Instruction 12-3

Identify Correctly Used Clauses | Understand Sentence Construction | Demonstrate the Understanding of Proper English Usage and Grammar | Appropriate Manuscript Requirements | Summary

Pre-Test		Post-Test
Q&A	The Split-Infinitive World of English Grammar, Module 1: Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

So now you know a little about basic sentence structure. You know what you need to make a complete sentence. You even know about some words and phrases you can use to add meaning and interest to your sentence.

The more you know about what makes up the foundation of a sentence and how to build on it, the better you can be as a writer. Also, you can avoid the pitfalls and mistakes a lot of writers make that cause their writing to be confusing, boring, or ineffective.

Here are a few mistakes writers often make:

Shifts in Pronouns

Remember that pronouns are words like I, you, they, and she. Pronouns take the place of nouns, so that you don’t have to keep using the name of the noun over and over.

You need to make sure that the pronouns you use are consistent.

I like music that makes you feel like dancing.

The writer shifted from I to you in this sentence. This is illogical. Here are two possible solutions:

I like music that makes me feel like dancing.

I like music that makes the listener feel like dancing.

Dangling Modifiers

A modifier is an adjective or an adverb. An adjective modifies, or describes, a noun. An adverb modifies, or describes, a verb.

Having made the bed, the bedroom looked much neater.

Who made the bed? Did the bedroom make the bed? This doesn’t make sense. The phrase “having made the bed” is supposed to modify something, but this sentence doesn’t include who or what the phrase modifies.

To clear up this problem, you could say:

She made the bedroom look much neater by making the bed.

Now you know that “she” is the one who made the bed. Always remember to include the word or phrase that a modifier is describing.

Misplaced Modifiers

Misplaced modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that don’t point clearly to the word they modify. This can be confusing, and sometimes funny!

The robber was described as a short man with a brown moustache weighing 150 pounds.

This sentence makes it sound like the man had a 150-pound mustache! The phrase “weighing 150 pounds” should modify the noun “man.” To avoid confusion, make sure your modifier is next to the word it modifies.

The robber was described as a short man weighing 150 pounds with a brown moustache.

Noun-Pronoun Disagreement

This is a very simple rule, but it’s very easy to miss! If a noun is singular, the pronoun that replaces it must be singular. If a noun is plural, the pronoun must be plural.

Everyone must make sure to bring their backpack.

Everyone is a singular noun. It refers to “one”—everyone.

Everybody is also singular. Therefore, it’s wrong to use a plural pronoun to replace everyone.

Here are two possible solutions:

Everyone must make sure to bring his or her backpack.
All students must make sure to bring their backpacks.

Subject-Verb Disagreement

Similar to the rule above, if a subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.
Neither of my friends want to go to the dance.
This may seem correct, but it’s not. The subject of this sentence is "Neither."

"...of my friends" is a prepositional phrase.

Take it out and look at the sentence again:

Neither want to go to the dance.

Now you can see that the subject is singular. The verb needs to work with a singular subject:
Neither wants to go to the dance.

So

Neither of my friends wants to go to the dance.

Now you know a few common mistakes writers make. As you write, try to be aware of these pitfalls. Read your writing over a few times. Read it out loud if this will help. Avoiding mistakes in writing will help your writing to be clear and effective.

Links for Students, Parents and Teachers

Now let's do Practice Exercise 12-3 (top).

Next Page: Appropriate Manuscript Requirements (top)