Look at the sentences below. Can you see the mistake in each sentence? Discuss it with a partner.

  • Diego and his brother has put antifreeze in the car.
  • My father he is a successful mechanic in my country.
  • After he had a collision last night, Toby goes to the police station to report the accident.

Proofreading

After you write something for school or for work, you should read it again carefully and look for mistakes. Reading something slowly and carefully to look for mistakes is called proofreading. Some people call it editing:

  • Diego and his brother has put antifreeze in the car.
  • My father he is a successful mechanic in my country.
  • After he had a collision last night, Toby goes to the police station to report the accident.

In 115, you have learned about mistakes like comma splices and sentence fragments. There are many other little mistakes that students often make in writing. After you write an exam or before you send an email, proofread your sentences and look out for these things:

Problems with Singular or Plural Nouns

Students often forget to put an s on the end of a noun that is plural. This can make your sentence hard to understand:

  • Wrong:
    • All of the student in my class have failed the driving exam.
  • Correct:
    • All of the students in my class have failed the driving exam.
  • Wrong:
    • I would like to learn how to fix alternator, but I am too busy.
  • Correct:
    • I would like to learn how to play alternators, but I am too busy.

Problems with Subjects and Verbs

If the subject of your sentence is singular, then the verb has to be a singular form. If the subject is plural, the verb must be in the plural form. This is a common mistake in student writing:

  • Wrong:
    • Diego and his brother has put antifreeze in the car.
  • Correct:
    • Diego and his brother have put antifreeze in the car.
  • Wrong:
    • One of my tires are going flat.
  • Correct:
    • One of my tires is going flat.

Problems with Pronouns

Make sure that you are using the correct pronoun in a sentence and that the pronoun is clear.

  • Wrong:
    • My father he is a successful mechanic in my country.
  • Correct:
    • My father he is a successful mechanic in my country.
  • Wrong:
    • The children cried when she saw the accident.
  • Correct:
    • The children cried when they saw the accident.

Problems with Verb Tense

Make sure that the verbs are in the right tense. If you are writing about the past, you must use the past tense. If you are writing about the future, you use words like will or going to:

  • Wrong:
    • After he had a collision last night, Toby goes to the police station to report the accident.
  • Correct:
    • After he finished his homework last night, Toby went to the police station to report the accident.
  • Wrong:
    • The weather report said it rains tomorrow night.
  • Correct:
    • The weather report said it will rain tomorrow night.

Exercise

Please click the Exercise link to continue.

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