Week 14 — Readings & Resources · Editing: Grammar, Mechanics & Common Errors

Course: English Composition (ENGL 1A) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Lindgren
Objective covered: Objective 7 — Edit locally for grammar and mechanics; correct the most common surface errors.

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser, the same way you'd open a YouTube link. Nothing needs to be downloaded, and there is nothing to buy.

This week's resources come from the two most trusted free grammar references in the country — the Purdue OWL and Khan Academy — grouped by the two halves of the week: sentence-boundary errors (fragments, comma splices, run-ons) and agreement + punctuation. Read or watch one item per group and you're ready for the quiz; do all of them and you'll be very comfortable. Total time is roughly 30–40 minutes if you do everything, far less if you pick one per group.

Reading order that matches the lecture: ① the three sentence-boundary errors and how to fix them → ② proofreading strategy, agreement, and the punctuation that trips everyone (apostrophes, its/it's, semicolons).

A habit to start now: when you edit, read the paragraph aloud and hunt one error type at a time. Your ear catches a run-on (you run out of breath) and a fragment (you're left hanging) faster than your eye ever will.

① The Three Sentence-Boundary Errors

Maps to Lecture Segments 3 & 5. A fragment is an incomplete sentence; a comma splice is two complete sentences joined by only a comma; a run-on (fused sentence) is two complete sentences with no punctuation between them. The test for all three: can each side stand alone?

Reading — "Run-ons: Comma Splices, Fused Sentences" (Purdue OWL)
🔗 https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/independent_and_dependent_clauses/runonsentences.html
Why it's assigned: the cleanest, most authoritative rundown of comma splices and fused sentences, with the two core fixes (comma + a coordinating conjunction, or a semicolon) shown side by side on real examples. This is the page to keep open while you edit.
⏱ ~6 min

Companion — "Sentence Fragments" (Purdue OWL)
🔗 https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/sentence_fragments.html
Why it's here: shows exactly how a fragment happens (a dependent clause or phrase cut off from its main clause) and how to fix it by attaching or completing it — including why a fragment isn't always short. Pairs directly with the comma-splice page above.
⏱ ~6 min

Want the underlying tool first? "Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses" (Purdue OWL) 🔗 https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/independent_and_dependent_clauses/index.html lays out the one idea (can this group of words stand alone?) that diagnoses all three boundary errors. Optional, ~5 min.

② Proofreading, Agreement & Punctuation

Maps to Lecture Segments 2 & 6. Edit in passes, one error type at a time. Then nail the high-frequency slips: subject–verb agreement, and apostrophes — possession vs. contraction, and the famous its vs. it's.

Video — "Run-ons and comma splices" (Khan Academy Grammar)
🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/grammar/syntax-conventions-of-standard-english/fragments-and-run-ons/v/run-ons-and-comma-splices-syntax-khan-academy
Why it earns the click: a short, clear walk-through of how to recognize a run-on and a comma splice and how the two differ — exactly the on-sight skill the quiz tests. From Khan Academy's free Grammar course; there's a practice set linked right beside it if you want reps.
⏱ ~5 min

Reading — "Sentence Fragments / Run-ons / Subject–Verb Agreement" exercises (Purdue OWL Exercises)
🔗 https://owl.purdue.edu/owl_exercises/sentence_structure/index.html
Why it's assigned: free, self-checking practice on the exact errors this week targets — identify and fix fragments, run-ons, comma splices, and subject–verb agreement, with answer keys. The single best place to drill (not just read about) the week's skills.
⏱ ~8–10 min (do as many as you like)

On apostrophes and its/it's: the rule is short — its is possessive (no apostrophe); it's means it is or it has. Test by reading it as "it is": if that's nonsense, use its. Purdue OWL's Mechanics hub 🔗 https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/index.html collects the surface-level handouts (sentence clarity, fragments, parts of speech) in one place if you want a reference. Optional.

Optional one-stop reference (free online text)

If you'd like one optional reference to skim, the OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook keeps its full text free to read online — a reputable, currently-available college writing reference whose handbook section covers sentence boundaries, agreement, and punctuation, alongside the rest of the writing process and an MLA section.
🔗 https://openstax.org/details/books/writing-guide
Why it's here: a free, returnable reference for the whole course — entirely optional this week. (Linked as a free reference; this course makes no open-license or copyright claim about it.)

Pick-one quick path (≈11 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these two and you'll be ready for the quiz:
1. Read "Run-ons: Comma Splices, Fused Sentences" (Purdue OWL, group ①).
2. Watch "Run-ons and comma splices" (Khan Academy, group ②).

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Lindgren and use the free OpenStax reference above in the meantime. Nothing here is hosted by our course — these are all external resources, linked, not reproduced.