The Everyday Writer


20 errors
1. Missing Comma after Introductory Element
2. Vague pronoun reference
3. Missing comma in a compound sentence
4. Wrong word
5. Missing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive element
6. Wrong or missing verb ending
7. Wrong or missing preposition
8. Comma splice
9. Missing or misplaced possessive apostrophe
10. Unnecessary shift in tense
11. Unnecessary shift in pronoun
12. Sentence fragment
13. Wrong tense or verb form
14. Lack of subject-verb agreement
15. Missing comma in a series
16. Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent
17. Unnecessary comma(s) with a restrictive element
18. Fused sentence
19. Misplaced or dangling modifier
20. Its/It's confusion



Book-Specific Resources / 20 Most Common Errors /
Error #15




Check your draft to see if you've written any sentences containing items in a series. When three or more items appear in a series, they should be separated from one another with commas. Some newspapers do not use a comma between the last two items, but the best advice is that you'll never be wrong to use a series comma because a sentence can be ambiguous without one.

For practice recognizing and editing this error, go to Exercise Central.


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