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Usher, together with dozens of volunteers, have joined an effort to clean up the grounds of a school in New Orleans that suffered grave damage from Hurricane Katrina.

This sentence contains an error in subject/verb agreement. The subject, "Usher," is singular, and the verb, "have joined," is plural.

The phrase set off by commas, "together with dozens of volunteers," is not part of the subject. When determining agreement between a subject and a verb, ignore words that come between them. Consider crossing off these words to isolate the subject and the verb.

This is the corrected sentence with this trick employed:

Usher, together with dozens of volunteers, has joined an effort to clean up the grounds of a school in New Orleans that suffered grave damage from Hurricane Katrina.

A producer who claims to have played a crucial role in the development of the White Stripes' very unique sound is suing the band for a share of its royalties.

This sentence contains an error in diction. "Unique" is an absolute adjective, which means that it cannot be modified in a comparative manner. "Unique" means "unlike anything else; having no equal." Someone or something is either unique or not unique. Someone or something cannot be very unique or more unique than others, just as someone or something cannot be very dead or more dead than others.

A new meaning of "unique" has developed: the definition of this word has come to include "unusual," which is not absolute and can be modified in a comparative manner. However, standardized examinations test knowledge of standard written English, and this meaning of "unique" is not presently standard. You should be aware of this usage so that you can identify the error on an examination, and you should avoid using a comparatively modified form of "unique" in your writing.

Correct the sentence by removing the comparative modifier "very."

A producer who claims to have played a crucial role in the development of the White Stripes' unique sound is suing the band for a share of its royalties.

In an interview with Matt Lauer, Britney Spears explained that neither the tabloids nor motherhood have taken their toll on her good spirits.

This sentence contains two errors: one in subject/verb agreement and one in pronoun/antecedent agreement. When correlative conjunctions, such as "neither" and "nor," are used in a sentence, the subject closer to the verb and the referent pronoun determines the number of those words. Crossing off everything from "neither" to "nor" may help in identifying the subject:

In an interview with Matt Lauer, Britney Spears explained that neither the tabloids nor motherhood have taken their toll on her good spirits.

Now that the first part of the subject has been crossed off, it is clear that the subject of the clause is "motherhood," which is singular, and that the verb ("have taken") and the referent pronoun ("their") are plural. Change the number of the verb and the referent pronoun so that they are in agreement with the subject of the clause.

In an interview with Matt Lauer, Britney Spears explained that neither the tabloids nor motherhood has taken its toll on her good spirits.

Born on June 10, 2006, Matt Damon and his wife announced the arrival of their daughter, Isabella.

This sentence contains a dangling participle. The participial phrase is "Born on June 10, 2006" and the subject is "Matt Damon and his wife." A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence should logically modify the subject. Matt and his wife were not born on June 10, 2006. Their daughter was, and the sentence should be structured such that the participial phrase modifies the correct word. Restructure the sentence to make the modifier describe Isabella.

Matt Damon and his wife announced the arrival of their daughter, Isabella, born on June 10, 2006.

A Namibian official announced that Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and their children have left Africa. Their destination remains an enigma to reporters seeking to follow the family wherever they may go.

The second sentence contains an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement. The antecedent "family" is a collective noun that is singular in this context because the family is going as a single unit. The referent pronoun "they" is plural. Change the referent pronoun's number to singular to correct the error.

A Namibian official announced that Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and their children have left Africa. Their destination remains an enigma to reporters seeking to follow the family wherever it may go.

Carmen Electra hosted a Celebrity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas to raise money for the Head to Hollywood charity. Carmen founded the organization after her mother died from brain cancer, which brings patients and their families to Hollywood for a celebrity experience.

The second sentence contains a misplaced modifier. The adjective clause that begins with "which brings patients" should describe the organization, but it is closer to "brain cancer" and therefore appears to modify the disease. Brain cancer does not bring people to Hollywood for a celebrity experience. Head to Hollywood does. To correct the sentence, move the modifier closer to the word it modifies.

Carmen Electra hosted a Celebrity Poker Tournament in Las Vegas to raise money for the Head to Hollywood charity. Carmen founded the organization, which brings brain cancer patients and their families to Hollywood for a celebrity experience, after her mother died from the disease.

The clause now modifies "organization." Notice the change in syntax that moves "brain cancer" to modify "patients" so that the type of disease that the organization raises money for comes earlier in the sentence. This word order strengthens the clarity of the sentence.

Britney Spears is liable to develop a line of clothing bearing her son's namesake, for she recently filed a trademark application for the words "SEAN PRESTON."

This sentence contains an error in diction: "liable" has been used in place of "likely."

"Liable" means "responsible," as in "Parents are liable for their children's behavior." It can also mean "probable," but only when it precedes an infinitive that would cause a negative outcome for the subject, as in "You are liable to fall if you walk on a wet floor" or "If he does not study, he will be liable to fail."

In this sentence, the infinitive is "to develop." While her endeavor may possibly fail, developing a line of clothing is not a negative outcome. It would be something that Britney planned and desired. A better word to use in this sentence is "likely," which means "probable" but without the negative connotations of "liable."

The sentence should be written as follows:

Britney Spears is likely to develop a line of clothing bearing her son's namesake, for she recently filed a trademark application for the words "SEAN PRESTON."

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have released a song that sounds remarkably like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. A radio station played the Chili Peppers' “Dani California” at the same time as Tom Petty's “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” to demonstrate the songs' strikingly similar chord progressions and rhythms.

While the comparison between the two songs may not be faulty, the first sentence contains a grammatical faulty comparison. It is not logical to compare a song to a band. Songs should be compared to songs.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have released a song that sounds remarkably like one by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. A radio station played the Chili Peppers' “Dani California” at the same time as Tom Petty's “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” to demonstrate the songs' strikingly similar chord progressions and rhythms.

The sentence compares "a song" to "one by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers." This comparison is logical. The sentence is correct.

Mischa Barton's bad luck continues, she was killed off The O.C. for reportedly being too hard to work with, now her boyfriend has left her.

This run-on sentence contains two comma splices. Three independent clauses are separated by two commas. A comma cannot separate independent clauses in a sentence. Only a semicolon or a conjunction can separate independent clauses in a sentence.

One way of correcting this error is to isolate one of the clauses as its own sentence and join the two remaining clauses properly.

Mischa Barton's bad luck continues. She was killed off The O.C. for reportedly being too hard to work with, and now her boyfriend has left her.

• There are other ways to correct the error. See if you can come up with one and post it in the comments.

Tom Cruise will be reenacting a scene from Mission Impossible:III for the film's Japanese premiere. He will amaze fans as he is chased in a speedboat by a helicopter, and he will commandeer a train and meet with you on board during the trip from Osaka to Tokyo.

The second sentence contains a pronoun error. The sentence describes the interaction between Tom and his fans. The first clause establishes the relationship between the subject (Tom) and the object (fans), but the second clause uses the second person pronoun (you) to refer to with whom Tom will meet. Avoid this shift in pronoun person by changing "you" to "them."

Tom Cruise will be reenacting a scene from Mission Impossible:III for the film's Japanese premiere. He will amaze fans as he is chased in a speedboat by a helicopter, and he will commandeer a train and meet with them on board during the trip from Osaka to Tokyo.

Gwyneth Paltrow knocked over her husband Chris Martin's computer, damaging the outer casing, ruining the screen, and the forthcoming Coldplay songs that were stored on it were almost destroyed.

This sentence contains an error in parallelism. Three things happened when Gwyneth knocked over the computer, but the list contains two verbal phrases and one independent clause. Similar items in a series should be structured with similar parts of speech.

The two verbal phrases are "damaging the outer casing" and "ruining the screen." The clause is "the forthcoming Coldplay songs that were stored on it were almost destroyed." To make the sentence parallel in structure, change the clause into a verbal phrase.

Gwyneth Paltrow knocked over her husband Chris Martin's computer, damaging the outer casing, ruining the screen, and almost destroying the forthcoming Coldplay songs that were stored on it.

A personalized pacifier company sent a $17,000 binky to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt covered in diamonds. If Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were to donate an equivalent amount of money to charity, they would be able to pay for 10,000 safe-delivery kits for women who live in regions without hospitals or clinics.

The first sentence contains a misplaced modifier. Since the phrase "covered in diamonds" immediately follows "Shiloh Nouvel Pitt-Jolie," it appears to describe the baby instead of the binky. Shiloh is probably not covered in diamonds (or else she is most likely very uncomfortable). The binky is covered in diamonds. To correct the sentence, move the modifier closer to the word it modifies.

A personalized pacifier company sent a $17,000 binky covered in diamonds to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. If Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were to donate an equivalent amount of money to charity, they would be able to pay for 10,000 safe-delivery kits for women who live in regions without hospitals or clinics.

Rachel Weisz gave birth to a baby boy this week, but the excitement surrounding his birth is nothing like Angelina Jolie's baby girl.

This sentence contains a faulty comparison. What is being compared? The first part of the comparison is "the excitement surrounding his birth." The second part of the comparison is "Angelina Jolie's baby girl." It is not logical to compare excitement to a baby girl. To correct this error, restructure the sentence to create a logical comparison.

Rachel Weisz gave birth to a baby boy this week, but the excitement surrounding his birth is nothing like the hubbub about Angelina Jolie's baby girl.

This sentence compares excitement to a hubbub. This is a logical comparison. This sentence is correct.

Being that the FCC is adverse to the broadcasting of profanity and nudity, the commission issued fines totalling over half a million dollars to television stations that aired Janet Jackson's exposure of her breast during the halftime show of the 2004 Super Bowl.

This sentence contains two errors in diction.

The phrase "being that" is colloquial and inappropriate in formal speech and standard written English. Use "because" or "since" instead.

The word "adverse" means "unfavorable to one's interests, harmful." Replace it with "averse," which means "reluctant about or opposed to."

The sentence should be written as follows:

Since the FCC is averse to the broadcasting of profanity and nudity, the commission issued fines totalling over half a million dollars to television stations that aired Janet Jackson's exposure of her breast during the halftime show of the 2004 Super Bowl.

• Read more about "being that" at SAT+ACT+writing.

50 Cent, Ludacris, and Ice Cube have all expressed frustration with Oprah Winfrey for not featuring rap artists on her show. The latter said, "Maybe she's got a problem with hip-hop."

The second sentence contains an error in diction. Since three people are listed, "latter" should not be used. "Latter" refers to the second of two things or people. If there are more than two things or people in a series, use "last."

The sentence should read as follows:

50 Cent, Ludacris, and Ice Cube have all expressed frustration with Oprah Winfrey for not featuring rap artists on her show. The last said, "Maybe she's got a problem with hip-hop."

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated $300,000 to Namibian hospitals, and $15,000 to a community center in Swakopmund.

This sentence contains an error in punctuation. The verb "donated" has a compound object, the two components of which are "$300,000 to Namibian hospitals" (direct object = "$300,000"; indirect object = "Namibian hospitals") and "$15,000 to a community center in Swakopmund" (direct object = "$15,000"; indirect object = "community center in Swakopmund"). Do not use a comma to separate the two elements of a compound subject or object.

The sentence should be punctuated as follows:

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated $300,000 to Namibian hospitals and $15,000 to a community center in Swakopmund.

• Read more about commas at the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL).

Michael Jackson, who has been living in Bahrain, is preparing to make an appearance in Tokyo to accept an award. His plans for his visit include not only touring the city and visiting orphanages, but also to meet with Asian businessmen.

The second sentence contains an error in parallelism. The structure of the sentence is unbalanced because "not only" is followed by two gerund phrases and "but also" is followed by an infinitive phrase.

When correlative conjunctions (also known as "connectors" because they work together in pairs to connect words, phrases, and clauses) are used in a sentence, the items that follow each conjunction must be similar in structure. The correlative conjunction pairs are either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also, not/but, both/and, and whether/or.

This sentence contains the correlative conjuctions not only/but also. Look at the structure of the sentence:

not only touring the city and visiting orphanages,

but also to meet with Asian businessmen

The phrases "touring the city" and "visiting orphanages" contain gerunds, but the phrase "to meet with Asian businessmen" contains an infinitive. To correct the sentence, change the infinitive to a gerund.

Michael Jackson, who has been living in Bahrain, is preparing to make an appearance in Tokyo to accept an award. His plans for his visit include not only touring the city and visiting orphanages, but also meeting with Asian businessmen.

The structure of the sentence is now parallel.

Neither Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code nor Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette were well-received at the Cannes Film Festival, as film critics booed during the screening of each film.

This sentence contains an error in subject/verb agreement. When subjects in a sentence are linked by the correlative conjunctions "neither/nor," the subject that is closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. The "neither/nor" pairing of two singular subjects does not use a plural verb.

In this sentence, the subject closer to the verb "were" is "Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette." Titles of works (such as books, plays, and movies) are singular, so the verb in this sentence should be singular. Change "were" to "was" to correct this sentence.

Neither Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code nor Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette was well-received at the Cannes Film Festival, as film critics booed during the screening of each film.

A simple trick to use when determining agreement in sentences that contain the correlative conjunctions "either/or" and "neither/nor" is to cross off all the words from "either" (or "neither") to "or" (or "nor"). The subject will now stand out, making it easier to match its number with that of the verb.

Neither Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code nor Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette was well-received at the Cannes Film Festival, as film critics booed during the screening of each film.

Are Brad Pitt's parenting skills as bad as Britney Spears? When he took his infant daughter on a bike ride, she did not wear a helmet and she was carried in a baby-pack that has instructions that warn against using it while riding a bike.

The first sentence contains a faulty comparison. What is being compared? The comparison is between "parenting skills" and "Britney Spears." A person should not be compared to skills. Skills should be compared to skills.

Modify the sentence to create a comparison that is logical:

Are Brad Pitt's parenting skills as bad as Britney Spears' child-rearing abilities?

or

Are Brad Pitt's parenting skills as bad as those of Britney Spears?

Has being out of the limelight effected Sarah Michelle Gellar's sense of style? She was recently seen wearing a very unflattering dress.

This sentence contains an error in diction. The word "effect" has been used instead of "affect."

"Effect" can be used as a noun or a verb. The more common noun form means "a result," while the transitive verb form means "to bring about." The use of "effect" as a verb in the first sentence does not make sense. Being out of the limelight did not bring about Sarah's sense of style.  The sentence could be modified to maintain the use of this verb by adding an object that can be effected: "Has being out of the limelight effected a change in Sarah Michelle Gellar's sense of style?"

"Affect" is most commonly used as a verb, meaning "to influence." It can be used as a noun in psychology, meaning "a person's mood or emotions." This latter usage is rarely seen outside of a psychological context.

To correct this sentence, use "affect" as a verb.

Has being out of the limelight affected Sarah Michelle Gellar's sense of style? She was recently seen wearing a very unflattering dress.

Read an example of "effect" used as a verb at Celebrity Vocabulary.

Lindsay Lohan will appear in two movies that deal with an assassination; playing a groupie attached to John Lennon in "Chapter 27" and an activist in a fictionalized account of the killing of Robert F. Kennedy.

This sentence contains an error in punctuation: a semicolon is used in place of a comma.

A semicolon should only be used to separate two independent clauses. This sentence contains one independent clause and a participial phrase. A partcipial phrase should be separated from an independent clause by a comma.

Use a semicolon alone when two independent clauses are related to each other ("None of my friends wanted to see that band; I went to the concert alone.") or with a conjunctive adverb (however, moreover, therefore, consequently, otherwise, nevertheless, thus) to form a transition between two independent clauses ("None of my friends wanted to see that band; therefore, I went to the concert alone.")

This is how the sentence should be punctuated:

Lindsay Lohan will appear in two movies that deal with an assassination, playing a groupie attached to John Lennon in "Chapter 27" and an activist in a fictionalized account of the killing of Robert F. Kennedy.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have become imminent figures in Namibia: half of the Namibians who voted in a poll believe that the day that Angelina gives birth should be declared a national holiday.

This sentence contains an error in diction. The word "imminent," which means "likely to happen in the near future," is often confused with the word "eminent," which means "famous and admired." Fix the sentence by replacing "imminent" with "eminent."

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have become eminent figures in Namibia: half of the Namibians who voted in a poll believe that the day that Angelina gives birth should be declared a national holiday.

Oprah Winfrey has reportedly signed a deal to write a book about weight loss. Her advance is said to be more than Bill Clinton, who received $12 million to write his autobiography, My Life.

The second sentence contains a faulty comparison. The expression "more than" indicates that there is a comparison, but what two things are being compared? In this sentence, "her advance" is compared to "Bill Clinton." This is not logical. A thing should not be compared to a person. Oprah's advance should be compared to Bill Clinton's advance. Restructure the sentence so that the comparison is logical.

Oprah Winfrey has reportedly signed a deal to write a book about weight loss. Her advance is said to be more than the $12 million Bill Clinton received to write his autobiography, My Life.

Britney Spears gives her baby ice cream before he lays down to sleep.

This sentence contains an error in diction: the improper use of a form of the verb "to lay."

"To lay" is a transitive verb that means "to place something on a surface" and requires an object. You lay something down.

"To lie" is an intransitive verb that means "to be in or take on a horizontal position." Since it is intransitive, it never takes a subject. You lie down to sleep.

There is no object in the clause that begins with "before." The baby is reclining, not putting something down. Correct the sentence by replacing "lay" with "lie."

Britney Spears gives her baby ice cream before he lies down to sleep.

Alternatively, you can change the structure of the sentence to form a direct object and use the transitive "lay."

Britney Spears gives her baby ice cream before she lays him down to sleep.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, who are in a salary dispute with the owners of the LA Forum, are planning to picket Madonna's concert in Los Angeles this weekend.

This sentence contains two types of errors in agreement: subject/verb agreement and pronoun/antecedent agreement.

The antecedent, "the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees," is an organization; names of organizations, groups, and name brands, as well as titles of works (books, paintings, plays, musical compositions), are singular. The verbs in this sentence, two instances of "are," are plural. To correct this sentence, change the number of the verbs.

An organization is a thing, so the pronoun "who" is incorrect. Change the pronoun to "which."

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which is in a salary dispute with the owners of the LA Forum, is planning to picket Madonna's concert in Los Angeles this weekend.

Critics at the Cannes Film Festival did not seem to enjoy The Da Vinci Code: they laughed at overly melodramatic scenes, whistled and hissed during the credits, and there was no applause at the end.

This sentence contains an error in parallelism. The list of the three things that happened in response to the movie contains two verb phrases and one clause. A list of similar items in a sentence should be structured with similar parts of speech.

The two verb phrases are "laughed at overly melodramatic scenes" and "whistled and hissed during the credits." These describe what the subject, "they," did. The final item in the list, "there was no applause at the end," is a clause. It should be rewritten as a verb phrase to give the sentence parallel structure.

Critics at the Cannes Film Festival did not seem to enjoy The Da Vinci Code: they laughed at overly melodramatic scenes, whistled and hissed during the credits, and did not applaud at the end.

Madonna removed her wedding ring before she appeared in public last week, sparking rumors that her marriage is on the rocks.

This sentence contains an error in verb tense sequence. Since she removed the ring prior to appearing in public, the verb in the main clause ("Madonna removed her wedding ring") should be in the past perfect tense.

Madonna had removed her wedding ring before she appeared in public last week, sparking rumors that her marriage is on the rocks.

Speaking at the University of Pennsylvania's graduation ceremonies, the audience was surprised and amused when Jodie Foster quoted the lyrics from "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.

This sentence contains a dangling participle. Who was speaking? The subject in this sentence is "audience," but Jodie Foster was speaking. Correct the sentence by changing the subject.

Speaking at the University of Pennsylvania's graduation ceremonies, Jodie Foster surprised and amused the audience when she quoted the lyrics from "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.

The United Nations announced that Naomi Watts will be their new special envoy on HIV/AIDS.

This sentence contains an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement. The antecedent, "the United Nations," is an organization; names of organizations, groups, and name brands, as well as titles of works (books, paintings, plays, musical compositions), are singular.

To correct this sentence, change the number of the referent pronoun.

The United Nations announced that Naomi Watts will be its new special envoy on HIV/AIDS.

Ashlee Simpson had a nose job, got two tattoos, and her hair is blonde again.

This sentence is incorrect because it contains an error in parallelism. The first two items in the list are verb phrases and the last item in the list is a clause. Change the clause to a verb phrase to correct the sentence.

Ashlee Simpson had a nose job, got two tattoos, and changed her hair color from black to blonde.

The opening-day revenues for "Mission Impossible:III" were less than "Mission Impossible:II."

This sentence is incorrect because it contains a faulty comparison. What is being compared in this sentence? Revenues are compared to a movie; this is not logical. Revenues should be compared to revenues. Revise the sentence so that the comparison makes sense:

The opening-day revenues for "Mission Impossible:III" were less than the debut revenues for "Mission Impossible:II."

Confirming all the rumors, it was announced that Britney Spears is pregnant again.

This sentence is incorrect because it contains a dangling participle. Who was confirming the rumors? The subject of this sentence is "it," but "it" cannot confirm rumors. A person confirms rumors. Correct the sentence by changing the subject.

Confirming all the rumors, Britney Spears announced that she is pregnant again.

Brooke Shields, as well as Katie Holmes, were in the hospital to give birth on April 18, 2006.

This sentence is incorrect because it contains an error in subject/verb agreement. A modifying phrase ("as well as Katie Holmes") that comes between the subject ("Brooke Shields") and the verb ("were") must be ignored when determining subject/verb agreement. In this sentence, the subject is singular and the verb is plural. Correct the sentence by changing the number of the verb.

Brooke Shields, as well as Katie Holmes, was in the hospital to give birth on April 18, 2006.

Lindsay Lohan was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday, promoting her new movie, doing more push-ups, and said "Oh, #&%!" on the air.

This sentence is incorrect because it contains an error in parallelism. There are two gerund phrases ("promoting her new movie" and "doing more push-ups") and one verb phrase ("said 'Oh, #&%!' on the air".) To correct the sentence, change the verb phrase to a gerund phrase.

Lindsay Lohan was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday, promoting her new movie, doing more push-ups, and saying "Oh, #&%!" on the air.