Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Part Four
The Four Most
Serious Errors
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22
The Basic Sentence
An Overview
If you can edit your writing to correct the four most serious errors,
your sentences will be clearer, and your grades will improve. Learning
how to correct these errors will make a big difference in your writing.
This chapter will review the basic elements of the sentence; the next
four chapters cover the four most serious errors.
385
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EDITING ESSAYS
386 Part Four • The Four Most Serious Errors
It causes addiction.
3. A verb tells what the subject does, or it links a subject to another word
that describes it.
Heroin causes addiction. [The verb causes is what the subject Heroin does.]
It is dangerous. [The verb is links the subject It to a word that describes it:
dangerous.]
Heroin is very dangerous. [The adverb very describes the adjective dangerous.]
Addiction occurs quickly. [The adverb quickly describes the verb occurs.]
Addiction occurs very quickly. [The adverb very describes the adverb
quickly.]
Dealers often sell drugs around schools. [The preposition around connects
the noun drugs with the noun school.]
7. A conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) connects words.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 22 • The Basic Sentence 387
Language Note: Any idea that ends with a period needs a subject
and a verb to be a complete sentence. For a review of subjects and
verbs, see pages 388–94.
If you aren’t sure about the order in which words in a sentence
usually appear, see Chapter 33.
In the following sentences, fill in each blank with a word that is the part of ■ For answers to
speech called for in parentheses after the blank. Note: Some verbs may be odd-numbered prac-
tice items, see pages
in the past tense, and some verbs may use a helping verb such as is or was.
A-1–A-19 at the back
of the book.
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EDITING ESSAYS
388 Part Four • The Four Most Serious Errors
Subjects
The subject of a sentence is the person, place, or thing that the sentence
■ For a list of is about. The subject of the sentence can be a noun (a word that names
pronoun types, see the person, place, or thing) or a pronoun (a word that replaces the noun,
page 496. such as I, you, she, or they).
To find the subject, ask yourself, “Who or what is the sentence about?”
Language Note: The two sentences above use the word the before
the noun (the police department, the tickets). The, a, and an are called
articles. If you have trouble deciding which article to use with which
nouns or if you often forget to use an article, see page 618.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 22 • The Basic Sentence 389
Preposition
Prepositional phrase
The subject of the sentence is check. The subject can’t be the word mail,
which is in the prepositional phrase in the mail.
Preposition
Prepositional phrase
Although the word friends may seem to be the subject of the sentence, it
isn’t. One is the subject. The word friends can’t be the subject because it is
in the prepositional phrase of my best friends.
When you are looking for the subject of a sentence in your writing, it may
help to cross out any prepositional phrases, as in the following sentences.
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EDITING ESSAYS
390 Part Four • The Four Most Serious Errors
Common Prepositions
about beneath like to
above beside near toward
across between next to under
after by of until
against down off up
along during on upon
among except out with
around for outside within
at from over without
before in past
behind inside since
below into through
In each of the following sentences, cross out any prepositional phrases, and
underline the subject of the sentence.
EXAMPLE: For several months, Ronald has been raising a guide dog
for the blind.
1. Many other people around the country are raising guide dog puppies.
4. The dog he is raising, a black Labrador puppy named Cooper, lives with
Ronald twenty-four hours a day.
5. Whenever Ronald’s cell is locked, Cooper stays in the cell with him.
6. In the cell, Ronald plays with the dog, rolling on the floor with him and
talking to him in a high voice.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 22 • The Basic Sentence 391
7. Ronald teaches Cooper manners and obedience before the start of Cooper’s
formal guide dog training.
9. When he finishes his formal training, Cooper will be matched with a blind
person.
10. Ronald believes that he and Cooper are contributing an important service ■ For more practice,
visit Exercise Central
to society. at bedfordstmartins
.com/realessays.
Verbs
Every sentence has a main verb, the word or words that tell what the sub-
ject does or that link the subject to another word that describes it. Verbs
do not always immediately follow the subject: Other words may come
between the subject and the verb.
There are three kinds of verbs — action verbs, linking verbs, and help-
ing verbs.
Action Verbs
An action verb tells what action the subject performs.
To find the main action verb in a sentence, ask yourself, “What action
does the subject perform?”
ACTION VERBS
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EDITING ESSAYS
392 Part Four • The Four Most Serious Errors
Linking Verbs
A linking verb connects (links) the subject to a word or group of words
that describe the subject. Linking verbs show no action. The most com-
mon linking verb is be, along with all its forms (am, is, are, and so on).
Other linking verbs, such as seem and become, can usually be replaced by
the corresponding form of be, and the sentence will still make sense.
To find linking verbs, ask yourself, “What word joins the subject and
the words that describe the subject?”
LINKING VERBS
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 22 • The Basic Sentence 393
Helping Verbs
A helping verb joins with the main verb in the sentence to form the com-
plete verb. The helping verb is often a form of the verb be, have, or do. A
sentence may have more than one helping verb along with the main verb.
am have do can
are has does could
been had did may
being might
is must
was should
were will
would
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EDITING ESSAYS
394 Part Four • The Four Most Serious Errors
EXAMPLE: At first, Miguel did not want to attend his high school
5. After graduation, he was delighted to leave that part of his life behind.
7. His original plan had been to throw the invitation in the trash.
9. His family is proud of Miguel’s college degree and his new career as a
graphic artist.
10. Perhaps some of the other students at the reunion will finally get to know
the real Miguel.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 22 • The Basic Sentence 395
Complete Thoughts
A complete thought is an idea that is expressed in a sentence and that
makes sense by itself, without other sentences. An incomplete thought
leaves readers wondering what’s going on.
INCOMPLETE THOUGHT the people selling the car [What’s going on?]
COMPLETE THOUGHT The people selling the car placed the ad.
To identify a complete thought, ask yourself, “Do I know what’s going on,
or do I have to ask a question to understand?”
Some of the following items contain complete thoughts, and others do not.
In the space to the left of each item, write either “C” for complete thought or
“I” for incomplete thought. If you write “I,” add words to make a sentence.
3. Richard’s late.
6. Do not run.
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EDITING ESSAYS
396 Part Four • The Four Most Serious Errors
8. They’re right.
9. Even with too many people signed up for the softball team.
1. Subject-Verb (S-V)
This is the most basic pattern, as you have already seen.
S V
Airplanes pollute.
S LV N
Fuel is a pollutant.
S LV ADJ
Travel seems cheap.
4. Subject-Verb-Adverb (S-V-ADV)
S V ADV
Pollution costs dearly.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 22 • The Basic Sentence 397
S V DO
It degrades ozone.
S V IO DO
Biofuels offer us hope.
In each of the following sentences, identify the basic sentence pattern by writ-
ing “S” above the subject, “V” above a verb, “LV” above a linking verb, “N”
above a noun, “ADJ” above an adjective, “ADV” above an adverb, “DO”
above a direct object, and “IO” above an indirect object.
S V IO DO
EXAMPLE: Dogs teach people manners.
1. Dogs teach.
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EDITING ESSAYS
398 Part Four • The Four Most Serious Errors
EDITING REVIEW 1
Underline each subject, double-underline each verb, and correct the six
incomplete thoughts.
(1) It can be easier to help others than many people think. (2) For example,
donating hair. (3) Some people need donated hair in the form of wigs. (4)
Who uses these wigs? (5) Mostly, children with cancer or other diseases
that cause hair loss. (6) Donating is popular, especially with young girls.
(7) More and more frequently, though, men and boys are contributing
2,000 locks of hair every week. (10) Unfortunately, most of the donated
hair is unusable for this charity’s wigs. (11) Because the charity’s
guidelines are quite strict. (12) Rejecting hair that is gray, wet, moldy, too
short, or too processed. (13) It is able to sell some rejected hair to help
meet the group’s costs. (14) But continues to encourage donations. (15)
Obviously, contributors feel they are getting more than they are giving.
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EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 22 • The Basic Sentence 399
EDITING REVIEW 2
Underline each subject, double-underline each verb, and correct the six
incomplete thoughts.
(1) New parents commonly dress their baby boys in blue. (2) And
their girls in pink. (3) Now, a recent study suggests that males actually do
prefer blue and females prefer pink. (4) Or at least a redder shade of blue.
(5) The study involved 208 men and women ages 20 to 26. (6) Who were
asked to quickly select their preferred color. (7) Choosing from about
like blue. (9) According to the study. (10) However, women clearly
express a greater preference for the pinker end of the blue color spectrum.
(11) The researchers think that females may have developed a preference
for more reddish colors. (12) Which resemble riper fruit and healthier
faces.
EDITING REVIEW 3
do, right? (2) This is a serious question at a time when airplane flights
(6) So, what is the etiquette for in-flight laptop use? (7) If you
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EDITING ESSAYS
400 Part Four • The Four Most Serious Errors
to watch. (10) If you are sitting next to a laptop user, don’t peek.
offensive, tell the laptop user. (13) If that does not work, a flight
EDITING REVIEW 4
In each sentence of the following paragraph, identify the basic sentence pat-
tern by writing “S” above the subject, “V” above a verb, “LV” above a linking
verb, “DO” above a direct object, and “IO” above an indirect object.
(1) It is afternoon. (2) At this hour, many people become drowsy. (3)
Most fight this “post-lunch dip.” (4) Some people nap. (5) Others give
themselves a coffee transfusion. (6) Some try exercise. (7) The cleverest,
however, use simple planning. (8) For these people, the “dip” is the time
for simple, non-creative tasks. (9) They give their brains a well-deserved
break. (10) Later in the afternoon, their energy returns. (11) At this
point, they resume more complex tasks. (12) Sometimes, the path of least
resistance is best.
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