2. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to create a compound sentence.
3. Use a semicolon to create a compound sentence.
4. Use a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb to create a compound sentence.
5. Use a colon between two sentences if the second sentence explains the first sentence.
6. Change the sentence so it no longer contains two independent clauses; for example, use a subordinating conjunction and a dependent clause to create a complex sentence.
Note: you use the same methods to correct fused sentences and comma splices because the only difference between a comma splice and a fused sentence is the comma.
Exercise on fused sentence and comma splice errors
Fused sentence and comma splice exercise with answers
Error 3: Apostrophe Error
Apostrophes should be used for:
1. Contractions
2. Possessive forms of nouns and indefinite pronouns (when something is owned by someone)
We often do not pronounce the possessive s of a few singular nouns ending in an s, a z , or an x sound; names with more than one s (Moses); names that sound like plurals (Rivers, Bridges); and nouns followed by a word beginning in an s.
Usage varies, and the final s isn’t wrong. Moses's is acceptable.
Until recently apostrophes were used to form the plurals of abbreviations (MA’s), dates (1980s), and words or characters named as words (if’s, and’s, and but’s). Most current texts do not recommend the apostrophe in these cases.
He earned two MAs in the 1980s.
My phone number has three 3s [or 3s].
You used too many ands [or ands] in you speech.
Note: Underline or italicize a word or a character named as a word, but do not underline or italicize the added s.
Checking for Apostrophe Errors
An apostrophe will always be placed either before or after an s at the end of a “noun owner.”
The “noun owner” will always be followed by what it owns.
To make nouns possessive, first, determine the owner. In these examples, the owner is dog or dogs.
Next, if the “noun owner” is singular, place an apostrophe and an s at the end of the noun.
If the “noun owner” is plural, place the apostrophe at the end of the noun. If the plural noun ends in s, do not add another s.
Some plural nouns do not end in s. To form the possessive of plural nouns that do not end in s, add an apostrophe and an s at the end of the noun.
Examples:
Some pronouns form their possessive by adding an apostrophe and an s at the end of the pronoun.
Examples:
Personal pronouns do not add an apostrophe to form the possessive.
Examples:
Most of these personal pronouns do not cause problems, but some writers incorrectly write it’s to show the possessive of it.
Note: It’s always means it is or it has. Its is the possessive pronoun. The construction its’ does not exist.
Be careful with compound nouns that are hyphenated. To make a compound noun possessive, add an apostrophe or apostrophe and s to the last word in the compound.
To show joint ownership by two people, add an apostrophe or apostrophe and s to the second noun of the pair.
If the two members of a noun pair possess a set of things individually, add an apostrophe or apostrophe s to each noun.
Apostrophes should not be used to form plurals (more than one).
Apostrophes should not be used with verbs that end in s.
Note: Perhaps the most controversial and confusing use of apostrophe is with singular nouns that end in an s, an x, or a z. There are two options for forming the possessive if a singular noun ends in these letters. One option is to add an apostrophe after the s. The other option is to add apostrophe and s. Some guides suggest that if a new syllable is formed in the pronunciation of the possessive, writers should add an apostrophe plus s.
If the addition of an extra syllable would make a word ending in an s difficult to pronounce, writers should add only the apostrophe.
When forming the possessive of any noun ending in an s, always place the apostrophe at the end of the original word.
Usage varies widely, and standard texts offer many suggestions.
Remember, English is a living language, and one of its beauties is that it is always changing.
Error 4: Confusing Pronouns: Antecedent Agreement Errors, Vague or Ambiguous Pronoun Reference
A pronoun takes the place of a noun. An antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.
In the following example, the antecedent is in bold and the pronoun is italicized.
Here her is the pronoun, and teacher is the antecedent.
Checking for Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns and antecedents agree in person—first (I, we), second (you), or third (he, she, it, they.) They also agree in gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter) and number (singular or plural). Errors in person and gender are rare, so they won’t be discussed here. Most pronoun-antecedent agreement errors have to do with number.
If the antecedent is singular, the pronoun should be singular. If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun should be plural.
Only in the second sentence does the pronoun (their) agree with the antecedent (dogs). (Both are plural.)
Except for careless mistakes or typos, students rarely make the kind of error like the one described above. In the next section, we’ll look at the pronoun-antecedent agreement situations that cause students problems.
The Most Problematic Pronoun-Antecedent Situation
Most agreement problems arise with the singular indefinite nouns (person, student, individual, soldier, etc.) and indefinite pronouns (someone, each, anybody, neither). These words are "indefinite" because they do not definitely refer to males, nor do they definitely refer to females. Because they are singular, they should be followed by the singular pronouns "his or her," "his or hers," or "him or her," depending on context. However, people often (very often) mistakenly use plural pronouns such as they or theirs to refer to indefinite singular antecedents, like this:
The previous examples are incorrect. As you learned in the subject-verb agreement section, everyone is singular; therefore, it must have a singular pronoun. A person is also singular and should have a singular pronoun.
Note: Using his or her, him or her, he or she can be awkward and repetitive.
Solutions:
1. Make the noun plural.
Instead of writing “A person can padlock his or her locker,” write “People can padlock their lockers.”
2. Rewrite the sentence to omit the pronoun:
Instead of writing “Everyone is entitled to his or her private space,” write
“Everyone is entitled to a private space.”
Some Other Problematic Pronoun-Antecedent Situations
1. When antecedents are joined by or or nor, the pronoun should agree with the antecedent closer to it.
Example: Neither the chicks nor their mother would ever leave its nest.
Note: For a more natural-sounding sentence, place the plural part of a compound subject second.
Example: Neither the mother nor her chicks would ever leave their nest.
2. Collective nouns are nouns that refer to groups, such as class, group, and jury. They take singular or plural pronouns depending on whether they refer to the group acting together as one unit (singular) or to the members of the group acting separately (plural).
Example: The jury was unanimous in its verdict. (The jury is acting as a unit, so we treat jury as singular.)
Example: The jury disagreed in their assessment of the case. (The jury members are acting individually, so we treat jury as plural.)
Note: To avoid awkward-sounding plural collective nouns, place the members of before the collective noun.
Example: The members of the jury disagreed in their assessment of the case.
3. Indefinite Words:
Four indefinite pronouns—both, few, many, several—are always plural and are referred to with plural pronouns.
Example: Few realize how their athletic abilities have changed.
The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some may be singular or plural depending on the word to which they refer:
Example: Most of the geysers have their own personality. (Most refers to geysers, which is plural.)
Example: All the money was counted when it changed hands. (All refers to money, which is singular.)
Exercise on pronoun-antecedent agreement
Pronoun-antecedent agreement exercise with answers
Remember that a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. An ambiguous pronoun reference occurs when it’s not clear what noun a pronoun refers to, as in this example:
A vague pronoun reference occurs in one of two situations: (1) when a pronoun like it, this, that, and which refers to an implied concept or word rather than to a specific, preceding noun; and (2) when a pronoun is used to refer to the object of a prepositional phrase.
Exercise on vague pronouns
Vague pronouns exercise with answers
Error 5: Incoherent Sentence: Fragments, Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers, Faulty Predication
A fragment is a group of words that is punctuated like a sentence and looks like a sentence but is not a sentence.
Checking for Sentence Fragments
Exercise on sentence fragments
Sentence fragments exercise with answers
Misplaced Modifiers (mm)
Misplaced modifiers are words that, because of awkward placement, do not describe what the writer intended them to describe. A misplaced modifier can make a sentence confusing or unintentionally funny. To avoid misplaced modifiers, place words as close as possible to what they describe.
Note: Words like almost, even, exactly, hardly, just, merely, nearly, only, scarcely, and simply should come immediately before the word they modify.
The following sentences have different meanings because of the placement of only.
Dangling Modifiers
A dangling modifier is a modifier that does not relate sensibly to any word in the sentence. A modifier that begins a sentence must be followed immediately by the word it is meant to describe. Otherwise, the modifier is said to be dangling, and the sentence takes on an unintended meaning.
Exercise on misplaced and dangling modifiers
Modifiers exercise with answers
Faulty predication occurs when the subject and the verb do not make sense together. In other words, the subject can’t “be” or “do” the verb. (A predicate is the part of the sentence or clause, including the verb, that expresses what the subject is or does.)
Faulty predication can also occur when a writer uses the construction is when or is where. Definitions require nouns on both sides of verbs that are forms of be.
The construction the reason is because… is redundant. Because means for the reason that, so the reason is because means the reason is for the reason that.
Prepositional phrases cannot be the subject of a sentence.
Exercise on faulty predication
Faulty predication exercise with answers
Webster’s Dictionary
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, Professional English, or Business English, South-Western, Cengage Learning
Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, latest edition
The Associated Press Stylebook
The Chicago Manual of Style
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)