Sentence Correction Exercises

What sentence correction practice is

Sentence correction exercises give you a sentence that contains one or more mistakes and ask you to rewrite it correctly. The mistakes can involve grammar, word choice, punctuation or sentence structure. Because you have to produce the fix yourself, this kind of practice trains the skill you need when you edit your own writing.

It is different from a plain gap-fill. In a gap-fill, the problem is already pointed out for you. In sentence correction, you first have to notice that something is wrong, then decide what kind of problem it is, then fix it without changing the meaning.

This page gives you a method, two exercise sets with answers, and a map of the error types that appear most often. If you want to practise a narrower skill, see the related pages on identifying sentence errors and on independent clauses.

A step-by-step method for correcting a sentence

A fixed routine stops you from relying on guesswork. Try this order:

1. Read the whole sentence once without stopping. Do not fix anything yet.
2. Find the main subject and verb. Check that the verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun that sits closer to it.
3. Check the verb tense. Does the time word (yesterday, since, for, by the time) match the tense?
4. Check the small words. Articles, prepositions and quantifiers (much/many, a/some) are common sources of error.
5. Check the structure. Are two complete sentences joined with only a comma? Is there a fragment? Does an introductory phrase describe the right person or thing?
6. Change as little as possible. The best correction fixes the error and keeps the original meaning.
7. Read the corrected sentence aloud or in your head to make sure it is now correct and does not contain a second mistake.

A sentence can contain more than one error, so do not stop after the first fix.

Exercise 1: Correct the grammar

Each sentence below has one error. Rewrite each sentence correctly, then check the answers.

1. She don’t like coffee.
2. There is many people in the room.
3. I have lived here since five years.
4. He is more taller than his brother.
5. We discussed about the plan.
6. Yesterday I go to the market.
7. She gave me an advice.
8. If it will rain tomorrow, we will stay home.
9. Me and my friend went to the cinema.
10. The informations are useful.
11. He suggested me to take a break.
12. I look forward to meet you.

Answers and explanations for Exercise 1

1. She doesn’t like coffee. With she/he/it in the present simple, the auxiliary is does, not do.
2. There are many people in the room. People is plural, so the verb after there is are.
3. I have lived here for five years. Use for with a length of time (five years) and since with a starting point (since 2020).
4. He is taller than his brother. Taller is already a comparative form, so more is not added.
5. We discussed the plan. Discuss takes a direct object and does not need about.
6. Yesterday I went to the market. Yesterday signals the past, so the verb must be past tense.
7. She gave me some advice. (or a piece of advice) Advice is uncountable, so it cannot take an directly.
8. If it rains tomorrow, we will stay home. After if in a real future condition, the present simple is used, not will.
9. My friend and I went to the cinema. As the subject of the sentence, the pronoun is I. Putting the other person first is the usual polite order.
10. The information is useful. Information is uncountable and does not take a plural form, so the verb is singular.
11. He suggested that I take a break. (or He suggested taking a break.) The pattern suggest + person + to-infinitive is not used in standard English.
12. I look forward to meeting you. In look forward to, the word to is a preposition, so it is followed by an -ing form.

Exercise 2: Fix run-ons, fragments and misplaced modifiers

These errors involve how a sentence is built rather than a single word. Rewrite each item so it is a correct, complete sentence.

1. The shop was closed we went home.
2. Because it was late.
3. She likes tea, he prefers coffee.
4. Having finished the report, the email was sent.
5. The students were tired, however, they kept studying.
6. The manager gave a long speech, it was boring.

Answers for Exercise 2

1. The shop was closed, so we went home. (or The shop was closed; we went home.) Two complete sentences cannot be joined with nothing between them.
2. Because it was late, we left. The original is a fragment. It begins with because, so it needs a main clause to finish the thought. Many different completions are acceptable.
3. She likes tea, but he prefers coffee. (or use a semicolon or a full stop) A comma alone cannot join two independent clauses; this error is called a comma splice.
4. Having finished the report, she sent the email. The opening phrase Having finished the report must describe the person who did the finishing, not the email. Any correct subject (she, Tom, the assistant) works.
5. The students were tired; however, they kept studying. (or The students were tired. However, they kept studying.) However is not a conjunction like but, so a comma alone does not join the two clauses.
6. The manager gave a long speech, and it was boring. (or The manager gave a long speech that was boring.) Fixing the comma splice with a conjunction or a relative clause both work.

The error types that come up most often

How to make the practice stick

• Name the rule after every correction. Writing “uncountable noun” or “comma splice” next to the answer helps you spot the pattern next time.
• Keep an error log. Write down your own mistakes from essays and emails, with the corrected version. After a few weeks, you will see which error types are yours.
• Rewrite the whole sentence, not just the word. This builds the habit of checking the full structure.
• Practise in short sessions. A set of ten or twelve sentences is enough. Review the answers carefully rather than rushing through more; the importance of review in learning explains why returning to old mistakes works.
• Check for several errors. If a sentence looks right after one fix, read it again from the beginning.

Where to go next

Once the general method feels comfortable, move to more specific practice. Exercises on identifying which part of a sentence is wrong train the noticing step. Exercises on infinitives and gerunds help with forms like look forward to meeting. Practice with -ing and -ed adjectives and adverbs of manner covers frequent confusions between similar word forms, and the page on independent clauses explains how to avoid comma splices and fragments.