Coverpage

Building Better Sentences

Elements, Patterns, Structures, and Errors

Sam An Teng
Copyright © 2014 by Sam An Teng

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without
permission in writing from the publisher.

Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia

First Publication, January 2014

To my lovely wife, parents, brothers, and sisters.

To my aunt, uncle, and cousins.

 Acknowledgements
I would like to express my very great appreciation to my parents for their efforts, at their own costs,
in sending me to schools and universities; a few students in one of the most remote areas have had the
same chance.

I would like to thank my uncle, aunt, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends for their trust,
encouragement, advice, and supports.

Also, I am particularly grateful for the efforts of all my teachers and lecturers in sharing their
knowledge.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
Unit 1 SENTENCES
What is sentence?
Types of Sentences
Declarative sentences
Interrogative sentences
Imperative sentences
Exclamatory sentences
Unit 2 ELEMENTS OF SENTENCES
The Subjects
Simple subjects
Complete subjects
Compound subjects
The Verbs
The Objects
Direct objects
Indirect objects
Objects of prepositions
The Complements
Subject complements
Object complements
The Adverbials
Unit 3 SIMPLE SENTENCES
Subject - Verb
Subject - Verb - Direct Object
Subject - Verb - Indirect Object - Direct Object
Subject - Verb - Subject Complement
Subject - Verb - Direct Object - Object Complement
Subject - Verb - Adverbial
Unit 4 COMPOUND SENTENCES
Independent Clause; Independent Clause (IC; IC.)
Independent Clause, Coordinating Conjunction - Independent Clause (IC, CC + IC.)
Independent clause; Adverbial Conjunction, Independent Clause (IC; CA, IC.)
Independent Clause + Correlative Conjunction + Independent Clause
Unit 5 COMPLEX SENTENCES
Form with Noun Clauses
Functioning as subjects
Functioning as direct objects
Functioning as indirect objects
Functioning as objects of prepositions
Functioning as subject complements
Functioning as object complements
Functioning as appositives
Functioning as adjective complements (Adverbs)
Form with Adjective Clauses
Form with Adverb Clauses
Unit 6 COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES
IC; IC + DC.
IC + DC; IC.
DC, IC; IC.
IC+ DC; IC + DC.
DC, IC; DC, IC.
Unit 7 SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENTS
Subject Nouns
Subject Pronouns
Subject Verbal Phrases
Expressions of Quantity
Compound Subjects
Subjects Come after Verbs
Subjects and Verbs Separated by Other Words
Other Rules
Unit 8 PRONOUN ERRORS
Pronoun Reference
Weak pronoun reference
Pronoun that may refer to two antecedents
Indefinite use of 'it', 'you', 'they', 'your', 'it', and 'this'
Pronoun that misses its antecedent
Pronoun and Antecedent Agreements
Agreement in person
Agreement in number
Compound antecedents
Collective noun antecedents
Indefinite pronoun antecedents
Antecedents which are plural in forms
Agreement in gender
Unit 9 MODIFIERS PROBLEMS
Misplaced Modifiers
As single word modifier
As prepositional phrases
As verbal phrases (participles or infinitives)
As clauses
Dangling Modifiers
Using participles as modifiers:
Using gerunds as modifiers:
Using infinitive as modifiers:
Squinting Modifiers
Split Infinitives and Disruptive Modifiers
Split infinitives
Disruptive Modifiers
Unit 10 SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
Fixing Fragments Missing Subjects
Fixing Fragments Missing Verbs
Fixing Fragments Missing Main Clauses
Unit 11 RUN-ON SENTENCES
Using a coordinating conjunction to join the sentences
Using a semi-colon to join the sentences
Using a conjunctive adverb (or transitional expression) to join the sentences
Subordinating one clause and join with another
Separating the independent clauses
Unit 12 SENTENCE LENGTHS
Choppy Sentences
Stringy Sentences
Wordy Sentences
Remove unnecessarily repeated ideas or words
Take out words that are already implied by other words in the same sentence
Replace wordy phrases with single words
Simplify your sentence structures
Remove or reword expletives (there is, there are, it is) and similar expressions which refer to nothing
in particular
Limit or avoid phrases describing your attitudes and writing strategies
Unit 13 PARALLELISM
Noun with nouns
Noun phrase with noun phrases
Noun clause with noun clauses
Verb and verbs
Adjective with adjectives
Adverb with adverbs
Gerund with gerunds
Infinitive with infinitives
Prepositional phrase with prepositional phrases
Unit 14 DOUBLE NEGATIVES
With a negative pronoun
With negative adverb/adjective
With a negative words
Why do you need to avoid double negative?
About the Book
About the Author
Related publications:
Unit 1 SENTENCES

What is sentence?
A sentence is a group of words which contains at least one subject and one verb, and expresses a
complete thought. It starts with a capital letter and finishes with an ending punctuation. The ending
punctuation is either a full-stop (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation mark (!).

He runs.
She likes apple.
What are you doing?
Thida studies English.
We haven't finished our assignment yet.

Some sentences, however, have hidden subjects which is understood to be you. The sentences are
commands or orders indicating that the speakers tell the audience to do something; i.e. (You) + do
something .

Open the book.

Close the door.
Don't go there.
Be quiet!
Please, try harder.

In some cases, sentences do not follow the grammatical patterns or structures, but they are considered
to be complete sentences. They are understood when spoken or written. Look at some examples
below.

Hello!
What a lovely day!
Pardon!
How cruel it is.
How do you do.

Types of Sentences
According to the meaning and purpose, sentences are classified into four types: declarative,
interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentence.
Declarative sentences

Declarative sentences are either positive or negative sentences. They are also called statements. The
declarative sentences inform or tell something to the audience — listeners or readers.

The plane has four engines.

The phone needs further software development.
They are playing tennis.
The customers are not satisfied with our services.
She didn't come to class yesterday.
I won't go the party.

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences are questions. They ask for information or feedback from the audience —
listeners or readers.

Are you a student?

Where are you staying now?
Who broke the glass?
Could you tell me whether he is in the office?
The film is interesting, isn't it?

Imperative sentences

Imperative sentences are orders or commands. They tell the audience — listeners or readers — to do
something. The subject of imperative sentences is You.

Open your book.

Finish your homework.
Don't park your car over there.
Don't complicate the problem.
Be smart and flexible.

Exclamatory sentences

Exclamatory sentences are statements showing strong feelings or emotions like surprise, anger,
greeting, etc.

What a lovely day!

Hurry up!
That sounds fantastic!
I can't believe you said that!
Bullshit!
How interesting!

***
Unit 2 ELEMENTS OF SENTENCES

Sentences compose of five different elements; these elements form various types and structures of
sentences. These elements are subjects, verbs, objects, complements, and adverbials.

The Subjects
Subjects either perform action or tell what the sentences are about. They can be nouns, pronouns,
noun phrases, noun clauses, or groups of words functioning as noun. The subjects can be identified as
simple, complete, or compound subjects.

Simple subjects

Simple subject is the single noun or pronoun which performs action or tells what a sentence is about.

Thida is a student.
She studies hard.
A student is in the library.
He is doing his assignment.
Many students don't like grammar.

Complete subjects

Complete subject includes the noun (simple subject) and all of its modifiers. It is a noun phrase or
noun clause.

A man is walking into a shop.

A tall man opens the door for him.
A smart and beautiful woman greets him.
What the man is looking for is her interest.
That he decides to buy or not depends on the product quality and post sale services.

Compound subjects

Compound subject contains two or more nouns joined by conjunction "and".

Tom and Jerry always fight.

A teacher and his students are in the class.
Food, shelter, and clothes are our basic needs.
 What we speak and how we speak are important for effective communication.
Television and radio have revolutionized social habits.

The Verbs
Verbs either express actions or states of being. Verbs that show actions are called action verbs;
verbs that show states of being are called state verbs.

The police are finding a suspect. (Action)

He had robbed a woman. (Action)
The woman walked home late at night. (Action)
She was so frightened. (State)
She looked pale and trembling. (State)
She felt uneasy for a few weeks. (State)

The Objects
Objects receive the action from either verbs or subjects. Some objects do not receive the actions, but
stand after prepositions. Thus, there are three kinds of objects: direct objects, indirect objects, and
objects of prepositions. The objects can be nouns, pronouns, noun phrases, noun clauses, infinitives,
infinitive phrases, gerunds, or gerund phrases.

Direct objects

Direct object receives the direct action from a verb; it is the first receiver.

Dara reads a book.

The boy unlocked the password successfully.
The company produces thousand cars.
I support what he has said.
We are discussing how to deal with the issue.

Indirect objects

Indirect object receives the direct object from a verb or subject. It tells who the direct object is to or
for; it is the beneficiary of the action.

His boss assigns my friend new roles.

Thida lent me some money last month.
 Could you bring him a coffee?
He sent his parents a postcard.
The government offers the rebel a peace talk.

Objects of prepositions

Object of preposition stands after a preposition. Both the preposition and its object form the
prepositional phrase which may be used as adjective or adverb in a sentence.

The book is on the table.

She is in the classroom.
I am waiting for my friends.
The man walks towards the counter.
We decided not to vote for him.

The Complements
Complements complete the meaning of the subjects or objects. The complements which complete the
meaning of the subjects are called subject complements while those which complete the meaning of
the objects are called object complements.

Subject complements

Subject complement — which can be a noun or adjective — completes the meaning of a subject.
When the subject complement is a noun, it is grammatically called predicate nominative; when it is
an adjective, it is called predicate adjective. The subject complement stands after a linking verb.

They are accountants.

She has a big house.
The pen is mine.
Your story sounds very interesting.
The building looks fantastic.
The children look so happy.

Object complements

Object complement completes the meaning of an object. It can be either a noun or adjective.

The class appointed him representative.

I call him Hero.
We consider him brother.
I named my dog Dodo.
 Dara always made her upset.
The man painted his house green.
More money does not always make us happy.
He left the door open.

The Adverbials
Adverbial is a word or group of words that functions as adverb. It either tells time, place, direction,
manner, mean, purpose, etc.

She sings beautifully.

They are working very hard.
I got up late.
The exam finished yesterday.
He is going upstairs.
Thida is sleeping in her room.

***
Unit 3 SIMPLE SENTENCES

A simple sentence contains one independent clause; it presents a single idea. This clause can stand
alone and expresses a complete thought.

She is singing.
The boy and his mother are jogging.
Bora studies very hard.
Two boys are playing in the field.
He is a good student.
His performance is always good.
Many people are writing novels these days.
The man teaches his son the business tips.
We name our puppy Doly.
A man made his wife upset.

Simple sentences are constructed with the five elements explained in the previous lesson. The ways
in which these elements are used and arranged in sentences form six simple sentence patterns.

Subject - Verb
The shortest sentences are formed with two elements: a subject and a verb (SV).

Birds fly.
A baby cries.
The boy is reading.
The phone is ringing.
The crowd clapped.

In some sentences, compound subjects – two or more subjects joined by a conjunction – are used.
Thus, the variation is SSV.

Birds and insects fly.

The boy and his mother are fishing.
Vutha and Thida were studying.
Tom and Jerry always fight.
A woman and her husband quarrelled.

Sometimes, compound verbs – two or more verbs joined by a conjunction – are also used. Thus, the
variation is SVV.
 The guests were eating and drinking.
Some were singing and dancing.
The baby fussed and cried.
The boy can read and write.
My daughter sleeps and dreams.

It is also possible that compound subjects – two or more subjects joined by a conjunction – and
compound verbs – two or more verbs joined by a conjunction – are used in the same sentence. Thus,
the variation is SSVV.

Bora and Phalla were chatting and laughing.

The girls and boys sing and dance.
The leader and his followers were discussing and planning.
The mother and daughter hugged and kissed.
The cup and saucer fell and broke.

Subject - Verb - Direct Object

Some verbs required objects; they are called transitive verbs. The object can simply be a noun,
pronoun, or group of words functioning as noun.

My friend broke a glass.

She has finished her homework.
A woman is washing her car.
My uncle loves teaching.
They enjoy playing football.
She plans to resign.
The students intended to study hard.
I don't know whether he will agree with us.
My father asked where I wanted to go.

Subject - Verb - Indirect Object - Direct Object

Some verbs require two objects – direct and indirect object; they are called ditransitive verbs. Some
of these common verbs are: borrow, bring, buy, give, lend, make, offer, promise, provide, sell, send,
write, etc.

The man bought his wife a diamond ring.

She has lent her friend some money.
They promised us more supports.
 My father told me a story.
We sent our customers greeting cards.

Subject - Verb - Subject Complement

Linking verbs are followed by subject complements. The common linking verbs are: appear, be,
become, cost, grow, have, look, own, seem, smell, weigh, taste, etc.

My father is a teacher.
Kolab is an experienced speaker.
The girl is so genius.
The car looks nice.
The book is best-selling.
The tree has grown a lot taller.
The room smells terrible.

Subject - Verb - Direct Object - Object Complement

Some verbs requires both a direct object and a complement; they are called complex transitive verbs.
Some of these verbs are: appoint, call, consider, declare, elect, fill, make, nominate, see, etc.

We elected him team leader.

I called the man Harry.
The committee declared his act violation of the rules.
We considered him brother.

Object complements can be also adjectives. Here are some examples of them.

The judge found the suspect guilty.

The dog makes the boy happy.
His greed drives him mad.
She painted her room pink.

Subject - Verb - Adverbial

Adverbial modifies a verb to show either manner, time, place, direction, mean, or purpose. It is a
word or group of words which functions as adverb.
The children laughed happily.
The boy eats hungrily.
She wrote very fast.
He got up late.
Shall we meet in the afternoon?
The students are sitting in the class.
My parents are traveling to Siem Reap.
She put the flowers carefully in a vase.
The girl walked home.
The customers are standing in a long line.
The song was sung by Sokunkanha.
The boy writes with left hand.

***
Unit 4 COMPOUND SENTENCES

Compound sentence has two or more independent clauses. It presents two closely related ideas. The
sentences below are compound sentences.

I arrived late; I missed the first class.

The students want to pass the course; they study hard.
It had rained heavily, so the road was flooded last night.
I went to bed early last night, for I was too tired.
You have to get up early; otherwise, you will be late for your exam.
The officials denied the report; moreover, they refused to comment.

Simple sentences are joined to form compound sentences with either a semi colon, a coordinating
conjunction, or a conjunctive adverb.

Independent Clause; Independent Clause (IC; IC.)

We can simply join two simple sentences with a semi-colon.

I rent a house here; it is near my office.

It's a very interesting job; the pay is also good.
I never saw him again; I didn't regret it.
I enjoy visiting many different countries; I don't want to live overseas.
You could buy a car, or you could deposit your money in the bank.
I wanted to go out; none of my friends were available.
My knee started hurting; I stopped running.

Independent Clause, Coordinating Conjunction - Independent

Clause (IC, CC + IC.)
We join two simple sentences by using a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). A
comma is needed before the conjunction. The coordinating conjunction show different relationship
such as reason (for), addition (and), negative addition (nor), contrast (but, yet), choice (or), and result
(so).

I went to bed early last night, for I was too tired.

He didn't come to class, for he was sick.
The bus stopped, and the man got off.
 I don't like politics, nor does she.
Many people conform, but they never ask.
I will go by taxi, or I will be late for the sale meeting.
I checked my homework two times, yet the mistakes were still there.
They didn't study hard, so they could not perform well.

Independent clause; Adverbial Conjunction, Independent Clause

(IC; CA, IC.)
We may join two simple sentences by using an adverbial conjunction (conjunctive adverb) which is
preceded by a semi-colon and followed by a comma.

The adverbial conjunctions also show different relationship between ideas such as addition (besides,
furthermore, moreover...), contrast (conversely, however, nevertheless, nonetheless, instead...),
choice (otherwise), result (consequently, hence, therefore, thus...), or comparison (likewise,
similarly), etc.

The officials denied the report; moreover, they refused to comment.

That house isn't big enough for us; furthermore, it's too expensive.

He had made the mistake; however, he refused.

We went to the meeting; nevertheless, we didn't see him.

You must buy the tickets; otherwise, we won't be able to see that play.
You have to get up early; otherwise, you will be late for your exam.

Ratha was tired; hence, he took a nap.

They didn't study hard; thus, they failed their final exams.

The soup were delicious; likewise, the steak was excellent.

The cost of food has risen in recent years; similarly, fuel prices have increased quite
considerably.

Independent Clause + Correlative Conjunction + Independent

Clause
Two independent clauses may also be joined by correlative conjunctions such as either... or,
neither... nor, both... and, not only...but also, and whether... or.

Either you can give me some advice, or your friend can.

Samnang not only built his own house, but he also designed it himself.
I neither know nor I care what's happened to him.
I don’t know whether I should stay or leave.
Both Dara and Vuthy participated in the program.

***
Unit 5 COMPLEX SENTENCES

Complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. One idea of
the complex sentence is less important than the other. The more important idea is stated in the
independent clause while the less important idea is stated in the dependent clause.

Below are examples of complex sentences. The dependent clauses are in italic.

I ask her whether she speaks French.

I don't know if he liked the foods.
The woman who you met at the restaurant is an editor.
The speech which my friend gave was too long.
While the children were playing, their mother was watching television.
If you fail your exam, you have to wait for another six months.

Note: An independent clause is a word group that has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete
thought. It can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent clause also has a subject and a verb, but it
does not express a complete thought. It can't be a sentence on its own. It always starts with a clause
marker or subordinator.

A complex sentence is made of an independent clause and one or more dependent clause(s). This
forms a simple pattern: Independent clause (IC) + Dependent clauses (DC). The complex sentence
is formed with one of the three various dependent clauses — noun clause, adjective clause, and
adverb clause.

Form with Noun Clauses

A noun clause is used as a noun within a sentence. It begins with subordinators like how, however, if,
that, what, whatever, when, where, whether, which, whichever, who, whoever, whom, whomever,
whose, why, etc. The noun clauses may function as:

Functioning as subjects

How the problems happened is our concern.

That they won't be late is our hope.
Where he lives is not known.
Whoever wants to help is welcome.
Functioning as direct objects

He says that he is a teacher.

He explains how he solves the problem.
I eat what is useful.
Can't you remember where you parked your car?

Functioning as indirect objects

He told whoever is interested in investing the news.

The teacher will give whoever get all of the answer right an A+.
She gave what she liked a lot of time.
My trip will make what I want a reality.

Functioning as objects of prepositions

She is interested in looking at whatever is on sale.

The vacancies are open to whoever are talented.
We judge a man by what he does.
They found fault in what they had done.

Functioning as subject complements

Our goal is that we will be a market leader in 3 years.

Freedom and justice are what we want.
One serious problem is that we will not get the raw materials on time.
The truth was that he was careless.

Functioning as object complements

You can call me what you like.

The team declared a great success that won the match.
The people around has made them what they are.
He thought the party what he had expected it to be.

Functioning as appositives

He reached the conclusion that it was wise to stay out of politics.

We that are older understand life better that children.
That terrible noise, that the dog bark, annoys the neighbours every night.
I don't believe the rumour that he is going to resign.

Functioning as adjective complements (Adverbs)

 I am sad that my husband is ill.
He is happy that he has passed the exam.
She was confident that her plan would work.
I am afraid that she has lost her way.

Form with Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause, sometimes called a relative clause, normally begins with a relative pronoun
(which, that, who, whom), relative possessive adjective (whose), or relative adverb (when, where,
why). The adjective clause is placed next to the noun or pronoun that it modifies.

Vutha, who is my brother, is a sleepwalker.

The man whom you just asked is a teacher.
The boy whose brother studies with me is so curious.
I dropped a camera which my sister had just bought.
The essay, that I worked on all night, was accidentally deleted.
The dog that kept me awake all night lived next door.
A marriage which is based on trust succeeds.
The night when we danced together is a happy memory.
The building where we work was evacuated.
Bribery was the reason why he was arrested.

Form with Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause normally begins with a subordinators which express logical relationship such as
concession (although, even though, though), condition (if, unless, whether), contrast (while,
whereas), manner (as, as if, as though), place (where, wherever), purpose (so that, in order that),
reason (because, since, as), time (after, before, when, whenever, while, until, since, as soon as), etc.

The adverb clause may be placed at the beginning of or the end of the sentence. The difference is that
a comma is needed when the dependent clause is placed before the independent clause at the
beginning of the sentences. Therefore, the pattern is either: Independent clause + Dependent clause
(IC + DC.), or Dependent clause + comma + Independent clause (DC, IC.).

Although they work very hard, they earn very little.

Though she uses only two fingers, she is a very fast typist.

If you are drunk, don't drive.

Unless the traffic is very bad, we should arrive on time.
The poor become poorer while the rich become richer.
Some of the studies show positive results, whereas others do not.

Put the lighter where the children can't find it.

I'll go wherever I can find a better job.

Everything worked out as he expected.

We must behave as if everything were normal.

Please come early so that we can organize the meeting timely.

Clear the doorway so that the others can enter.

She skipped lunch because she was so busy.

Since my alarm clock did not ring, I overslept.

We have to get thing ready before our boss arrives.

When I have enough money, I will change my laptop.
I will call you after I get home.
When the bus arrived, we quickly boarded.

***
Unit 6 COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES

A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and at least one
dependent clause. The compound-complex sentence presents a combination of ideas found in
compound and complex sentences.

Because she studied hard, she passed the exam, and she was so happy.
We've identified our team weakness which harness our work efficiency, and we have agreed to
improve.
I don't know the solution that best solve the situation, and nobody else can give advice.
If the company ignores the problem with working conditions, the turnover rate will rise, and
the productivity will definitely go down.
Some students do not study hard, but when they fail, they always make complaints about the
school.
We have got many problems which is related to our supply chain, and our customers have made
a lot of complaints that may damage our reputation.

The combination of clauses may be more complicated than other structures of sentences — compound
or complex sentences — thus, it is hard to draw a conclusion of the exact patterns of which the
clauses are placed or arranged. However, we are able to make breakdowns, which will be further
explained below with examples, of some of the most common positions of clauses.

IC; IC + DC.
The election finished; the opposition rejected the official result which is believed to be rigged.
I was busy preparing the sale plan, so I couldn't attend my friend wedding which was held last
weekend.
It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.
I did not fully agree with the speaker, nor did I feel that he had focused enough on his topic.
People study war histories, yet they have repeated the wars which were even more disastrous.
Angkor Wat was built by people, yet many think that it was built by magical power.

IC + DC; IC.
You should lock the gate when you leave your house; otherwise, the dogs may get out.
 I couldn't remember where we first met, but I do remember your face.
The phone which I bought last month was defected, so I returned it to the store.
The two dogs barked at each other constantly until the sun rose; consequently, none of us got
much sleep last night.
The guy is so genius that many admire his talents; he has been promoted a department head so
far.
I will phone you if I need more help; your help is crucial.

DC, IC; IC.

If production increases, prices may drop, and consumers may buy more.
If prices drop too low, a company’s profits may decrease, and employees may lose their jobs.
As we left the library, the rain fell down, so we rushed back inside.
After we researched the market, we started developing our product, and we planned to launch
later next year.
While he was studying at college, not many people knew about him, but he later became an
influential leader.
If you simply paint over them, the cracks will return, and you’ll have to paint again.

IC+ DC; IC + DC.

Thida, who is a bank teller, feels sick, so she asks for leave permission so that she can have
medical check up.
Don't believe everything that you read, for facts can be given a spin that makes them less
reliable.
She thought that she would resign, but she didn't after her boss offered new benefits.
Don't talk on the phone while you are driving, for you may cause an accident which can be
fatal.
We decided that the movie was too violent, but our children, who like to watch scary movies,
thought that we were wrong.
Here is the money that I owe you, and I am free of debt which has made me stressful for long.

DC, IC; DC, IC.

Because Mary was shy, she seldom met new people; although she was unhappy, she spent a lot
of time alone.
When we went to school, we attended a lecture; after the lecture was over, we went to the
library.
Although I like volleyball, I haven't played lately, and I haven't found anyone who has free time
to play with.
If you like this book, I will buy for you; after you read, please share something.
Before she slept at night, she prepared a presentation, and she finished the report which would
be presented to the management team.
Although I love shopping, I have stayed away from the mall, and I think that I can save some
money for investing.

***
Unit 7 SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENTS

A verb must agree with its subject in person and number; i.e, singular subjects take singular verbs,
and plural subjects take plural verbs.

Subject Nouns
Rule 1. Uncountable nouns are singular

Uncountable nouns – for examples, advice, art, bread, butter, electricity, furniture, gas, happiness,
information, knowledge, love, luggage, mail, money, music, power, rice, sugar, water... – are singular
and take singular verbs.

Her knowledge is very extensive.

The bread is delicious.
Water is so important for life.
There is some sugar left in the jar.
Where is your luggage?

Rule 2. Nouns plural in forms, but singular in meaning

Some nouns are plural in form, but singular in meaning. They take a singular verb. These nouns are:

a. Academic subjects: mathematics, physics, economics, statistics, athletics, economics,

gymnastics, linguistics, mathematics, mechanics, news...

Mathematics is a difficult subject.

The good news is that everyone is ready for the exam.

b. Names of diseases: AIDS, measles, mumps, herpes, rabies ...

Measles is sometimes serious.

Rabies is a fatal disease.

c. Title of a book, song, play, film, painting, or other such work

Romeo and Juliet is an interesting novel.

Star Wars was very famous.
Rule 3. Pair nouns are plural

Pair nouns are things which are made of two parts which are the same. Some pair nouns are
binoculars, clogs, glasses (spectacles), jeans, knickers, panties, pants, pincers, pliers, pyjamas,
sandals, scissors, shears, shorts, slippers, sneakers, tights, tongs, trousers, etc. A pair noun is
plural and takes a plural verb.

My glasses are used only for reading.

The pliers are on the table.
My jeans need washing.
These tights were quite expensive.
The scissors are on the table.

Rule 4. Nouns which are plural

Some nouns – such as clothes, earnings, cattle, people, police, etc. – are always plural and take
plural verbs.

My clothes need washing.

Farmers' earnings have increased slightly.
Cattle are reared for meat.
The police are investigating.
Many people are upset with the news.

Rule 5. Collective nouns

A collective noun – such as team, family, faculty, class, committee, audience, swarm, club, family,
crowd, orchestra, flock, class, jury, or herd – may be either singular or plural, depending on its
meaning in a sentence. It is singular when it refers to the whole group as a unit, and it is plural when it
refers to the individuals of the group.

The team fights for victory. [the team as unit]

The team play cooperatively. [the team as individuals]

The committee disagrees on a chairperson. [the committee as unit]

The committee disagree on some challenging problems. [the committee as individuals]

The class has met its substitute teacher. [the class as unit]
The class were discussing. [the class as individuals]

The staff is in a meeting. [the staff as unit]

The staff are in disagreement about the findings. [the class as individuals]

Rule 6. Nouns of foreign origin

Be careful of the plurals of foreign nouns. Some nouns retain the plural forms of the foreign language
from which they have been taken. Though they may look like singular nouns, they are plural and
require plural verbs. These word are: crisis (crises), phenomenon (phenomena), alumnus (alumni),
datum (data), criterion (criteria), fungus (fungi), etc.

The fungus has been identified. [ Singular ]

The fungi have grown very fast. [ Plural ]
A new criterion has been added. [ Singular ]
The selection criteria have been publicly announced. [ Plural ]
The financial crisis is not over yet. [ Singular ]
Crises are common in a war-torn country. [ Plural ]

Rule 7. Adjectives used as nouns

Adjectives which are preceded by ''the' and used as a nouns are plural and take plural verbs.

The poor suffer the most in any crisis.

The intelligent are not arrogant.
The old were evacuated from the building.
The rich are privileged in some society.
The wise see the truths of life.

Subject Pronouns
Rule 8. Singular indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns such are each, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, no
one, nobody, one, many a, one, another, anything, either, and neither are singular and take singular
verbs.

Someone has spilled the coffee here.

Each of the boys receives a book.
Everyone is concerned about corruption.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Neither of the students has finished the assignment.
Neither of them is available to speak right now.

Rule 9. Plural indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns such as all, both, several, few, many are plural and take plural verbs.

Few have come and attended however.

 Both of us are students.
Many are afraid to take all annual leave.

Rule 10. Either singular or plural indefinite pronouns

Some indefinite pronouns such as all, any, more, most, none, some may be to singular or plural
depending on the nouns following.

Some of the students were absent.

Some of money is spent.
All of the people are happy.
All of the effort has been made.

Rule 11. Relative pronouns

A relative pronoun (who, which, that) may be singular or plural depending upon the word to which
the pronoun refers.

He is the man who writes the reports.

The students who come from provinces might have lots of difficulties.
Vuthy is the only one who has a security pass.
A woman who has a career and a family has very little time for herself.
A woman who has a career can still be a good mother.
Women who have careers sometimes wait to have children.

Rule 12. Impersonal pronouns

Impersonal pronoun "it" at the beginning of a sentence is followed by a singular verb.

It is his suggestions that finally take precedence.

It is so hot.
It seems hard to believe.
It is going to be sunny tomorrow.
It is alright.

Subject Verbal Phrases

Rule 13. Verbal phrases as subjects

When acting as subjects of a sentence, gerunds and infinitives are always singular and require
singular verbs.
 Swimming is my favorite sport.
Eating fast foods is not good for health.
Working with you and the others has been a privilege.
To finish our science projects is our immediate goal.
To learn how to do something well takes practice and determination.
To see is to believe.

Rule 14. Compound verbal phrases as subjects

A compound gerund or infinitive phrase joined by 'and' is plural and takes a plural verb. A compound
gerund or infinitive phrase joined by 'or' is singular and takes a singular verb.

Thinking and practising help students to learn more.

To plan and to execute are important for success.
To win or to lose a game teaches us lessons.
To run a company or to raise children is similar.

Expressions of Quantity
An expression of quantity is a word or group of words that tells the amount of something.

Rule 15. Fraction or percentage

A fraction or percentage is singular or plural depending upon noun in the of phrase.

Three-fourths of the roof is painted.

Three-fourths of the members are here.
All the information is current.
All of the girls were eager to have a beach party.
One half of the class misses out the first period.
Nine tenths of the student body is present today.
Nine tenths of the students are present today.

Rule 16. Expressions of amount

In general, measurements involving distance (ten kilometers), money (e.g., dollars, pounds), time
(e.g., five years, the fifties), weight (e.g., pounds, kilograms), or volume (e.g., gallons, liter) are
always singular and take singular verbs.

Ten kilometers is too far to walk.

Ten dollars is an average daily wage for many people in the developing world.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
 Two kilograms of sugar is needed for food preparation.
Three liters of gasoline fills my motorbike reservoir.

Rule 17. 'A number of' and 'the number of'

'A number of' is plural and takes plural verb while 'the number of' is singular and takes a singular
verb.

A number of people are waiting outside.

A number of students were late.
The number of people who have subscribed is surprisingly small.
The number of people we need to hire is thirteen.

Compound Subjects
Rule 17. Compound subjects joined by 'and'

A compound subject consists of two or more subjects that are joined by a conjunction and that have
the same verb. A compound subject that is joined by 'and' is plural and takes a plural verb.

A man and his son are talking.

A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
Her brother, her uncle, and her cousin are teachers.
Both the scout and the counsellor were helpful guides.
Rent and car insurance were my biggest expenses each month.

Rule 18. Compound subjects preceded by 'many a', every', or 'each'

Compound subjects (joined by 'and') that is preceded by 'many a', 'every', or 'each' are singular and
take singular verbs.

Many a boy and girl has great ambitions.

Many a boy and girl is left homeless.
Each father and mother has certain responsibilities.
Every boy and girl welcomes the teacher.
Every parent and child is invited to attend the school picnic.

Rule 19. Subjects joined by correlative conjunctions

If two subjects are joined by 'or', 'either ... or', 'neither... nor', 'not only... but also', the verb agrees
with the subject that is close to the verb.
 Either a dog or a cat makes a good pet.
Either Jim or his friends are bringing the cake.
Neither the class monitor nor his friends have finished homework.
Neither Tom nor the twins like to travel.
Not only the manager and salesman is busy at the moment.
Not only the manager and salesmen are presenting a new products.

Subjects Come after Verbs

Rule 20. Subjects come after verbs

Here and There

"Here" and "there" that begin the sentence are not subjects; verb must agree with a noun standing after
the verb.

Here are the books you want.

There are trees in your backyard.
There is a bird next to the tree.
There is a problem with the balance sheet.
Here are the papers you requested.

Subject-verb order inversion

Verb agrees with a subject that follows the verb.

At the bottom of the stairs stands a statue.

On the table stands a lamp.
Here come the newest members of football squad.
In the center of the mall stand four statues.
Here are the books that you ordered.

Subjects and Verbs Separated by Other Words

Rule 21. Other words or phrases which separate the subject and its verb doesn't affect the
number of the subject.

Separated by prepositional phrases

A combination of factors were the cause of the plane crash.

 The boys as well as his classmates are going to visit the museum.
The colors of the rainbow are beautiful.
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

Separated by adjective clauses

The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.

Storms, which occur during winter, cause deep snow drifts.

Other Rules
Rule 23. Negative construction

A negative construction following the subject does not change the number of the subject.

He, not I, is responsible.

You, not I, are accountable for the loss of the book.
Veasna, not Thida and I, is doing the artwork.

***
Unit 8 PRONOUN ERRORS

Most pronoun errors fall into two categories: pronoun reference and pronoun-antecedent
agreement.

Pronoun Reference
Unclear pronoun reference make the sentences vague or ambiguous.If the pronoun reference is not
clear, you will need to revise the sentence. Some problems below are the common reasons causing
the sentences sound vague.

Weak pronoun reference

A weak pronoun reference confuses the reader; we correct it by rewriting the sentence by adding a
clear antecedent for the pronoun.

Unclear: The candidates argued for an hour about the budget, and so it was boring.
Clear: The candidates argued for an hour about the budget, and so the debate was boring.

Unclear: Read the instruction printed on the label. It will help you to use the product safely.
Clear: Reading the instruction printed on the label will help you to use the product safely.

Unclear: He has lots of books but never keeps them in order, which I find confusing.
Clear: He has lots of books, but I am confused by the disorder in which he keeps them.

Unclear: Vutha called Mary's house all day, but she never answered.
Clear: Vutha called Mary's house all day, but Mary never answered.
Clear: Vutha called Mary all day, but she never answered.

Pronoun that may refer to two antecedents

Vague/ambiguous pronoun antecedent occurs when a pronoun could refer to two possible antecedents.
This causes confusing meaning. We can correct it by substituting a noun for the pronoun.

Unclear: Bopha asked Lily if the teacher want to see her. ['Her' is Bopha or Lily?]
Clear: Bopha asked Lily if the teacher want to see Bopha.
Clear: Bopha asked Lily if the teacher want to see Lily.

Unclear: The team leader told Seila to take her supervising position.
 Clear: The team leader told Seila to take the leader's supervising position.

Unclear: The buses came early for the students, but they were not ready.
Clear: The buses came early, but the students were not ready.

Unclear: We took up the rugs in both rooms and cleaned them thoroughly for the party.
Clear: We took up the rugs and cleaned both rooms thoroughly for the party.
Unclear: Mark's father died when he was twelve years old.
Clear: When Mark was twelve years old, his father father died.

Indefinite use of 'it', 'you', 'they', 'your', 'it', and 'this'

Avoid using the pronoun it, they, you, your, or this without a clear reference or to refer to an idea
that is not clearly stated.

Unclear: In this article it says that dolphins have no sense of smell.

Clear: This article says that dolphins have no sense of smell.

Unclear: Although she was wealthy, she made poor use of it.
Clear: Although she was wealthy, she made poor use of her money.
Clear: Although she had a lot of money, she made poor use of it.

Unclear: The man called the police station, but they didn't answer.
Clear: The man called the police station, but the police didn't answer.

Unclear: Most of your employee are protected by an insurance plan.

Clear: Most employee are protected by an insurance plan.

Unclear: The room was hot, and I was wearing a heavy sweater. This made me sleepy.
Clear: The hot room and my heavy sweater made me sleepy.
Clear: Because the room was hot and I was wearing a heavy sweater, I became sleepy.

Unclear: William is a good writer, and that was something that he was proud of.
Clear: William is a good writer, and his writing ability was something he was proud of.

Pronoun that misses its antecedent

Sometimes the antecedent of the pronoun is missing. We need to add an antecedent.

Unclear: He felt sad when he left his house. [Who left the house? Whose house is it?]
Clear: Bora felt sad when he left Vutha's house.

Unclear: He felt better about the revision process when he left his office.
Clear: The student felt better about the revision process when he left the teacher's office.
Pronoun and Antecedent Agreements
An antecedent is the word or group of words to which a pronoun refers or that a pronoun stands for.
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person (first, second, or third person), number (singular
or plural), gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter). The meaning of the pronoun will not be clear if it
doesn't have the same gender, number, and person as the noun for which it stands.

Agreement in person

A pronoun must agree in person with its antecedent. Person indicates whether a pronoun refers to the
one(s) speaking (first person), the one(s) spoken to (second person), or the one(s) spoken of (third
person).

The use of first, second, or third person forms for personal pronouns must be logical and consistent.
You must avoid the shift of person.

Unclear: I don't like playing video games as you don't get any benefits.
Clear: I don't like playing video games as I don't get any benefits.

Unclear: After one has identified the errors, you know how to fix the laptop easily.
Clear: After one has has identified the errors, he (or one) knows how to fix the laptop easily.

Unclear: If a student wants to get good grade, you must complete your assignment on time.
Clear: If a student wants to get good grade, he or she he or she must complete his or her
assignment on time.

Unclear: If a man wants to achieve success, you must work for it.
Clear: If a man wants to achieve success, he must work for it.

Unclear: If the computer doesn't synchronized, they will not shut down correctly.
Clear: If the computer doesn't synchronized, it will not shut down correctly.

Unclear: My friend and I started a company, and they succeeded in its first product.
Clear: My friend and I started a company, and we succeeded in our first product.

Agreement in number

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number. Singular pronouns — such as he, him, she, her,
it, me, myself, and oneself — should refer to singular antecedents. Plural pronouns—such as we, us,
they, them, and their — should refer to plural antecedents. Mistakes might happen when using:

Compound antecedents
Use plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by 'and', and a singular pronoun to
refer to two or more antecedents joined by 'or'.

Thida and Thona have just finished their book.

Lily, Malin, and Anna worked hard on the project, and they received a good grade.
Samnang or Kosal has just returned his payment.
Thida or Thona can cancel her reservation at five minutes' notice.

If two antecedents are joined by or, either/or, and neither/nor, the pronoun agrees with the
antecedent closest to it.

Either Bora or his friends will bring their course books.

Either the dogs or the cat will get its feed today.
Neither Mary nor Mana will be given the leading role unless she improves.
In this cool room, neither the gardenia nor the roses will lose their freshness.

Collective noun antecedents

A collective noun can be either singular or plural, depending on how it is used. A collective noun
takes a singular pronoun when the noun refers to the group as a unit and a plural pronoun when the
noun refers to the individual members or parts of the group.

Has the band raised enough money for its trip? [Refer to the whole group]
The band have loaded their instruments onto the bus. [Refer to the members]
The jury took only two hours to reach its verdict. [Refer to the whole group]
The jury took only two hours to reach their verdict. [Refer to the members]
The audience was generous with its applause. [Refer to the whole group]
The audience shouted restlessly in their seats. [Refer to the members]

Indefinite pronoun antecedents

Use a singular pronoun to refer to any of the following antecedents: another, anybody, anyone,
anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither, nobody, nothing, no
one, nothing, one, other, somebody, something, someone, etc. and in formal English a pronoun
referring to any one of these words should be singular (he, his, him, she, her, it).

Incorrect: Everyone should be responsible for their job.

Correct: Everyone should be responsible for his job.
Correct: Everyone should be responsible for his or her job.

Use a plural pronoun to refer to any of the following indefinite pronouns: both, few, many, others,
several, etc. are plural and used to replace plural antecedents.

Incorrect: Several can't complete his or her homework.

Correct: Several can't complete their homework.
Use a singular or a plural pronoun, depending on the meaning of the sentence, to refer to any of the
following indefinite pronouns: all, any, most, none, or some.

Julia spilled some of the rabbit food, but she cleaned it up.
Julia spilled some of the pellets, but she cleaned them up.

Remember! The pronoun agrees with the antecedent, not the object of the prepositional phrase.

Incorrect: Each of the books has their different cover.

Correct: Each of the books has its different cover.

Incorrect: Several of my friends brought his or her parents to the ceremony.

Correct: Several of my friends brought their parents to the ceremony.

Antecedents which are plural in forms

Some nouns that are plural in form take singular pronouns.

Economics is a challenging subject, and I enjoy studying it.

However, a few nouns that refer to single items take plural pronouns.

He tore those shorts when he fell off his bike, but he has patched them.

Even when plural in form, the titles of creative works (such as books, songs, movies, and paintings)
and the names of countries, cities, and organizations generally take singular pronouns.

Sophia liked The Fifty Shades of Grey so much that she read it a second time.
The United Nations has its head quarter in New York.

Agreement in gender

A pronoun must agree in gender with the noun (antecedent) to which it refers.

Some singular pronouns indicate gender – 'he' and 'his' refer to masculine; 'she', 'her' and 'hers' to
feminine, and 'it' and 'its' to neuter.

My sister cleans her car every month. [feminine]

Mary is decorating her bedroom. [feminine]

Our uncle is talking to his boss. [masculine]

John succeeded in defending his proposal. [masculine]

The computer is running on its battery. [neuter]

Angkor Wat is famous for its architecture. [neuter]
If the gender of the antecedent is unclear, there are other options: using 'his or her', making the
antecedent and pronoun plural, or omitting the pronoun.

The student handed in his or her essay. [use 'his or her']

The students handed in their essay. [change to plural]
The student handed in an essay. [omitting the pronoun]

A person should make his or her own decision. [use 'his or her']
People should make their own decisions. [change to plural]
A person should make own decision. [omitting the pronoun]

***
Unit 9 MODIFIERS PROBLEMS

A modifier is a word or a group of words which adds information or describes other word, phrase,
or clause in a sentence. The common modifiers are adjective, adverb, prepositional phrases,
participial, gerund, and infinitive phrases, and adjective and adverbial clauses.

All of these modifiers must be placed next to the words being modified. The wrong placing of a
modifier in a sentence causes the meaning of the sentence unclear. The most frequent mistakes that
occur with modifiers are misplaced modifiers, dangling modifiers, and squinting modifiers.

Misplaced Modifiers
A misplaced modifier is placed in the wrong location; its position within a sentence makes the
meaning unclear or, even worse, alters the meaning entirely. It appears to modify the wrong word or
group of words. Look at the examples.

Misplaced: My sister only has two children. [Does 'only' modify 'sister' or 'two'?]
Revised: My sister has only two children.

Misplaced: I was served coffee with a pleasant smile by the flight attendant. [Does 'with a
pleasant smile' modify 'coffee' or 'flight attendant'.]
Revised: I was served coffee by the flight attendant with a pleasant smile .

Misplaced: I held the ticket tightly in my hand that my friend gave me . [Does 'that my friend
gave me' modify 'hand' or 'ticket'.]
Revised: I held the ticket that my friend gave me tightly in my hand .

Placing a single word, prepositional phrase, verbal phrase, or clause in a wrong place causes
misplaced modifier. To correct a sentence with misplaced modifier, you should follow three steps:

Step 1: Find the modifier.

Step 2: Identify what word the modifier was intended to modify.
Step 3: Place the modifier as close as possible to the word, phrase, or clause it is supposed to
describe.

As single word modifier

You must be careful about where you put limiting modifiers. Words such as “hardly, only, almost,
just, merely, even, nearly, barely, simply, etc.”

Misplaced: I nearly watched twenty films last year.

Revised: I watched nearly twenty films last year.

Misplaced: The boy only took one test today.

Revised: The boy took only one test today.

As prepositional phrases

The most common type of phrase modifiers is the prepositional phrase, but when a phrase is
misplaced, it can cause confusion.

Misplaced: I am taking my suit to the tailor with a bad fly.

Revised: I am taking my suit with a bad fly. to the tailor.

Misplaced: The man with red cover chose the book.

Revised: The man chose the book with red cover.

As verbal phrases (participles or infinitives)

Misplaced: The plane took off into the night sky loaded with passengers and fuel .
Revised: The plane, loaded with passengers and fuel , took off into the night sky.

Misplaced: The man stolen has found the car.

Revised: The man has found the car stolen .

Misplaced: A boy was hit by a truck running across the road .

Revised: A boy running across the road was hit by a truck.

As clauses

A misplaced modifier happens when a relative clause or phrase is too far from the word it modifies.

Misplaced: He told a joke to his friends that on one liked .

Revised: He told a joke that on one liked to his friends.

Misplaced: The policeman who has no driving license fines a driver.

Revised: The policeman fines a driver who has no driving license.

Misplaced: Mary met her mother when she was playing cards .
Revised: When Mary was playing cards, she met her mother.
Dangling Modifiers
A dangling modifier does not clearly and sensibly modify any word or word group in a sentence.
Look at these examples.

Dangling: Having robbed a bank , the police arrested him. ['having robbed the bank' modifies
'the police']
Revised: After the man robbed a bank , the police arrested him.

Dangling: Been stolen , the man is looking for his car. ['been stolen' modifies 'the man']
Revised: After the car has been stolen , the man is looking for it.

Dangling: Overspending , his wife complaints him. ['overspending' modifies 'his wife']
Revised: As he has overspent , his wife complaints him.

Dangling: Found copying from others , the teacher disqualified him. ['found copying from
others' modifies 'the teacher']
Revised: Because his research paper had been found copying from others , the teacher
disqualified him.

There are three simple steps to correct a sentence with dangling modifier.

Step 1: Find the modifier.

Step 2: Decide what word the modifier was intended to modify.
Step 3: Revise the sentence. To correct a dangling modifier, you cannot simply rearrange the
sentence. You must add the word that the dangling modifier describes.

Dangling modifier is an introductory word group – participle, gerund, infinitive, or elliptical clause –
that does not refer logically to the noun or pronoun that follows it. A dangling modifier error occurs
when the word modified is missing.

Using participles as modifiers:

Dangling: Climbing up a tree , the girl saw a squirrel.

Revised: The girl saw a squirrel climbing up a tree .

Dangling: Driving west , the scenery was beautiful.

Revised: Driving west, they was beautiful scenery .

Dangling: Having problem with spy ware , my friend formatted his computer.
Revised: Having problem with spy ware, my friend's computer is formatted.
 Revised: Because his computer has had problem with spy ware , my friend formatted it.

Dangling: Written for one year , he published his book.

Revised: Written for one year, his book was published (by him).
Revised: After the book was written for one year , he published his book.

Using gerunds as modifiers:

Dangling: After watching the game , the snacks were put away.
Revised: After watching the game , we put away the snacks .

Dangling: Upon finishing the course , her father asked her to work in his company.
Revised: Upon she finished the course, her father asked her to work in his company.

Dangling: After drilling my tooth , my cavity stopped aching.

Revised: After the dentist drilled my tooth , my cavity stopped aching.
Revised: After drilling my tooth, my dentist stopped my cavity from aching.

Using infinitive as modifiers:

Dangling: To survive in this heat, you must water your plants daily.
Revised: To survive in this heat, new plants must be watered daily.
Dangling: To win the race, great speed will be needed.
Revised: To win the race, I will need great speed.
Dangling: To sew well, a strong light is necessary.
Revised: To sew well, you need a strong light. (You are sewing.)

Using elliptical clauses as modifiers:

Dangling: When fishing, my hook is always baited.

Revised: When fishing, I always bait my hook.
Revised: When I am fishing, my hook is always baited.

Dangling: While playing card, the police arrived.

Revised: While they were playing card, the police arrived.

Dangling: While driving a car, traffic regulations must be observed.

Revised: While driving a car, you/we must observe traffic regulations.

Squinting Modifiers
Squinting modifier, also called 'ambiguous modifier' by some grammarians, appears to modify two
different elements in a sentence because of their placement. A squinting modifier is often, although not
always, a result of placing between two words and could modify either one. This causes confusion in
meaning. Look at the examples.

Squinting: The doctor told him frequently to exercise. ['frequently' either modifies 'told' or
'exercise']
Revised: The doctor frequently told him to exercise.
Revised: The doctor told him to exercise frequently.

Squinting: Students who miss classes frequently fail the course.

Revised: Students who frequently miss classes fail the course.
Revised: Students who miss classes fail the course frequently.

Squinting: The salesman who convinces the customers successfully get order.
Revised: The salesman who successfully convinces the customers get order.
Revised: The salesman who convinces the customers get order successfully.

Squinting: She asked yearly to have her salary reviewed.

Revised: She yearly asked to have her salary reviewed.
Revised: She asked to have her salary reviewed yearly.

To correct problem with squinting modifier, you need to move it directly next to the one word that it
is intended to modify. Look at more examples below:

Squinting: I can only ask you one question.

Revised: I can ask you only one question.
Revised: I am the only one who can ask you a question.

Squinting: Working often is hard.

Revised: Working is often hard.

Squinting: She told them nicely to eat their dinner.

Revised: She nicely told them to eat their dinner.
Revised: She told them to eat their dinner nicely.

Squinting: The teacher told the students regularly to read the books.
Revised: The teacher regularly told the students to read the books.
Revised: The teacher told the students to read the books regularly.

Split Infinitives and Disruptive Modifiers

Two more less common errors are split infinitives and disruptive modifiers.
Split infinitives

Split infinitive is one of the modifier errors which occurs when a modifier is placed between the
infinitive (between 'to' and 'verb'). The modifier modifies either a preceding word or the word after
it. Split infinitive used to be considered an error, but now it is becoming more acceptable even in
formal writing. Cautious writers avoid splitting the infinitives or placing long disruptive modifiers
between 'to' and 'verb'. Look at the examples.

Split infinitive: She asked me to carefully drive home.

Revised: She asked me to drive home carefully.

Split infinitive: I want to never practice the violin again.

Revised: I never want to practice the violin again.

Split infinitive: I need to several times a week wash my hair.

Revised: I need to wash my hair several times a week.

Split infinitive: The mechanic said he would be back to without delayfix my car.
Revised: The mechanic said he would be back to fix my car without delay.

We fix split infinitives by relocating the modifier which stands between 'to' and 'verb'. See more
examples.

Split infinitive: My mother told me to never lie.

Revised: My mother told me never to lie.

Split infinitive: She intended to quickly leave a message.

Revised: She intended to leave a message quickly.

Split infinitive: I like to exactly arrive on time.

Revised: I like to arrive on time exactly.

Split infinitive: She wants to by getting an ACCA degree change her career.
Revised: She wants to change her career by getting an ACCA degree.

Split infinitive: The team decided to, before they launched the the product, study consumer
behaviour.
Revised: The team decided to study consumer behaviour before they launched the the product.

Disruptive Modifiers

A disruptive modifier, which is always an adverb or adverbial phrase, is a sentence problem occurs
when a modifier disrupts the logical connection between a subject and its verb, an auxiliary and its
main verb, or a verb and its object. The disruption causes confusion in meaning. Look at the
examples.
 Disruptive modifier: The conductor, after wiping sweat from his brow, began the final
movement.
Revised: After wiping sweat from his brow, the conductor, began the final movement.

Disruptive modifier: Children will, if they get too tired or hungry, become cranky.
Revised: Children will become cranky if they get too tired or hungry.

We fix disruptive modifiers by positioning the modifier which stands between the subject and verb.
See more examples.

Disruptive modifier: He kicked hard the ball.

Revised: He kicked the ball hard.

Disruptive modifier: He was instructed to administer every two hours the dosage.
Revised: He was instructed to administer the dosage every two hours.

Disruptive modifier: I won't tolerate, just because you're older, your disrespectful behaviour.
Revised: I won't tolerate your disrespectful behaviour just because you're older.

Disruptive modifier: The city, after the violent demonstration ended last week, has returned to
normal.
Revised: After the violent demonstration ended last week, the city has returned to normal.

***
Unit 10 SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

Fragment is just part of a sentence, or an incomplete sentence. It is punctuated correctly and looks
like a sentence, but it does not express complete thoughts and is considered to be wrong by grammar
rules.

Fragment occurs when the subject, verb, or main clause is missing from the sentence. Look at the
examples.

Fragment: Feel very tired and discouraged. [Lack of subject]

Revised: The boy feels very tired and discouraged.

Fragment: Discuss a new building proposal. [Lack of subject]

Revised: The team discuss a new building proposal.

Fragment: He proud of himself. [Lack of main verb]

Revised: He was proud of himself. [Lack of main verb]

Fragment: They must to their boss. [Lack of main verb]

Revised: They must talk to their boss. [Lack of main verb]

Fragment: After I came back from school. [Lack of main clause]

Revised: I took a nap after I came back from school.

Fragment: If I have enough money. [Lack of main clause]

Revised: If I have enough money, I will change my car. [Lack of main clause]

Fixing Fragments Missing Subjects

When a sentence lacks of subject (or the subject is missing), just add a subject. The examples below
show how fragments, missing subject, are corrected by adding a subject.

Fragment: Wrote the story in 1990.

Revised: She wrote the story in 1990.

Fragment: Speak Chinese fluently.

Revised: She speaks Chinese fluently.

Fragment: Chatting with her friends.

 Revised: Dara is chatting with his friends.

Fragment: To buy a house.

Revised: She wanted to buy a house.

When a sentence has wrong or improper subject, remove the unnecessary word or phrase. In some
cases, add some words or change your sentence structure.Look at how fragments, having wrong or
improper, are corrected below.

Fragment: In Cambodia has 14 millions people. ['In Cambodia' is not a subject; it is

prepositional phrase]
Revised: Cambodia has 14 millions people. [Remove 'In']
Revised: There is 14 million people in Cambodia. [Add expletive 'there is']

Fragment: Play football is fun. ['Play football' is a predicate; it is not a subject.]

Revised: Playing football is fun. [Use gerund phrase 'Playing football' as subject.]
Revised: To play football is fun. [Use infinitive phrase 'To play football' as subject.]

Note: Do not be confused with imperative sentences which the subjects are hidden and understood as
"you".

Close the book. ['You' is the subject.]

Follow him.
Don't tell me a lie.
Don't be afraid.

Fixing Fragments Missing Verbs

Sentences are incomplete without main verbs. Some sentence sentence constructions such as passive
need auxiliary verbs, too. Fix a sentence fragment which lacks a main verb by adding one (main
verb to the fragment).

Fragment: The book interesting.

Revised: The book is/seems/looks interesting.

Fragment: She can English.

Revised: She can speak English.

Fragment: The car (that) he bought expensive.

Revised: The car that I bought was expensive.

Fragment: A cure for the disease being researched.

 Revised: A cure for the disease was being researched.

Fragment: The team to plan a mission statement.

Revised: The team plan to develop a mission statement.

Fixing Fragments Missing Main Clauses

A subordinate clause can't be a sentence by standing alone. It needs to be attached to a main clause.
Writer may confuse that it is a sentence, but it is just a sentence fragment. You can fix it by one of the
following ways:

1. add an independent clause,

2. join the dependent clause to an existing independent clause,
3. remove the subordinating word or words, or
4. revise the dependent clause to form an independent clause.

Read the fragments and their correction below.

Fragment: Because I was sick.

Revised: I didn't go to work because I was sick.
Revised: I was sick. [Remove 'Because']

Fragment: When I arrive home.

Revised: I will call you when I arrive home.
Revised: I arrive home.

Fragment: After I had breakfast.

Revised: I left for school after I had breakfast.
Revised: I had breakfast.

Fragment: That is interesting.

Revised: I've read a book that is interesting.
Revised: The book is interesting.

Fragment: Whom we met.

Revised: The lady whom we met is a CEO.
Revised: We met a woman.

Fragment: How to do it.

Revised: Can you tell me how to do it?

Fragment: What you like.

Revised: Nobody knows what you like.
***
Unit 11 RUN-ON SENTENCES

A run-on sentence is an error occurring when two independent clauses are joined incorrectly. There
are two kinds of run-on sentences: comma splices and fused sentences.

A comma splice, also called comma fault, is a run-on that occurs when two independent clauses are
joined by just a comma. A fused sentence is another run-on that occurs when two independent
clauses are joined with no punctuation. Comma splices and fused sentences create confusion because
readers can't tell where one thought ends and another begins.

Comma splice: Thida passed the exam, she had studied hard. [The sentences joined without a
coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: Thida passed the exam she had studied hard. [The sentences joined without a
comma, and a coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: Thida passed the exam for she had studied hard. [The sentences joined without a
comma.]
Revised sentence: Thida passed the exam; she had studied hard. [Use a semi-colon to join the
two sentences.]

Comma splice: He got a flat tire, he could not come to class on time. [The sentences joined
without a coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: He got a flat tire he could not come to class on time. [The sentences joined
without a comma, and a coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: He got a flat tire so he could not come to class on time. [The sentences joined
without a comma.]
Revised sentence: He got a flat tire, so he could not come to class on time. [Use a comma and
coordinating conjunction to join the two sentences.]

Comma splice: Thida missed her mum, she visited her. [The sentences joined without a
coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: Thida missed her mum she visited her. [The sentences joined without a comma,
and a coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: Thida missed her mum so she visited her. [The sentences joined without a
comma.]
Revised sentence: Thida missed her mum; therefore, she visited her. [Use a conjunctive adverb
to join the sentences.]

Comma splice: Bora missed the test, he failed the subject. [The sentences joined without a
coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: Bora missed the test he failed the subject. [The sentences joined without a
comma, and a coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: Bora missed the test so he failed the subject. [The sentences joined without a
 comma.]
Revised sentence: Because Bora missed the test, he failed the subject. [Subordinate one clause
and join with another.]

Comma splice: Mary has won a scholarship, she is so happy. [The sentences joined without a
coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: Mary has won a scholarship she is so happy. [The sentences joined without a
comma, and a coordinating conjunction.]
Fused sentence: Mary has won a scholarship so she is so happy. [The sentences joined without a
comma.]
Revised sentence: Mary has won a scholarship. She is so happy. [Separate the clauses into two
sentences.]

A run-on sentence could be fixed with one of the few methods below.

1. Using a coordinating conjunction to join the sentences,

2. Using a semi-colon to join the sentences,
3. Using a conjunctive adverb to join the sentences,
4. Subordinating one clause and join with another, or
5. Separating the independent clauses.

Using a coordinating conjunction to join the sentences

Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) to join the independent
clauses. The new sentences are compound sentences.

Comma splice: They have saved the money for long, they afford to buy a house now.
Revised sentence: They have saved the money for long, and they afford to buy a house now.

Comma splice: The assignment was easy, it took only a couple of hour to complete.
Revised sentence: The assignment was easy, and it took only a couple of hour to complete.

Fused sentence: My friend was fined he committed a minor offence.

Revised sentence: My friend was fined, for he committed a minor offence.

Fused sentence: I opened the door I was very surprised to see him.
Revised sentence: I opened the door, and I was very surprised to see him.

Fused sentence: Dara wants to start a new company but he doesn't have enough money.
Revised sentence: Dara wants to start a new company, but he doesn't have enough money.

Fused sentence: She didn't hear the doorbell nor did she hear the phone.
Revised sentence: She didn't hear the doorbell, nor did she hear the phone.

Using a semi-colon to join the sentences

Use a semi-colon (;) to join the independent clauses. The semi-colon join the two related ideas.

Comma splice: My professor read my paper, she said it was excellent.

Revised sentence: My professor read my paper; she said it was excellent.

Comma splice: The storm passed quickly through the area last night, it caused a lot of damage.
Revised sentence: The storm passed quickly through the area last night; it caused a lot of
damage.

Fused sentence: A leader sees long-range picture a manager oversees the daily business
operations.
Revised sentence: A leader sees long-range picture; a manager oversees the daily business
operations.

Fused sentence: The security guard was alert he heard the glass break.
Revised sentence: The security guard was alert; he heard the glass break.

Fused sentence: Elena was late so her colleagues started the meeting without her.
Revised sentence: Elena was late; her colleagues started the meeting without her.

Fused sentence: The driver got a speeding ticket and it was his third ticket this year.
Revised sentence: The driver got a speeding ticket; it was his third ticket this year.

Using a conjunctive adverb (or transitional expression) to join the sentences

Use a conjunctive adverb ( like moreover, therefore, hence, however...) to join the independent
clauses. The conjunctive adverb must be preceded a semi-colon and followed by a comma: semi-
colon + conjunctive adverb + comma.

Comma splice: The computer had a virus, everyone's work was badly affected.
Revised sentence:

Comma splice: My sister will call this afternoon, I won't be home.

Revised sentence: My sister will call this afternoon; however, I won't be home.

Fused sentence: My car ran out of gas I was late for my appointment.
Revised sentence: My car ran out of gas; therefore, I was late for my appointment.

Fused sentence: I was scared at the sight I couldn't do anything.

Revised sentence: I was scared at the sight; subsequently, I couldn't do anything.

Fused sentence: The company is big in Europe but not many know it here.
Revised sentence: The company is big in Europe; however, not many know it here.
 Fused sentence: You must leave a bit early or you will be late for your flight.
Revised sentence: You must leave a bit early; otherwise, you will be late for your flight.

Subordinating one clause and join with another

Make one of the independent clauses a dependent clause and join with another independent clause.
Use a subordinator (such as because, even though, as, since...) to begin the dependent clause. In case
that the dependent clause is placed at the beginning of the sentence, it must be followed by a comma.

Comma splice: I enjoy the job, the rewards are great.

Revised sentence: I enjoy the job because the rewards are great.

Comma splice: The book was unusually interesting, I could not put it down.
Revised sentence: The book was unusually interesting that I could not put it down.

Fused sentence: Dara has made many friends he has been here for a few months.
Revised sentence: Dara has made many friends although he has been here for a few months.

Fused sentence: My brother is very competitive he sometimes puts too much pressure on himself.
Revised sentence: Since My brother is very competitive, he sometimes puts too much pressure
on himself.

Fused sentence: The trip to Siem Reap was not very well planned and we had a great time.
Revised sentence: Although the trip to Siem Reap was not very well planned, we had a great
time.

Fused sentence: You give your speech go over the key points.
Revised sentence: Before you give your speech, go over the key points.

Separating the independent clauses

Separate the independent clauses into sentences with a full-stop (.). The first letter of the first word in
each sentence must be capitalized.

Comma splice: Rithy's motorbike broke down, he was unable to go to class.

Revised sentence: Rithy's motorbike broke down. He was unable to go to class.

Comma splice: He is not an exceptional student, he is only average.

Revised sentence: He is not an exceptional student. He is only average.

Fused sentence: She had made a mistake, she never admitted it.
Revised sentence: She had made a mistake. She never admitted it.

Fused sentence: Vutha and Dara wanted to use their time constructively so they discussed
various ideas.
Revised sentence: Vutha and Dara wanted to use their time constructively. They discussed
various ideas.

Fused sentence: Snow drifted on the roads the car couldn’t get through it.
Revised sentence: Snow drifted on the roads. The car couldn’t get through it.

Fused sentence: The alarm rang at six he didn’t rise until nine o’clock.
Revised sentence: The alarm rang at six. He didn’t rise until nine o’clock.

***
Unit 12 SENTENCE LENGTHS

Varying sentence lengths in academic writing keeps the material interesting. Good writing should
deploy a combination of different sentence lengths and styles.

Choppy Sentences
Choppy sentences are too short sentences which come together. They are the result of over using too
many simple sentences. Thus, they are tedious and hard to understand.

We improve choppy sentences by joining the sentences with coordination and subordination, or
adding more words into a sentence. Coordination pair similar elements – words, phrases, or clauses,
giving equal weight to each. Subordination place the more important idea in independent clause and
less important one in dependent clause.

Choppy: I like dogs. Dogs make good pets. Dogs are friendly. Dogs are loyal.
Revised: I like dogs because they are good pets. They are friendly and loyal.

Choppy: Wind is an enduring source of power. Water is also an unlimited energy source. Dams
produce hydraulic power. They have existed for a long time. Windmills are relatively new.
Revised: Both wind and water are enduring sources of power. Dams have produced hydraulic
power for a long time, but windmills are relatively new.

Choppy: I hate housework. Housework is very boring. It takes too much time. I don't like
cleaning the floor and ironing.
Revised: I hate housework such as cleaning the floor and ironing because it is very boring and
takes too much time.

Choppy: Thida is an ambitious student. Her family is proud of her. She is hard-working. She is
optimistic. She is friendly. She won a writing competition last year.
Revised: Thida, whom her family is proud of, is an ambitious student. She is hard-working,
optimistic, and friendly. She won a writing competition last year.

Choppy: The sun beat down. It was on the farmer's back. He began to get terribly hot. He was
uncomfortable.
Corrected: The sun beat down on the farmer's back, and he began to get terribly hot and
uncomfortable.

Choppy: The sun rose. Its rays dispersed. The city awoke to startling light. No one persisted in
 sleep. Day had begun. The people rose.
Revised: The sun rose. Its rays dispersed, so the city awoke to startling light. No one persisted
in sleep because the day had begun. The people rose.

Stringy Sentences
A stringy sentence is made up of several complete thoughts (or clauses) usually connected by
conjunctions such as 'and', 'so', 'but', and 'because'. It has too much information at once that confuse
the reader. It is so long that the reader forgets the beginning of the sentence before reaching the end.

In order to make the sentences clearly, we have to break up the string of sentences by:

1. breaking the sentence into two or more sentences,

2. turning an independent clause into a phrase or subordinate clause, or
3. turning an independent clause into a phrase.

Below are some examples of stringy sentences and their correction.

Stringy: Many students attend classes all morning, and then they work all afternoon, and they
also have to study at night, so they are usually exhausted by the weekend.
Revised: Many students attend classes all morning, work all afternoon, and study at night, so
they are usually exhausted by the weekend.

Stringy: Martina climbed the stairs of the haunted house, and she knocked on the door several
times, but no one answered, and she braced herself, and then she opened the door.
Revised: Martina climbed the stairs of the haunted house. She knocked on the door several
times, but no one answered. Bracing herself, she opened the door.

Stringy: I wondered if Timothy had checked for snakes, and there were also scorpions on most
Caribbean islands, and they were deadly, so I wondered if there were any on our cay.
Revised: I wondered if Timothy had checked for snakes. There were also scorpions on most
Caribbean islands, and they were deadly. I wondered if there were any on our cay.

Wordy Sentences
A wordy sentence contains too many words than you really need. The extra words do not make your
writing sound better and, in fact, they can even interfere with your message.

A wordy sentence contains extra words than you really need. The extra words do not make writing
sound better and,in fact, they can even interfere with your message. Avoiding wordiness makes your
sentences varied and sound more fluent. To do so, you may use one of the following methods:

Remove unnecessarily repeated ideas or words

Wordy: Vutha thought to himself, “I think I’ll finish all the assignment tonight.”
Revised: Vutha thought, “I think I’ll finish all the assignment tonight.”

Wordy: The teacher decided to give extra work to his students. The main reasons of giving
extra work to his students was that students were so dependent on their teachers.
Revised: The teacher decided to give extra work to his students because they were so dependent
on their teachers.

Take out words that are already implied by other words in the same sentence

Wordy: The round yellow sun shone brightly among the clouds in the sky. [The sun is
understood to be round; the clouds too is understood to be in the sky.]
Revised: The sun shone brightly among the clouds.

Replace wordy phrases with single words

Some wordy phrases can be replaced by single words like: at the present time = now; in the event that
= if; at all times when = whenever; in connection with = about; be of the opinion that = think; in spite
of the fact that = although; by means of = by; in the nature of = like; due to the fact that = because; in
view of the fact that = because; during the time that = while; it is often the case that = often; for the
purpose of = for; so on a frequent basis = frequently; has the capability to = can; until such time =
until

Wordy: The company is taking applications at this point in time.

Revised: The company is taking applications now. [The phrase 'at this point in time' could be
simply replaced by a word 'now'.]

Wordy: It's hard to find a good job at the present time.

Revised: It's hard to find a good job now.

Wordy: Mary dropped her school due to the fact that she was poor.
Revised: Mary dropped her school because she was poor.

Wordy: In a state of exhaustion, the man slumped across the bus seat and fell asleep.
Revised: Exhausted, the man slumped across the bus seat and fell asleep.

Wordy: As a result of what happened when the tire went flat, we were late.
Revised: Because the tire went flat, we were late.
Simplify your sentence structures

Wordy: Rose wood, which is a rare wood, is being logged and illegally traded.
Revised: Rose wood, a rare wood, is being logged and illegally traded.

Wordy: He wears a watch which is made of gold.

Revised: He wears a gold watch.

Wordy: Yesterday I went for a long hike with Sonya, who is my best friend.
Revised: Yesterday I went for a long hike with Sonya, my best friend.

Wordy: Afterwards, we drank some apple juice, which is a good thirst quencher.
Revised: Afterwards, we drank some apple juice, a good thirst quencher.

Wordy: Mr. Stevens, who was my former neighbour, won his lawsuit.
Revised: Mr. Stevens, my former neighbour, won his lawsuit.

Wordy: Viseth, who is an accountant, has been promoted.

Revised: Viseth, an accountant, has been promoted. [The clause 'who is an accountant' could be
simply replaced by an appositive 'an accountant'.]

Remove or reword expletives (there is, there are, it is) and similar expressions which refer to
nothing in particular

Wordy: There are many factors causing poverty.

Revised: Many factors cause poverty.

Wordy: It is not known that my boss will decide to choose a new supplier.
Revised: My boss' decision to choose a new supplier is unknown.

Limit or avoid phrases describing your attitudes and writing strategies

Wordy: It seems to me that teachers should allow students to skip class.

Revised: Teachers should allow students to skip class.

Wordy: The purpose of this paper is to inform you of my opinion that all students need to study
harder.
Revised: All students need to study harder.

***
Unit 13 PARALLELISM

Parallelism, also called parallel structure, is the use of the same form of words, phrases, or clauses to
express equivalent ideas; for instance, nouns must match with nouns, adjectives with adjectives,
prepositions with prepositions, adverbs with adverbs, phrases with phrases, and clauses with
clauses. Parallelism adds unity, balance, and coherence to your writing. Sentences with faulty
parallelism makes the meaning harder to understand and confuses the readers.

Faulty parallelism occurs when paired items, items in a series, elements in a list and outline are not
of the same kind or the same grammatical form. Therefore, you need to avoid mixing up difference
forms of words, phrases, or clauses, and ensure the correspondence between:

Noun with nouns

Faulty: He was a miser, a bachelor, and egotistical. [noun, noun, adjective]
Revised: He was a miser, bachelor, and egotist.

Faulty: I like volleyball, soccer, and to play basketball. [noun, noun, infinitive]
Revised: I like volleyball, soccer, and basketball.
Revised: I like to play volleyball, soccer, and basketball.

Noun phrase with noun phrases

Faulty: I am allergic to the dog's hair and how it smells. [noun phrase, noun clause]
Revised: I am allergic to the dog's hair and its smells.

Faulty: Vanna has worked in a factory, a store, and as waiter. [noun phrase, noun phrase,
prepositional phrase]
Revised: Vanna has worked in a factory, a store, and a restaurant.

Noun clause with noun clauses

Faulty: What counts isn't how you look but your behaviour.
Revised: What counts isn't how you look but how you behave.
 Faulty: Samnang asked me what to do and the way to do it.
Revised: Samnang asked me what to do and how to do it.

Verb and verbs

Faulty: Thida cooked the food, laying the table, and cleaning the house.
Revised: Thida cooked the food, laid the table, and cleaned the house.

Faulty: He doesn't have enough time to play sports, doing social work, and socializing with
friends.
Revised: He doesn't have enough time to play sports, does social work, and socialize with
friends.

Adjective with adjectives

Faulty: Lida was healthy, wealthy, and an athlete. [adjective, adjective, noun]
Revised: Lida was healthy, wealthy, and an athletic.

Faulty: She is smart, beautiful, and care. [adjective, adjective, noun]

Revised: She is smart, beautiful, and caring.

Faulty: This car is sporty, economical, and goes very fast. [adjective, adjective, verb phrase]
Revised: This car is sporty, economical, and fast.

Adverb with adverbs

Faulty: He made decision slowly and with caution.
Revised: He made decision slowly and cautiously.

Faulty: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thorough
in his manner.
Revised: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and
thoroughly.
Gerund with gerunds
Faulty: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.
Revised: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.

Faulty: To struggle for success is not as rewarding as achieving it.

Revised: Struggling for success is not as rewarding as achieving it.

Faulty: I like reading books, walking my dog, and crossword puzzles.

Revised: I like reading books, walking my dog, and doing crossword puzzles.

Infinitive with infinitives

Faulty: He intended to read the book , do homework, and research.
Revised: He intended to read the book, to do homework, and to conduct research.

Faulty: Her children like to swim, hike, and riding a bike.

Revised: Her children like to swim, hike, and ride a bike.

Prepositional phrase with prepositional phrases

Faulty: He looked for the keys in the car, under the bed, and his bag.
Revised: He looked for the keys in the car, under the bed, and in his bag.

Faulty: You may travel to the new plant either by train or there is a plane.
Revised: You may travel to the new plant either by train or by plane.

***
Unit 14 DOUBLE NEGATIVES

A double negative is an error which occurs when two negative words are used in the same clause to
express a single negation. It is normally created when using a negative word with a negative pronoun,
negative adverb, or another negative word together in a clause.

With a negative pronoun

The negative pronouns are none, nothing, nowhere, nobody, no one, neither, etc. Look at these
examples,

Incorrect: I didn't meet nobody there.

Revised: I met nobody there.

Incorrect: He didn't do nothing.

Revised: He did nothing.

Incorrect: Haven't none of you seen the dog?

Revised: Haven't anyone of you seen the dog?
Revised: Have none of you seen the dog?

Incorrect: I couldn't do none of the assignment.

Revised: I could do none of the assignment.
Revised: I couldn't do any of the assignment.

With negative adverb/adjective

The negative adverbs are are not, barely, hardly, scarcely, never, scarcely, seldom, etc. Look at these
examples,

Incorrect: I couldn't hardly wait to get to the party.

Revised: I could hardly wait to get to the party.

Incorrect: I did not barely understand what you were saying.

Revised: I barely understood what you were saying.

Incorrect: Tom didn't have no time to buy the books.

 Revised: Tom didn't have time to buy the books.
Revised: Tom had no time to buy the books.

Incorrect: The lights were so dim that we couldn't barely see.

Revised: The lights were so dim that we could barely see.

Incorrect: He hadn't no pencils on his desk.

Revised: He had no pencils on his desk.
Revised: He hadn't any pencils on his desk.

With a negative words

Look at the examples,

Incorrect: The city is not unattractive.

Revised: The city is unattractive.

Incorrect: She is not unhappy.

Revised: She is unhappy.

Why do you need to avoid double negative?

You need to know that when you use two negative words in a sentence, the meaning will be positive.

Incorrect: She is not unhappy. = She is happy.

Incorrect: He didn't do nothing. = He did something.

***
 About the Book

The book is a simple guide for writers at sentence level. The book features three important parts. The
first part which include unit 1 and 2 explain what the sentences are, their types, and what they are
made of — the elements of sentences. The second part which contain unit 3 to 6 elaborate the
structures of the sentences and the common patterns of the sentences — the way in which sentence
elements are arranged to form sentences. The last part highlights the common errors which might
occur while writing sentences and how to fix those errors.
 About the Author
Sam An Teng is a teacher of English experiencing teaching second language adult and young adult
learners for more than eight years. Teng has taught key subjects such as Core English, grammar,
writing skills, and reading. He spent four years as a full-time lecturer at Norton University; since
2009, he has been offering part-time lectures at other few private universities.

Teng is the author of three mini grammar books — The Verb Tenses, Parts of Speech in English,
and Phrases and Clauses in English.

Teng graduated with a bachelor degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in 2004. He later
was interested in business that he studied and got degrees in business management.

Visit his blog at http://grammarkit.blogspot.com

Contact him at: tengsaman@yahoo.com

Related publications:

English Grammar: The Verb Tenses

Parts of Speech in English

Phrases and Clauses in English