Entry #15

The first grammar error that I struggle with is comma usage. This is the comma splice or the comma fault, which is when you use a comma where a semicolon should be used instead. I struggle a lot with knowing when to include a comma or when not to include a comma. This caused me to fail the grammar portion of a paper in my AP English Literature class once. I plan to edit my papers for this problem by reading through and finding the independent clauses. Once I find them, I will see if any of them are joined using a comma. If they are, I know I need to change it. Another plan with this is to have someone else read my paper to look for the same thing.

The second grammar error I struggle with is unnecessary words. Unnecessary words are words that detract from the clarity of the writing and can be replaced with words that are more direct. An example of this is “due to the fact that,” which can be replaced with “because.” I tend to use this because I think that my writing sound more academic. However, sometimes I catch myself doing this and change it to a more direct form; other times I do not catch it. In order to edit my papers for this error, I plan to begin to learn what are unnecessary words and their replacements so I can change them when I find them. I plan to find them by rereading my papers and looking for the unnecessary words, which Word can help me find with the green squiggly line.