Summer Undergraduate Research Program - Fred Hutchinson ...

Elementary Rules of Usage
Grammar
1.
Form the
possessive singular
of nouns
by adding ’s.
Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,
Incorrect: within Stanfords’ sterilization department
Correct: I am working in Dr . Travis’s lab
A common error is to write it’s for its, or vice versa. The first is a contraction, meaning “it is.” The second is
a possessive .
2.
In a series
of three or
more terms with a
single conjunction,
use a comma after
each term except
the last.
Incorrect: Its my intention to graduate from the University of…
Correct: It’s my intention to graduate from the University of…
Correct: Participants were recruited using advertisements placed in campus
newspapers, local magazines, and email list servers .
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