Top 25 Errors in Student Papers

1. Wordiness W1-a–W1-c
2. Misused word W2-a, W2-e
3. Incorrect or ambiguous pronoun reference G1
4. Verb tense errors G5-a, G5-b
5. Missing comma between independent clauses P1-a
6. Problems with hyphens between compound adjectives M1-a
7. Missing comma after introductory elements P1-b
8. Capitalization of proper or common nouns M2-a
9. Unnecessary comma between compound elements P2-a
10. Incorrect spacing M3
11. Missing words E1-a–E1-d
12. 12. Missing comma with nonrestrictive word groups P1-c
13. Comma splice or fused sentence S1, S2
14. Problems in using quotation marks with other punctuation P6-b
15. Missing or unnecessary hyphens in compound nouns M1-b
16. Missing comma with transitional and parenthetical expressions, absolute phrases, and contrasted elements P1-d
17. Problems of pronoun-antecedent agreement G2
18. Incorrect preposition W2-b, T3
19. Misuse of who, which, or that G3
20. Unnecessarily complex sentence structure W1-b
21. Spelling out or using figures for numbers incorrectly M4
22. Problems with apostrophes in possessive nouns P7-a
23. Sentence fragment S3
24. Missing comma in items in a series P1-e
25. Unnecessary comma with restrictive word groups P2-b

1. Missing or unnecessary commas (P1-a–P1-d, P2-a–P2-g)
2. Errors in word choice (W1-a–W1-d, W2-a–W2-d)
3. Errors in pronoun reference, agreement, or use (G1, G2, G3)
4. Verb tense errors (G5-a, G5-b)
5. Errors in recognizing and punctuating sentences—comma splices, fused sentences, fragments (S1, S2, S3)