Unit 3 Sentence Errors Note - 1
Unit 3 Sentence Errors Note - 1
• A sentence fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence, but actually isn‟t a
complete sentence.
• In our writing, we are required to write correct sentences; especially in the academic
• A word group, phrase or clause that does not express a complete thought is a
fragment; it is an incomplete sentence.
• Some word groups that begin with a dependent word that are not complete by
themselves are fragments.
• An appositive is a noun phrase that renames and clarifies another noun, but not
complete sentence.
this type of clause does not express a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone
as a complete sentence.
As soon as she had completed high school. She began practicing music.
He was not allowed into the exam hall. Because he was late.
Today I met my old friend. Whom I have not seen him for the last five years.
Brian, a slacker wasting his afternoon in front of the television.
The unprepared student who was always begging for an extra pencil and a couple
sheets of blank paper.
CORRECTION
As soon as she had completed high school, she began practicing music.
He was not allowed into the exam hall, for he was late.
Today I met my old friend whom I have not seen him for the last five years.
Brian, slacker wasting his afternoon in front of the television, opened a bag of potato
chips instead of his chemistry textbook.
The unprepared student who was always begging for an extra pencil and a couple
sheets of blank paper, sneezed.
• When a word ending in -ing appears at or near the start of a word group, a fragment may
result.
I spent all day in the employment office. Trying to find a job that suited me.
Aunt Olivia always wears a motorcycle helmet. Worrying that a meteor or chunk of space
debris will conk her on the head.
We wished that we had made hotel, not campsite reservations. Eaten by mosquitoes,
CORRECTION
Attach the fragment to the sentence that comes before it or the sentence that
comes after it.
I spent all day in the employment office trying to find a job that suited me.
Worrying that a meteor or chunk of space debris will conk her on the head, aunt Olivia
always wears a motorcycle helmet.
Because she worries that a meteor or chunk of space debris will conk her on the head,
Aunt Olivia always wears a motorcycle helmet.
He often enjoys talking about everything they own. To remind us that they are rich.
Jiggling his foot nervously, Patrick sat in the professor‟s office. To explain why he had
brought his seven-foot pet python, to Professor Parker's English class.
CORRCETION
Attach the infinitive phrase to the first clause and make them one.
He often enjoys talking about everything they own to remind us that they are rich.
To remind us that they are rich, he often enjoys talking about everything they own.
Jiggling his foot nervously, Patrick sat in the provost's office to explain why he had
brought his seven-foot pet python, to Professor Parker's English class.
• These fragments begin with following words; also, except, for example, such as,
especially, including.
Many habits describe her carelessness. Such as leaving the stove on and teasing
mean dogs.
Jacob has several ways to annoy his professors. Including rolling his eyes and smirking.
insert the missing subject and verb so that you have a main clause;
Many habits describe her carelessness, such as leaving the stove on.
Jacob has several ways to annoy his professors, including rolling his eyes and smirking.
1. The two runners pulled away from the pack and raced across the finish line together.
Winning in record time.
2. After months of patiently waiting, I finally received permission from my parents. To travel
across Europe during the summer.
3. After many years of hard work at low pay, he finally received a grant. Which made
possible the continuation of his private research.
4. Some students find exciting ways to spend their vacation. For example, attending hiking
clubs over the winter holidays.
5. The boy sitting on the fire escape, dropping water balloons on the pedestrians below.
2. Run- on Sentences
• A run-on occurs when two complete sentences are put together with no liking word,
unnecessary comma or sign given to mark the break between them.
• There are two types of run-on sentences; fused sentence and comma splice.
• Fused sentence: Sentences are fused or joined together without any punctuation as if
they were only one thought
• Comma splice: a comma is used to connect or “splice” together the two complete
thoughts. However, a comma alone is not enough to connect two sentences
• I went to my uncle‟s house to borrow money my uncle was not even willing to listen to
my problems.
• The internet connection is very poor you cannot even download a pdf file.
• I have sent four emails about the conference date, nobody replied.
• Most people use face masks inappropriately, health professionals have been displaying
the standard procedures.
CORRECTION
2. Use a semicolon.
A comma, paired with a coordinating conjunction (e.g., "and," "but," or "or"), corrects a
run-on sentence.
Turn one of the independent clauses into a dependent clause using linking words,
like because, although, unless…
I went to my uncle‟s house to borrow money. My uncle was even willing to listen to my
problems.
The internet connection is very poor; you cannot even download a pdf file.
I could not arrive on time because the traffic was very crowded.
I have sent four emails about the conference date, but nobody replied.
Most people use face masks inappropriately though health professionals have been
displaying the standard procedures.
2. The largest tree by volume in the world is the General Sherman Sequoia, it is a little over
52,500 cubic feet.
3. There was a long line at the gas station, we decided to go to another place.
4. Green Environment refers to the environmental conservation this includes supporting
practices like informed consumption, conservation practices and investment in
renewable energy.
• a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence.
• A word or phrase that does not clearly refer to that part of a sentence, and the meaning
or the interpretation of such use of clauses is ambiguous, confusing and misleading.
Examples
Using the Pythagorean Theorem, the math problem was easily solved. (who?)
Arriving home after ten months in army, Michael‟s neighbors threw a block party for him.
• Intended meaning: Michael was arriving home after ten months in the army.
• Unintended meaning: The neighbors were arriving home after ten months in army.
While I was walking along the road, a lorry almost crashed me.
Despite the fact that I hanged the net, the mosquitos kept making
noises.
• word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies /
describes.
• The lazy girl piled all of her clothes in the basket that she had worn.
The lazy girl piled all of her clothes that she had worn into the basket.
4. Working in the lab for three hours, my experiment was almost finished.
5. To see well all the procedures, the lights in this lab room need to be adjusted.
1. Rolling down the mountain, the explorer stopped the boulder with his powerful foot.
2. We are looking for a babysitter for our precious six-year-old who doesn‟t drink or smoke
and owns a car.
3. This table in our lab was made by an old carpenter with carved legs.
4. Faulty Parallelism
• Sentence structure is parallel when parts of the sentence all share the same
grammatical structure.
• „Parallelism‟ in sentence structure refers to the similarity or repetition of the same
grammatical form in two or more parts of a sentence.
• Faulty parallelism is a construction in which two or more parts of a sentence are not
grammatically similar in form.
I have to spend my vacation time exercising, walking, reading and to write stories.
She planned to collect data by either using an online survey or to make phone
interviews.
The main reasons why people are careless for environment are they lack enough
knowledge, traditional beliefs and they have no jobs.
We must either change the laws about drunk driving or it will be necessary to start
enforcing them more strictly.
Stress makes it difficult to exercise regularly, having relationships that are stable, and
be eating food with benefits to one‟s health.
I have to spend my vacation time exercising, walking outside, reading books or writing
stories.
She planned to collect data by either using an online survey or making phone
interviews.
The main reasons why people are careless for the pandemic are lack of enough
knowledge, traditional beliefs and unemployment.
We must either change the laws about drunk driving or enforce them more strictly.
Stress makes it difficult to exercise regularly, have relationships that are stable, and eat
beneficial food to one‟s health.
Exercise-4:Correct the following Sentences
1. Stress makes it difficult to exercise regularly, having relationships that are stable, and be
eating food with benefits to one‟s health.
2. I usually start my day with have breakfast, exercising, and to check out the latest blogs.
4. The difference between rural and country living is the height of the buildings and the
population.
5. When Griffith has free time, he puts on his headphones and a book is read.
• Coordination refers to linking together phrases, clauses, or sentences of equal type and
importance, to put energy into writing.
• Coordinating Conjunctions: and, or, nor, for, but, so, yet, either/or, and neither/nor.
The thief not only robbed a bank but also several houses.
We have been best friends, and she never tells me all her secrets.
The old man entered the police station, and He reported a crime in his village.
Anne was playing the flute, and she achieved an elegant, fluent tone.
The diesel truck had a full load, yet it slowed down going up the hill.
My tooth cracked, and I desperately needed to see a dentist.
The thief not only robbed a bank but also several houses.
The thief robbed not only a bank but also several houses.
We have been best friends, and she never tells me all her secrets.
Although we have been best friends, she never tells me all her secrets.
Anne was playing the flute, and she achieved an elegant, fluent tone.
Anne, who was playing the flute, achieved an elegant, fluent tone
• The diesel truck had a full load, for it slowed down going up the hill.
• The diesel truck had a full load, so it slowed down going up the hill.
The old man entered the police station, and he reported a crime in his village.
The old man entered the police station and reported a crime in his village.
2. Andrew was both an industrious student, and he was also an excellent athlete.
3. We were best friends as children, and I have not seen her since we graduated.
4. The orange yield increased, and the oranges weren‟t as sweet as they used to be.
6. Faulty Subordination
• Subordination, means “the act of placing a clause into lower class or rank.
• When you give primary emphasis for one idea in a sentence, you automatically have
decided to subordinate others in the same sentence.
• A complex sentence is one that joins two thoughts by subordinating one to another.
Ethiopia is endowed with natural resources though many citizens are suffering from
poverty.
Watching Star Wars is my favorite thing to do in my free time which has lots of special
effects.
Because the boy was exhausted by his long hours‟ exam, so he poured himself a bottle
of coke.
Whenever it rains across an already flooded landscape the ecological devastation can
be quite severe.
Prisons are a relatively recent phenomenon in world history, because excessive costs.
• Ethiopia is endowed with natural resources though many citizens are suffering
from poverty.
• Watching Star Wars is my favorite thing to do which has lots of special effects.
Watching Star Wars, which has lots of special effects, is my favorite thing to do in my
free time.
Make the sentence either complex or compound using appropriate linking word
• Because the boy was exhausted by his long hours‟ exam, so he poured himself
a bottle of coke.
• Because the boy was exhausted by his long hours‟ exam, so he poured himself
a bottle of coke.
• Because. The boy was exhausted by his long hours‟ exam, so he poured
himself a bottle of coke.
Write the correct form of phrases-because, despite that fact that... followed by subject
verb, but ‘because of’, despite’, in spite of ...followed by noun phrases,
Prisons are a relatively recent phenomenon in world history, because excessive costs.
Prisons are a relatively recent phenomenon in world history because of the excessive
costs. Or
Prisons are a relatively recent phenomenon in world history because there are excessive
costs.
Exercise -5: correct the following coordination and subordination errors
1. The orange farmers wanted to get a better yield, nor they used fertilizer.
2. Many students fail the exit exam because of they don‟t prepare themselves.
3. There are various traditional medicines in Ethiopia, and there are no regulations.
5. Despite the extension workers advise them regularly, people never keep their
environment clean.
7. Subject-Verb Agreement
• The basic building blocks of English sentences are subjects and verbs
• The subject of the sentence, and the verb that describes what the subject is doing, must
match or agree.
2. . When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or, use a singular verb
3. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined
by or /nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.
The laptop he bought is not new, nor are the accessories original.
4. Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees
with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.
5. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody,
somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.
Either is correct.
6. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require singular verbs.
7. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs. (There are two
parts to these things.)
8. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular
and take a singular verb, such as group, team, committee, class, and family.
9. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well
do not change the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too.
5. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
• After taking all the money out of the bag, Mohammed counted it.
• If the students do not buy all the books, we need to donate them.
• The managers informed the workers that they would get bonus.
• The candies dish was empty, but everyone was tired of eating them any way.
1. When a person comes to class, you should have your homework ready.
2. The car went over the bridge just before it fell into the water.
3. Jonathan told Marcus that his dog had escaped the backyard fence
4. A secretary should always get a telephone number of her boss to call in case she runs
into an emergency..
5. Hamdi was helping an old man cross the road when he tripped and fell.
9. Shift Error
• when words or phrases intended for one purpose are used for another, changing the
natural flow of the sentence.
• The road climbed up from the river bottom and the vegetation changes dramatically.
• Columbus arrived in the New World, and it was believed he had found the coast of Asia.
• When everyone enters the lab, you can see a lot of devices.
• Get into the library, and you should read quietly. (mood-imperative-indicative)
1. Tense shift
• The sticker controlled the ball and kicks directly to the goal.
• When the children turned on the TV., a buzzing sound was heard.
4. Person shift
5. Number shift
2. A student should choose books from the reading list so that you can be sure they are
acceptable to the teacher.
3. When Olga was travelling in Europe, a lot of her time was spent standing in line-ups,
waiting to buy tickets.
4. I often have half a grapefruit for breakfast because they are so refreshing.
5. Enter your login information, press enter, then you have to type in your password.
Exercise 1: Identify the type of Sentence Errors and Try to Correct them.
3. A dog around whom people need to guard their fingers and food.
4. Stuck standing in line, the elevator was keeping people from getting to the party.
6. Since he got married, he helps his wife with household chores. Including washing the dishes,
cooking dinner, and taking out the trash.
7. The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurate, and in a detailed
manner.
8. Hoping to excuse my lateness, the note was written and given to my teacher
9. This next chapter has a lot of difficult information in it, you should start studying right away.
10. The brown bear lives in the forests of North America, it hibernates in the winter.
11. The dictionary can be used for these purposes: to find word meanings, pronunciations,
correct spellings, and looking up irregular verbs.
12. I have wanted to drive a race car. For as long as I can remember.
13. The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study
for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low.
14. The professor stated that he especially favors personally connected papers, these papers
reflect the most emotion.
15. Entrepreneurship is the study of small businesses, college students are embracing it
enthusiastically.
16. The bus driver is a careless person, but he was pulled over by the police several times last
week.
17. The two runners pulled away from the pack and raced across the finish line together.
Winning in record time.
18. Crying on the examination table, the doctor gave the small child his vaccine.
19. The Soviet Union fell about twenty years ago, and many regions of them are now
independent nations.
20. Every day, try to check plans, and you should use time effectively.
21. We have to clean our dormitory, so a broom and a mop are needed.
23. I lost my mobile phone in a bajaj, which was bought two weeks ago.
I lost my mobile phone which was bought two weeks ago in a bajaj.
24. Tolera‟s father told him that he had to act like a man.