LEARN SENTENCE ERRORS
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CORRECT THE INCORRECT
Improving Your ESL Writing
By Stephen Lau
One of the essentials of effective writing is that you write without making common grammatical errors. To achieve this goal, you must not only read as much as you can but also be able to identify the errors made by others in their writings. Of course, knowing the basics of English grammar is important as well.
Identifying Common Sentence Errors
Some of the sentences that follow are correct and some are incorrect. Read them carefully to see if you can not only identify the incorrect ones but also point out why they are incorrect. An explanation follows explaining why they are incorrect.
(1) The Bible tells us to follow Jesus’ teachings, but it is easier than done.
(2) My cousin is older than I. An undergraduate of Harvard University, who is studying medicine.
(3) Hurry up! It’s getting late. You don’t want to miss the plane, do you?
(4) Politics are something that many would like to pursue in their career.
(5) Everybody thinks they are smart. But that is no more than a wishful thinking.
(6) Follow Dr. William Bates’s recommendation of eye exercises for better vision.
(7) I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours, I felt completely exhausted.
(8) You must do this for your own conscience’s sake, and not for that of others.
(9) Give and take is important to a healthy marriage. That explains why there are so many divorces these days.
(10) The man trapped inside his car was screaming for help. No response.
(11) She is the only one of the students who get into Harvard University.
(12) None are so wrong as those who think they are always right.
(13) The long and the short of this proposal are that it is easy but costly.
(14) She is Charles’s girlfriend, and not mine.
(15) None of us is perfect. In other words, we all have our imperfections.
(16) I met my cousin who came to see me, coming home from school yesterday.
(17) The Old Testament explains in detail Moses’ Ten Commandments.
(18) A wise dog scratches it’s own fleas, and not those of others.
(19) In the burglary, every window, door, and mirror were smashed.
(20) Don’t worry. The police are coming soon.
The Incorrect Sentences
The following are the incorrect sentences from the group above. Go through them once again, and see if you can now identify their errors.
(2) My cousin is older than I. An undergraduate of Harvard University, who is studying medicine.
(4) Politics are something that many would like to pursue in their career.
(5) Everybody thinks they are smart. But that is no more than a wishful thinking.
(7) I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours, I felt completely exhausted.
(8) You must do this for your own conscience’s sake, and not for that of others.
(11) She is the only one of the students who get into Harvard University.
(13) The long and the short of this proposal are that it is easy but costly.
(16) I met my cousin who came to see me, coming home from school yesterday.
(18) A wise dog scratches it’s own fleas, and not those of others.
(19) In the burglary, every window, door, and mirror were smashed.
The Explanation of the Errors
(2) My cousin is older than I. An undergraduate of Harvard University, who is studying medicine.
“An undergraduate of Harvard University who is studying medicine” is a subordinate clause, which has to be attached to a complete sentence.
My cousin, who is older than I, is an undergraduate studying medicine at Harvard University. (improved)
My cousin is older than I. He is an undergraduate studying medicine at Harvard University. (improved)
(4) Politics are something that many would like to pursue in their career.
Politics is something that many would like to pursue in their career. (improved)
Some nouns, although appearing plural, such as “economics” and “politics”, require a singular verb, while some nouns, appearing singular, such as “police” (20), may require a plural verb.
(5) Everybody thinks they are smart. But that is no more than a wishful thinking.
Everybody thinks he or she is smart. But that is no more than a wishful thinking. (improved)
“Everybody” is singular. A singular verb is used when “none” means “no one” or “not one”(15); a plural verb is used when “none” suggests more than one, as in (12).
(7) I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours, I felt completely exhausted.
Never join two independent sentences with a comma. Instead, use a period (full-stop). You may use a colon for explanation, a semi-colon to replace a conjunction, a coordinate conjunction (e.g. and, but, or, nor, for, so yet), or simply use a full-stop to have two independent sentences.
e.g. I felt completely exhausted: I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours. (improved: the colon explaining why I was exhausted)
e.g. I felt completely exhausted: I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours. (improved: the semi-colon replacing the subordinate conjunction “because” or “for”)
e.g. I felt completely exhausted because I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours.(improved)
e.g. I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours, and I felt completely exhausted. (improved)
e.g. I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours. I felt completely exhausted. (improved)
(8) You must do this for your own conscience’s sake, and not for that of others.
You must do this for your own conscience’ sake, and not for that of others.
Always form the possessive of singular nouns and abbreviations by adding an apostrophe and an s. This rule applies even if the noun or abbreviation ends in s (6) (14). The exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names, such as Jesus (1) and Moses (17), and such forms as for conscience’ sake, and for righteousness’ sake.
(11) She is the only one of the students who get into Harvard University.
She is the only one of the students who gets into Harvard University. (improved: there are many students, and she is the only one student who gets into Harvard University)
Compare to this sentence: He is one of those few students who get into Harvard University. (correct: a few students get into Harvard University, and he is one of them)
(13) The long and the short of this proposal are that it is easy but costly.
The long and the short of this proposal is that it is easy but costly.(improved: certain common compounds are often considered singular, requiring a singular verb, e.g. “bread and butter”; “give and take”; and “the long and the short”)
(16) I met my cousin who came to see me, coming home from school yesterday.
Coming home from school yesterday, I met my cousin who came to see me. (improved: “coming home from school yesterday” should describe “I” and not “my cousin”)
(18) A wise dog scratches it’s own fleas, and not those of others.
A wise dog scratches its own fleas, and not those of others. (improved: “its” is possessive; “it’s” is equivalent to “it is”)
(19) In the burglary, every window, door, and mirror were smashed.
In the burglary, every window, door, and mirror was smashed. (improved: “every” is singular)
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
Improving Your ESL Writing
By Stephen Lau
One of the essentials of effective writing is that you write without making common grammatical errors. To achieve this goal, you must not only read as much as you can but also be able to identify the errors made by others in their writings. Of course, knowing the basics of English grammar is important as well.
Identifying Common Sentence Errors
Some of the sentences that follow are correct and some are incorrect. Read them carefully to see if you can not only identify the incorrect ones but also point out why they are incorrect. An explanation follows explaining why they are incorrect.
(1) The Bible tells us to follow Jesus’ teachings, but it is easier than done.
(2) My cousin is older than I. An undergraduate of Harvard University, who is studying medicine.
(3) Hurry up! It’s getting late. You don’t want to miss the plane, do you?
(4) Politics are something that many would like to pursue in their career.
(5) Everybody thinks they are smart. But that is no more than a wishful thinking.
(6) Follow Dr. William Bates’s recommendation of eye exercises for better vision.
(7) I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours, I felt completely exhausted.
(8) You must do this for your own conscience’s sake, and not for that of others.
(9) Give and take is important to a healthy marriage. That explains why there are so many divorces these days.
(10) The man trapped inside his car was screaming for help. No response.
(11) She is the only one of the students who get into Harvard University.
(12) None are so wrong as those who think they are always right.
(13) The long and the short of this proposal are that it is easy but costly.
(14) She is Charles’s girlfriend, and not mine.
(15) None of us is perfect. In other words, we all have our imperfections.
(16) I met my cousin who came to see me, coming home from school yesterday.
(17) The Old Testament explains in detail Moses’ Ten Commandments.
(18) A wise dog scratches it’s own fleas, and not those of others.
(19) In the burglary, every window, door, and mirror were smashed.
(20) Don’t worry. The police are coming soon.
The Incorrect Sentences
The following are the incorrect sentences from the group above. Go through them once again, and see if you can now identify their errors.
(2) My cousin is older than I. An undergraduate of Harvard University, who is studying medicine.
(4) Politics are something that many would like to pursue in their career.
(5) Everybody thinks they are smart. But that is no more than a wishful thinking.
(7) I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours, I felt completely exhausted.
(8) You must do this for your own conscience’s sake, and not for that of others.
(11) She is the only one of the students who get into Harvard University.
(13) The long and the short of this proposal are that it is easy but costly.
(16) I met my cousin who came to see me, coming home from school yesterday.
(18) A wise dog scratches it’s own fleas, and not those of others.
(19) In the burglary, every window, door, and mirror were smashed.
The Explanation of the Errors
(2) My cousin is older than I. An undergraduate of Harvard University, who is studying medicine.
“An undergraduate of Harvard University who is studying medicine” is a subordinate clause, which has to be attached to a complete sentence.
My cousin, who is older than I, is an undergraduate studying medicine at Harvard University. (improved)
My cousin is older than I. He is an undergraduate studying medicine at Harvard University. (improved)
(4) Politics are something that many would like to pursue in their career.
Politics is something that many would like to pursue in their career. (improved)
Some nouns, although appearing plural, such as “economics” and “politics”, require a singular verb, while some nouns, appearing singular, such as “police” (20), may require a plural verb.
(5) Everybody thinks they are smart. But that is no more than a wishful thinking.
Everybody thinks he or she is smart. But that is no more than a wishful thinking. (improved)
“Everybody” is singular. A singular verb is used when “none” means “no one” or “not one”(15); a plural verb is used when “none” suggests more than one, as in (12).
(7) I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours, I felt completely exhausted.
Never join two independent sentences with a comma. Instead, use a period (full-stop). You may use a colon for explanation, a semi-colon to replace a conjunction, a coordinate conjunction (e.g. and, but, or, nor, for, so yet), or simply use a full-stop to have two independent sentences.
e.g. I felt completely exhausted: I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours. (improved: the colon explaining why I was exhausted)
e.g. I felt completely exhausted: I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours. (improved: the semi-colon replacing the subordinate conjunction “because” or “for”)
e.g. I felt completely exhausted because I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours.(improved)
e.g. I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours, and I felt completely exhausted. (improved)
e.g. I had worked at the computer for more than ten hours. I felt completely exhausted. (improved)
(8) You must do this for your own conscience’s sake, and not for that of others.
You must do this for your own conscience’ sake, and not for that of others.
Always form the possessive of singular nouns and abbreviations by adding an apostrophe and an s. This rule applies even if the noun or abbreviation ends in s (6) (14). The exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names, such as Jesus (1) and Moses (17), and such forms as for conscience’ sake, and for righteousness’ sake.
(11) She is the only one of the students who get into Harvard University.
She is the only one of the students who gets into Harvard University. (improved: there are many students, and she is the only one student who gets into Harvard University)
Compare to this sentence: He is one of those few students who get into Harvard University. (correct: a few students get into Harvard University, and he is one of them)
(13) The long and the short of this proposal are that it is easy but costly.
The long and the short of this proposal is that it is easy but costly.(improved: certain common compounds are often considered singular, requiring a singular verb, e.g. “bread and butter”; “give and take”; and “the long and the short”)
(16) I met my cousin who came to see me, coming home from school yesterday.
Coming home from school yesterday, I met my cousin who came to see me. (improved: “coming home from school yesterday” should describe “I” and not “my cousin”)
(18) A wise dog scratches it’s own fleas, and not those of others.
A wise dog scratches its own fleas, and not those of others. (improved: “its” is possessive; “it’s” is equivalent to “it is”)
(19) In the burglary, every window, door, and mirror were smashed.
In the burglary, every window, door, and mirror was smashed. (improved: “every” is singular)
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
