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Writing conventions
Examples of common errors in sentence formation, usage, and mechanics.
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Related pages
- How Do Pumpkins Grow? book: This is an integrated science and language arts lesson plan. Students will create individual books that illustrate how pumpkins grow.
More from LEARN NC
- Conventions Conventions — grammar, spelling, and the like — are important to good writing, but should be taught only after the other Features of Effective Writing.
Learn more
- Learn more about English language arts and writing conventions.
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The charts below show examples of common errors in writing conventions.
Sentence formation
A sentence is an expression of an assertion, explanation, proposal, question, or command.
Common errors
| Fragments | After we got home. |
| Run-ons | My brother came home from school he left to play basketball. |
| Phrases or clauses used incorrectly that interfere with the meaning of the sentence. | She decided to the flowers. Drinking my milk, the cookies seemed irresistible. |
Usage
Standard usage includes agreement, tense, and case.
Common errors
| Incorrect use of verbs | Mary and her sister wants to go to the mall. I went to school yesterday. I eat lunch. After lunch, I played with my friends. I might could go flying. If I am a fireman, I would help others. |
| Pronoun misuse | Everyone raised their hands. Between you and I, the test was hard. John and myself went to school. |
| Incorrect formations | hisself, theirselves, bestest |
| Failure to use a word according to its standard meaning | There going to a movie He wanted to sale the boat I am glad I have the chance to suppress my feelings. |
Mechanics
Mechanics involves the use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Common errors
| Incorrect capitalization | did he give it away? The teacher’s name is tom evans. Jose and i went to the store. George eats Bananas and Oranges. |
| Incorrect punctuation | Why did she go home early. John plays golf tennis and baseball. Tom said Go to the store." |
| Patterns of misspellings of common words or incorrect pluralization | freind for friend boxs for boxes |