Grammar Information

Although grammar is not the only thing writers need to work on or all the Writing Center tutors work with students on, it is a major concern for many people. At the Writing Center, we do not fix or correct grammar for students, proofread papers, or edit papers. The reason we do not do this in tutoring sessions is because if we do these things for you, we become better proofreaders and editors, but you do not become a better writer. Becoming a better writer means learning to do these things for yourself, and that is exactly what we will teach you to do for yourself at the Writing Center or through online tutoring.

To get the most from a tutoring session, you may want to identify sentences you think may have problems so that you can be sure you get help with them. Tutors will also help you identify problems, and then they will explain what the problem is and offer some suggestions for how to fix it. They can also offer some tips for proofreading and editing and show you how to find help in a grammar handbook.

Most people make the same mistakes over and over; these are called "pattern errors." Learning to fix one of these problems can eliminate many individual errors in your writing. Here is a list of the Top 20 Grammar Errors people make in writing, along with explanations of how to fix them. This is a good place to start if you feel that you have many grammar problems, and you can use this as a guide to aid your proofreading as well.

We have many grammar handbooks available for you to use in the Writing Center on the 4th floor of the Central Library, but you can also find many helpful resources online.

• Purdue OWL Grammar Pages: A comprehensive guide to grammar problems with printable handouts and exercises.


• English Usage, Style, and Composition: Try the classic and new guides on this page at Bartleby.com for help with using words and phrases correctly and grammar and style help. You can search the full text of these guides simultaneously.