fragment. NOTE: “Jumping,” “jumped,” “to jump” cannot function as the verb in a sentence. • Is there a subject? If no, there is a sentence fragment. • If the text begins with a subordinating word (e.g. “although,” “when,” “while,” “before,” etc.) without an independent clause, there is a sentence fragment.
climb, helping and joking with each other. PROBLEM: No verb; “taking” is a present participle and cannot function as a main verb in a sentence. REVISED: Friends took turns at the rock climb, helping and joking with each other.
same posture as Casey. The only difference being her gaze was fixed at a point about ten feet in front of her face. PROBLEM: No verb; “being” is substituted for a verb in the second sentence. REVISED: …The only difference was that her gaze….
and communication was slow but with practice my Japanese improved rapidly. PROBLEM: Fused sentence. Correct by using “but” to subordinate REVISED: At first my Japanese was very poor and communication was slow, but with practice my Japanese improved rapidly.
an alcoholic in fact she did not even think she had a problem. PROBLEM: Fused sentence. REVISED: She was not able to admit she was an alcoholic; in fact, she did not even think she had a problem.
didn’t seem to matter we started to enjoy the rides, and it brought us closer. PROBLEM: Comma splice and fused sentence. REVISED: It was time-consuming, but that didn’t seem to matter. We started to enjoy the rides, and it brought us closer.
PROBLEM: Fused sentence. NOTE: Many writers would not add a comma to this sentence because the two independent clauses are very short. REVISED: I hit him, and he bled.
• Occasionally, by the time you get to the end of a
sentence, you have forgotten how it started. The result can be faulty predication, which occurs when the subject and the predicate of the sentence do not make sense together. • The most common causes of these errors are: – Using the linking verb “to be.” – Using “is when” or “is where” when not speaking of a time or place. – Redundancy: “the reason is…because.”
cuts, represented considerable savings for the wealthy. PROBLEM: “Voters” don’t “represent” savings; tax cuts do. REVISED: Voters were divided over income tax cuts, which represented considerable savings for the wealthy.
so much work that they have no time to relax. PROBLEM: “Burnout” is a psychological state, not a time “when…” REVISED: “Burnout” is a psychological state that occurs when employees have so much work that they have no time to relax.
audience knows something more than, or other than, the character. PROBLEM: “Dramatic irony” is not a place. REVISED: Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something more than, or other than, the character.
carefully suggests he is guilty of fraud and income tax evasion. PROBLEM: “By analyzing” cannot function as the subject. REVISED: Analyzing his business records carefully suggests he is guilty of fraud and income tax evasion.
important questions about the reliability of the research team’s original findings. PROBLEM: Information doesn’t ask - people do. REVISED: This new information suggests some important questions about the reliability of the research team’s original findings.
and women liked the ads more when the models are attractive. PROBLEM: “Indicated” and “liked” are past tense; “are” is present tense. REVISED: The survey indicated that both men and women liked the ads more when the models were attractive.
Hayes, wanted his students to establish realistic goals that are not too hard. PROBLEM: “Wanted” is past tense; “are” is present tense. REVISED: My Psychology professor, Dr. Hayes, wants his students to establish realistic goals that are not too hard.
little too harsh for a comedy, and she had mixed feelings about the characters. PROBLEM: “Feels” is present tense; “were” and “had” are past tense. REVISED: Kael feels that Kovac’s shots are a little too harsh for a comedy, and she has mixed feelings about the characters.
world, where there are two minutes left in the championship game. PROBLEM: “Found” is past tense; “are” is present tense. REVISED: I found myself slipping into a fantasy world, where there were two minutes left in the championship game.
she finds herself wealthy, having inherited her grandfather’s fortune? PROBLEM: “have done” and “having inherited” are past tense; “finds” is present tense. REVISED: What should she have done when she found herself wealthy, having inherited her grandfather’s fortune?
care, they may have to pay $500 or more per month. PROBLEM: “Person” is singular; “they” is plural. REVISED: For a couple to find adequate day care, they may have to pay $500 or more per month.
but you wonder if you will be able to handle the additional stress. PROBLEM: “I” and “you” are not the same person. REVISED: I’d like to work outside the home, but I wonder if I would be able to handle the additional stress.
to day-care operations, you find they have long waiting lists. PROBLEM: “One” and “you” are not the same person. REVISED: When one makes a few phone calls to day-care operations, one finds they have long waiting lists.
child-care situation make a preoccupied and unproductive worker. PROBLEM: “People” is plural; “a… worker” is singular. REVISED: People who have to deal with a bad child-care situation make preoccupied and unproductive workers.
they benefit from subsidizing child care. PROBLEM: “Industry has” is singular; “they” is plural. REVISED: Industries have been slow to learn that they benefit from subsidizing child care.
PROBLEM: “Some” is plural; “is” is singular. NOTE: “Some,” “none,” “most,” “any” and “all” can be singular or plural, depending on the context. Since the “marbles” to which “some” refers can be counted, the pronoun is regarded as plural in this sample. REVISED: Some of the marbles are lost.
PROBLEM: None. “Some” and “is” are both appropriately singular. NOTE: Soup cannot be counted, so here the pronoun “some” is treated as singular. REVISED: Some of the soup is gone.
confident that they had the winning ticket. PROBLEM: “Everybody” and “was” are singular; “they” is plural. NOTE: “Everybody” is always singular. Think “every single body.” REVISED: Everybody in the whole stadium was confident that he or she had the winning ticket.
proud of their times. PROBLEM: “Each” is singular; “were” and “their” are plural. NOTE: “Each” is always singular. Think “each one.” REVISED: Each of the local runners was proud of his or her time.
disappointed. PROBLEM: None. “Any” and “were” are plural. NOTE: “Any” refers to individuals - who can be counted - so it is plural. REVISED: I don’t know any who were disappointed.
or things. • When the group acts as a single unit, use a singular verb or pronoun. • When the group members can function separately, use a plural verb or pronoun.
engaged in various forms of recreation and research. PROBLEM: “Faculty” is plural (faculty members are acting as individuals); “is” is singular. REVISED: During the summer, the faculty are engaged in various forms of recreation and research.
donned their slickers. PROBLEM: None. “Band” and “their” are both plural. The band is plural here because members are acting as individuals. REVISED: At the first hint of rain, the band donned their slickers.
insistence that graduates attain a high level of skill in writing. PROBLEM: “Committee” is singular; “their” is plural. REVISED: The Committee takes pride in its insistence that graduates attain a high level of skill in writing.
appreciation to the league for the excellent job of scheduling this year. PROBLEM: None. “Team wants” and “its” are singular. Team is acting as one. REVISED: The team wants to express its appreciation to the league for the excellent job of scheduling this year.
really should practice more than he did. PROBLEM: Pronoun should refer to a single antecedent. This problem often occurs when using “said” or “told.” REVISED: Randy told Dan, “A soccer player really should practice more than I do.”
players ignore it. PROBLEM: There are three acceptable uses of “it,” but they should not be mixed within a single sentence. REVISED: True soccer players generally ignore rain.
ball, you should keep after it. PROBLEM: Use of “you.” Avoid “you” in formal writing. REVISED: When one makes contact with the ball, one should keep after it.
with three sets of sails. PROBLEM: Statement seems to assert that the friend (not the boat) had three sets of sails. REVISED: Chris bought a sailboat with three sets of sails from a friend.
factors must be considered: moorage, maintenance and storage costs. PROBLEM: Dangling modifier - often seen with an abstract subject and a passive verb. REVISED: When buying a boat, one must consider a number of factors: moorage, maintenance and storage costs.
Lynn had some idea of what to expect. PROBLEM: Misplaced “extensively” modifier. REVISED: Having read extensively about sailing, Lynn had some idea of what to expect.
needed to know to become a boat owner. PROBLEM: Limiting words do not come right after the words they modify. REVISED: She knew nearly everything she needed to know to become a boat owner.
between being a boat owner and being a sailor that is critical. PROBLEM: Clause that modifies “difference” does not come right after it. REVISED: There is a difference that is critical, however, between being a boat owner and being a sailor.
gentleman farmer can be without: a tractor, and a pickup truck. PROBLEM: Used comma with a coordinating conjunction linking two words, phrases or clauses. REVISED: There are two items no self-respecting gentleman farmer can be without: a tractor and a pickup truck.
$1500 but doesn’t burn oil, is a challenge. PROBLEM: Used comma to set off nonrestrictive modifier. Didn’t use a comma in a number larger than 999. REVISED: Finding a truck that costs less than $1,500 but doesn’t burn oil is a challenge.
American as Mom’s, apple pie. PROBLEM: Used comma between adjectives that are not coordinate adjectives. REVISED: The battered farm pickup is as all- American as Mom’s apple pie.
ORIGINAL: Being more than a decade old, having more
than 100 thousand miles on the odometer, and boasting at least a dozen dents, are predictable attributes of a truck in this category but the gun rack is optional. PROBLEM: Comma used after the last item in a series; comma is needed before the coordinating conjunction linking two independent clauses. REVISED: Being more than a decade old, having more than 100 thousand miles on the odometer, and boasting at least a dozen dents are predictable attributes of a truck in this category, but the gun rack is optional.
ORIGINAL: One unusual development in the U.S. Senate is that three
senators in mid-career have simply thrown in the towel, deciding not to run again; Senators Paul Tribe, Republican from Virginia, Lawton Chiles, Jr., Democrat from Florida, and Daniel J. Evans, Republican from Washington. PROBLEM: Used a semicolon (rather than a colon) to introduce a list and a comma (rather than a semicolon) to separate items in a series when those items contain a comma. REVISED: One unusual development in the U.S. Senate is that three senators in mid-career have simply thrown in the towel, deciding not to run again: Senators Paul Tribe, Republican from Virginia; Lawton Chiles, Jr., Democrat from Florida, and Daniel J. Evans, Republican from Washington.
ORIGINAL: Evans has argued that the reason for this
unprecedented desertion of public life is that being a senator is not as gratifying as one might expect, instead it is “six years of frustrating gridlock.” PROBLEM: Did not use a semicolon to separate independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb. REVISED: Evans has argued that the reason for this unprecedented desertion of public life is that being a senator is not as gratifying as one might expect; instead it is “six years of frustrating gridlock.”
is difficult for a senator to plan his or her day. PROBLEM: Used a semicolon between a dependent clause and an independent clause. REVISED: Because of frequent roll-call votes, it is difficult for a senator to plan his or her day.
time with their constituents, now they rarely get out of Washington. PROBLEM: Used a comma to join two closely related independent clauses. REVISED: Senators once spent a good deal of time with their constituents; now they rarely get out of Washington.
comes into play when we edit. • We are trying to eliminate any glitch in sentence structure, grammar, spelling or punctuation that will jar or distract our readers by diverting their attention to unorthodox or incorrect features of our language.
response to the question: – “To which senses does Caillebotte appeal in order to convey the feel of a rainy day in Paris?” • First read the entire paragraph. • Then edit the passage, fixing anything that needs fixing.
• One good general editing principle is that when the piece
you are editing contains a number of errors, you probably aren’t going to catch them all in a single pass. • Edit the passage again with the help of the following checklist. Check for: – Sentence fragments, comma splices or fused sentences. – Awkward shifts in person, number, tense. – Misplaced or dangling modifiers. – Incorrect verb forms; subject-verb agreement. – Clear and correct pronoun-antecedent references. – Correct possessive forms. – Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.