LanguageTeach

San Jose City College

Page: [ 1 ] 2 3 4 5

    Error Analysis
  Sentences hold your thoughts. Craft them with care.

FIVE CATEGORIES OF SENTENCE ERRORS:
Sentence Order | Filler Subjects and Repeated Subjects | Adjective Clauses | Omitted and Unnecessary Words | Joining Ideas

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN WHEN ANALYZING SENTENCES:
    • Does the sentence have an independent clause with a subject and a verb and express
       a complete thought?
    • Are clauses joined correctly and do they have correct word order?
    • Are modifying phrases placed correctly and used logically?
    • Does the sentence have any omitted or unnecessary words? Are the words well chosen
       for the context?
    • When read aloud, does the sentence sound like native English or nonnative-like syntax?

	Error Type 1: Problems with Sentence Word Order Click the icon under Comments and scroll to the end of each window.	Comments
1.	Big rocks and pieces of trees under the truck they putted to help in each move. [The sentence was about getting a truck that was stuck in the mud out of a river bed.]	Scroll to the end of each window! What is the subject of the sentence? Who was doing something? big rocks and trees they Why did they put rocks and branches under the truck? to get it out of the mud to block the truck Is the verb "putted" correct? no Rewrite the first part of the sentence using correct word order. For "pieces of trees" use "large branches." Then hit enter. under the wheels to push the truck out of the mud.
2.	However, when I talked about what what my teacher said about the benefits of learning to work and cooperate with someone to my husband, he considere that to have the best preparation for life, people need to learn to be competitive with others.	The prepositional phrase is placed correctly placed incorrectly Does this sentence omit words use too many words Click here to see a revision for correct word order and elimination of unnecessary words. However, when I talked to my husband about ~~what what my teacher said about~~ the benefits of learning to work and cooperate with ~~someone~~ others, he ~~considere that to have the~~ said the best preparation for life~~, people need to learn to be competitive with others~~ is to be competitive ~~with others~~.
3.	For me, the most important lesson that I’ve learned, is how valuable is the family in my life.	Which clause has a word order error? the main clause the noun clause. Are the words "for me" and "in my life" necessary unnecessary? Click here to see the revised sentence.The most important lesson that I've learned is how valuable the family is.
4.	Parents by teachng their children respect, and honesty and providing them with the best education possible, not only will keep families united, generation after generation, but also will help to build a better society in the world.	Excellent sentence! For improvement consider these questions: What is the verb for the subject "parents"? will keep will help both verbs What is the object of the gerund "teaching"? respect honesty both respect and honesty Is the comma necessary with the compound objects, "respect and honesty"? yes no To make the sentence easier to read, the long by-phrase should be placed... before the subject "parents" after the sentence Click the book for revision. By teaching their children respect and honesty and by providing them with the best education possible, parents will not only keep families united generation after generation but will also help to build a better society. Did you also note: • the introductory parallel prepositional phrases (a second "by" added) • the removal of unnecessay commas • the correct placement of not only and but also • the removal of the unnecessary words, "in the world"
5.	The novel, "Flowers for Algernon", has received science fiction's highest honors, the Hugo and Nebula Awards, written by Daniel Keyes in 1959.	What was written by Daniel Keyes? the Nebula Awards the novel Could the participial modifier "written by Daniel Keyes in 1959" be placed in the beginning of the sentence? yes no Could the same modifier be placed after Flowers for Algernon? yes no What is the correct marking for the title of a novel? quotation marks underlining Click the book for two possible revisions: The novel, Flowers for Algernon, written by Daniel Keyes in 1959, has received science fiction's highest honors, the Hugo and Nebula Awards. Alternate word order: Written by Daniel Keyes in 1959, the novel, Flowers for Algernon, has received science fiction's highest honors, the Hugo and Negula Awards.
6.	I come from a country of himalayas, where Mt. Everest lies with its arms wide open to welcome all the visitors and tourists, Nepal.	What country does the writer come from? Himalayas Nepal Could the writer describe Nepal as a Himalayan country? yes No The problem with this sentence is... the object is too far from the verb The object isn't stated Click for revision. I come from Nepal, a Himalayan country where Mount Everest lies with its arms wide open to welcome all visitors.
7.	We think the United States as a land of opportunity, freedom, and new life including religion, speech, economic, and politics.	As written, does a noun clause follow the verb think? yes no As there is no noun clause, what verb particle should follow the verb think? of about Write the adjective form of the following words. Hit enter. religion \| politics Could the adjective *economic* modify opportunity? yes no How would you revise the sentence? We think of the United States as a land of economic opportunity and religious and political freedom. Note: If you have political freedom, you have freedom of speech.
8.	At the end of each month, my math teacher always pronounced who the best student and a bad grade student on the month in front of classmates.	The word pronounced is incorrect. What word is needed? [Click]announced What type of dependent clause begins with the word "who"? Hint: What sentence element does it follow? adjective clause noun clause What essential element is missing from this clause? the Student of the month is the correct phrase. The word order of this noun clause should be inverted...[who the best student of the month was] The "bad grade student" should be parallel with the previous noun clause. Write the noun clause [no capital letters]: If incorrect, type a question mark in the frame and hit enter. What should "in front of [the class]" modify? the verb month Click for revision: At the end of each month, my math teacher always announced in front of the class who the best student of the month was and who the worst student of the month was. Or, combine adjective phrases: ...announced in front of the class the best and the worst student of the month.
9.	In the other hand, learning from competitions is the best preparation for our lives that I do not agree because my experience made me have a negative effect.	This transitional phrase is incorrect. Click it to see the correct phrase: In the other hand On the other hand, The sentence order is incorrect. Which segment should be first? I do not agree learning to be competitive The following phrase does not sound idiomatic. Click for a more idiomatic wording. because my experience made me have a negative effectbecause of a negative experience I once had Click for revision. On the other hand, I do not agree that learning to be competitive is the best preparation for life because of a negative experience I once had.
10.	Even though tuition and fees at U.S. universities are among the highest in the world, tuition and fees at U.S. community colleges are less than many times they at U.S. universities are.	Is the word order correct in the comparative segment of this sentence? yes no What is the opposite of high? less low And the comparative form is . Which pronoun could replace "tuition and fees at U.S. universities"? these those Click for revision. Even though tuition and fees at U.S. universities are among the highest in the world, tuition and fees at U.S. community colleges are much lower (than those at universities.) Is the last phrase necessary? yes no

Next