For some people, grammar is their Achilles Heel. This is not something that you can afford to let slide.

HERE is a grade sheet that focuses on the most common issues that I see in my students' papers. It is the same one I linked to in the syllabus module from Week One. In general, major grammatical errors are an automatic letter grade drop EACH TIME you have one, so you must work to get any of those errors out first.

First you must identify the kinds of errors you make.
Next, you must do some work to help you avoid the error in the next writing you do.
Then, you must be aware of what errors to look for when you are writing something new. (Make a list!)

Here is a brief identification of the major grammatical errors since you are responsible for them even on the first essay. I may have already marked some of these mistakes in things I have already read of yours. You will have more extensive review as the weeks go on, but you need to have these things in your head now! There are many resources available that a simple internet search will provide if you need to work on these things.

Fragment - all sentences must have at least one independent clause.

An independent clause is made up of a subject, verb, and complete idea. Anything punctuated as a sentence that does not have this is a fragment. To fix a fragment, you can add what is missing or add the fragment to something else you have written that it makes sense with and completes the idea. There are many different ways to make a fragment, but most people do the same kind of fragment over and over, so if you can identify the situation you tend to use them with, you can avoid them.

Subject-verb agreement - subjects and verbs are required for complete sentences, but they can also be used in other places in the sentence. ANY subject verb combination must match up in person and number. Person is who the subject is (I, you, he, she, or it) and number means one or more than one (I or We, You (SIngular) or You(plural), he, she, it, or they). Verbs have endings that match the person and number of the subject, and they must be used correctly. The two main errors in subject-verb agreement are not knowing when to put an s on a verb (only when the subject is a he, she, or it) and using irregular verbs incorrectly (I was, we were). Because verbs are used in every sentence, you can have a lot of these errors, but still, they are usually due to making the same mistake over and over, so identify the mistake you are making!

Verb form - verbs must also show tense, or the time the action happens.

The form of the verb changes when the tense changes. Verb form errors happen when someone does not use the correct form for the tense. The most common errors are not using -ed on the end of a regular past tense verb (I receive(d) the package yesterday), not using the right irregular form(I growed vegetables instead of the correct grew), and not forming the more complicated tenses correctly (I have ran instead of the correct I have run).

Run-ons= comma splice or fused sentence

Sentences must have at least one independent clause(see fragments above) but may have more than one. A run-on occurs when you have two independent clauses but have not punctuated them correctly. A comma splice is using a comma only between the two, and a fused sentence is using no punctuation between the two. In order to identify these mistakes, you must be able to identify independent clauses. A quick rule is if you CAN put a period there, you CANNOT use just a comma or nothing. (I got sick I threw up. - fused sentence). Be careful not to fix one by making the other(I got sick, I threw up. is not a fused sentence anymore, but is now a comma splice.) There are many ways to fix these, but you must first know one, and that is to use a period (I got sick. I threw up.).