The Everyday Writer


	20 Most Common Errors

	Exercise Central

	Documenting Sources

	Student Writing

	Writer's Almanac

	Working Online

	MLA Exercises for Working with Sources

	Links

	Additional Resources


	Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial

	Designing for the Web Tutorial

	Preparing Presentation Slides Tutorial

	Evaluating Online Sources Tutorial

	Designing Documents Tutorial

	Conducting Research Tutorials

	Research Activities and Checklists

	Top Links

	LitLinks


	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 #17

The reader needs the clause who wanted to preserve wilderness areas because it announces which people opposed the plan. As an essential element, the clause should not be set off by commas.

The reader needs to know which of Shakespeare's many tragedies this sentence is talking about. The title Othello is therefore essential and should not be set off by commas.

Check any words or phrases in your draft set off with commas to make sure that the element set off is not a restrictive element, one essential to the basic meaning of the sentence. Such essential words or phrases are not set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma or commas.

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