Common Grammar Mishaps

The English language is both beautiful and complex. Many people make grammar mistakes in their writing every day that grammarians would instantly point out as incorrect. Even articles published by top news providers can be flooded with grammar errors. By evaluating the grammar of an article published by CNN titled “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love”, one can realize that poor grammar has become normalized. Francesca Street, author of the article, describes the romance of Nupur Gupta and Attila Bosnyak. Street describes how Bosnyak saved Gupta’s life when she nearly drowned. Their relationship growths after that event until they eventually get married. Street describes their backgrounds, how Gupta was saved, the development of their relationship, and their life together as a couple. Street even describes how the couple navigated through maintaining a long-distance relationship and how they faced quarantine together as a newlywed couple during the COVID-19 outbreak. The article contains multiple grammar errors that are easily discoverable to one who knows the rules of grammar. There are many rules of grammar that help the English language sound clearer and more understandable. Grammar rules in the English language can be evaluated by analyzing the grammar of the article “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love” and learning what grammar mistakes are commonly made.

The grammar in the article “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love” can be assessed by discovering grammar errors; a common grammar error in the article is the misuse of coordinating conjunctions. Street attempts to combine two independent clauses through the use coordinating conjunctions, but she does so incorrectly. For example, she states, “Then she handed him the ice cream and he smiled gratefully” (CNN). The independent clauses in the sentence are “Then she handed him the ice cream” and “he smiled gratefully.” Street attempts to combine these two clauses with the coordinating conjunction “and.” However, Street forgets to add a comma before the coordinating conjunction, which would be grammatically correct in the sentence. This error is overlooked by the editors of CNN. The misuse of coordinating conjunctions is repeated when the Street states, “Eventually Bosnyak managed to clamber on top, and pull himself to his feet” (CNN). This sentence is grammatically incorrect. This time Street adds a comma with the coordinating conjunction “and”, but the comma makes the sentence grammatically incorrect. While the first clause “Eventually Bosnyak managed to clamber on top” is independent, the clause “pull himself to his feet” is dependent. There is no subject in the clause “pull himself to his feet,” and therefore the clause is dependent. It cannot stand alone as its own sentence like an independent clause can. Therefore, the comma with the coordinating conjunction is not needed because Street is not combining two independent clauses. These are two examples of the misuse of coordinating conjunctions in the article “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love.”

Street makes another grammar error in “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love”; she uses a comma incorrectly at the beginning of the article. There are multiple instances when Street employs a comma that is not needed in a sentence. For example, Street states, “The sea glistened, invitingly” (CNN). The comma after the verb “glistened” is unnecessary in the sentence. The word “invitingly” is an adverb in the sentence used to describe the verb “glistened.” The grammatically correct version of the sentence would state, “The sea glistened invitingly.” Perhaps Street does not understand the function of adverbs. Geraldine Woods, author of English Grammar for Dummies, states, “Adjectives aren’t the only descriptive words. Adverbs — words that alter the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or another adverb — are another type of description” (91). Adverbs are descriptive words that change the meaning of a verb. Woods does not state that a comma must be used with an adverb that describes a verb. Woods provides an example sentence with the correct use of an adverb when she states, “Lola sang George’s latest song reluctantly” (91). The adverb in the sentence does not require the use of a comma. A comma is unnecessary with the use of an adverb. Francesca Street, author of “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love,” therefore makes a grammar mistake by adding a comma before the use of an adverb.

Another grammar mistake that is easily noticeable in the article “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love” is a run-on sentence. A run-on sentence can also be called a comma splice. A comma splice is a grammatical error that many people make. Jane Straus and her colleagues state, “Many inexperienced writers run two independent clauses together by using a comma instead of a period. This results in the dreaded run-on sentence or, more technically, a comma splice” (26). They explain that a comma splice is when a person combines two independent clauses with a comma. There are several ways to correct a comma splice. For example, Jane Straus and her colleagues continue, “Incorrect: He walked all the way home, he shut the door. There are several simple remedies: Correct: He walked all the way home. He shut the door. Correct: After he walked all the way home, he shut the door. Correct: He walked all the way home, and he shut the door” (26). A comma splice can be corrected by adding proper punctuation, making one of the clauses dependent, or adding a coordinating conjunction. Street does not employ any of these three corrections. Street states, “Not long afterward, Bosnyak arrived in Delhi Airport, Gupta was there to meet him at Arrivals” (CNN). There should be a coordinating conjunction between the two independent clauses “Bosnyak arrived in Delhi Airport” and “Gupta was there to meet him at Arrivals.” Street could also make these two clauses their own separate sentences. Without any correction, Street left the sentence as a comma splice. There were not many agreement errors in the article, but there is an obvious error where a word is made plural that should not be in this sentence. The word “Arrivals” at the end of the sentence does not need to be capitalized, and it does not have to be plural. The end of the sentence should state, “to meet him at arrival.” A correct version of the sentence could be: “Bosnyak arrived in Delhi Airport, and Gupta was there to meet him at arrival.” The comma splice, or run-on, in the article “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love” is a noticeable grammar error that Street failed to correct before publication.

Grammar rules in the English language can also be evaluated by learning what grammar mistakes are commonly made. Some grammatical errors are more common than others and are easy to miss if one is not careful. William Bradshaw, author of The Big Ten of Grammar: Identifying and Fixing the Ten Most Frequent Grammatical Errors, states, “It is my observation that the single greatest error in grammar is the use of ‘I’ instead of ‘me.’ This probably stems from the practice of many grade-school teachers stressing the use of ‘I’ instead of ‘me’—you know, don’t say ‘Jim and me went to the ball game,’ but ‘Jim and I’ did such and such. But there are many times that it is correct to use ‘me’ instead of ‘I’” (9). Bradshaw says that mixing up the words “I” and “me” is the most common grammar mistake in his experience. Many teachers from elementary to high school stress that “I” should be used instead of “me.” However, using “I” instead of “me” is not always grammatically correct. For example, Jane Straus and her colleagues, authors of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-To-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes, provide an incorrect example sentence using the word “I” in place of “me” and provide the corrected example sentence. They state, “Incorrect: Bill asked my sister and I. If we remove my sister and, we’re left with the ungrammatical Bill asked I. Correct: Bill asked my sister and me” (12). The sentence “Bill asked my sister and I” is incorrect because if “my sister and” was removed from the sentence, the sentence would state “Bill asked I.” The sentence “Bill asked I” is grammatically incorrect. However, the sentence “Bill asked me” is grammatically correct, so the “my sister and” can be added back into the sentence to state, “Bill asked my sister and me.” The mix up of “I” and “me” is a common grammatical error found in the English language.

One can also learn the correct rules of Grammar by evaluating other common mistakes, such as the misuse of prepositions. Prepositions can be found in most sentences. Rodby and Winterowd, authors of The Uses of Grammar, define prepositions and provide an example when they state, “Prepositions are words that join one word or phrase to another: the United States of America” (25). Prepositions can be described as one or multiple words that connect parts of a sentence. In the phrase “the United States of America”, the word “of” in the preposition. It joins together “United States” and “America”. Woods states, “Unfortunately, prepositions attract mistakes as powerfully as catnip captures the attention of the meow-set” (101). Woods explains that mistakes when using prepositions are common in the English language. He provides an example of how a mistake of a preposition can change the entire meaning of a sentence. He provides a scenario when he states, “Person 1: May I sit next to you? Person 2: (smiling) Certainly. Person 1: May I sit under you? Person 2: (sound of slap) Help! Police!” (105). In the scenario, the statements made by person one are completely misinterpreted and mixed up with the simple change of a preposition. Prepositions can influence the meaning of an entire sentence. Person one’s first statement was met with smiles and affirmation, but with the change of the preposition in the second statement, person two was offended. The sentence became embarrassing and offensive with the simple change of a preposition. This is how the error or misuse of a preposition is an important grammatical mistake to watch out for.

Another common grammatical mistake made in the English language is the misuse of the apostrophe. Apostrophes are often misused in a sentence because they can be mixed up when a writer attempts to make a noun plural. Bradshaw states, “There seems to be a lot of confusion about how to make nouns plural, especially the names of people. The primary misunderstanding focuses on the mistaken idea that the apostrophe is used in making nouns plural. This is not the case” (53). The apostrophe demonstrates possession, not plurality. The names of people are often mistaken with an apostrophe to signify plurality. The grammar rules concerning the apostrophe are often mistaken; many people are unaware of the apostrophe’s correct use. Bradshaw explains the rules of grammar concerning apostrophes when he continues, “If a noun does not end in s, make it plural by adding s. If a noun does end in s, make it plural by adding es. One does not make a noun plural by using an apostrophe and an s (’s). The general rule in its entirety holds true for family names and proper nouns (53). In order to make a noun plural, a person must add an “s” to the end of a noun that does not have an “s” and an “es” to the end of a noun that already has an “s.” The apostrophe is not associated at all with plurality. For example, the sentence “The Johnsons are driving to the airport” is grammatically correct; however, the sentence would not be grammatically correct if it stated “The Johnson’s are driving to the airport” because the apostrophe should not be present to demonstrate plurality. An apostrophe would be correct in the sentence “The Johnsons’ cat came with them” because it is used to show possession. Perhaps the apostrophe’s association with the letter “s” at the end of a word confuses people. One can learn the simple grammatical rules about the apostrophe to avoid grammatical errors with an apostrophe.

Some grammarians debate whether this next grammar mistake is a mistake; the serial comma, or Oxford comma, is often forgotten when listing in a sentence. Although grammarians have different opinions and preferences concerning the Oxford comma, it is formal in writing to include the comma. Bradshaw states, “I emphasize using the serial comma because so many people fail to do this. The serial comma should always be included. Most authorities on grammar recommend including the serial comma” (77). Many people fail to include the Oxford comma. However, according to Bradshaw, most respected authorities on grammar support the use of the Oxford comma. An example of the Oxford comma being left out of a sentence could be: “Josie bought eggs, chicken and cheese at the grocery store.” The grammatically correct version of the sentence, which includes the Oxford comma, would be formatted: “Josie bought eggs, chicken, and cheese at the grocery store.” The Oxford comma brings clarity to a sentence that includes a list or series. Straus and her colleagues state, “When the last comma in a series comes before and or or, it is known as the Oxford comma. Most newspapers and magazines drop the Oxford comma in a simple series, apparently feeling it’s unnecessary. However, omission of the Oxford comma can sometimes lead to misunderstandings” (26). These grammarians agree that the Oxford comma is important to include when listing in a sentence in order to avoid confusion. For example, in the sentence above, “Josie bought eggs, chicken, and cheese at the grocery store,” the Oxford comma is important because it is used to differentiate between each of the grocery items. If there was no Oxford comma, the sentence could be misconstrued to mean that the last two items are one dish instead of separate items on the list. The Oxford comma is often left out or forgotten by unprofessional writers, and it is a common grammar mistake that people should learn to avoid.

Grammar guidelines in the English language can be assessed by examining the grammar of the article “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love” and learning what grammar errors are frequently made. The article, written by Francesca Street, contains multiple grammar errors that should have been corrected before publication. The misuse of coordinating conjunctions in the article is the most common grammar error in the article; it is repeated over and over. Street did not know grammar rules for the use of coordinating conjunctions and when to place a comma before a coordinating conjunction. Another grammar error present in the article was the unnecessary use of a comma before the placement of an adverb. A comma is not necessary with the placement of an adverb that describes a verb. The final grammar error that was hard to miss in the article was a run-on sentence, or comma splice; Street combined two independent clauses with only a comma, which is a noticeable error. After evaluating the article, common grammar mistakes were analyzed and described; one of the most common mistakes is mixing up the words “I” and “me” in a sentence. Another frequent mistake made is the misuse of prepositions in a sentence, which can change the entire meaning of a sentence. Also, the use of an apostrophe for plural nouns is a grammar error frequent in writing. An apostrophe is only used for demonstrating possession, not plurality. The Oxford comma is often forgotten or left out when listing in a sentence, which to most respected grammarians would be a grammatical issue. Although English is intricate and contains many grammar rules, the language is beautiful because of the history of its development; so many different people and cultures contributed to the development of the complex language that is the English language spoken today.

Works Cited

Bradshaw, William. The Big Ten of Grammar: Identifying and Fixing the Ten Most Frequent Grammatical Errors. Beaufort Books, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=932636.

Rodby & Winterowd. The Uses of Grammar. 1st ed, 2005, pp. 1-21. Cengage Mindtap, docs.google.com/file/d/1DI8e7Baxk-dI1tuEqKgz8fO9cVgoq5VU/preview.

Straus, Jane, et al. The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-To-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=1602923.

Street, Francesca. “He Saved Her from Drowning and They Fell in Love.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 May 2021, www.cnn.com/travel/article/he-saved-her-from-drowning-they-fell-in-love/index.html.

Woods, Geraldine. English Grammar for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=530027.