15 Common Writing Errors

Página 1

15 Common Writing Errors

1. SENTENCE FRAGMENT

A sentence fragment is a group of words that is not a sentence. At its

minimum, every sentence must form an independent clause; that is, it

must have a subject and a predicate.

Example: Marissa misunderstands.

With a subject (“Marissa”) and a conjugated verb (“misunderstands”), we

have an independent clause, a complete sentence. Although most sentences

will contain more than just a subject and verb, these two elements

represent the simplest form of sentence. A sentence fragment is

mistakenly missing one or both of these two elements.

Sentence fragment (missing subject and verb): Not for a while.

Corrected: The bus will not stop for a while.

Sentence fragment (missing subject): Agrees, however, that some changes are necessary and should be made soon.

Corrected: Jennifer agrees, however, that some changes are necessary and should be made soon.

Sentence fragment (missing conjugated verb): John, hoping for a better

job in the accounting field in either Nova Scotia or Ontario.

Corrected: John hopes for a better job in the accounting field in either Nova Scotia or Ontario.

Sentence fragment (dependent clause): Although U2 have often altered

their musical style by introducing more futuristic technotronic sounds

into some songs.

Corrected: U2 have often altered their musical style by introducing more futuristic technotronic sounds into some songs.

2. COMMA SPLICE AND FUSED SENTENCE

A comma splice is a frequent writing error committed by using a comma to

join two independent clauses, “splicing” them together. The comma by

itself is not considered a strong enough piece of punctuation to join or

coordinate two independent clauses.

Comma splice: Cathy likes to read People magazine, Helen likes to read stock reports.

Corrected #1:While Cathy likes to read People magazine, Helen likes to read stock reports.

Corrected #2: Cathy likes to read People magazine, but Helen likes to read stock reports.

Tip: Here are the four most common ways to correct a comma splice:

1.Add one of the seven coordinate conjunctions (mnemonic device FANBOYS) after the comma joining the two independent clauses.

2.Keep the comma but change one of the independent clauses into a dependent clause.

3.Delete the comma and separate the independent clauses with a semicolon instead.

4.Delete the comma and use a period instead to make the two independent clauses into two sentences.

A fused (or run-on) sentence occurs when two or more grammatically

complete thoughts follow one another with no punctuation. As the

following example indicates, this problem may be thought of as the comma

splice without the comma:

Fused sentence: Cathy likes to read People magazine Helen likes to read stock reports.

Corrected #1: While Cathy likes to read People magazine, Helen likes to read stock reports.

Corrected #2: Cathy likes to read People magazine, but Helen likes to read stock reports.

Corrected #3: Cathy likes to read People magazine; Helen likes to read stock reports.

3. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT PROBLEM

In English, subjects and their verbs agree in number. If your subject is

singular, then your verb form should be singular. If your subject is

plural, then your verb form should be plural.

Subject-verb error: The lawyer for the nurses, doctors, technicians, and

medical students involved in the series of medical errors are prepared

to admit guilt on behalf of his clients.

Corrected: The lawyer for the nurses, doctors, technicians, and medical

students involved in the series of medical errors is prepared to admit

guilt on behalf of his clients.

Subject-verb error: The long Canadian winter, including snowstorms, ice

storms, short days, nearly Arctic temperatures, and unpredictable wind

chills, require great endurance and patience.

Corrected: The long Canadian winter … requires great endurance and patience.

Tip: Watch out for collective nouns that function grammatically as

singular nouns but represent more than one person or unit (e.g.,

government).

Subject-verb error: The group of electricians, welders, and carpenters vote tonight for a change in negotiations.

Corrected: The group of electricians, welders, and carpenters votes tonight for a change in negotiations.

Remember, since there is only one group here, “group” is a singular subject, although it may represent many people.

4. PRONOUN PROBLEMS—AGREEMENT, REFERENCE, OR UNWARRANTED SHIFT WITHIN PARAGRAPH

Pronouns need to agree in number and gender with the nouns they represent, sometimes called their referents or antecedents.

Incorrect pronoun: Since the candles are not on sale, it is too expensive.

Corrected: Since the candles are not on sale, they are too expensive.

“They,” a plural pronoun, refers correctly in number to the plural noun “candles.”

The most typical pronoun-agreement error is misuse of their.

Incorrect pronoun: Everyone in the class used their textbook.

Corrected #1: All the students in the class used their textbook.

Corrected #2: Everyone in the class used his or her textbook.

Tip: Indefinite pronouns such as person, one, any, each, either,

neither, and words ending in –one, –body, and –thing require singular

pronouns such as she or he. When possible, replace the indefinite

singular pronoun with a plural noun, as illustrated above: All the

students in the class, instead of everyone. This avoids the exclusionist

choice (of using he rather than she or she rather than he) as well as

the clumsy choice of he or she. Use of their with indefinite pronouns is

beginning to be sanctioned, but many readers still object to it. You

are best to avoid this usage in your academic writing.

Pronouns should also refer clearly to their intended referents so that a

reader has no confusion over what that particular pronoun represents.

If you have more than one choice, consider that pronoun unclear or

sometimes even incorrect.

Unclear pronoun reference: The difference between these corporate and

government deductions in the three financial reports, prepared by rival

accounting firms, raises a troubling question about the senator’s travel

expenses and a possibly illegal discount. This is very suspicious.

[“This” = ?]

You have several options in clarifying the unclear pronoun reference, “This,” depending on your intended meaning.

Corrected #1: This difference is very suspicious.

Corrected #2: This corporate and government discrepancy is very suspicious.

Corrected #3: This rivalry between accounting firms is very suspicious.

Corrected #4: This possible illegal discount is very suspicious.

Tip: “This” is a relative pronoun and may refer to a condition or state rather than specifically to a noun.

Example: It’s raining today. This is good for the crops.

Unclear pronoun reference: Helen told Viola that her purse had gone missing.

Clarify whose purse has gone missing. Is it Helen’s or Viola’s? It is

better to repeat words, if necessary, than to allow serious ambiguity

caused by unclear pronoun reference.

Corrected: Helen told Viola that Viola’s purse had gone missing.

Use “who,” “whom,” and “whose” when the referent/antecedent is human.

Example: I spoke to the man that took the tickets.

Corrected: I spoke to the man who took the tickets.

Some grammar-checks mistakenly recommend that instead of who when the antecedent is human. Don’t rely on grammar-checks!

Finally, pronouns should not shift in person or number within a

paragraph, except for justified reasons. Such changes tend to disrupt

tone (using I and you is more informal than using the third person) and

perspective (are we looking at the matter from a first-person viewpoint,

a third-person viewpoint?). In conversation, speakers typically use

“you” or “they” to mean everyone, people, and so on. In writing, more

care and consistency are needed. See “Watch Your Point of View: Avoid

Confusing Shift in Person,” in Chapter 4 (p. 35).

5. DANGLING PARTICIPLE

Dangling participles do not match the subjects or nouns they intend to

qualify. A participle is a verb form ending in –ing or –ed. Participles

and participle phrases modify nouns. When a participle or participle

phrase appears at the beginning of a sentence, it functions as an

introductory qualifier for the subject that should follow it directly.

Dangling participle: Skating hard, the open net loomed up ahead of the hockey player.

Corrected: Skating hard, the hockey player saw the open net loom up ahead.

Dangling participle: Flipping through the magazine, the recent articles on new bands seemed irrelevant to David Bowie.

Corrected: Flipping through the magazine, David Bowie thought the recent articles on new bands seemed irrelevant.

Tip: Ask yourself who or what is performing or experiencing that

participle and then check to see if an appropriate subject or noun

directly follows the participle or participle phrase.

6. MISPLACED MODIFIER

Be alert to what your modifiers are qualifying. Be sure they modify what

you intend to qualify rather than modifying any noun or concept

haphazardly.

Misplaced modifier: The Diabetes Foundation, a quiet killer, needs donations for further research.

Corrected: The Diabetes Foundation needs donations to fight the disease, a quiet killer.

Misplaced modifier: If mowed regularly by highway crews, many more elk

and deer might be visible from the Trans-Canada Highway through the

field grass.

Corrected: Many more elk and deer might be visible from the Trans-Canada Highway if the field grass were mowed regularly.

7. PRONOUN CASE PROBLEMS

Case refers to the different forms that personal pronouns take to

indicate their function in a group of words. Many people use the

incorrect form of personal pronouns, especially when trying to sound

formal. Personal pronouns have three cases: subjective, objective, and

possessive. Problems usually arise, however, in deciding simply between

the subjective and objective forms.

Determining whether the case of a personal pronoun should be subjective

or objective depends on the pronoun’s relation to either (a) the

relevant verb or (b) the relevant preposition. The relevant verb

determines whether the pronoun is a subject or an object, depending on

how the pronoun functions with that verb. A subject pronoun takes the

subjective form (I, she, he, they), while an object pronoun takes the

objective form (me, her, him, them).

Pronoun Case with Verb

Xxxxxxx

“Me” is the objective form of the pronoun because it is the object of

the verb “asked” in the first example. “Tina and him” are the objects of

the verb “kissed” in the second example, so “him” appears as an

objective pronoun. Pronoun case with a preposition follows a simple

rule: the objective form of pronoun follows any preposition unless that

pronoun is simultaneously the subject of a verb.

Pronoun Case with Preposition

Example: Stephen left a lot of the research up to Ravi, Tasha, and me.

“Me” takes the objective form because it follows the preposition “to.”

Often, you have to deal with pronoun case in relation to both verbs and

prepositions.

Example: She told him to ask them to leave the choice of gifts up to Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, and me.

“She” is the subject, performing the verb “told,” and so appears in the

subjective form of the pronoun. “Him” and “them” are objects of the verb

“told” and of the infinitive “to ask,” respectively, so appear as

objective pronouns. “Me” appears as an objective pronoun because it

follows the preposition “to” in a list.

Tip: The objective form of a pronoun appears after a preposition, despite an intervening list.

An increasingly common error is the use of a reflexive pronoun in the objective case.

Example: The coach gave the award to myself.

Corrected: The coach gave the award to me.

The reflexive form should be used to express an action done to oneself.

Example: He taught himself grammar.

The same form is also used as an intensive pronoun, simply to express emphasis.

Example: Although in favour of a clean-shaven look, the chief himself

recognized that beards were not a sign of social rebellion.

The correct use of who or whom (forms of a relative pronoun) also causes

confusion. The solution uses the same strategy as given above to decide

between using I or me, he or him, she or her, they or them.

Example: She asked me to find out whom was coming to the reception.

Corrected: She asked me to find out who was coming to the reception.

Explanation: The pronoun stands in relation to the verb “was coming” as

the subject of that verb. Therefore the subjective form who is correct.

Example: To who are you sending the invitations?

Corrected: To whom are you sending the invitations?

The pronoun stands in relation to the preposition “to” as

its object. The pronoun here is also the indirect object of the sentence

(which stated another way is, You [subject of the sentence] are sending

the invitations to whom?). Therefore, the objective form of the pronoun

is required.

8. MISSING OR UNNECESSARY COMMA

Comma errors are common in first-year, undergraduate, graduate, and even

professional writing. Often, bad advice circulates regarding the comma;

this misinformation amounts to the claim that one should insert a comma

wherever you would pause to draw breath if you were speaking. This bad

advice, which is sometimes called “rhetorical punctuation,” will mislead

you. It whimsically bases itself on fluctuating vocal patterns. For

example, since people from New Jersey have speech rhythms that differ

from those of people from Saskatchewan, you need to rely on defined,

logical, and mechanical rules to sort out the proper locations of commas

rather than on inconsistent chit-chat from around the globe.

There are some distinct grammatical rules for use of the comma:

A) Comma after introductory phrase or clause

Examples: Though she usually disagreed with Mike and Rebecca, Aimée finally conceded that Bryan Adams has an interesting voice.

Although beautiful, the long Canadian winter depletes our bodies of vitamin D.

B) Two commas to set off a non-restrictive qualifier

Examples: The loonie, our dollar, has gained strength against the U.S. dollar.

Tommy Hunter, a Canadian musician, is considered the quiet gentleman of country music.

C) Comma to separate initial independent clauses from subsequent dependent clauses

Examples: Legal decisions at the Appeal Court are seldom unanimous, partly because

judges represent opposing legal, social, and philosophical views.

Mr. Simpson now likes golf and bingo, although he still enjoys the New York Times and some of the quieter musicals.

D) Comma before a qualifying phrase

Examples: Vancouver residents receive the best health care, according to recent surveys.

Tanya always liked to listen to the sounds of the New Brunswick night,

especially ocean waves, crickets, freight trains, and wind in thick

grass.

E) Comma before a coordinating conjunction

Example: Tasha trekked 20 kilometres from the disaster site to the heights, but

still she had the stamina to scale the bluff and to build a large signal

fire.

F) No single comma between a subject and its verb

Example: Gertrude O’Grady enjoys Toronto.

Incorrect Example: Members of the control group representing the four

territories involved in the study, were later interviewed individually.

Corrected #1: Members of the control group representing the four

territories involved in the study were later interviewed individually.

The writer reviewed the sentence and decided that surely a

comma must be required after such a longish preamble. But the incorrect

comma in this case creates a blockage, so to speak, between subject

(“members”) and verb (“were interviewed”). Remember that the basic

English sentence structure is a direct movement from subject to verb. If

anything of a parenthetical (nice-to-know but not essential) nature

stands between the subject and verb, then a pause in flow is

acknowledged by surrounding commas (e.g., The members, who represented

four regions, were later interviewed.). In the example above, the words

“of the control group representing the four territories” are all

essential to defining the members in question. These words are therefore

restrictive (see CE 15); that is, they must be there to clarify the

subject. They may be thought of as a part of the subject (see the

Handbook, Section 1, p. 461 for discussion of a “complete subject,”

i.e., the main subject and its qualifying terms).

From the point of view of style, note that the example above is in the

passive voice (discussed under CE 14). Using the active voice and

perhaps breaking the information into two sentences would help avoid the

sense of extending the sentence for too long without a pause.

Corrected #2: Members of the control group represented the four

territories involved in the study. Following the first stage of the

experiment, a researcher interviewed each control group member

individually.

Two rules of thumb for mastering commas are (1) if in doubt, leave it

out, and (2) remove doubt by learning the advice offered on page 491

(A–F). Also see “B” on page 477, in Section 2 of this Handbook.

9. MISUSED COLON OR SEMICOLON

These two pieces of punctuation are neither mystical nor inscrutable.

The colon and semicolon are distinct units of punctuation and are

governed by simple, definite rules.

The Colon

The colon allows several choices following it: that is to say, on the

right side of the colon, you have options. However, the colon requires

that an independent clause precede it: on its left side. The colon,

sometimes called the full colon to distinguish it from the semicolon,

can introduce a range of grammatical elements: a list, an independent or

dependent clause, a phrase, or even a single word. Remember, however,

that the colon must be preceded by an independent clause.

Incorrect use of colon: Some of the kind and interesting students from

the SJHS Class of 2008 are: Tanya, Louise Mennier, Tzigane, Mike Moore,

Peggy Grimmer, and Sue Logan.

Corrected #1: There are many kind and interesting students from the SJHS

Class of 2008: Tanya, Louise Mennier, Tzigane, Mike Moore, Peggy

Grimmer, and Sue Logan.

Corrected #2: Some kind and interesting students from the SJHS class of

2008 include the following: Tanya, Louise Mennier, Tzigane, Mike Moore,

Peggy Grimmer, and Sue Logan.

Other uses of the colon include these options:

List: Many common household pets are quite small: poodles, cats, goldfish, and iguanas.

Phrase or dependent clause: Montreal has long been considered the Paris

of North America: a city that offers francophone style and the

second-largest number of French speakers in the world.

Single word: Barbara teaches at one of Canada’s best universities: Dalhousie.

The Semicolon

The semicolon joins independent clauses. The semicolon, however, is

often misused as a comma (perhaps a comma with a hat). To use the

semicolon correctly, you must be able to recognize an independent clause

(a subject with conjugated verb).

Incorrect use of semicolon: Yellow golf pants are silly; especially for Mr. and Mrs. Almond.

Corrected: Yellow golf pants are silly; this is especially true for Mr. and Mrs. Almond.

10. TENSE PROBLEMS

Knowing when to use the various tenses in English can be a challenge;

however, a number of tense errors occur simply because the writer is

unfamiliar with the correct form of the verb called for in certain

contexts.

Examples: Yesterday, he seen her skip class.

That evening she come back from the rock concert with a big poster and new T-shirt.

She was so tired today that she laid on the couch.

The correct form of the simple past of “see” is “saw,” not “seen.”

“Seen” is a past participle, as in “She had seen the cougar in the

ravine on several occasions before it was reported in the paper.” In the

second example, the correct word should be

“came,” the simple past of “come.” The third example commits a common

confusion between the verbs “to lie” and “to lay” (meaning to put down

an object). The simple past of “lie” is “lay.” The simple past of “lay”

is “laid.”

More detailed help with verb tenses is provided in the Handbook, Section 1, Appendix B, “Irregular Verbs” (p. 469).

Tip: When summarizing and analyzing an essay or other form of writing,

use present tense (sometimes called “literary” or “historical” present),

even if the reading itself uses past tense and even if the work was

written some time ago.

Example: In her essay “Canadians: What Do They Want?” Margaret Atwood suggests that many Canadians resent the United States.

11. MIXED CONSTRUCTION

Because English has alternative syntactical ways to express the same

idea, writers sometimes find themselves stuck between two approaches.

Example: By endorsing the candidate at today’s meeting means having to support him next month as well.

The writer has become caught between two possible statements:

Corrected #1: Endorsing the candidate at today’s meeting means having to support him next month.

Corrected #2: By endorsing the candidate at today’s meeting, you [or possibly “we”] will have to support him next month.

Mixed constructions often involve clauses joined incorrectly by

coordinating and subordinating conjunctions or conjunctive adverbs.

Example: Because you are such a good writer, so you should begin to outline a book.

Corrected #1: You are such a good writer that you should outline a book.

Corrected #2: Because you are such a good writer, you should outline a book.

Corrected #3: You are a remarkably good writer, so you should outline a book.

Be careful not to use subordinate adverbial clauses as subject complements.

Example: Another difficult situation in Scrabble is when your opponent has a blank and an “S.”

Corrected: Another difficult situation arises when your opponent has a blank and an “S.”

Be careful not to use subordinate clauses beginning with “where” to describe conditions.

Example: Envy is where you wish you had someone else’s possessions.

Envy, a quality or state of being, is not a place, so the

modifying word “where” (normally used to refer to places) is

inappropriate. Similarly, envy is not a unit of time, so you should not

use “when” in the above example.

Corrected: Envy involves wishing you had someone else’s possessions or achievements.

12. PARALLEL STRUCTURE REQUIRED

Some sentence structures require a writer to complete—by making

parallel—a grammatical structure that he or she has already begun

earlier in the sentence.

Parallelism requires this completion of a language pattern. This is

really a matter of word order, which is also called syntax. Your

sentence construction will be parallel if it expresses equivalent

elements in equivalent syntactical divisions.

Be alert to the need for parallelism in sentence structures with the following:

A) Lists

Faulty parallelism: Canada has become famous for its defence of human

rights, democratic health care, for the interspace Canadarm, and when

SCTV produced all those good comedians.

Corrected: Canada has become famous for its human rights, health care, Canadarm, and SCTV comedians.

After “for its,” the list now runs parallel to a series of nouns.

B) Verbs

Faulty parallelism: Recent biotechnology developments have sparked

fierce health debates, consumer rights, outcries, and have raised

general concern about “Frankenfoods” in everyone’s grocery order.

Corrected: Recent biotechnological developments have sparked fierce

health debates, consumer rights outcries, and general concern about

“Frankenfoods” in everyone’s grocery order.

By deleting “have raised,” we make the sentence parallel as a list whose

different items all hang on “have sparked” (have sparked a, b, and c).

C) Prepositions

Faulty parallelism: We asked for more popcorn, extra chocolates, and for more peanuts.

Corrected #1: We asked for more popcorn, chocolates, and peanuts.

Corrected #2: We asked for more popcorn, for extra chocolates, and for more peanuts.

Though both versions are grammatically parallel, #1 is more concise.

D) “Not only … but also” constructions

Faulty parallelism: John F. Kennedy cared not only for civil rights, but also cared about increased education.

Corrected #1: John F. Kennedy cared not only for civil rights but also for education.

Corrected #2: John F. Kennedy not only cared for civil rights but also advocated education.

Though both versions are parallel, #1 is more concise. In #1, “not only …

but also …” are followed by nouns introduced by the same preposition.

In #2, “not only … but also” are followed by the operative verbs.

E) “Either … or” constructions

Faulty parallelism: We either take the bus or a taxi.

Corrected #1: We either take the bus or call a taxi.

Corrected #2: We take either the bus or a taxi.

13. APOSTROPHE PROBLEMS

The apostrophe signals possession or contraction.

Possession

The possessive case signals that one noun possesses another. “The hat

that belongs to Samantha” becomes “Samantha’s hat.” “The trouble in

Denmark” is “Denmark’s trouble.”

There are two types of the possessive case: singular and plural. You can

determine which one you require by asking yourself what number (how

many) is or are possessing, not how many are possessed.

Singular possessive: The International Space Station’s problems are serious.

Since there is only one space station here, you use the singular possessive case (’s).

Plural possessive: These various students’ concerns are serious.

Since there is more than one student here (“various”), you would use the plural possessive case (s’s or s’).

Tip: Watch out for collective nouns, which usually operate as singular

nouns, though they refer to more than one person or thing.

Example: The committee’s representatives asked for a meeting with the reporter.

Contraction

A contraction uses an apostrophe to note the omission of a character in a

word. Do not confuse a contraction with the possessive case.

Example: The car wouldn’t start this morning.

Do not use the apostrophe to express the plural of numbers or dates.

Example: Those who wish to get nine’s, put up your hands.

Corrected: Those who wish to get nines, put up your hands.

Example: Neglect of grammar began with well-meaning ideas of the 1960’s.

Corrected: Neglect of grammar began with well-meaning ideas of the 1960s.

14. OVERUSE OF PASSIVE VOICE

“Voice” is conveyed partly by the form of the verb and its helpers (the

predicate); however, be careful to distinguish between the concepts of

tense (when a thing is taking place) and voice (whether the subject of

the action is stated as the grammatical subject of the sentence).

Passive voice can operate in any tense.

Examples: That bridge will be crossed by me when it is gotten to by me.

That bridge is crossed by me when it is gotten to by me.

That bridge was crossed by me when it was gotten to by me.

Passive voice adds unnecessary words and often results in awkward

indirectness. Note that the person doing the action in the examples

above is relegated to serving as the complement of the verb “will be

crossed.” It is even possible to express a complete sentence in the

passive voice without including the doer of the action at all.

Example: That bridge will be crossed when it is gotten to.

Grammatically, this sentence is considered complete, because “bridge”

functions as the subject. As you can see, passive voice tends to be

wordy, indirect, and vague. Someone will cross the bridge, but who? In

certain cases, you and your reader do not need to be concerned with the

identity of the doer of the action; sometimes the passive voice is

preferred as a way to deflect accountability. (Example: “A problem was

introduced during the processing stage.” The writer may well be

attempting to cover up for the culprit: who caused the problem.)

Sometimes the doers of the action are less important to the idea and

purpose than what they have done or said (“Smoking is prohibited,”

“Basic Instinct will be shown at midnight”). For most occasions, however, active voice is the better choice: it gives more complete information and communicates energy.

Some handbooks and instructors consider all forms of “being” or “to be”

to constitute passive voice, since a state of being may be thought of as

inert.

Example: She was doubtful of her chances.

The same idea can be expressed more vigorously as “She doubted her

chances.” To constitute true passive voice as we are defining the

concept, the above sentence would have to read, “Her chances were

doubted [by her].” Regardless of the line between definitions, a good

general rule is to make the doer of the action in any sentence you write

the grammatical subject of your sentence—and when you can, try to add

vigour by replacing verbs of being with more energetic alternatives.

15. CONFUSION OVER RESTRICTIVE AND NON-RESTRICTIVE QUALIFIERS

Some qualifiers require two commas to set them off from the rest of the

sentence, while other qualifiers do not. Qualifiers that require commas

are called non-essential or non-restrictive. They are not structurally

necessary for the sentence in which they appear. Qualifiers that do not

require commas are called restrictive and are essential for meaning in

their sentences.

Restrictive: No commas, since qualifier is essential to meaning

Non-restrictive: Qualifier that is not essential to meaning

Two commas if appearing within a sentence

One comma if appearing at the beginning or end of a sentence

Example (non-restrictive): Violence in the Middle East, an ongoing

problem, has disrupted the lives of all citizens in the region.

The qualifier “an ongoing problem” is extra, not essential to this

sentence. Since the sentence’s grammatical structure and meaning can

work without this qualifier, it is non-restrictive: this qualifier does

not restrict the meaning of what it qualifies. By placing two commas

around the qualifier, you show that it is non-restrictive.

Tip: Often, students will forget the second comma, therefore forgetting

to close off the non-restrictive qualifier from the rest of the

sentence. If you open the qualifier, remember to close it: “Our Irish

friend, Ulton, likes funk music.”

Example (restrictive): The Tragically Hip song “Cordelia” explores the

attitude of a self-destructive man who takes the generous concern of

others for granted.

Restrictive qualifiers are sometimes tricky. If you cannot “pop” the

qualifier out of the sentence without changing or blocking the meaning

of the sentence, then it is an essential or restrictive qualifier (and

so requires no commas). In our example above, if you placed commas

around “Cordelia,” you would mistakenly turn it into a non-restrictive

qualifier and just as mistakenly convey that it is optional, or

non-essential, to the sentence’s meaning. If “Cordelia” were not in the

sentence as it is, what song would the sentence refer to? Since the

Tragically Hip have several songs, the sentence’s meaning would be

unclear, so “Cordelia” is necessary, essential, and restrictive—and

therefore appears without commas.

Example: People who live in glass houses should not throw rocks.

If you can “pop” the qualifier out of the sentence, then it is

non-restrictive (or non-essential) and requires two framing commas. A

non-restrictive qualifier provides extra, not essential information.

Example: Toronto and Vancouver, our largest cities, have high costs of living.