Clarity Through Grammar/Mechanics - AP English Language and Composition

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words for related ideas. Creates rhythm and balance by repeating grammatical forms.

Correct: 'She said that she would call; however, she did not.'. Conjunctive adverbs like 'however' need semicolon before them.

A run-on sentence has two or more independent clauses without proper punctuation. Lacks proper punctuation or conjunctions between independent clauses.

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. Provides additional information about the noun it follows.

Correct: 'Neither the teacher nor the students are ready.'. 'Neither...nor' with plural second subject takes plural verb.

Correct: 'I like coffee, but she prefers tea.'. Two independent clauses need comma and conjunction to connect properly.

Correct: 'Everyone should do his or her best.'. 'Everyone' is singular; 'their' is plural, creating disagreement.

Correct: 'It's raining heavily.'. Contraction 'it's' means 'it is'; possessive 'its' has no apostrophe.

Correct: 'The dog's bone is missing.'. Singular possession requires apostrophe before 's'.

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words for related ideas. Creates rhythm and balance by repeating grammatical forms.

Subject-verb agreement means the subject and verb must agree in number. Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.

Correct: 'Each of the students has a book.'. 'Each' is singular indefinite pronoun requiring singular verb.

An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to. The word that the pronoun replaces or refers back to.

'Affect' is a verb; 'effect' is a noun. Remember: affect = action verb, effect = end result noun.

Correct: 'The principal of the school.'. Principal = person in charge; principle = fundamental rule or belief.

Correct: 'My friend is coming over.'. Redundant pronoun 'she' unnecessary when subject is already stated.

Passive voice occurs when the subject receives the action of the verb. Subject receives action rather than performing it actively.

An Oxford comma is the final comma before 'and' or 'or' in a list of items. Eliminates ambiguity in series by clearly separating all items.

Correct: 'She drove her kids to school almost every day.'. 'Almost' should modify 'every day', not 'drove' for correct meaning.

Correct: 'She is tired, but she continues to work.'. Two independent clauses need comma plus coordinating conjunction.

A fused sentence is two independent clauses joined without punctuation or conjunction. Also called run-on; clauses run together without proper connection.

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined with a comma. Creates a run-on sentence error that needs correction with semicolon or period.

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction. Multiple complete thoughts connected by coordinating conjunction and comma.

Correct: 'I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.'. Oxford comma prevents misreading and clarifies list structure.

A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and needs an independent clause. Contains subject and verb but cannot express complete thought alone.

Correct: 'He loves pizza; he eats it daily.'. Semicolon properly separates two related independent clauses.

Correct: 'I went to bed early because I was tired.'. Dependent clause needs independent clause to form complete sentence.

Correct: 'She likes hiking, swimming, and cycling.'. All items in series must use same grammatical structure.

A split infinitive occurs when an adverb is placed between 'to' and the verb. Traditionally avoided in formal writing for clarity and flow.