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Use this checklist as a list of reminders while you are editing your paper.

  1. Sentence fragments
  2. Sentence sprawl
  3. Misplaced and dangling modifiers
  4. Faulty parallelism
  5. Unclear pronoun reference
  6. Incorrect pronoun case
  1. Omitted commas
  2. Superfluous commas current page arrow
  3. Comma splices
  4. Apostrophe errors
  5. Words easily confused
  6. Misspellings

8. Superfluous commas

Unnecessary commas make sentences difficult to read.
Superfluous commas
How to fix them

Field trips are required, in several courses, such as, botany and geology.

Field trips are required in several courses, such as botany and geology.

The term, "scientific illiteracy," has become almost a cliche, in educational circles.

 The term "scientific illiteracy" has become almost a cliche in educational circles.

For more information on commas see Commas: Punctuating Restrictive and Non-restrictive Modifiers and Punctuating Coordinating Conjunctions and Sentence Adverbs, or take one of the free grammar, style, and style classes offered by the Writing Center.

 

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