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The Big Ten of Grammar
Finding and correcting common grammar
mistakes
Adapted from Bradshaw, William B. The Big Ten of Grammar: Identifying and Fixing the Ten Most Frequent Grammatical Errors.
Austin, TX: Synergy Books, 2010.
Error #1: When to use “I” vs. “Me”
 Correct or Incorrect?
 You are the best thing to ever happen to
your dad and I.
 It should be:
 You are the best thing to ever happen to
your dad and me.
Tip: When using I or me after a
name or noun, just take out the
name or noun.
 Would you ever say: You are the best
thing to happen to I?
 If you take out the name, your ear
can tell you what sounds right and
what doesn’t with just the pronoun.
Try it
 Correct or Incorrect?
 When you act that way, how can you
expect your mother or I to trust you?
 Dad let my sister and I drive the car to
the movies.
 Our friends invited Linda and I to dinner.
 Shirley and I reported to the group.
 Dan and me listened carefully to the
directions.
The rule
 Pronoun Case
 I is in the subjective case. Use it as the
doer of an action.
 Me is in the objective case. Objective
pronouns are used as:




Direct Objects
Indirect Objects
Objects of a Preposition
(and some other objects we won’t go into
here)
Direct Object
 A noun or pronoun that receives the
action of a verb or shows the result of
the action.
 It answers the question What? or
Who?
 Ex: Mike received a detention
because he had his cell phone in
class.
Indirect Object
 Tells to whom or for whom the action
of the verb is done and who is
receiving the direct object.
 There must be a direct object to be
an indirect object.
 Ex: She gave me the report.
Object of the preposition
 Prepositional Phrase:
 Begins with a preposition (ex: to, of, on,
in, out) and ends with a noun or
pronoun.
 The object is the noun or pronoun being
related.
 Ex: The club did not have a room, so
they met in the English hallway.
Practice
 Fill in either I or me.
 Some students have planned a surprise for the
rest of the class and _______.
 Would you like to come to the party with
Brandon and ________?
 I don’t think Lauren and ________ will be able
to come to the party.
 The students gave Ms. Thompson and ______
some beautiful presents.
 Prutha and _______ shared a piece of cake.
Error #1 Part B: Incomplete
Constructions
 Which sentence is correct?
 Devon writes better than me.
 Devon writes better than I.
Correct Answer
 Devon writes better than I.
 This is called an “incomplete
construction.”
 Notice we are making a comparison
between two things, and the idea at the
end is understood and not explicitly
stated.
Tip: With an incomplete construction, complete
the sentence in your head to hear the correct use.
 Try it:
 My older brother runs faster than ____.
 My older brother runs faster than ____ run.
 Vicky has a better tan than ____.
 Vicky has a better tan than ____ have.
 Mr. Bannecker drives faster than ____.
 Mr. Bannecker drives faster than ____
drive.
 My brother is like ____.
 My brother is like ____ am.
Practice
 Fill in either I or me.
 If you are busy like ____, then stay
tuned.
 Brian did better than _____ on the
exam.
 Charlie works harder than ____.
 It is difficult for a person like ____ to see
this happening.
 She likes English more than ____.
Note
 That last one is a bit tricky. The pronoun
you choose changes the meaning of the
sentence.
 She likes English more than I
 She likes English more than I like English.
 She likes English more than me.
 She likes English more than she likes me.
 Be careful with the pronouns you choose.
You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings!
Recap of Error #1
 Many people use I when they should use me.
 This happens often when another person’s name or
another noun is also being used in the sentence.
 Tip 1: Eliminate the other person’s name or the noun
in order to hear whether you should use I or me.
 Tip 2: In incomplete constructions, complete the
sentence in order to hear which pronoun is correct.
 It is important to learn how to hear what you are
saying even as you are creating a sentence. Practice
using the correct pronouns to get used to it.
Error #2: He/him; she/her
 Which sentence is correct?
 I talked with he and his wife.
 I talked with him and his wife.
Tip: Use the same tricks as in error
#1
 Try it:
 I talked with ____ and his wife
 Take out the specific noun and use just the
pronoun: I talked with him.
 Now try an incomplete construction:
 No one runs as fast as ____.
 Complete the sentence in your head: No
one runs as fast as he (runs).
Practice
 Choose the correct pronoun.
 ___ and her little friend got home at the
time promised. (Her/She)
 Mary’s grandmother reminds me of ____
and your mother. (her/she)
 Her son is taller than ____. (her/she)
 Everyone wants to be better than ____.
(him/he)
 He said to his wife, “Most of the people
here are younger than ___.” (us/we)
Recap of Error #2
 Just like with I or me, we can listen
for the correct use of pronouns like
him, her, he, and she.
 Use the same tips from Error #1 to
help you find the correct pronoun.
 One of the best ways to learn to
listen is by reading the many
examples out loud.
Error #3: Quotation Marks and
Other Punctuation
 In errors #1 and #2, learning rules of
grammar were not necessary for
speaking and writing correctly.
 With punctuation, it is important to
know rules since you can’t listen for
the correct answer.
Three rules of quotation marks that
have NO exceptions.
1) Commas or periods always come
before closing quotation marks of
quoted material.
 In this city, you will find some
“Republicans,” some “Democrats,” and
some “Independents.”
 He said “no,” and she said “yes.”
 There are no “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts.”
Three rules, continued
2) Colons and semicolons always follow
closing quotations marks of quoted
material.
 Some people call themselves “Republicans”;
some call themselves “Democrats”; and some
call themselves “Independents.”
 Every line of every verse ends with the same
word in Charles Wesley’s Easter hymn “Christ
the Lord is Risen Today”: “Alleluia!”
Three rules, cont.
3) Question marks and exclamation
points always follow closing
quotation marks unless the question
mark or exclamation point belongs to
the material being quoted, in which
case the question mark or
exclamation point comes before the
closing quotation marks…whew.
Let’s explain that last one…
 This can be a confusing one. Let’s
look at some examples.
 Did she say, “How many people are
here”?
 Since the entire sentence is a question, the
question mark belongs at the very end of
the sentence, after the quotation marks.
 She said, “How many people are here?”
 The entire sentence is not a question. Only
the quoted material is a question.
Practice
 Identify if the sentences are correct or
incorrect. If the sentence is incorrect,
correct the placement of punctuation.
 He said “no”, and she said “yes”.
 Who asked, “Did you make that decision”?
 He said “no;” she said “yes;” and some said
neither “yes” nor “no.”
 That house is a “Wow”!
 She screamed, “Stop the car”!
Recap of Error #3
 Remember the three rules relating to
quotation marks—these rules don’t have
exceptions in American English.
 Commas or periods always come before closing
quotation marks.
 Colons and semicolons always follow closing
quotation marks of quoted material.
 Question marks and exclamation points always
follow closing quotation marks unless the
question mark or exclamation point belongs to
the material being quoted.
Error #4: “Ing” words—thing or
action?
 Which one is correct?
 I appreciate Nancy working so hard
when I was on vacation.
 I appreciate Nancy’s working so hard
when I was on vacation.
The Rule
 Correct: I appreciate Nancy’s working
so hard when I was on vacation.
 When an action word ending in “ing”
is immediately preceded by a
person’s name or a personal pronoun,
the noun or pronoun is usually in the
possessive case.
Examples
 Incorrect: I am grateful for you
taking time to see me.
 The rules of English call for using the
possessive “your” in this case.
 Correct: I am grateful for your taking
time to see me.
Personal Pronoun=Word used as a
substitute for a name







I or me
You
He or him
She or her
We or us
They
It







My
Your
His
Her
Our
Their
Its
More examples with personal
pronouns—correct or incorrect?
 She expressed gratitude for me
taking time to see her.
 I appreciate him being so careful.
 I think it’s worth your making the
effort to resolve the problem.
 She won’t like me being gone for so
long.
 I appreciate your coming home for
Thanksgiving.
Focus on the Act
 Here, the focus is on the act, not the
actor.
 When the attention focuses on the
act, the “ing” word is a “gerund” and
acts as a noun.
 Ex: She expressed gratitude for my
taking time to see her.
 What is the gratitude for? For my action,
not me.
Focus on the actor
 When the focus is on the actor and
not the act, the “ing” word is
considered a verb.
 Use the regular form of the noun or
pronoun.
 Ex: The police officer called to the
man crossing the street on a red
light.
 The police officer called out to the man,
not to the act.
Practice
 Correct or Incorrect—Consider the
emphasis on the act or on the actor. Edit
incorrect sentences.
 Your using a cane makes me feel better about
leaving you alone.
 A man’s walking two dogs faces many problems.
 I don’t know which is more alarming: him not
knowing that it was a problem or him not doing
anything about it.
 We appreciate you staying with us and hope you
will return.
 I am watching Alice baking a cake.
Recap of Error #4
 If an action word (verb) ending in “ing” is
being used as a noun, the noun or pronoun
that immediately precedes it should be
possessive.
 If the “ing” word is used as a verb, the
noun or pronoun that immediately precedes
it is not in the possessive case.
 If the act is emphasized, the possessive
case is used. If the actor is emphasized,
the possessive case is not used.
Error #5: That or Which?
 Which one is correct?
 Dan’s red car that is parked in the
garage has a flat tire.
 Dan’s red car, which is parked in the
garage, has a flat tire.
Essential vs. Supplementary
 Correct Answer:
 Dan’s red car, which is parked in the garage,
has a flat tire.
 Why?
 Use which when you are adding information that
is supplementary to something already said.
 Red car is enough to distinguish which car we
are discussing. “In the garage” is extra.
 Use that when you are adding essential
information.
Which vs. That, cont.
 More examples:
 Dan’s car that is parked in the garage has a flat
tire.
 Here, the location of the car is important
because we have no other indicator of which of
Dan’s cars has a flat tire.
 The front side of the house, which faces south,
needs to be painted.
 The direction the house faces is interesting, but
it is not essential to the sentence. “The front
side” makes it clear which side of the house
needs to be painted.
A note about punctuation
 Notice that all of the examples using
which phrases (expressions or groups
of words) are set off by commas.
 That phrases are not set off by
commas.
 A broader rule:
 When you use phrases that are not
essential in the sentence, they should be
set off by commas.
Examples
 My husband, Jack, is tall and has curly hair.
 The sentence has already identified the person
as “my husband,” so naming him is just extra
(unless you have more than one husband…which
is illegal)
 The house we live in, located on Second
Street, is for sale.
 The subject is “the house we live in,” so where it
is located is supplementary.
 When setting off nonessential expressions,
remember BOTH commas!
Practice
 Correct the sentence in terms of “which”
vs. “that” and appropriate comma use.
 The master bedroom that is on the first floor has
several windows.
 My new computer that I take with me when
traveling is really easy to use.
 My daughter Jane is in high school.
 Cars, which have hybrid technology, get great
gas mileage.
 My boss at work, Mildred Brown is very
competent.
Recap of Error #5
 If it is information that is essential to the
meaning of what is being said, you should
use that without commas.
 If it is information that is supplementary,
you should use which and set off the group
of words with commas.
 In referring to nonessential, supplementary
expressions in general, all such expressions
should be set off by commas.
Error #6: Misusing the Apostrophe
Part 1: Plurals
 Which one is correct?
 The Smith’s are going on vacation.
 The Smiths are going on vacation.
Forming Plurals
 Correct Answer: The Smiths are going on vacation.
 General rules for making nouns plural:
 If a noun does not end in s, make it plural by adding
s.
 If a noun does end in s, make it plural by adding es.
 Do not make nouns plural by adding an apostrophe
and an s (‘s)
 This rule is still true for family names and other
proper nouns.
 NOTE: There are exceptions to this rule with irregular
words like child (children) or lady (ladies)
Examples
 The Kellys bought a new house.
 The Harrisons drove to the grocery
store this morning.
 The Robertses are going on vacation.
 The Joneses play checkers frequently.
 NOTE: If it sounds too odd to you to
say “Joneses” or “Robertses,” simply
reword the sentence to say “The
Roberts Family.”
Part 2: Possessives
 The possessive case shows ownership,
belonging, possession, or relationship.
 General rules for making nouns possessive:
 Form the possessive of singular nouns by adding
‘s.
 Form the possessive case of plural nouns
already ending in s by adding just the
apostrophe.
 Form the possessive of plural nouns not ending
in s by adding ‘s.
Examples
 Robert Burns’s poems represent some of
the best of eighteenth-century literature.
 Charles’s friends went to the ball game with
him.
 The Joneses’ car is in the garage.
 The women’s department is located on the
second floor.
 The Smiths’ marriage appears to be on the
rocks.
Pronouns
 For definite personal pronouns, the
possessive is formed by changing the
spelling of the word. Do not add an ‘s.
 Ex: My, mine, yours, ours, his, hers
 For indefinite pronouns, the possessive is
formed by adding ‘s.
 This is somebody else’s umbrella.
 Everybody’s arguments should be considered.
Practice
 Correct apostrophe use in the
following sentences if needed.
 Our charity car wash will service car’s,
van’s, and 4x4’s.
 Bob Jones’ cat scratches when you try to
pet her.
 The dogs collar is leather.
 Ws legacy is yet to be determined.
 Its a pretty dog, but it’s paws are dirty.
Recap of Error #6
 Remember the rules for making
nouns plural and possessive.
 Do Not use apostrophes to make
nouns plural.
 Personal pronouns do not use an
apostrophe to form the possessive
case, but indefinite pronouns do.
Error #7: Tricky Verbs—Lay, Lie,
Lain, Laid
 Which is the correct command for a
dog?
 Lay down.
 Lie down.
Lay vs. Lie
 Correct answer: Lie
down.
 Lie = to recline (or to
fib…)
 Lay = to put or place
 To decide on which
one to use, try to use
the word “place”
instead of lay or lie. If
it works, use “lay.” If it
doesn’t, use “lie.”
Parts of
lie
(recline)
Parts of
lay (put
or place)
Present:
Lie
Present:
Lay
Past: Lay
Past: Laid
Past
Participle:
Lain
Past
Participle:
Laid
Examples
 Please lay the books on the table.
 If you replace lay with place, it works.
 Will you please tell your dog to lie down
and stop barking?
 The trick doesn’t work here.
 I lay down on the bed earlier this
afternoon.
 The past tense of lie is lay.
 I laid my daughter on the bed so she could
take a nap.
 This is the correct use of the past tense of lay.
You placed her down to take a nap.
Examples with the past participle
 The books, having been laid on the table a
week ago, are covered with dust.
 This is something done to the books, not done
to or for themselves. Using “placed” here works,
so we need the past participle of lay.
 Having lain in bed all afternoon, I feel
rested this evening.
 Putting “placed” here doesn’t work, so we need
the past participle of lie.
Practice
 Correct the sentences if needed.
Sometimes I lay in bed and watch television.
My dog has lain there quietly for two hours.
The cat laid in the mud after it rained last week.
Having lain the overdue essay on the teacher’s
desk, the student walked quietly back to his
seat.
 The python has laid there for several minutes,
watching the frightened mouse paw at the cage.




Recap of Error #7
 Lie is used when referring to
something one is doing to or for
himself or herself.
 Lay is used when referring to
something that one is doing to or for
someone or something other than
himself or herself.
 Use the “place” test to help determine
whether to use lie or lay.
Error #8: Less or Fewer?
 Which one is correct?
 My new car uses less gallons of gasoline
than my old one.
 My new car uses fewer gallons of
gasoline than my old one.
Less vs. Fewer
 Correct Answer: My new car uses fewer
gallons…
 Use fewer when you refer to individual
units that can be counted.
 Use less when referring to bulk or quantity.
 Ex: My new car uses less gasoline than my old
car.
 Fun note: Grocery store express lanes are
incorrect in labeling the checkout “20 items
or less.”
Practice
 Correct the sentences if needed.
 Our new stove uses fewer electricity than
our old one.
 Less than fifteen applicants responded to
the advertisement.
 I have less money in my pocket today.
 I have less customers this year and less
money.
 My brother has fewer than five onedollar bills in his wallet.
Recap of Error #8
 Less is used to refer to bulk or
quantity.
 Fewer is used to refer to individual
items or a number that can be
counted.
 Using the correct term can help to
add clarity to your comparisons in
speaking and writing.
Error #9: Commas and Semicolons
in a Series
 Simple series
 Elements in a series of three or more
normally are separated by commas.
 The final two items in the series should
be joined by a conjunction (usually and
or or)
 A comma should always be used before
the conjunction joining the final two
elements of the series (serial comma or
Oxford comma).
Simple Series Examples
 The morning is cool, crisp, and windy.
 You could get there by taking the
bus, riding on a train, flying in an
airplane, or driving your own car.
 He was tall, thin, and handsome.
 NOTE: The AP Stylebook is the only
reference that says not to use the
serial comma. Just get in the habit of
using it.
Trickier Examples
 The menu consisted of appetizers, soup or
salad, the main course, dessert, and coffee
or tea.
 Don’t separate two nouns that are joined with a
conjunction that should actually be just one item
in the series.
 For breakfast they had bacon and eggs,
toast and jelly, and coffee.
 No commas are needed if all of the items in
a series are joined by conjunctions.
Complex Series (AKA Super lists)
 If the individual elements of a series
involve internal punctuation, or when
the elements are long or complex, the
elements of the series should be
separated by semicolons instead of
commas.
 If the conjunction is included at the
end, use a semicolon before it rather
than a serial comma.
Complex Series Example
 Mr. Johnson drives a Cadillac, which
is black and has large, silver wheels;
Mrs. Johnson drives a Lexus, which is
silver and has regular wheels and
tires; and their son, James, drives a
Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is dark
red and has oversized wheels and
tires.
Names of Companies
 The serial comma is usually omitted in the
company name.
 Many times, the “and” connecting the final
two names in a series is omitted.
 Sometimes, no commas will be used to
separate names in a company.
 Examples:
 Quinn, Franklin & Brown, LLC, Attorneys at Law
 Sandberg, Sandberg, Goldman, CPAs
 Johnson, Miller and Anderson, Medical Doctors
Commas with Addresses and Dates
 When using the name of a city or town with
a state, use a comma to separate the two
and a comma after the state (if the
sentence continues).
 St. Louis, Missouri
 In month-day-year style dates, use a
comma before and after the year (if the
sentence continues).
 Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12,
1809, near Hodgenville, Kentucky, to Thomas
Lincoln and Mary Hanks.
Practice

Insert the needed punctuation.





The dress comes in different colors: brown black blue and
pink.
John was working in the garden Mary was working in the
house and the children were playing and eating candy bars.
I am not sure if the pep rally is at the high school or at the
field house or at the civic hall.
During the rain, the most experienced of the hunters
remained in the tent with the camping equipment and
stayed dry another camper slept in his sleeping bag outside
the tent, but by morning was soaked and a third camper
stayed dry by sleeping in the cap of the truck.
The graduation dance was in St. Louis Missouri on May 15
2009.
Recap of Error #9
 Items in a series of three or more are
normally separated by commas.
 Use the serial comma before the
conjunction joining the final two
elements.
 Use a semicolon to separate items in
a complex series.
Error #10: Commas between
Adjectives
 Which one is correct?
 The long hot summer days cause one to
be lazy.
 The long, hot summer days cause one to
be lazy.
Rule
 Correct: The long, hot summer days…
 When a noun is preceded by two or more
adjectives, a comma separates the
adjectives if they are equal in rank (they
modify the noun in the same way or to the
same degree).
 If the adjectives are not equal in rank, no
comma is used.
 Try to put “and” between the adjectives
and see if it makes sense.
Examples
 The ripe, juicy apple is really good to
eat.
 The apple is both ripe and juicy, so you
need the comma.
 At bedtime she told the children a
quiet short story.
 Short and story go together, and quiet
modifies short story, so no comma is
used.
Practice
 Insert and/or omit commas when
needed.
 She sleeps with her young black cat.
 She told her children not to play in the
dark deserted alley.
 Bill is a pleasant loyal friend.
 The old, stone wall is built of native
stones taken from the fields.
 He believes in attending traditional,
religious services.
Recap of Error #10
 Use a comma to separate two or
more adjectives preceding a noun if
the adjectives are of equal rank.
 Try using “and” to decide whether or
not you need the comma.