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Learn to spot missing commas, wrong end marks, and capitalization mistakes so you can ace error-identification questions.
Have you ever read a text message with no periods or capital letters? It can be really confusing! Punctuation (marks like periods, commas, and question marks) and capitalization (using uppercase letters in the right places) are tools that help readers understand writing clearly. These rules did not appear overnight. They developed over hundreds of years.
On the TACHS, you will see sentences that may contain errors. Your job is to find the error—or decide that there is no error. Let's learn the rules that will help you do that.
There are a handful of key rules that show up again and again on the TACHS. If you learn these rules well, you will be ready for most error-identification questions. Let's look at the big five.
The diagram below shows a sample TACHS-style sentence broken into parts. Each part is checked for punctuation and capitalization. Look at how the error is highlighted in red and the correct version is shown in green.
Notice that the word "Bronx" also needed a capital letter because it is the name of a specific place. On the TACHS, you might see only one error per question. Read every word carefully and check each part of the sentence against the rules you have learned.
On the TACHS, error-identification questions usually give you a sentence divided into underlined parts. You pick the part that has an error—or you choose "No error" if the sentence is correct. Let's break down the strategy you should follow.
| Capitalize | Do NOT Capitalize |
|---|---|
| Names: Maria, Dr. Lee | General titles: the doctor, a teacher |
| Specific places: Bronx Zoo, Lake Michigan | General places: the zoo, the lake |
| Days, months, holidays: Monday, July, Easter | Seasons: summer, winter, fall |
| Languages and nationalities: Spanish, French | School subjects (general): math, science |
| Titles of books and movies: The Lion King | Short words in titles (unless first): of, the, and |
Punctuation errors are the most common mistakes tested on the TACHS. The diagram below groups the main punctuation rules you need to know and gives you a quick example for each one.
A compound sentence joins two complete thoughts with a connecting word like and, but, or so. You need a comma before that connecting word. For example: "I studied for the test, and I felt confident." If you forget the comma, the sentence runs together and becomes harder to read.
Let's walk through a TACHS-style question together, step by step. Follow along and see how we use the 4-Step Error Check.
The TACHS uses certain tricks to trip you up. The table below lists the most common traps and gives you a strategy for each one.
| Trap | Example | How to Beat It |
|---|---|---|
| Capitalizing seasons | "We went camping in Summer." | Seasons are NOT capitalized unless they start a sentence. It should be "summer." |
| its vs. it's | "The cat licked it's paw." | "It's" means "it is." For possession, use "its" (no apostrophe). |
| Missing comma after intro | "After the game we ate pizza." | Put a comma after the intro phrase: "After the game, we ate pizza." |
| Question with a period | "Where is my backpack." | If it asks something, it needs a question mark: "Where is my backpack?" |
| No-error trick | A perfectly correct sentence | Don't overthink. If every part follows the rules, choose "No error." |
The basic rules covered in this lesson will handle most TACHS questions. But as you continue growing as a writer, you will meet more advanced punctuation and capitalization challenges. Here is a sneak peek at what comes next.
| What You Know Now | What's Coming Next |
|---|---|
| Commas in a series of three or more items | Semicolons to join two related complete sentences |
| Apostrophes for singular possession (the dog's bone) | Apostrophes for plural possession (the dogs' bones) |
| Capitalizing proper nouns like names and places | Capitalizing titles of books, movies, and songs correctly |
| Commas after introductory words | Commas to set off appositives (extra information about a noun) |
Don't worry about memorizing these advanced rules right now. Focus on mastering the basics first. Once you feel confident with commas, end marks, apostrophes, and capitalization, you will be ready to tackle these more advanced skills in high school English classes.
Try these five problems on your own. For each one, decide which underlined part contains an error—or choose "No error." Then check the answer and explanation below.
To spot errors on the TACHS, remember the key rules. Every sentence needs an end mark that matches its purpose: a period for statements, a question mark for questions, and an exclamation point for strong feelings. Use commas in a series of three or more items, after introductory words or phrases, and before a conjunction in a compound sentence. Apostrophes show possession or form contractions—but remember that "its" (possessive) has no apostrophe.
For capitalization, always capitalize proper nouns (names of people, places, days, months, holidays, and languages) and titles that come before a person's name. Do not capitalize seasons or general common nouns. Use the 4-Step Error Check: read the whole sentence, check capitalization, check punctuation, then choose your answer. If everything follows the rules, "No error" is a perfectly valid choice.