Grammar and Sentence Structure
Grammar and Sentence Structure checks whether you can identify and correct errors that obscure meaning. Recurring areas are subject-verb agreement, verb tense and aspect, articles and prepositions, clause boundaries, parallelism, and modifier placement.
Core rules
- Find the true subject: ignore prepositional phrases between subject and verb. Write 'The list of names is,' not 'are.'
- Indefinite pronouns such as each, everyone, and nobody take singular verbs; both, few, and many take plural verbs.
- A modifier must sit next to what it describes. Write 'Walking to class, I saw the rain,' not 'Walking to class, the rain began.'
- Keep parallel structures in lists and comparisons: 'to read, to write, and to revise,' not 'to read, writing, and revision.'
- Join clauses with a conjunction, a semicolon, or a full stop, not a comma alone.
Worked example
Sentence: 'The report, along with its appendices, were submitted after the deadline.' Reasoning: The subject is 'report' (singular); 'along with its appendices' is parenthetical and does not change agreement. The verb should be 'was.' The past tense is appropriate because 'after' marks a completed event. Corrected: 'The report, along with its appendices, was submitted after the deadline.'
Traps
- Inverted sentences: in 'There are several reasons,' the subject follows the verb.
- Collective nouns: 'The team is' in American usage, though context may justify 'are.'
- 'One of the' plus a plural noun takes a singular verb: 'One of the students is.'
- Comma splices: two independent clauses joined only by a comma.
- Misplaced 'only': its position changes the meaning of the sentence.