SC: Trigger Words. These words should Trigger you to automatically check for Splits and Errors. How are they used or not used?

Question 1

and

Answer 1

X and Y

“and” is by far the most common Parallel Marker and Trigger Word!

Question 2

,and

Answer 2

X, Y, and Z (list of 3+ items)

OR

Subject + Verb, and Subject + Verb

The comma is not generally used for “X and Y” unless there is a new subject for Y:

I ran and jumped.

He ran, and she jumped

An exception is if there are commas to set off a parenthetical modifer:

I ran with Joe, who is fast, and biked with Mary.

Question 3

like (for comparison)

Answer 3

like X, Y. (or, unlike X, Y)

Only used to compare 2 Nouns

RIGHT: Like Mary, Joe runs fast.

WRONG: Mary runs fast like her brother does.

Use “As” to compare 2 verbs

RIGHT: As he did last month, Joe will break his quota this month.

Question 4

LIKE (for examples)

Answer 4

No! Use “SUCH AS” for examples

WRONG: Joe eats foods LIKE broccoli

RIGHT: Joe eats healthy foods, SUCH AS broccoli

RIGHT: Joe eats SUCH healthy foods AS broccoli. (sounds odd, but correct)

Question 5

NOT

Answer 5

not X but Y

not only X but also Y

Question 6

more / less / greater / ____-er

Answer 6

more THAN

greater THAN

faster THAN

Question 7

but

Answer 7

X but Y

not X but Y

not only X but also Y

Question 8

or

Answer 8

X or Y

either X or Y

Question 9

it

Answer 9

Check for 2 kinds of pronoun errors:

1) Agreement (Singular vs Plural)

WRONG: Apples are so prolific that IT can be bought anywhere.

“Apples” is Plural –> use “they”

2) Ambiguity - does the pronoun have a clear reference noun?

Note: in most “Pronoun Ambiguity” errors, there will be an alternative answer choice that uses the full noun instead of the pronoun. (some ambiguity is sometimes allowed)

Question 10

between

Answer 10

between X and Y

Question 11

both

Answer 11

both X and Y

Question 12

,which

Answer 12

,which must correctly refer to the noun before the comma

a common error is to refer to a verb or another noun

Note: very rarely, the ,which will correctly “jump over” a short prepositional phrase.

RIGHT: The emails to John, which were written quickly, changed everything.

“which” clearly doesn’t refer to “John” (we would use “who” instead of “which), so it is allowed to jump over “to John”.

Question 13

they

Answer 13

Check for 2 kinds of pronoun errors:

1) Agreement (Singular vs Plural)

WRONG: When the company launched, they were short on capital

“company” is singular

2) Ambiguity - does the pronoun have a clear reference noun?

Note: in most “Pronoun Ambiguity” errors, there will be an alternative answer choice that uses the full noun instead of the pronoun. (some ambiguity is sometimes allowed)

Question 14

verb-ing blah blah, _____

verb-ed blah blah, _____

although/despite/while/like/unlike/etc blah blah blah, _____

What do we need to check?

Answer 14

Intro Modifier structure – “_____” after the comma must identify WHO/WHAT the modifier before the comma refers to

Running through the woods, the deer escaped the predator

Created with care, our product is the best.

Although it is strong, the kite still broke.

Unlike Joe’s car, Bill’s truck has substantial cargo capacity.