Major Errors
Some students and writers argue that grammar is not an especially important part of composition when compared to content and organization, yet employers repeatedly eliminate job seekers whose applications, resumes, and cover letters contain grammatical errors.  In addition, grammatical errors generally distract readers from the ideas that writers are trying to express and consequently diminish the clarity of their explanations or persuasiveness of their arguments.  For these two reasons I impose very stiff penalties on major errors--grammatical mistakes which greatly distract from the content of your writing.

As I grade your essays, I circle the correction symbols or Bedford Handbook numbers that are major errors.  Students with more than four of such errors rarely pass an assignment.  Familiarize yourself with these errors and try to avoid them.  If you consistently make major errors, you should see me, so I can help you understand the problem and how to solve it.  The numbers and symbols for all mechanical and grammatical issues/problems are on the inside back cover of the Bedford.  Below are the errors that I consider major.

19 frag:  Sentence Fragment--fragments are groups of words that do not contain a subject and predicate or express a complete thought. 

            When I go to town.

            The best part of the show that always makes me laugh.

Run-on sentences are main/independent clauses that a writer has not joined correctly. Two types of run-ons exist:

20 fs:  Fused Sentence--occurs when no punctuation separates two main clauses

            I was cold the temperature was 32 degrees.

20 cs:  Comma Splice--occurs when two main/independent clauses are separated only with a comma

            I went to town, she stayed home.

21; agr: Subject and verb agreement--occurs when a plural noun accompanies a singular verb or a singular noun accompanies a plural verb

            Neither like the friends of the other.

            Everybody in the office have been to the show.

22; agr:  Pronoun agreement--occurs when a pronoun does not agree with its antecedent

            The team is playing their last game.

13b shift; 28a vb: Verb Form--needless and distracting shifts in verb tense or incorrect tense

            He came up to me in the movie theater and tries to take my seat.

            Has the teacher spoke to you about the grade?