Transcript bYTEBoss English Grammar Writers Error Analysis

English Lessons
Priority Topics: Grammar
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Grammar: The “Rotten Dozen”
Fragments
Run-ons/Comma Splices/ Period Faults
Faulty Coordination and Subordination
(“and” habit, e.g.)
Adjectives vs Adverbs
Prepositions vs Conjunctions
Dangling Constructions
S-V Agreement
Pronoun Reference and Agreement
 Errors in Case
 Errors in Tense and Mood
 Lack of Parallelism
Also:
 Errors in Voice (Bad Voices)
 Infinitives (Splitting)
 Adjective Order
 Adverb Emphasis
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1. Sentence Fragments
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These are incomplete sentences which
usually do not have a verb or a subject to
complete the thought. They are in the form of
phrases or dependent clauses.
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Make sure that all sentences make sense. Do
not punctuate a part of sentence as if it were
a whole sentence. Ask yourself: who is the
doer of the action? That will provide a
subject. Then ask, what is being done? That
will provide a predicate, which is, in its
simplest form, a verb. These two elements
make up the parts of a basic, complete
sentence.
Incorrect:
Our cluster composed of Ilocos Sur
Polytechnic State College (ISPSC), Tarlac
College of Agriculture(TCA) , Bulacan
Agricultural State College(BASC), Don
Honorio Ventura Technological State
University(DVTSU), Ifugao State
University(IFSU), Benguet State University
(BSU) and my school the Isabela State
University (ISU).
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Correct:
Our cluster was composed of Ilocos Sur
Polytechnic State College (ISPSC), Tarlac
College of Agriculture(TCA) , Bulacan
Agricultural State College(BASC), Don
Honorio Ventura Technological State
University(DVTSU), Ifugao State
University(IFSU), Benguet State University
(BSU) and my school the Isabela State
University (ISU).
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Correct:
Our cluster, composed of Ilocos Sur
Polytechnic State College (ISPSC), Tarlac
College of Agriculture(TCA) , Bulacan
Agricultural State College(BASC), Don
Honorio Ventura Technological State
University(DVTSU), Ifugao State
University(IFSU), Benguet State University
(BSU) and my school the Isabela State
University (ISU), made plans.
2. The Comma Error/The Period
Fault
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Do not write two sentences without any
punctuation (usually a period) between them.
The result will be a run-on sentence. A
careful writer never forgets to end sentences
with the appropriate punctuation.
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Incorrect:
Writers will definitely learn a lot from him,
from his skills in writing to his vast
experience as a journalist he can help us.
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Correct:
Writers will definitely learn a lot from him,
from his skills in writing to his vast
experience. As a journalist he can help us.
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Correct:
Writers will definitely learn a lot from him,
from his skills in writing to his vast
experience, because as a journalist, he can
help us.
Correct:
Writers will definitely learn a lot from him,
from his skills in writing to his vast
experience; thus, as a journalist he can help
us.
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Do not use a comma to join two sentences.
Use a conjunction or a period to separate the
two. In some cases, it is acceptable to use a
semi-colon.
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Incorrect:
Joe Torres is simply a unique breed , the
irony is, here's a belt-bag-clad guy who's
assigned to discuss about “writing” but
delivered the entirety of his talk in Tagalog
citing fear of having his grammar checked if
he spoke in English.
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Correct:
Joe Torres is simply from a unique breed.
The irony is, here's a belt-bag-clad guy who's
assigned to discuss about “writing” but
delivered the entirety of his talk in Tagalog,
citing fear of having his grammar checked if
he spoke in English.
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Correct:
Joe Torres is simply from a unique breed; the
irony is, here's a belt-bag-clad guy who's
assigned to discuss about “writing” but
delivered the entirety of his talk in Tagalog,
citing fear of having his grammar checked if
he spoke in English
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Correct:
Joe Torres is simply from a unique breed; yet
the irony is, here's a belt-bag-clad guy who's
assigned to discuss about “writing” but
delivered the entirety of his talk in Tagalog,
citing fear of having his grammar checked if
he spoke in English
3. Lack of Parallel Structure
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Express parallel ideas in similar form. Use
phrases with phrases, clauses with clauses,
infinitives with infinitives, etc. Statements that
balance are as desirable in English as in
bookkeeping!
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Incorrect: This three-day training also
serves as the social gathering of both the
neophyte writers in the iSchools Project and
the experienced writers.
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Correct:
This three-day training also serves as the
social gathering of both the neophyte writers
and the experienced writers in the iSchools
Project.
4. Faulty Subordination and
Coordination
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Be careful not to put into one sentence many
statements connected with and’s, so’s or
but’s. Either form two sentences, or show the
subordination of ideas by providing effective
transition words. With the use of the
appropriate conjunctions, you will discover
that the flow of thought or the logical
sequence of the sentence becomes clearer.
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Incorrect:
As committed partners and participants, we
were able to create and present our
Communication Plan per SUC based
from the Cluster Communication Plan
output.
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Correct:
As committed partners and participants, we
were able to present the Communication Plan
we created per SUC based on the Cluster
Communication Plan output.
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Make sure you use the correct subordinate
conjunction to suit the relationship or logic
binding the clauses.
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Incorrect:
At least according to Ms Torrecampo
which he borrowed the words of JM Barrie
“We are all failures – at least the best of us
are.”
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Correct:
At least according to Ms Torrecampo, who
borrowed the words of JM Barrie “We are all
failures – at least the best of us are.”
5. Dangling Constructions
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A word, phrase or dependent clause should
modify the proper element in a sentence
(usually the subject of the principal verb), or
else, the meaning of the sentence will
become obscure. It is advisable to change
the phrase to a subordinate clause, rearrange
the position of the phrase or clause, or insert
the necessary word which the dangling
construction should modify.
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Incorrect:
The municipal mayor, Madeline Mendoza
Ong, pledged for support and promised to
request the municipal council, specifically the
education committee for an appropriation of
the lacking laboratory facilities, part of the
school’s counterpart.
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Correct:
The municipal mayor, Madeline Mendoza
Ong, pledged support and promised to
request an appropriation of the lacking
laboratory facilities from the municipal
council’s education committee as counterpart
funding for the school.
Squinting modifier
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Incorrect:
Though I could say that the media group in
Baguio City and the province of Benguet, in
general, practice journalism ethics.
Correct:
[Though] in general, I could say that the
media group in Baguio City and the province
of Benguet, practice journalism ethics.
Correct:
[Though] I could say that the media group in
Baguio City and the province of Benguet,
practice journalism ethics in general.
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Incorrect:
[Though] I could say that in general the media
group in Baguio City and the province of
Benguet, practice journalism ethics.
Adverb emphasis: recall dangling
constructions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Jack told Jill he loved her only.
Jack told Jill he loved only her.
Jack told Jill he only loved her.
Jack told Jill only he loved her.
Jack told only Jill he loved her.
Jack only told Jill he loved her.
Only Jack told Jill he loved her.
6. Errors in Case
Cases
Pron Nominative/
ouns Subjective
Accusative/
Objective
No +
Pers
Pers
Pron
Pers
Pron
Intensifiers
Who
Genitive/
Possessive
Reflexi Pers Pron
Ve
Whom
Whose
1st s
I
myself
me
myself
My--
--mine
2nd s
you
yourself
you
yourself
your
yours
3rd s he
masc
himself
him
himself-
his
his
fem
she
herself
her
herself
hers
hers
neut
it
itself
it
itself
its
(its)
1st
pl
we
ourus
selves
ourselves
our
ours
2nd pl
you
youryou
selves
yourselves
your
yours
3rd pl
they
them-
them-
their
theirs
them
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Incorrect:
Another lecture will focus on online writing
and familiarizing the ischools ning network.
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Correct:
Another lecture will focus on online writing
and familiarizing them with the ischools ning
network.
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The subject of a verb, whether expressed or
understood, must be in the nominative case,
especially after comparisons.
Incorrect:
Correct:
He is busy as me.
He is as busy as I. (am/ am
busy)
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The object of a preposition is in the objective
case.
Incorrect:
Between him and I there is
no problem with the cluster
plan.
Correct:
Between him and me there is
no problem with the cluster
plan.
Incorrect:
Who do you wish to write
about?
Correct:
Whom do you wish to write
about?
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A pronoun that follows any form of the verb to
be takes the same case as its subject.
Incorrect:
Correct:
It was me who called you for a
meeting.
It was I who called you for a
meeting.
(It…I = nominative case)
Incorrect:
Correct:
They thought him to be I.
They thought him to be me.
(him…me = objective case)
Note the difference between IT’S and ITS.
7. Errors in Pronoun Agreement
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A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in
person, gender and number.
Incorrect:
According to Ms Torrecampo
which he borrowed the words of JM Barrie
“We are all failures – at least the best of us
are.”
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Correct:
Ms Torrecampo borrowed the words of JM
Barrie. She said, “We are all failures – at
least the best of us are.”
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Each, every, one, anyone, everyone,
everybody, nobody, somebody, someone,
anybody and other pronouns similar to these
are considered singular, even though
applicable to many people at the same time.
These are indefinite pronouns.
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Incorrect: .
Each cluster will assign one member from
their group to discuss their work…
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Correct:
Each cluster will assign one member from its
group to discuss its work.
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Incorrect:
He discussed the project cycle and the major
activities like social preparation, hardware
deployment which includes setup and testing
of all the computers, the conduct of training to
all the recipient Public High Schools, the
progress monitoring and evaluation to ensure
that every steps are being undertaken...
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Correct:
He discussed the project cycle and the major
activities like social preparation, hardware
deployment which includes setup and testing
of all the computers, the conduct of training to
all the recipient Public High Schools, the
progress monitoring and evaluation to ensure
that every step is being undertaken…
8. Errors in Subject-Verb Agreement
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A singular subject takes on a singular verb.
The usual pattern is for a singular subject to
have a verb with an “s” ending; for a plural
subject to have an “s” ending, but to take on
a verb that does not end in “s.”
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Incorrect:
There were some who speaks well but is
equipped with just-enough knowledge of the
topic.
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Correct:
There are some who speak well but are
equipped with just enough knowledge of the
topic.
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Correct:
There are some who speak well but are
equipped with just enough knowledge of the
topic.
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Collocative pairs are also treated as a unit
and one pair takes on a singular verb. This is
called notional relationship. In some cases,
the kind of verb to use, whether plural or
singular, depends on the intent of the
sentence.
Example:
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Monitoring and Evaluation is the group’s
name.
Monitoring and evaluation are two separate
tasks.
Monitoring and evaluation day is already
scheduled.
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Correct:
Drafting and presentation of individual and
cluster communication plan were the required
outputs.
Correct: Drafting and presentation of
individual and cluster communication plan
was the required output.
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Collective and mass nouns take on a singular
verb, except when counters (determiners)
show plurality
Example: a cluster is; two clusters are
When the action of a collective noun is
leading to its breakdown, the noun is plural
Example: The cluster agrees on a plan.
The cluster are debating on the
plan.
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Incorrect:
The team which includes Joe Torres, Editorin-Chief of REMATE is expected to impart
their knowledge and vast experience in
writing using various media.
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Correct:
The team which includes Joe Torres, Editorin-Chief of REMATE is expected to impart its
knowledge and vast experience in writing
using various media.
9. Errors in Tense and Mood
Timeline
Past Perfect
Past P act
a1
Present Perfect
a2
Past
Had+
pp
Present P act
b1
b2
Pres
Simple
past
has/have simple
+pp
pres
e.g. of past participle: been, taken, begun
note: go ,went , gone
en/ ain, ed/d, u forms
Future Perfect
Future P act
c1
c2
Future
Will
simple
Shall
future
have +pp
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Confusion of tense forms/verb forms
Incorrect: SUC iSchools writers were came
from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao clusters.
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Correct:
SUC iSchools writers came from Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao clusters.
Correct:
SUC iSchools writers are from Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao clusters.
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Correct:
SUC iSchools writers were assigned from
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao clusters.
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Helping verb forms: be, is, are, am, was,
were + past participle (“Tense of verb form” is
not “time-bound”)
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Incorrect : I’m not surprise…
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Correct:
I’m not surprised
(I am)
Modal forms + verb in base form
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Incorrect:
The PR (media relations) practitioner should
analyzes trends and public opinion,
understands his or her institution and can
deliver effective messages to different
audiences.
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The PR (media relations) practitioner should
analyze trends and public opinion,
understand his or her institution and deliver
effective messages to different audiences
Have/had + infinitive phrase (to + v
base)
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Incorrect:
They had to went back to school.
Correct:
They had to go back to school.
Note differences:
They had had to go back.
They had to go back.
They have to go back.
They have had to go back.
They went back.
They go back.
They are going back. They were going back.
They will go back.
They will have gone back.
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Confusion of Past with Past Perfect Tense
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An action completed in the past, before some
other action of the past, should be expressed
in the past perfect tense.
Past perfect tense: had + past participle
Incorrect:
Correct:
After the seminar ended, they
signed the contract.
After the seminar had ended,
signed the contract.
Confusion of Present with Present Perfect
Tense
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An action beginning in the past and which
continues to the present should be expressed
in the present perfect tense.
Incorrect:
I am working as a writer two
years already.
Correct:
I have worked as a writer for
two years.
I have been working as a writer
for two years.
Confusion of Present with Past Tense
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A condition habitually or necessarily true in
both the past and the present, should be
expressed in the present tense.
Incorrect:
It really surprised me to see
how big UP was.
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Correct:
It really surprised me to see how big UP is.
Confusion of Tenses in Conditional
Sentences
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Conditional sentences are expressed in the
subjunctive mood. A condition contrary to fact but
which supposedly occurred in the past, should be
expressed in the past tense.
Incorrect: I blended with the crowd as if I know
the place.
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Correct:
I blended with the crowd, as if I knew the
place.
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Incorrect:
I don’t know if I can do the job as writer.
I am sure I could do the job as writer.
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Correct:
I don’t know if I could do the job as writer.
I am sure I can do the job as writer.
10. Errors in the Use of Adjectives vs.
Adverbs
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Use an adjective to describe a person or a
thing.
Examples:
old material; tall order; new
directive.
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Use an adverb to describe action or to show
the manner in which a thing is done.
Examples: the old material rarely
referred to; unreasonably
tall order; new directive
hardly enforced.
Adjectives answer the questions: Which one?
What kind?
Adverbs answer the questions: When? Where? Why?
How? How much?
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Adverbs usually end in “ly.” However, these
should not be confused with adjectives that
also end in “ly”, such as: brotherly, cowardly,
friendly, ghostly, leisurely, heavenly, lovely,
masterly, motherly, princely, scholarly,
worldly, ghastly, holly, jolly, silly, ugly. The
latter five adjectives have “ly” as part of the
stem.
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There are other adjectives formed from other
adjectives by adding “ly”, with a slight
alteration in meaning occurring as a result:
dead/deadly, elder/elderly, kind/kindly,
lone/lonely, low/lowly, sick/sickly.
Incorrect:
He smiled at me in a kind
fashion.
He smiled at me kindlily.
He smiled friendly at me.
He smiled friendlily at me.
Correct:
He smiled at me in a kindly
fashion.
He smiled at me in a friendly
way.
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Hard, fast, straight, slow and other similar
words can either be adjectives or adverbs.
Example:
He works hard. (adverb)
This is hard work. (adjective)
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Note, too, that a group of words ending in “ly”
relates to periods. The adjective and the
adverb have the same form. These words
include hourly, daily, nightly, weekly,
fortnightly, monthly, yearly.
Example:
The writers were granted a
yearly incentive. (adjective)
The writers get an incentive
yearly. (adverb)
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Verbs of the senses (look, taste, sound,
smell, feel) and others that sometimes
function like these—appear, seem, be,
become, are followed by adjectives unless
they describe actual action.
Examples:
This paper looks good.
Look in the pages well to find
the answer.
You appear interested in the
training.
You should appear regularly in
the sessions.
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“Doing” verbs require adverbs. “Being” verbs
require adjectives. The test for “being” verbs
is that the subject in some way equals the
complement.
Incorrect:
Correct:
All the plans have gone
wrongly.
All the plans have gone wrong.
All plans = wrong
Incorrect:
Correct:
The reader looked eager at the
blog post.
The reader looked eagerly at
the blog post.
The reader is not equal to the
blog post.
The man is not equal to “the
look.”
Two special cases:
1. I feel good/well.
I feel bad/badly about what happened.
I feel poor/poorly.
2. They wrote direct/directly.
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Some noun-verb combinations used as
compound adjectives are often written with a
hyphen, especially if these appear before the
noun.
Example:
This is a performanceenhancing method.
His performance, enhancing
his unit’s effectivity, was duly
noted.
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Compound adjectives beginning with a short
adverb also take hyphens when positioned
before the noun.
Examples:
soon-forgotten setbacks
well-accomplished
person
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Fresh coffee smells (good, well).
The dinner bell sounds (good, well).
Dinner sounds (good, well).
The house stood (firm, firmly) against the
wind.
I stand (firm, firmly) on my convictions.
The dog smells (good, well).
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Incorrect:
Meanwhile, most of the teachers take on a
25-minute ride from the town proper on a
“single” ( a motorcycle setup similarly to the
skylab of the Visayas).

Correct:
Meanwhile, most of the teachers take on a
25-minute ride from the town proper on a
“single” ( a motorcycle setup similar to the
skylab of the Visayas).
11. Obscurity Due To Confusion of
Pronouns

The repeated use of the same pronoun
makes the meaning of the sentences
obscure. Substitute names or direct
discourse. Vague or misplaced antecedents
should be shifted to positions nearer the
pronoun which refers to them.
Incorrect:
The princess will no longer wait
in vain for her prince as it
has finally arrived through the
spirit of the iSchools project.
Correct: It= I schools? It= prince?
Correct: The princess will no longer wait
in vain for her prince as he has finally
arrived through the spirit of the
iSchools project.
Correct: The princess will no longer wait
in vain. The iSchools project’s spirit
has arrived. It is like her prince.

Incorrect:
The accessibility of the school to
congregational venue also added factor to
make it a beneficiary recipient. With it, they
may not only use the resources for classroom
instructions but they may also use these
resources to any activities related for the
improvement of the school and other
neighboring schools within the municipality.

How to Correct:
The accessibility of the school to
congregational venue also added factor to
make it (school? congregation?) a
beneficiary recipient. With it, (school?
congregation? congregation venue?
accessibility?) they (who are they? school=
it; congregation= it) may not only use the
resources for classroom instructions but they
may also use these resources to any
activities related for the improvement of the
school and other neighboring schools within
the municipality.
12. Prepositions Misused As
Conjunctions

A preposition joins words or phrases in a
sentence.
Examples are: the lecturer at the board;
colleagues in the
profession;
the information desk near
the door.

A conjunction joins clauses.
Examples are: come back when the
papers are ready;
he is late because he
worked;
ask him whether the
deadline is still enforced.
Use like, without, from and except as prepositions
(phrases).
Use as, as if, unless and than as conjunctions
(clauses).

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Stop writing (as if, like) you were the worst
writer.
Stop writing(as if, like) the worst writer.
I’d reach for the goal (as, like) a star.
I’d reach for goal(as, like) I’d reach for a star.
Writing does not come out good (except,
unless) with editing.
Writing does not come out good (except,
unless) it is edited.
Writing in English is different (from, than)
speaking it.
If you were to write in English, it is different
(than, from) if you had to speak it.

Incorrect:
The individual communication plan was not
really that hard like I thought.

Correct:
The individual communication plan was not
really that hard as I thought.
13. The Active and Passive Voices

The voice of a verb refers to whether it is
used as an active or passive one in a
sentence. Active verbs tell the reader what
the subject did or does or will do. When they
tell what happened to the subject instead of
what the subject was or did, they are called
passive verbs. The subject receives the
action instead of acting.

Incorrect:
The three day commitment setting and
planning workshop for writers has already
finished
See expression to note error: The workshop
has finished what? The workshop does not
do anything to complete this action.

Correct:
The three day commitment setting and
planning workshop for writers has already
been finished.
Correct: The writers finished the three day
commitment setting and planning workshop.


Double passive/Bad voice
Incorrect:
The one who made the qualifying
examination for writers informed us how we
were considered to be included as one of the
participants wordy; can be compressed

Correct:
The one who made the qualifying examination
for writers informed us that we were
considered to be one of the participants.
Correct: The one who made the qualifying
examination for writers informed us how
consideration was made for us to be
included as one of the participants.
14. The Split Infinitive

It is preferable not to separate the parts of an
infinitive. Such separation, however, is
occasionally permitted in speech; less often,
in writing. Sentence meaning and rhythm
determine whether such splitting makes for
clearness or awkwardness.
Incorrect:
The writer applicant was asked
to quickly go take the exam.
Correct:
The writer applicant was asked
to go take the exam quickly.
Faulty Diction
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
discussed about, based from
consideration on
to what qualified me
said training
trainings
went around on my mind
full pledged
good night sleep
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
gathered together
plan for the series of training
unique breed
late night sleeps
fell at home
colored papers
went for a shop at SM
In search for fresh milk
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
the training wherein…
brain boggling
compare ourselves to others
every steps
In support to the activities