Run-on sentences

The following article was written by Martin Cutts, the research director of Plain Language Commission (http://clearest.co.uk/pages/home), and it appeared in their newsletter, Pikestaff. You can download their newsletters and free guides about plain language -- all in pdf format -- from this page: http://clearest.co.uk/pages/publications.

 
An error common in business English – but rare in professionally edited work – is the run-on sentence or comma splice, where a comma is placed between two statements that should stand alone as complete sentences. Here’s a typical example in a marketing leaflet:

School buses, watch out!

71 school buses fined for flouting SC guidelines, said the headline in the Times of India. That came as a surprise to me. So, what will happen if a bus 'refuses' to pay the fine? Will it be sent to jail?

The fact is that the schools, to which those buses belonged, were fined. Similarly, if you don't pay property tax on the house that you own, you will be fined, not your house.

200 Common Redundancies

¡Great! 200 Common Redundancies - Cut Redundant Expressions http://t.co/jLvrNTLLse #contentstyle

— Maria Benito Llaurad (@Marialacopy) December 9, 2013

I have just come across this wonderful list of 200 common redundancies (the links in the tweet above are clickable). Many of them are so common that we use them without thinking; until now, I hope. A page worth saving in your bookmarks.

Hilarious tweets

Ancient grammar police! Funny! http://t.co/cSS7dgVsxU #plainlanguage

— Cntr 4 PlainLanguage (@plain_language) October 31, 2013

The best case ever for the Oxford comma: pic.twitter.com/gDt1gUOfJk

— Aaron Zamost (@zamosta) December 10, 2013

Funny headlines http://t.co/DYUlWSjE3n #plainlanguage

— Cntr 4 PlainLanguage (@plain_language) October 24, 2013

Click on the image in the last tweet to view it in a larger size.

Fair better or fare better?

According to yesterday's Times of India, "doctors' children fair better than that of engineers" in IIT entrance exams.

Nope; they fare better.

The second mistake is the use of that, which refers to children. Since children is plural, the sentence should have read: Doctors' children fare better than those of engineers.