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Subject-verb agreement	A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb (The box of pencils IS on the desk.)		tp-grammar-rules
Ignore the phrase between	Words in a prepositional phrase after the subject do not change the verb (One of the dogs BARKS.)		tp-grammar-rules
Compound subject with and	Two subjects joined by 'and' usually take a plural verb (Tom and Ana ARE here.)		tp-grammar-rules
Subjects joined by or/nor	The verb agrees with the subject closer to it (Neither the cats nor the dog IS hungry.)		tp-grammar-rules
Collective nouns	Treat as singular when the group acts as one unit (The team IS winning.)		tp-grammar-rules
Indefinite pronouns: singular	each, every, either, neither, everyone, someone, anybody take singular verbs (Everyone HAS a seat.)		tp-grammar-rules
Indefinite pronouns: plural	both, few, many, several take plural verbs (Few ARE ready.)		tp-grammar-rules
Inverted sentences	Find the real subject even when the verb comes first (There ARE three reasons.)		tp-grammar-rules
Pronoun-antecedent agreement	A pronoun must match its noun in number and gender (Each student brought HIS OR HER (or THEIR) book.)		tp-grammar-rules
Pronoun case: subject	Use I, he, she, we, they as subjects (She and I left.)		tp-grammar-rules
Pronoun case: object	Use me, him, her, us, them as objects (He gave it to her and me.)		tp-grammar-rules
Who vs. whom	'Who' is a subject; 'whom' is an object; test with he/him (To whom did you speak?)		tp-grammar-rules
Than/as comparisons	Finish the comparison in your head to pick the case (She is taller than I (am).)		tp-grammar-rules
Ambiguous pronoun	Make clear which noun a pronoun refers to		tp-grammar-rules
Its vs. it's	'Its' shows possession; 'it's' means 'it is' or 'it has'		tp-grammar-rules
Their, there, they're	Their = belonging to them; there = place; they're = they are		tp-grammar-rules
Your vs. you're	'Your' shows possession; 'you're' means 'you are'		tp-grammar-rules
Whose vs. who's	'Whose' shows possession; 'who's' means 'who is' or 'who has'		tp-grammar-rules
Affect vs. effect	Affect is usually a verb (to influence); effect is usually a noun (a result)		tp-grammar-rules
Then vs. than	'Then' relates to time; 'than' makes comparisons		tp-grammar-rules
Fewer vs. less	Use 'fewer' for things you can count; 'less' for amounts you cannot		tp-grammar-rules
Among vs. between	Use 'between' for two items; 'among' for three or more		tp-grammar-rules
Lie vs. lay	'Lie' (lie, lay, lain) means recline; 'lay' (lay, laid, laid) needs an object		tp-grammar-rules
Comparative	Compare two things with -er or 'more' (taller, more careful)		tp-grammar-rules
Superlative	Compare three or more with -est or 'most' (tallest, most careful)		tp-grammar-rules
Double comparison error	Do not stack -er and 'more' (Not 'more taller')		tp-grammar-rules
Parallel structure	Items in a list or pair must share the same grammatical form (running, jumping, and swimming)		tp-grammar-rules
Faulty parallelism fix	Match forms after 'not only... but also' and 'either... or'		tp-grammar-rules
Dangling modifier	An opening phrase must describe the noun that comes right after it (Walking home, the rain began (error).)		tp-grammar-rules
Misplaced modifier	Put a descriptive phrase next to the word it describes		tp-grammar-rules
Run-on sentence	Two complete sentences joined with no punctuation or connector		tp-grammar-rules
Comma splice	Two complete sentences joined with only a comma; fix with period, semicolon or conjunction		tp-grammar-rules
Sentence fragment	A group of words missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought		tp-grammar-rules
Semicolon	Joins two closely related complete sentences without a conjunction		tp-grammar-rules
Colon: after a complete sentence	A colon introduces a list, explanation or quote that follows a full independent clause		tp-grammar-rules
No colon after a verb	Do not put a colon between a verb and its object or between a preposition and its object		tp-grammar-rules
Comma with FANBOYS	Put a comma before for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so when joining two complete sentences		tp-grammar-rules
Comma after introductory phrase	Set off an opening phrase or clause with a comma		tp-grammar-rules
Commas in a series	Separate three or more items with commas (red, white, and blue)		tp-grammar-rules
Nonessential clause	Set off extra information with commas on both sides		tp-grammar-rules
Essential clause	Do not use commas around information needed to identify the noun		tp-grammar-rules
Which vs. that	'That' starts essential clauses; 'which' usually starts nonessential ones with commas		tp-grammar-rules
Appositive	A noun phrase renaming another noun; set it off with commas if nonessential		tp-grammar-rules
No comma between subject and verb	Never separate a subject from its verb with a single comma		tp-grammar-rules
Coordinate adjectives	Use a comma between adjectives that can be reordered or joined by 'and' (a long, dull speech)		tp-grammar-rules
Possessive singular noun	Add apostrophe + s (the dog's bone)		tp-grammar-rules
Possessive plural noun ending in s	Add only an apostrophe (the dogs' bones)		tp-grammar-rules
Irregular plural possessive	Add apostrophe + s (children's toys)		tp-grammar-rules
Apostrophes never make plurals	Do not write 'apple's' to mean more than one apple		tp-grammar-rules
Dashes	A pair of dashes sets off an interruption like a stronger parentheses		tp-grammar-rules
Hyphen in compound modifier	Hyphenate before a noun, not after (a well-known author; the author is well known)		tp-grammar-rules
Verb tense consistency	Keep the same tense unless the time truly changes		tp-grammar-rules
Past perfect	Use 'had' + past participle for an earlier past event (She had left before I arrived.)		tp-grammar-rules
Present perfect	Use 'has/have' + past participle for an action continuing to now (I have lived here for years.)		tp-grammar-rules
Conditional (if)	Use 'were' for unreal wishes (If I were you...)		tp-grammar-rules
Redundancy	Cut words that repeat meaning (Not 'past history' or 'return back')		tp-grammar-rules
Concision	Choose the shortest choice that keeps the full meaning		tp-grammar-rules
Idioms and prepositions	Learn fixed pairs (capable of, different from, interested in)		tp-grammar-rules
Active vs. passive voice	Active puts the doer first; passive hides or delays the doer		tp-grammar-rules
Transition words: contrast	however, but, yet, nevertheless, on the other hand		tp-grammar-rules
Transition words: addition	furthermore, moreover, also, in addition		tp-grammar-rules
Transition words: cause and effect	therefore, consequently, as a result, thus		tp-grammar-rules
Transition words: example	for instance, for example, specifically		tp-grammar-rules
Possessive before gerund	Use a possessive before an -ing noun (I appreciate your helping.)		tp-grammar-rules
Between you and me	After a preposition use object case (Not 'between you and I')		tp-grammar-rules
Reflexive pronouns	Use -self only when the subject is also the object (She hurt herself.)		tp-grammar-rules
Plural of numbers and letters	Write 1990s and A's; avoid needless apostrophes with decades		tp-grammar-rules
Quotation marks and punctuation	In American English, commas and periods go inside closing quotation marks		tp-grammar-rules
Question marks	Use with direct questions only, not indirect ones		tp-grammar-rules
Capitalization	Capitalize proper nouns, sentence starts, and titles before names		tp-grammar-rules
Number agreement with 'number'	'The number of' is singular; 'a number of' is plural		tp-grammar-rules
Neither/nor, either/or pairs	Always use 'nor' with 'neither' and 'or' with 'either'		tp-grammar-rules
Correlative parallelism	Both X and Y, not only X but also Y, need matching forms		tp-grammar-rules
Subject complement	After linking verbs use subject case (It is I.)		tp-grammar-rules
Adjectives vs. adverbs	Adjectives describe nouns; adverbs describe verbs, adjectives and other adverbs (She sings well.)		tp-grammar-rules
Good vs. well	'Good' is an adjective; 'well' is usually an adverb		tp-grammar-rules
Double negative	Do not use two negatives to express one negative idea		tp-grammar-rules
Verb forms	Use correct past participles (has gone, have written, had spoken)		tp-grammar-rules