AVOIDING SENTENCE ERRORS

Know these errors that you may eliminate them from your own work!

FRAGMENTS AND RUN-ONS

Fragments may be used as a matter of style, but generally they are considered a writing error. So, do not
unintentionally capitalize and punctuate phrases, clauses or words in a series as if they were complete
sentences. To repair a fragment:

 Connect it to the words that come before or after it

 Add a missing sentence part

Exercise: Correct the fragments

1. Their faces shining with delight as seeing the movie star

2. I wanted one thing. To take a long nap.
3. The committee was impressed by this application. Which we received just yesterday.
4. Working hard.
5. Traffic lights flashing erratically as the cars jammed in the intersection.
6. With their sweet juices bubbling away.
7. Just as he said goodbye.
8. Classified ads filled the pages of the newspaper.
9. A report to write and math to do tomorrow.
10. The silhouettes of the trees against the light of the moon.

A run-on sentence is two or more sentences capitalized and punctuated as if they were one. There are
two kinds: fused sentences which are two or more sentences fused into one; comma splices which are
two or more sentences separated only by commas rather than by commas and conjunctions.

Fused: The team pushed forward for the last yard they were inches short.

Comma Splice: Only one package arrived in the mail, the other items came.

To repair fused sentences in comma splices:

 Add correct punctuation and conjunction

 Reword the sentences

Examples:

1. The sale was in full-swing in the store people crowded the aisles.

THE SALE WAS IN FULL SWING. IN THE STORE, PEOPLE CROWDED THE AISLES. (with
end marks and capitals)

2. The wrapping paper needed cutting we could not locate the scissors.

THE WRAPPING PAPER NEEDED CUTTING, BUT WE COULD NOT LOCATE THE
SCISSORS. (with commas and conjunctions)

3. The horse show began late, someone had misplaced the registration forms.

THE HORSE SHOW BEGAN LATE; SOMEONE HAD MISPLACED THE REGISTRATION
FORMS. (with semicolons)

4. We replaced the sparkplugs, the filter was also bad.

WE REPLACED THE SPARKPLUGS AND THE FILTER. (by rewriting)

Jocelyn I. Bartolata, English 12 Business Communication, 2nd Semester AY 2011-2012, Bicol University.
Exercise: Identifying and correcting run-ons.

1. I looked down, I saw that the well was apparently dry.

2. We read the preamble to the constitution, our group felt anew the power of these words.
3. The boy had trouble with the decimal point when multiplying he always puts it in the wrong place.
4. The thermometer broke, the mercury spilled onto the floor.
5. I mislaid my car keys, my house keys were also gone.
6. It is against the law to litter, people do it.
7. Ann threw away the check, she eventually recovered it.
8. I generally like the climate of the area where I live I do not enjoy the subfreezing temperatures of
winter.
9. Everyone should be polite, many people are rude.
10. I made my own chili to eat it one needs an iron stomach.

MISPLACED AND DANGLING MODIFIERS

A misplaced modifier is placed too far from the modified word. It seems to modify the wrong word in the
sentence. So, move modifiers closer to the word they modify.

Examples:

1. A man fell over a rock, RUNNING IN A RACE.

A man running in a race fell over a rock.

2. We heard the telephone ring WHILE WATCHING TELEVISION.

While watching television, we heard the telephone ring.

3. SWINGING FROM THE BRANCHES, we saw two monkeys.

We saw two monkeys swinging from the branches.

Exercise. Correct the misplaced modifiers.

1. We saw the seagulls sitting at the sidewalk café.

2. We arranged to have a pizza made by phone.
3. Whirling round and round, we saw our clothes in the drier.
4. The grandfather clock awoke me chiming out the hour.
5. He got up and went out the door taking the laundry.
6. Under the couch, he found the dollar.
7. The young girl ran toward her horse crying with joy.
8. The spaghetti was served to the child smelling of garlic.
9. The buildings on the ground from the plane looked small.
10. Covered with mold, he threw out the cheese.

A dangling modifier seems to modify the wrong word or no word at all because the word it should
modify has been omitted from the sentence.

Examples:

1. CASTING THE PLAY, a fine group of actors was chosen carefully.

CASTING THE PLAY, the director carefully chose a fine group of actors.

2. TO GO TO THE PLAY, seats must be reserved.

TO GO TO THE PLAY, you must reserve seats.

3. WHILE WATCHING THE GAME, another goal was made.

WHILE WATCHING THE GAME, we saw another goal made.

Jocelyn I. Bartolata, English 12 Business Communication, 2nd Semester AY 2011-2012, Bicol University.
 4. WHILE SHE WAS NINETY YEARS OLD, Mrs. Tan’s granddaughter arranged a surprise party.

WHILE MRS. TAN WAS NINETY YEARS OLD, her granddaughter arranged a surprise
party.

5. HAVING FINISHED THE ASSIGNMENT, the hour was late.

HAVING FINISHED THE ASSIGNMENT, we realized how late it was.

Exercise: Correct dangling modifiers.

1. To eat before the game, dinner must be ready within fifteen minutes.
2. While laughing, the chicken bone stuck in her throat.
3. Checking all the stations, the assembly line was running smoothly.
4. Having lost my hat, the bus was missed.
5. Falling on the stairs, my jaw was dislocated.
6. To get out of the woods, a compass was used.
7. When they were three years old, the twin’s parents took them to Disney World.
8. After eating snacks all day, dinner looked unappetizing
9. Before presenting it, you must carefully rehearse a speech.
10. Having decorated the cake, it looked like a work of art.

FAULTY PARALLELISM

Parallelism is the placement of equal ideas in words, phrases or clauses of similar types.

Words: Many Pacquiao looked STRONG, FIT and ALERT.

Phrases: The greatest pleasure I know is TO DO A GOOD ACTION BY STEALTH and TO

HAVE IT FOUND OUT BY ACCIDENT.

Clauses: The basketball star WHOM I SAW and WHOM YOU MET arrived yesterday.

Sentences: IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES; IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES.

Examples:

1. Planning, editing and revision are the three steps in the writing process.

Planning, editing and revising are the three steps in the writing process.

2. I was appalled to see her manners, to hear her bad language and feeling her intense
animosity.

I was appalled to see her manners, to hear her bad language and to feel her intense animosity.

3. Some experts feel that our population is too large, but it will diminish.
Some people feel that our population is too large but that it will diminish.

Jocelyn I. Bartolata, English 12 Business Communication, 2nd Semester AY 2011-2012, Bicol University.
Exercise. Correct faulty parallelism.

1. The new employee was lazy, insolent and often quarrels with others.
2. I think the plants did well because they were fertilized rather than because of my talks to them.
3. Ken will either join the parade or to the Egyptian museum.
4. Going home is better than to stay here.
5. I would choose reading a book over a television show.

FAULTY COORDINATION

To coordinate means to place side by side in equal rank.

 Do not use AND or other coordinating conjunctions to connect ideas not of equal importance.
 Do not carelessly use AND to string sentences together (stringy!)
 To correct:
1. Separate the clauses and omit the coordinating conjunction.
2. Subordinate less important ideas.
3. Reduce a less important idea into a phrase.

Examples:

1. Steam was pouring forth from my car and the gas station attendant said I should have had it
checked months ago.

Steam was pouring forth from my car. The gas station attendant said I should have had it
checked it months ago.

2. I didn’t do well and the race was very easy.

I didn’t do well even though the race was very easy.

3. The dog looked ferocious, and it was snarling and snapping at me.
Snarling and snapping at me, the dog looked ferocious.

Exercise: Combine each pair of sentence avoiding faulty coordination.

1. I lost the gold charm. It had been a gift from my father.

2. Daydreams invade the day. Nightmares haunt the darkness.
3. The handbook had a soft cover. It was filled with clever ideas and shortcuts for household tasks.
4. The shepherds huddled near the fire. It was their source of warmth.
5. The Vikings had early settlements in Canada. They left remains that we study today.

WRITING PROMPT EXERCISE.

For 15 minutes, free write by beginning your sentence with any of the following:

I love…I can’t…Men/Women are…The saddest…My life…The world…I cried…The greatest…Writing

…To expect…

Keep you pen moving. Don’t back track. Don’t revise. Later, see if any of the ideas can be shaped and
recreated.

Now, either write an entirely new paragraph out of the ideas pulled from your free writing output or simply
revise the first.

Jocelyn I. Bartolata, English 12 Business Communication, 2nd Semester AY 2011-2012, Bicol University.
Jocelyn I. Bartolata, English 12 Business Communication, 2nd Semester AY 2011-2012, Bicol University.