Commas: The Splice Of Life (College Grammar Tip)
Sentences are sometimes like meetings: they never seem to end. Sure, fill your essay with your amazing thoughts, but don’t let them run together. Besides, longer isn’t always better. Try shorter sentences. Make your point sooner. This also works well in interviews and meetings. (“Is he still talking?”) The most common type of run-on sentence is the comma splice. It’s like putting two sentences (independent clauses) together: “I created a client database in Access, the database helped us increase sales by 50%.” Rule: Avoid comma splices by separating the two independent clauses with a period...
read moreVague Pronouns Damage Essays (College Grammar Tip)
Your college application essay should show how wonderful you are. Admissions committees, though, also want to know that you can think clearly. That’s really what grad school is about. Even though vague pronouns are sometimes funny, they can hurt your essay. For example: “As regional manager, I determined that vending machines distracted the employees, so I removed them from the workplace.” Did you get rid of the vending machines? Or the employees? You may know the answer, but that doesn’t help the reader. Rule: Pronouns should clearly refer to a single noun or pronoun that it replaces...
read moreIf In Doubt, Include the Comma (College Grammar Tip)
Admissions committees review hundreds or thousands of application essays. Yours may not be a Hollywood screenplay, but you can spice up things by varying your sentences. Break out of the usual “I worked in finance” format. Add a few introductory phrases to your sentences: “After completing my undergraduate degree, I volunteered for several months at a non-profit agency in Philadelphia.” A common mistake with introductory words and phrases is forgetting to include a comma before the main part of the sentence. Without it, the parts may run together. Rule: Include a comma after introductory...
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Stop Waiting – Read the New Short Story Now
