My sixth-grade English teacher, Miss Moore, had zero tolerance for grammatical errors. But she was a purist whose dictates have become obsolete since she was in charge.
She insisted: Never start a sentence with the word "but" or "and."
But in the interest of making meaning clear, most writers today insist that starting a sentence with the word "but" emphasizes disagreement.
And starting a sentence with the word "and" alerts a reader to an important addition to what came before.
So, let's consider some of the most common errors we find in today's writing. Example:
"Each of those four players have played in a national championship game and will be among the top picks in the draft."
The plural verb "have played" follows the plural "players." Problem: "players" is not the subject; the subject — "each," meaning each one — is singular. The sentence should read, "Each of those four players has played in a national championship game …"
You'd never say, "Each have." It's too easy to fall into the trap of using a plural verb right after a plural word that is not the subject.