Sentence Level Corrections A Harbrace Handbook Assignment

Instructions: Print out a copy of this assignment  and keep it handy for reference as you complete sentence-level corrections for all essays.

Purpose: The purpose of these sentence-level corrections is to help you identify the most common grammatical and mechanical errors you are likely to write so that you will not make these mistakes in the essays you submit for the portfolio. To pass English 1010, you must be able to write Standard American English, which in part means writing free of the following errors: sentence fragments (Harbrace 2), comma spliced or run-on sentences (Harbrace 3), subject/verb and pronoun/antecedent disagreements (Harbrace 6a and 6b), verb errors (Harbrace 7), the misuse or omission of the apostrophe (Harbrace 15), and misspellings (Harbrace 18).

Requirements: You are required to correct sentence-level errors that your teacher marks with Harbrace Handbook numbers on your essays.  Following the instructions below, make these corrections soon after your writing is returned.  These corrections will be checked periodically, where right corrections will earn you homework credit points.

Procedure for Making Corrections: Enter all corrections for Harbrace-numbered errors by following these steps exactly (corrections done incorrectly must be redone):

Look up the section in the Harbrace Handbook for the numbered error.  Read the rule and all other pertinent information (especially look at examples), and ask your teacher questions about anything you don't understand.

When you believe you know what is in error, following the consecutive order of the errors in your essay, on the page opposite your error (this will be either the back of the feedback sheet, or coversheet, if the error is on your first page, or on the back of subsequent pages of your essay), write (1) the number of the error and the rule that applies (the rule must be a complete sentence), and (2) your sentence (the entire sentence) corrected.  For example:

Rule 12a: Commas come before a coordinating conjunction that links independent clauses.

Correction: They are hopeless and humble, so he loves them.

Important Notes: (1) If you have several errors of the same number, there is no need to write the rule more than once, but do correct all sentences that contain these errors. (2) If you have a sentence with multiple errors, write all the rules and then rewrite the sentence one time, correcting all errors.