Usage and construction checklists

Transition phrase tips for the English Language Learner (ELL, ESL, EFL)
University of Minnesota's Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist  (Print from Archive)
Notice which verbs in the use-with-"of" section differ from those in your language.

Strive to construct correctly punctuated sentences. With each noun, consider what you want to convey to the reader when you select "a," "the," or no article. (Practice here https://grosslearning.blogspot.com/2020/07/articles.html) Use prepositions and spelling typical in General American English. (TBD links) If you want to capitalize all Nouns, then you should be studying German instead of English.

Make sure that your tenses make sense in any language. When in doubt, try writing in the present tense. (TBD examples) Know your endings! The plural, possessive, and verb-agreement markers all use the ending /s/, realized as [s], [z], and [Iz]. The past tense ending likewise is realized as [t], [d], and [Id]. The more you say it, the more you'll hear it, the more chance you'll write it.

Avoid run-on sentences and sentence fragments. Know when to use infinitive verbs. Lists with parallel constructions will help your reader understand your point and give logical structure to your thoughts.  My grocery list has "apples, pears, and bananas"; the Queen's list has "apples, pears and bananas." You use more commas than the Queen does.

Use comma + which when the both clauses refer to the same item.
These two sentences mean different things. The second queen has more jewels!
The Queen's jewels, which are in England, are worth $5 billion dollars.
The Queen's jewels that are in England are worth $5 billion dollars.


by E. Groszek,
of blessed memory

You don't need to write "For example" or "For instance." For a five-paragraph essay, you can just jump in with the example that makes your point. 

Use the infinitive after a verb and nowhere else. Use "that" before an indirect quote.
The Bronx checklist:
The Owl

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