{"id":238,"date":"2025-04-17T16:35:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/obvious-mechanical-errors\/"},"modified":"2025-06-26T21:45:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T21:45:16","slug":"obvious-mechanical-errors","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/obvious-mechanical-errors\/","title":{"raw":"Editing and Proofreading: Learn It 3","rendered":"Editing and Proofreading: Learn It 3"},"content":{"raw":"<h2>Editing Punctuation Errors<\/h2>\r\nWriters do themselves a great favor by learning to understand punctuation conceptually, as follows:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2993\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"169\"]<img class=\"wp-image-2993 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4975\/2020\/01\/02195042\/question-1243504_1280-169x300.png\" alt=\"A question mark.\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" \/> <strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. Ensure to ask yourself which punctuation marks are most appropriate for the material at hand.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nA <strong>comma<\/strong> is a separator. Therefore, when you use one you should identify why the material is worthy of separation. Common reasons include that you used a transition word or phrase that creates a natural pause; you wrote a lengthy, complex sentence with multiple subjects and verbs; and that you supplied a list of three or more related items or phrases in a row.\r\n\r\nA <strong>colon<\/strong> is an arrow pointing forward. It tells the reader that new information, which is promised by the wording before it, is about to arrive. The colon is especially handy for introducing an announced piece of evidence, a focused example, or a list. Contrary to popular belief, the colon can be used to point us forward to a single word or to an entire sentence, as in the old George Carlin joke: \u201cWeather forecast for tonight: dark.\u201d\r\n\r\nA <strong>semicolon<\/strong> is a mark of co-dependency. This mark is so often confused with the colon that their distinction bears mention: \u201cThe colon is two dots; the semicolon is a comma below a dot.\u201d As the explanation demonstrates, the semicolon is usually used to join phrases or sentences having grammatical equivalency, and it emphasizes that the joined parts are related, even co-dependent, in context.\r\n\r\nA <strong>dash<\/strong> redefines what was just said. It is a powerful way to make an important aside or to tack on an additional comment of consequence\u2014a comment that redefines. When typing the dash, be certain that you don\u2019t type a hyphen, but two hyphens in a row or a long bar.\r\n<h2>Common Punctuation Fixes<\/h2>\r\n<h3>Comma After Introductory Element<\/h3>\r\nIt\u2019s important to remember that\u00a0<strong>introductory words and phrases<\/strong>\u2014any words or phrases that come before the main clause in a sentence\u2014should be set off with a comma.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Here is an example of a sentence that does not include the required comma:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>After working a late night work shift I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse on my bed.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nHere is the corrected version:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>After working a late night work shift, I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse on my bed.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h4>Unnecessary Comma<\/h4>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nWhen writers are first learning comma rules, they have a tendency to forget that the rules all depend upon the situation. So, when you learn to place a comma before a\u00a0<strong>coordinating conjunction<\/strong>\u00a0like\u00a0<strong>and<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>but<\/strong>, or\u00a0<strong>so<\/strong>\u00a0when you join two independent clauses, you might have an urge to place a comma before\u00a0<strong>and<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>but<\/strong>, or\u00a0<strong>so<\/strong>\u00a0every time you use these words. You should avoid this urge!\r\n\r\nJust because you need to use commas with coordinating conjunctions sometimes doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll use them all the time.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Here is an example of a sentence that contains an unnecessary comma:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>\u00a0wanted to meal prep for the week, but completely forgot to go grocery shopping.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nHere is the corrected version:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>I wanted to meal prep for the week but completely forgot to go grocery shopping.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn this example, you don\u2019t need a comma before the <strong>but<\/strong> because you aren\u2019t combining two independent clauses.\r\n\r\n<\/section>You should also be careful that you aren\u2019t using commas unnecessarily around information that is essential to the sentence. The comma rule is that non-essential information should be set off with commas, but essential information should not.\r\n<h3>Missing Comma<\/h3>\r\nJust as you should not put commas around essential or restrictive information in a sentence, you must remember to put commas around information that is non-essential or nonrestrictive.\r\n\r\nIf the information is not essential to the meaning of the sentence, you need to be sure to set it off with commas.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Here is an incorrect example of a sentence without proper commas around the nonrestrictive element:\r\n<div class=\"bad-example shorten\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"example\">The internship I applied for which focuses on environmental sustainability offers a paid summer position.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nHere is the corrected version:\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li data-start=\"1187\" data-end=\"1438\">\r\n<p data-start=\"1190\" data-end=\"1438\">The internship I applied for, which focuses on environmental sustainability, offers a paid summer position.<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<div class=\"good-example \">\r\n<div class=\"bad-example shorten\">\r\n<h3 class=\"fa-icon\">Missing Comma in Compound Sentences<\/h3>\r\nWhen you join two\u00a0<strong>independent clauses\u00a0<\/strong>(complete sentences) with a\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/parts-of-speech\/conjunctions\/coordinating-conjunctions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">coordinating conjunction<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet\u2014also known as the FANBOYS), you must place a comma before the coordinating conjunction.\r\n\r\nThe rule is very clear here. The comma before the coordinating conjunction works <em>with<\/em>\u00a0the coordinating conjunction to help make a proper boundary between the two independent clauses.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Here is an incorrect example of a sentence without proper commas before the coordinating conjunction:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>I planned to start my research paper early but somehow I ended up watching five hours of reality TV instead.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nHere is the corrected version:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>I planned to start my research paper early, but somehow I ended up watching five hours of reality TV instead.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn this example, the sentence is missing the comma before the\u00a0<strong>but<\/strong>\u00a0because the\u00a0<strong>but\u00a0<\/strong>joins two complete thoughts. Leaving out this necessary comma creates an error because you have two sentences connected without a proper boundary between those sentences.\r\n\r\n<\/section><section class=\"textbox interact\" aria-label=\"Interact\">Now practice spotting some of these common editing concerns in the following activity.<iframe src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1290973682644240548\/embed\" width=\"1088\" height=\"637\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<h2>Editing Punctuation Errors<\/h2>\n<p>Writers do themselves a great favor by learning to understand punctuation conceptually, as follows:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2993\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2993\" style=\"width: 169px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2993 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4975\/2020\/01\/02195042\/question-1243504_1280-169x300.png\" alt=\"A question mark.\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. Ensure to ask yourself which punctuation marks are most appropriate for the material at hand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A <strong>comma<\/strong> is a separator. Therefore, when you use one you should identify why the material is worthy of separation. Common reasons include that you used a transition word or phrase that creates a natural pause; you wrote a lengthy, complex sentence with multiple subjects and verbs; and that you supplied a list of three or more related items or phrases in a row.<\/p>\n<p>A <strong>colon<\/strong> is an arrow pointing forward. It tells the reader that new information, which is promised by the wording before it, is about to arrive. The colon is especially handy for introducing an announced piece of evidence, a focused example, or a list. Contrary to popular belief, the colon can be used to point us forward to a single word or to an entire sentence, as in the old George Carlin joke: \u201cWeather forecast for tonight: dark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A <strong>semicolon<\/strong> is a mark of co-dependency. This mark is so often confused with the colon that their distinction bears mention: \u201cThe colon is two dots; the semicolon is a comma below a dot.\u201d As the explanation demonstrates, the semicolon is usually used to join phrases or sentences having grammatical equivalency, and it emphasizes that the joined parts are related, even co-dependent, in context.<\/p>\n<p>A <strong>dash<\/strong> redefines what was just said. It is a powerful way to make an important aside or to tack on an additional comment of consequence\u2014a comment that redefines. When typing the dash, be certain that you don\u2019t type a hyphen, but two hyphens in a row or a long bar.<\/p>\n<h2>Common Punctuation Fixes<\/h2>\n<h3>Comma After Introductory Element<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s important to remember that\u00a0<strong>introductory words and phrases<\/strong>\u2014any words or phrases that come before the main clause in a sentence\u2014should be set off with a comma.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Here is an example of a sentence that does not include the required comma:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After working a late night work shift I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse on my bed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here is the corrected version:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After working a late night work shift, I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse on my bed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h4>Unnecessary Comma<\/h4>\n<div>\n<p>When writers are first learning comma rules, they have a tendency to forget that the rules all depend upon the situation. So, when you learn to place a comma before a\u00a0<strong>coordinating conjunction<\/strong>\u00a0like\u00a0<strong>and<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>but<\/strong>, or\u00a0<strong>so<\/strong>\u00a0when you join two independent clauses, you might have an urge to place a comma before\u00a0<strong>and<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>but<\/strong>, or\u00a0<strong>so<\/strong>\u00a0every time you use these words. You should avoid this urge!<\/p>\n<p>Just because you need to use commas with coordinating conjunctions sometimes doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll use them all the time.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Here is an example of a sentence that contains an unnecessary comma:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0wanted to meal prep for the week, but completely forgot to go grocery shopping.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here is the corrected version:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I wanted to meal prep for the week but completely forgot to go grocery shopping.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this example, you don\u2019t need a comma before the <strong>but<\/strong> because you aren\u2019t combining two independent clauses.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>You should also be careful that you aren\u2019t using commas unnecessarily around information that is essential to the sentence. The comma rule is that non-essential information should be set off with commas, but essential information should not.<\/p>\n<h3>Missing Comma<\/h3>\n<p>Just as you should not put commas around essential or restrictive information in a sentence, you must remember to put commas around information that is non-essential or nonrestrictive.<\/p>\n<p>If the information is not essential to the meaning of the sentence, you need to be sure to set it off with commas.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Here is an incorrect example of a sentence without proper commas around the nonrestrictive element:<\/p>\n<div class=\"bad-example shorten\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"example\">The internship I applied for which focuses on environmental sustainability offers a paid summer position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Here is the corrected version:<\/p>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"1187\" data-end=\"1438\">\n<p data-start=\"1190\" data-end=\"1438\">The internship I applied for, which focuses on environmental sustainability, offers a paid summer position.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"good-example\">\n<div class=\"bad-example shorten\">\n<h3 class=\"fa-icon\">Missing Comma in Compound Sentences<\/h3>\n<p>When you join two\u00a0<strong>independent clauses\u00a0<\/strong>(complete sentences) with a\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/parts-of-speech\/conjunctions\/coordinating-conjunctions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">coordinating conjunction<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet\u2014also known as the FANBOYS), you must place a comma before the coordinating conjunction.<\/p>\n<p>The rule is very clear here. The comma before the coordinating conjunction works <em>with<\/em>\u00a0the coordinating conjunction to help make a proper boundary between the two independent clauses.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example\" aria-label=\"Example\">Here is an incorrect example of a sentence without proper commas before the coordinating conjunction:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I planned to start my research paper early but somehow I ended up watching five hours of reality TV instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here is the corrected version:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I planned to start my research paper early, but somehow I ended up watching five hours of reality TV instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this example, the sentence is missing the comma before the\u00a0<strong>but<\/strong>\u00a0because the\u00a0<strong>but\u00a0<\/strong>joins two complete thoughts. Leaving out this necessary comma creates an error because you have two sentences connected without a proper boundary between those sentences.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"textbox interact\" aria-label=\"Interact\">Now practice spotting some of these common editing concerns in the following activity.<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1290973682644240548\/embed\" width=\"1088\" height=\"637\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"menu_order":17,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Obvious Mechanical Errors\",\"author\":\"Karen Forgette and Guy Krueger\",\"organization\":\"University of Mississippi\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of a question mark\",\"author\":\"VintageSnipsAndClips\",\"organization\":\"Pixabay\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/vectors\/question-question-mark-punctuation-1243504\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"other\",\"license_terms\":\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/service\/terms\/#license\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Modification, adaptation, and original content\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"20 Most Common Grammar Errors\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Excelsior OWL\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/common-errors\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":224,"module-header":"learn_it","content_attributions":[{"type":"original","description":"Obvious Mechanical Errors","author":"Karen Forgette and Guy Krueger","organization":"University of Mississippi","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"cc","description":"Image of a question mark","author":"VintageSnipsAndClips","organization":"Pixabay","url":"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/vectors\/question-question-mark-punctuation-1243504\/","project":"","license":"other","license_terms":"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/service\/terms\/#license"},{"type":"original","description":"Modification, adaptation, and original content","author":"","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"cc","description":"20 Most Common Grammar Errors","author":"","organization":"Excelsior OWL","url":"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/grammar-essentials\/common-errors\/","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""}],"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/238"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2668,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/238\/revisions\/2668"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/224"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/238\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=238"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=238"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}