Advanced Punctuation
Fix: Its raining outside
Answer: It’s raining outside.
Fix the sentence:
She enjoys reading writing and to paint.
She enjoys reading, writing, and painting.
Choose correct:
If she (was/were) here, she would help.
were
Someone left their backpack in the classroom.
Someone left his or her backpack in the classroom.
Best revision:
The author uses many different types of words to show imagery.
The author uses vivid diction to create imagery.
Where does the comma go?
After dinner we went to the game.
After dinner, we went to the game.
Best revision for concision:
At this point in time, we are currently studying grammar.
We are currently studying grammar. (or simply: We are studying grammar.)
Identify voice:
The essay was written by the student.
Passive voice
Identify error:
Each of the players have their own locker.
Subject-verb + pronoun agreement error → has his or her
Improve precision:
The speech was really good and made people think.
The speech was compelling and prompted critical thinking.
Fix the sentence:
She didn’t study therefore she failed the test.
She didn’t study; therefore, she failed the test.
Improve sentence style:
The reason why he failed is because he didn’t study.
He failed because he didn’t study.
Revise to active voice:
The project was completed by the group.
The group completed the project.
Fix vague pronoun:
When the teacher spoke to the student, they were upset.
Clarify: The teacher was upset OR The student was upset
Eliminate redundancy:
The end result was completely finished.
The result was finished.
Correct punctuation:
My brother who lives in Dallas is visiting.
My brother, who lives in Dallas, is visiting.
Fix consistency:
She was running to the store and buys milk.
She was running to the store and buying milk.
Correct:
Whom did you say was responsible?
Who did you say was responsible?
Fix:
He brought three things pencils paper and a calculator.
He brought three things: pencils, paper, and a calculator.
Revise the sentence to improve clarity and eliminate structural errors:
While running through the rain the backpack was soaked and it made the student frustrated because it was ruined.
While running through the rain, the student soaked the backpack, which caused frustration because it was ruined.
Better (top-tier response):
While running through the rain, the student soaked the backpack, which was ruined and caused frustration.
Correct:
It was her who solved the problem.
It was she who solved the problem.