COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS ORIENTED

SENTENCE CORRECTION
&
EXPRESSION
DR/AAMIR AYOUB
 What is Sentence Correction?
Correction in sentences is always necessary to fix the
sentences from the grammatical errors. Verbs and tenses
should maintain agreement with the subject. Correction in
sentence is a grammatical practice by which a thorough
knowledge about the verb, tenses, and spelling can be
accumulated for constructing meaningful sentences.
Correction in sentence refers to usage of appropriate articles,
verbs, adjectives and nouns for constructing meaningful
sentences.
 Subject-Verb Agreement:
•Using 'and' with two singular subjects takes a plural verb.
•Using and with two verbs directing to a singular subject takes a
singular verb.
•Indefinite Pronouns are singular. (someone, anyone, somebody,
everyone)
For example, Ahmad with his guitar and drums plays good music – here,
though we use ‘and’ between two objects -guitar and drums, the subject
here is Rohan, which is singular, hence it will take a singular verb “plays”.
• Each of, One of, and None of sentences are followed by the plural
form of the noun.
• Nouns used with a quantifier (some, any, all, most) can be singular
or plural. This depends on whether the noun is countable or
uncountable.
• Some of the policies (They) were rejected whilst others were
approved. (policies = plural countable noun)
• Some of the research (It) was conducted at the University of
Melbourne. (research = uncountable noun).
• After a subject joined by either … or, neither … nor, or not only …
but also, the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it
Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such
words as along with, as well as, besides, not, etc. These
words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them
and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.
Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of
money, etc., when considered as a unit.
With words that indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority,
some, all. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular
verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
If a subject consisting of two singular nouns connected by
and, refers to the same person or thing, use a singular verb.
 Use of articles
• When using words like (kind of, sort of, type of, etc.), it is
not necessary to use the articles a/an or the.
• Incorrect – What type of the books you like to read?
• Correct – What type of books do you like to read?
• Incorrect – What sort of an insect is that?
• Correct – What sort of insect is that?
 Sentence starting with an adverb
Invert the sentence if it is introduced by an adverb.
• Example:
• Incorrect: Hardly I had reached the station when the train arrived.
• Correct: Hardly had I reached the station when the train arrived.
• Incorrect: Never I have seen such a beautiful sunset.
• Correct: Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset.
 A large number of/ A Number of
• Use a plural verb after ‘A large number of’/’A number of.’
• Example:
• Incorrect: A large number of students was absent.
• Correct: A large number of students were absent.

The large number of/ The Number of

• Use a singular verb after ‘The large number of’/’The number of.’
• Example:
• Incorrect: The number of aspirants have not appeared in the examination.
• Correct: The number of aspirants has not appeared in the examination.
 Reference for a participle.
Every participle must have a suitable subject of reference.
• Example:
• Incorrect: Being a rainy day, he decided to stay at home.
• Correct: It being a rainy day, he decided to stay at home.
Dangling Participles: Avoid having a participle phrase at the beginning of a sentence that
doesn't have a clear noun to modify.
• Incorrect: Running down the street, my hat blew away.
• Correct: Running down the street, I saw my hat blow away.
Maintain Logical Sequence: Ensure that the participle phrase reflects a logical sequence of
events in relation to the main clause.
• Incorrect: After she cooked dinner, her friends arrived.
• Correct: After she had cooked dinner, her friends arrived.
 Use of reflexive pronouns
Personal Actions:
• She washed herself.
• He taught himself how to play the piano.
Emphasis or Intensification:
• I myself witnessed the incident.
• The president himself addressed the nation.
Reciprocal Actions:
• They hugged each other.
• The friends congratulated themselves on their
success.
Daily Activities:
• She dresses herself every morning.
• He prepares his breakfast by himself.
Opinions and Feelings:
• She congratulated herself on a job well done.
• He blamed himself for the mistake.
After Certain Prepositions:
•She bought a gift for herself.
•He decorated the room with his own hands.
After Certain Verbs:
•They found themselves lost in the woods.
•The cat groomed itself.
Impersonal Expressions:
•One should always take care of oneself.
•People tend to enjoy themselves at parties.
Idiomatic Expressions:
•She pulled herself together before the presentation.
•He talked to himself while working.
In Commands:
•Get yourself ready for the meeting.
•Let's remind ourselves to stay positive.
 Use of “Until”
• Time Limit: "Until" is used to indicate the continuation of an action
or state up to a certain point in time.
• She waited until midnight.
• I won't leave until you arrive.
Negative Construction: "Until" is often used with negative
constructions to indicate that an action will continue until a specific
event or time occurs.
• I will work until I finish this task.
• They played soccer until the rain started.
Continuous Action: Use "until" to express that an action will continue
without interruption until a certain time.
• He practiced the piano until he became proficient.
 Use of “Unless”
Conditional Statement: "Unless" introduces a condition that must be met for
something else to happen. It is often used in negative conditional sentences.
• I won't go to the party unless you come with me.
• They won't start the game unless the rain stops.
Equivalent to "If not": "Unless" can be thought of as a way of saying "if not." It
indicates a situation that needs to be true for another event to take place.
• Unless you study, you won't pass the exam.
• She won't take the job unless the salary is higher.
Negating Possibility: "Unless" can also be used to express a situation where
something is unlikely to happen.
• He won't miss the flight unless there is a major delay.
 Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Using "Until" Instead of "Unless": Don't use "until" when you

mean "unless." They have different meanings. "Until" refers to
time, while "unless" refers to conditions.
• Incorrect: I won't leave until it stops raining.
• Correct: I won't leave unless it stops raining.
Misplacing "Unless": Place "unless" at the beginning of the
conditional clause, not at the end of the sentence.
• Incorrect: I won't go, unless you invite me.
• Correct: Unless you invite me, I won't go.
 Comparison
Comparisons of Subjects:
Subjective Pronouns in Comparisons: When comparing subjects, use
subjective pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
• Correct: She runs faster than I do.
• Incorrect: Her runs faster than me do.
Compound Subjects: In comparisons with compound subjects, use
subjective pronouns.
• Correct: He and I are studying for the exam.
• Incorrect: Him and me are studying for the exam.
 Comparison
Comparisons of Objects:
Objective Pronouns in Comparisons:
When comparing objects, use objective pronouns (me, you, him, her,
it, us, them).
• Correct: He greeted her more warmly than me.
• Incorrect: He greeted she more warmly than I.
Compound Objects: In comparisons with compound objects, use
objective pronouns.
• Correct: The teacher praised us and them for our efforts.
• Incorrect: The teacher praised we and they for our efforts.
 Parallelism/Parallel Structure
Use Consistent Verb Tenses: When listing items, ensure that the verbs
associated with each item are in the same tense.
• Incorrect: She likes hiking, swimming, and to read books.
• Correct: She likes hiking, swimming, and reading books.
Maintain Consistent Grammatical Forms: Keep all items in a list in the same
grammatical form (e.g., nouns with nouns, gerunds with gerunds).
• Incorrect: He enjoys skiing, to swim, and jogging.
• Correct: He enjoys skiing, swimming, and jogging.
 Parallelism/Parallel Structure
• Parallel Phrasing: Use parallel phrases for each item in a list, maintaining a
similar grammatical structure.
• Incorrect: The trip was exciting, educational, and we had a lot of fun.
• Correct: The trip was exciting, educational, and enjoyable.
Use Parallel Structures with Correlatives: Correlative conjunctions like
"both...and," "either...or," "neither...nor," "not only...but also" should be
followed by parallel structures.
• Incorrect: She is not only diligent but works hard as well.
• Correct: She is not only diligent but also hardworking.
 Parallelism/Parallel Structure

Parallel Comparative Structures: When making comparisons, use parallel

structures to maintain symmetry.
• Incorrect: She is more talented than hardworking.
• Correct: She is more talented than she is hardworking.
• Use Commas in Coordinate Adjectives: When using two or more coordinate
adjectives to modify a noun, separate them with commas.
• Incorrect: It was a big green garden.
• Correct: It was a big, green garden.
Parallelism/Parallel Structure
• Maintain Parallelism with Paired Conjunctions: When using paired
conjunctions like "either...or" or "neither...nor," ensure that the
parallel structure is maintained.
• Incorrect: You can either attend the conference or to submit a report.
• Correct: You can either attend the conference or submit a report.
 Question Tags
If the main statement is affirmative, the question tag is usually
negative.
• Example: You're coming to the party, aren't you?
If the main statement is negative, the question tag is usually
affirmative.
• Example: She doesn't like coffee, does she?
• "Let's" Statements:
• When the main statement includes "let's," the question tag is "shall
we?"
• Example: Let's go for a walk, shall we?
 Pronoun Reference Error
• A pronoun comes after the noun and should be able to refer
clearly to one, clear, unmistakable noun. This type of noun is
termed as antecedent.
• Example – Jane put the shoes in the rack but it slid down.
• Here, ‘it’ can be referred to the ‘shoes’ or the ‘wardrobe’ hence it’s a faulty
pronoun. Instead it should be either,
• ‘Jane put the shoes in the rack and the shoes slid down’ /or
• ‘Jane put the shoes in the rack and the rack slid down’
 Avoid using Prepositions with…
• Attack
• Discuss
• Emphasize
• Fear
• Join
• Request
• Violate
• Reach
 Correlative Conjunctions
• Either…or
• Neither…nor
• Not only…but also (Use helping verb when it is placed in beginning)
• Whether…or
• No sooner…than (Use helping verb when it is placed in beginning)
• Rather…than
• Such…that
• Scarcely…when (Use helping verb when placed in beginning)
• As many/much…as
• Both…and
• Lest….Should
• Hardly….Before (Use helping verb when placed in beginning)
Rules of Transformation of Sentences Simple,
Complex and Compound
• Transforming sentences is a fundamental
aspect of grammar that allows writers to
express ideas in different ways. By
understanding the rules of transformation,
writers can enhance sentence variety and
create a more engaging and effective piece of
writing.
 Simple to Complex Sentence Transformation
• Addition of Subordinate Clauses: To transform a simple
sentence into a complex one, add a subordinate clause. Use
conjunctions like “although,” “because,” “while,” “since,” “if,”
“when,” etc., to introduce the subordinate clause.
• Simple: She likes to read books.
• Complex: Although she likes to read books, she seldom finds the
time.
 Conversion to Infinitive Phrase
Simple: He goes to the gym.
Complex: To stay fit, he goes to the gym.
• Transformation with Participle Phrase: Replace the main
subject or object with a participle phrase.
Example:
Simple: The sun sets.
Complex: The sun, setting in the west, creates a beautiful
view.
 Simple to Compound Sentence Transformation
• Using Coordinating Conjunctions: Combine two simple sentences into a
compound sentence by using coordinating conjunctions like “and,” “but,” “or,”
“nor,” “for,” “so,” “yet.”
• Simple 1: She loves dancing.
• Simple 2: She also enjoys singing.
• Compound: She loves dancing and she also enjoys singing.
• Using Semicolons: Use a semicolon to join two closely related independent
clauses.
• Example:
• Simple 1: He works hard.
• Simple 2: He deserves the promotion.
• Compound: He works hard; he deserves the promotion.
Joining with Conjunctive Adverbs: Connect two simple sentences
with a conjunctive adverb (e.g., “however,” “therefore,” “moreover,”
“consequently”) and a semicolon or a comma.
• Example:
• Simple 1: The weather was terrible.
• Simple 2: They decided to stay indoors.
• Compound: The weather was terrible; therefore, they decided to
stay indoors.