Learn to Write

Chapter : the sentenceⅠ

Lecture one: common errors

Common Errors

1

2

3

Sentence fragments

Run – on sentences

Dangling modifiers

Unnecessary shift

Chinese English

4

5

study the following “sentences”

.

(1) Genna and Zach worked on their art project. Instead of going to the meeting about overpopulation.

(2) I like living in Florida. Because we have good weather all year long.

(3) There are many ways to know society. For example, by TV, radio, newspaper and so on.

instead

, because, for

fragment

two ways to correct sentence fragments:Joining the fragment into another sentence

with a comma: Making the fragment into a sentence:

He talked for fifty minutes without taking his eyes off his notes. Apparently not noticing that half the class was asleep. Apparently he did not

noticeBecause he drove too slowly made him miss the film. Because he drove too slowly, he

missed the film.

fragment

Run – on sentencesStudy the following “sentences”:

(1) she’s a teacher teach us English.

(2) There is plenty of water in the nature can be u

sed, such as rain water, river water, well – water

and so on.

(3) He has studied English for only a year he can speak English fluently.

∧who teaches

∧

that

Three ways to fix run – on sentences:

Place a period between the two complete thoughts.

He has studied English for only a year he can speak English fluently.

He has studied English for only a year. He can speak English fluently.

Place a semi – colon between the two complete thoughts.

He has studied English for only a year; he can speak English fluently.

Run – on sentences

Three ways to fix run – on sentences:

He has studied English for only a year he can speak English fluently.

Place a comma and a linking word between the two complete thoughts.

He has studied English for only a year, but he can speak English fluently.

Run – on sentences

Study the following sentences:

1. 要想见识广，广泛阅读非常重要。To be well – informed, reading widely is very necessary.

2. 一看到这张照片，童年的事情就浮现在脑海。On seeing the photo, things in the childhood all came back to my memory.

3. 五岁的时候，父亲就开始教我英语。

At the age of five, my father began to give me English lessons.

Dangling modifiers

Two ways to correct the dangling modifiers:

To become a movie star, talent and luck are needed.

1. Locate the implied subject and make it the stated subject of the main clause.

To become a movie star, one (a person ) needs talent and luck.

2.expand the dangling phrases into a dependent clause.

If you want to become a movie star, you need talent and luck.

Dangling modifiers

Study the following sentences:

1. The eating habit of Chinese people have changed dramatically in the past decade.

2. There are so many countries using English that it had been regarded as an international language.

3. Study hard now so that we can cope with the change and challenge of the twenty – first century.

has

it is now regardedyou

Unnecessary shift

Unnecessary shift in tense and voice:

1. In the story, Janie married Joe Starks and then goes to Eatonvill with him.2. While the mechanic was fixing the motor, the tires and battery were checked by his assistant.

3. Washing the equipment was one of his duties, and he was also expected to keep the supply bins filled.

marries

his assistant checked the tires and battery

He was expected to wash the equipment and to keep the supply bins filled.

Unnecessary shift in person:

1. When one sees a painting by George, you are impressed by a sense of power and stillness.2. People shouldn't’t expect to be dependent all their lives. You have to take care of yourself in adult life.

3. When you have a cold, one should get plenty of rest and drink fluids.

one is

theythemselves

you

Study the following sentences:

1. If no electricity, we will have no TV to watch, and no radio to listen to.

2. Without electricity, the world would become dark and even unable to see a finger.

3. Just open the TV set, you can know everything, and won’t have to go out of the door.

∧

there is

one even can’t see his finger

∧you

Chinese English

Chinese English:

1. TV can widen our eyes.Watching TV can broaden our mind/widen our horizon.

2. The chief reason for the change have five points.There are five main reasons for the change.3. Some natural resources such as oil and coal will be used up after 50 years.

in

1. When one sees a painting by George, you are impressed by a sense of power and stillness.

2. People shouldn't expect to be dependent all their lives. You have to take care of yourself in adult life.

3. When you have a cold, one should get plenty of rest and drink fluids.

one is

They themselvesyou

Class work

Improve the following sentences

4. Sometimes teachers will inform students of the heavy burden they have to bear.

5. He talked a lot about the technique of answering TOEFL questions as if he had taken one already.

6. Television provides us with a vivid, colorful world, which enables us to enjoy life thoroughly.

the teacher

he has

the TOEFL

By providing

television

7. She couldn’t understand how to make the cake until I wrote it out.

8. While traveling through Asia, we visited Japan and discovered that they are like Americans in many respects.

9. Doing Chinese shadowboxing will do you a lot of good, but this takes a lot of time.

the recipe

the Japanese

this exercise

10. She asked me if I finish my task.

11. When you try hard enough, one can accomplish almost everything.

12. When a person gets an early start, he can work more efficiently.

13. He was a waiter of a restaurant, but he later became the manager of a big hotel.14. In the restaurant they gave me someone else’s noodles.

had finished

you

had been

the waiter

15. Taking part in sports and games will give us a good body.

16. If a student only has knowledge of natural science, he will become a one-legged man when he comes out of university. well-rounded

graduates

make us healthy

not∧

17. Made of stone, the builder expected the house to stand for a century.

the house is

18. We should study as much knowledge as possible so that we can be fully prepared for the future.

19. In the past the price of milk was so expensive that most families could not afford it.

20. The speed of the new car is much faster than the old one.

get / acquire / gain

high

higher

21. In recent one or two years, people who take TOFEL have decreased.

22. Your composition is well-written except some small errors.

23. Open your computer and you will know everything going on in the world.

the number of people

minor

turn on

24. With the increasing number of population and factories, the need for fresh water is growing rapidly.

25. Because of the reason that he didn’t study hard enough, he did not do well on the test and failed it.

( collocation )

people

26. The methods of getting to know the society outside the campus are very many.

27. Although everyone is equal to an opportunity, but not everyone can seize it.

28. Knowing potential effect of eating fat meat, people now choose to eat thin meat.

There are many methods of….

lean

yet / still / however / nevertheless

fatty

29. To keep the air clean, we must move the factories which give off poisonous gases to the countryside.

30. Without television, people can’t get information which comes from other parts of the world immediately.

to the countryside

move… to…give off … to…

get sth. immediately

Home Work

Improve the following sentences (see the separate sheet).