2010 English150 Week2 Part2

Grammar and Punctuation Week 2, Part 2

Today
6 Biggest Grammar Errors
Punctuation

Word of the Day
Mitigate
To lessen intensity, to make something less severe
In The Informant! Matt Damon’s character’s jail sentence is never mitigated.

Grammar Questions
Why is grammar important?
How have you learned grammar in the past?

Biggest Grammar Errors

Parallel structure
Comma splices/run-ons
Fragments
Subject-verb agreement
Dangling participle
Wrong word

1. Parallel Structure
For a sentence to be parallel:
All grammatical elements need to match
Items in a list need to match

Abused children commonly exhibit one or more of the following symptoms: withdrawal, rebelliousness, restlessness, and they are depressed.
Hooked on romance novels, I learned there is nothing more important than being rich, looking good, and to have a good time.

Grammatical elements:
The actor was handsome, articulate, and he loved to look at himself in the mirror.
People who are in debt should give up credit cards, borrowing money, eating out in expensive restaurants, and living above their means.
They divorced because the husband thought that no one should read while he was talking, and the wife thought that while she was reading no one should talk.

“ than” or “as”
It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
My grades are just as good as Stephanie.

After assuring us that he was sober, Sam drove down the middle of the road, ran one red light, and two stop signs.

Try It!

Parallel structure
Fragments
Subject agreement
Dangling modifier
Wrong word

2. Comma Splices and Run-ons
Comma splices and Run-ons
Same problem: two independent clauses fused together improperly
Comma splice:
Subject verb, subject verb
I love ice cream, I love chocolate
Run on:
Subject verb subject verb
I love ice cream I love chocolate

Comma Splices
Dependent clause
Cannot stand alone as a sentence
May be missing a subject, a verb, or have both but also a subordinating conjunction.
Example: Before I leave, I want to dance.

Comma Splices
Independent clause
Can stand alone as a sentence
Has at least a subject and a verb
Example: The star shines.

Try It!

Comma Splices
Two independent clauses cannot be fused together on their own.

Comma Splices
Comma Splice:
When a comma is doing the work of period.
Comma is too weak to take this role
Comma = weak
Period = strong

Comma Splices
Examples
His new album has an interesting picture on the cover, in other words the cover demands attention.
Hand gestures are important for everyone, however they are a means of survival for the hearing impaired.

Tools We Need:
Coordinating Conjunction (“co-con”)
FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Subordinating Conjunctions (“sub-cons”)
Examples: after, although, as, because, before, even though, if, once, rather, than, since, that, though, unless, while

How to Fix a comma splice/run-on
Stronger punctuation
Use a coordinating conjunction
Make one phrase dependent

Use stronger punctuation
Period
Semi-colon and a transitional phrase
Examples: also, anyway, besides, furthermore, incidentally, moreover, otherwise, thus, however, in addition
He’s an excellent swimmer; he won an Olympic medal.
He’s an excellent swimmer. He won an Olympic medal.
He’s not a good swimmer; however, he enjoys the water.

2. Add a coordinating conjunction
FANBOYS
He’s an excellent swimmer, and he won an Olympic medal.

3. Make one phrase dependent
with a subordinating word.
by changing it entirely
He is recognized as a great swimmer because he won an Olympic medal.
His great swimming ability won him an Olympic medal.

Try It!

Parallel structure
Fragments
Subject agreement
Dangling modifier
Wrong word

3. Fragments
Missing a subject, a verb, or includes a subordinating word.

Fragments/Incomplete Sentences
Easy to recognize apart from other sentences.
Difficult to recognize next to related sentences.

Fragments/Incomplete Sentences
Example: On the old wooden stool in the corner of my grandma’s kitchen.
Example: And immediately popped their flares and life vests.
On that morning I sat in my usual spot. On the wooden stool in the corner of my grandma’s kitchen.
The pilots ejected from the burning plane, landing in the water. And immediately popped their flares and life vests.

Test Your Sentence!
YES!
YES!
No!
Is there a verb? Is there a subject? Is there just a subordinate clause or phrase? Complete Sentence ! No Fragment No Fragment YES. Fragment

How to Fix a Fragment
Attach the fragment to a nearby sentence.
Turn the fragment into a sentence.

Try It!

Parallel structure
Fragments
Subject agreement
Dangling modifier
Wrong word

4. Subject-verb agreement
Subject and verb must agree in gender and number
Subject and antecedent must agree in gender and number.

Subject-verb agreement:
The samples on the tray in the lab need testing.
High levels of air pollution cause damage to the respiratory tract.

Subject-verb Agreement
What’s an indefinite pronoun?
Anybody
Anyone
Each
Either
Everybody
Neither
Nobody
No one

Subject-verb Agreement
Indefinite pronouns are treated as singular
Example: Each of the students has a textbook now.
Example: Everybody who signed up for the tours is able to go.
What about collective nouns?

More Agreement
Example: When someone has been drinking, they are likely to speed.
Example: Every runner must train rigorously if they want to excel.
Example: If a medical student wants to get a job, he must study every day.

Ways to Fix Agreement Errors
Replace the plural pronoun with “he or she” or “his or her.”
Make the antecedent plural.
Rewrite the sentence completely.
Example:
When someone has been drinking, he or she is likely to speed.
When drivers have been drinking, they are likely to speed.
A driver who has been drinking is likely to speed.

Try It!

Parallel structure
Fragments
Subject agreement
Dangling modifier
Wrong word

Dangling Modifier
Dangling Modifier:
A modifier that does not refer logically to any word in the sentence. It suggests but does not name the true subject.

Dangling Modifier
Diseased, the farmers disposed of the potatoes.
Checking the call display while biking, a dog ran in front of me.
Deciding to join the navy, the recruiter enthusiastically pumped Joe’s hand.
Upon entering the doctor’s office, a skeleton caught my attention.

Dangling Modifier
Though only sixteen, UCLA accepted Martha’s application.
To please the children, some fireworks were set off a day early.

Try It!

Parallel structure
Fragments
Dangling modifier
Wrong word

6. Wrong Word
Affect/Effect
Its/it’s
Allot/a lot
Who’s whose
Your/you’re
They’re/their/there

Try It!

Parallel structure
Fragments
Dangling participle
Wrong word

Punctuation
Commas
Colons
Semi-colons
Hyphens
Brackets
Quotations

Summary
You have the rest of the class
No electronic dictionaries
English-English paper dictionaries permitted
Write double-spaced
Write in pen

Summary: How it will be marked
Format
Structure
Content
Sentence-level

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2010 English150 Week2 Part2

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