Misused Words
What is the difference between their, there, and they’re?
Their shows possession, there refers to a place, and they’re is a contraction of "they are."
Choose the correct verb:
"The team (is/are) excited for the game."
The team is excited for the game." (Collective noun = singular verb.)
Where should the comma go?
"After dinner we went for ice cream."
"After dinner, we went for ice cream."
Identify the tense mistake:
"She walks to school and ate lunch at noon."
"Walks" is present tense, and "ate" is past. It should be: "She walks to school and eats lunch at noon."
Identify the error:
"Him and I went to the mall."
"He and I went to the mall."
Which word correctly completes the sentence?
"The dog wagged ____ tail excitedly."
its (not "it's")
Identify the error:
"Neither the teacher nor the students was late."
"Neither the teacher nor the students were late." (Verb agrees with the closer subject.)
Fix the missing apostrophe:
"The students books were left in the classroom."
"The students’ books were left in the classroom."
Choose the correct sentence:
A) By the time we arrived, the movie started.
B) By the time we arrived, the movie had started.
B, because "had started" is past perfect, showing one past action happened before another.
Fix the unclear pronoun reference:
"When Sam met Alex, he was excited."
"When Sam met Alex, Sam was excited."
Choose the correct word:
"She was deeply (affected/effected) by the sad news."
Affected (because it means influenced, while "effected" means caused)
Fix the error:
"Each of the players are practicing hard."
Each of the players is practicing hard.
What is the Oxford comma, and why is it used?
The Oxford comma is the comma before the last item in a list (e.g., "I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Superman" to avoid confusion).
Fix the verb tense shift:
"I was watching TV when suddenly my brother jumps into the room."
"I was watching TV when suddenly my brother jumped into the room."
Choose the correct pronoun:
"Everyone should do (his or her/their) best."
"Everyone should do his or her best."
Fix the error:
"I could care less about his opinion."
It should be "I couldn’t care less" because the phrase means "I do not care at all."
What is wrong with this sentence?
"One of the boys play soccer."
"One of the boys plays soccer." (Singular subject = singular verb.)
Rewrite with correct punctuation:
"My brother who lives in Texas is visiting next week."
"My brother, who lives in Texas, is visiting next week." (Comma needed for non-essential clause.)
Correct this sentence: "They was playing soccer."
"They were playing soccer."
Identify the error:
"The book belongs to she."
"The book belongs to her."
Identify the error:
"Between you and I, the test was difficult."
"Between you and me" (because "me" is the correct object pronoun).
Choose the correct verb:
"The number of students (has/have) increased this year."
"The number of students has increased this year." ("The number" is singular.)
What is the correct way to punctuate a compound sentence?
Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) or a semicolon (e.g., "She wanted to go outside, but it was raining.").
Correct the tense: "She will gone to the party."
"She will go to the party."
Fix the agreement error:
"If a student wants to pass, they must study hard."
"If a student wants to pass, he or she must study hard."