Would you like to share your errors?

[Sou Hi]

Hi guys, I saw that when your grammar mistakes were pointed out by a review checker, sometimes you would post your query in this forum for clarification. I was wondering if you want to share the errors here? That way, we can learn from each other's mistakes and improve our grammar.

For example, my most recent review got these errors marked down:

Regarding his imprisonment as the King's betrayal, the mage set his mind on planning to exact his revenge.
Error: set his mind on - incorrect preposition (set his mind 'to')

I like how they can friendly banter with each other, even though they met only a few days ago.
Error: I like how they can friendly banter - I like their friendly banter

It's a great Sci-Fi/Fantasy book for the fans of these genres,
Error: Sci-Fi/Fantasy - genres are not capitalized

[NDeMeer]

Thank you for making this thread, I think this could be very useful!

I recently made the following error:
... written in the first person perspective, while the chapters that focus on any other character are written in the third person perspective.
Error: Both first-person and third-person should be written with a hyphen.

[Kaitlyn Canedy]

I think that this topic will be very useful for future writing! I just hope more members contribute to this forum for others. This is my most recent feedback from one of my reviews-

Not all book titles were italicized (see "The only audience that I can think of that may not enjoy East Wind...")

[Kaitlyn Canedy]

the way she plans. - incorrect verb form (planned)

shock and confusion still strikes - incorrect verb form
(strike)

that assume disabilites are - misspelled word (disabilities)

are a hinderance. - misspelled word (hindrance)

I have learned that proofreading for spelling errors and checking for proper verb and subject usage are very important. I would have had a better score if I had just checked all of my sentences.

[Kaitlyn Canedy]

In the last paragraph, there is incomplete capitalization of the book title. The title is "The Rainbow of Life" and the entire title needs to be capitalized.

The editor made a note at the end of the notes that the book is to follow how it is spelled on Amazon.com. This includes the author's name too, but I did not misspell this is this particular review. I wanted to include this because I used to follow what the review request's capitalization was, but not any more. The editor also said that editors will mark this wrong, even if the author misspelled it in their request. It is a bit more work, but not that bad.

[emidio125]

I actually struggle a lot to use semicolons in sentences. I've a lot about the topic but I still face problems while I'm writing.

[AimeeR96]

Good afternoon, I have just stumbled across this thread and thought I would add in my most recent review corrections, so that others may find it useful when writing their reviews. I used both word and grammarly to check my spelling and grammar but unfortunately they had missed these mistakes, which is a little disappointing.

Here’s the errors I made:

1) "The new acquaintances discover a long-forgotten prophecy, and the group [work] together to save the planet from an alien species set to pass..."

Should be [works] instead of [work]

2) "Therefore, better assisting the reader to follow the plot."

[in following] rather than [to follow]

3) "This was a minor occurrence() however, this style of writing broke my train of..."

[;] needed before “however,”

4) ...which left the story with plot holes and() therefore the book..." [;]

[_khush_p]

This is such a helpful forum! I just got a review scored and most of my errors are commas which should've been semicolons

Editor Comments:
1. Voulhire was different than(from) other nations
2. I loved the way it was written,(;) that was what pulled me in the first time.
3. words,(;) however, it is harmless in my opinion
4. This book is not for the weak hearted(,) as it contains gory details of abuse and death.

Now I have always been using commas in my sentences but semicolon is new to me and it would be great if someone explained the difference to me!

[Wayne Njoroge]

This is such a helpful forum! I just got a review scored, and most of my errors are commas which should've been semicolons

Editor Comments:
1. Voulhire was different than(from) other nations
2. I loved the way it was written,(;) that was what pulled me in the first time.
3. words,(;) however, it is harmless in my opinion
4. This book is not for the weak hearted(,) as it contains gory details of abuse and death.

Now I have always been using commas in my sentences but semicolon is new to me and it would be great if someone explained the difference to me!

Semi-colons are an alternative to a period(.) It is used to connect two complete sentences. It should not replace the period in all of your sentences; since it makes your writing appear weird. When incorporating it in sentences, avoid using it when conjunctions are a suitable choice. Other guidelines should be followed that I have not mentioned. You can check out the forums on this platform in regards to the topic for further assistance.

[Stephanie Runyon]

I use https://www.thepunctuationguide.com
to help with punctuation. It gives examples and if you neef further clarification there are links that allow you to get more in depth information. Also, in the International Grammar forum, you can ask for input on sentence structure.
Another site I use is https://www.thought.com. i get a daily grammar tip emailed to me from that site. There are a lot of writing tips on the online site.

[caina3]

Hi All,

I am so glad I found this forum because I could really use some help understanding commas. I have always struggled with using the comma in my writing, and I have tried to get better at using them appropriately, but I still struggle. The below mistakes are from my first book review; I would prefer to improve on my understanding. Thank you to anyone who can clear up some of my mistakes.

the cosmos where Voulhire is located, Caromentis(,) known as the magic universe, and Alitheia, the spirit universe.

Q: I am not sure why the comma after Caromentis is incorrect, but the comma after Alitheia is correct?

Everything is new to him, not just his surroundings[,] but people too.
*comma misuse

Q: Why is the comma after 'but' not needed?

All the characters and their surroundings are richly described(,) helping the reader to envision the scenes easily.

Q: Why is the comma after 'described' not needed?

The author keeps the reader in suspense with plenty of encounters with Lord Meldorath and the Riva Rohavi(,) leading the reader to a climactic ending with plenty of tension to carry them to the next book.

Q: Why is the comma after 'Rohavi' not needed?


P. 1: If you are someone who likes to read about other worlds, knights and kings, magic and mages, then you are sure to enjoy reading We [are] Voulhire: A New Arrival [under] Great Skies by Matthew Tysz.

Q: What do the [] mean? Do they mean the same thing as the ()?

P. 4: Thankfully, he has a guide named [Rowan] to keep him out of trouble on their adventures.

Q: I do not know why there are [] around the word 'Rowan.' This is the name of a character in the book; I checked, and I spelled it correctly. What else could be wrong?

P. 5: All the characters and their surroundings are richly described[,] helping the reader to envision the scenes easily.

Q: Why is the comma after 'described' not necessary?

P. 8: I recommend this book to readers who enjoy the [sci-Fi & fantasy] genres.

Q: Are the brackets around sci-Fi & fantasy to show that I did not capitalize it correctly?

Thank You,
A. Cain

[caina3]

Hi There,

I forgot to ask, is using CMOS the best guide when creating my book reviews? Should I use a different style guide?
Thanks,
A. Cain

[caina3]

Hi All, I am going through each of the mistakes I made in my review. I am looking them up in CMOS and posting them for others to comment and maybe learn from. I really want to learn this, so please feel free to give your thoughts on my findings.

The first mistake I made was not putting a comma after the word Caromentis in the following sentence. The parentheses show where I should have put the comma; I rewrote the sentence correctly underneath.

(Incorrect) "There are three universes mentioned in the book: the cosmos where Voulhire is located, Caromentis() known as the magic universe, and Alitheia, the spirit universe."

(Correct) "There are three universes mentioned in the book: the cosmos where Voulhire is located, Carmomentis, known as the magic universe, and Alitheia, the spirit universe."

The reason I found while looking through CMOS was under 6.29 commas with descriptive phrases. Descriptive phrases that are NOT essential for the reader to understand the information need to have a comma before them. The descriptive phrase, ..." known as the magic universe," is not necessary information. I could have instead written the sentence like this without the descriptive phrase and still got the point across.

Alternate version: There are three universes mentioned in the book: the Cosmos, Caromentis, and Alitheia.

Additionally, I wonder if I should have capitalized cosmos. Merriam-Webster doesn't capitalize the word, but the author does. Perhaps more on this later.

Please let me know what you think of my findings. Do you think I used the correct CMOS reference, or does a different reference seem to fit better?

[MrsCatInTheHat]

Hi There,

I forgot to ask, is using CMOS the best guide when creating my book reviews? Should I use a different style guide?
Thanks,
A. Cain

There is not a specific style guide that is required.

[Wayne Njoroge]

I have also fallen into the trap of placing a comma even though the long tempting sentences within my review are urging me to do so . I believe this forum offers a platform
for sharing content, which helps reviewers create high quality reviews.

With regards to that, I saw a couple of posts with questions, but let me start with commas. Especially when incorporating co-ordinating conjunctions such as but. I have learnt that it's grammatically wrong to place a comma after it, either at the beginning of a sentence or within a sentence.

With the little research I have done you can apply a comma before 'but'. That is if the sentence prior to the conjunction is a complete sentence: meaning it should have a subject, verb.
Example:

Brian and Joseph are close friends, but Joseph does not trust him.

The above example is ideal. Since the sentence before the comma is a complete sentence.

However if you want your reviews to have slightly shorter sentences. You can end with the (.) , and start your sentence with but.
It is safe to start sentences with but. However, don't use it too often in your review. Final advice, whenever beginning a sentence with but, the same rule applies: don't place a comma after but.

Brain and Joseph are close friends. But, Joseph does not trust him. (Incorrect)

There is more in regards to this topic of comma use. I hope this helps.