Grammar Slammer
This tense expresses an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and may continue into the future.
present perfect progressive?
(has/have been + -ing)
Why is the pronoun "I" always capitalized?
It is the pronoun referring to oneself/writer.
(Author, year)
Words like maybe and possibly are examples of this writing strategy
Hedging words
Formal writing avoids these shortened forms like don’t or can’t.
Contractions
Identify the sentence structure: “Running late for class, the student rushed across campus.”
complex sentence (introductory dependent clause + independent clause)
In complex sentences, a comma must come before this type of conjunction that joins two independent clauses.
Coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)
Book titles in the reference list should be written in this style.
Sentence case
Words like generally and often help writers avoid this academic writing problem.
Overgeneralization/Generalization
Words like kids, stuff, and wanna are examples of this language to avoid.
Colloquial words
This type of error occurs when two independent clauses are joined only by a comma without a coordinating conjunction.
Comma splice
Identify the error in this sentence:
“My aunt said, ‘you should visit the National museum when you have time.’”
“you” should be capitalized because it begins the quoted sentence, and “museum” should not be capitalized unless part of the official name National Museum of the Philippines.
For three or more authors, APA uses this format for in-text citations.
First author et al., year
Name the transitional device type used here:
“Due to the overwhelming evidence, the researchers concluded that the method was effective.”
cause-and-effect transition
Formal writing requires claims to be supported by this.
Factual information
Identify the tense used in this sentence: “By the time the program starts, the researchers will have completed the study.”
future perfect tense
This punctuation mark can link two independent clauses only if the ideas are closely related and no conjunction is used.
Semi-colon (;)
We use this abbreviation when no publication date is available.
n.d.
Identify the best transition to correctly complete the sentence:
“The participants responded positively to the intervention; ___, the team expanded the program.”
Consequently — it signals a logical result of the previous statement.
Academic writing often uses this point of view.
Choose the correct verb: “Neither the students nor the teacher ___ willing to change the schedule.” Explain the rule.
because when subjects are joined by neither/nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it—in this case, teacher, which is singular.
Identify the missing punctuation:
“The committee discussed three issues budget, attendance, and policy changes.”
Missing colon (:) - “The committee discussed three issues: budget, attendance, and policy changes.”
APA only requires retrieval dates for webpages under this condition
When the content changes over time/updated
Explain why the transition “besides” is incorrect in this sentence:
“The study failed to gather enough data; besides, the variables were not controlled.”
“besides” introduces additional support, not a negative consequence. The sentence needs a transition showing a problem or limitation, such as “moreover,” “in addition,” or “furthermore.”
This formal writing trait means avoiding emotional and biased statements.
Objectivity