实用英文写作Common Errors In English Writing.ppt

Common Errors In English Writing 1. Sentence fragment Wrong: The Senator voted for the health care bill to the delight of the opposition. Although he had to admit that there were certain provisions with which he disagreed. Corrected version: The Senator voted for the health care bill to the delight of the opposition although he had to admit there were certain provisions with which he disagreed. 2. Run-on sentence Refers to the error of combining more than one independent sentence into one long sentence. Wrong: Some people say they care for the environment they litter cigarette butts or fruit skins just about anywhere they happen to be. Revised version: Some people say they care for environment, yet they litter cigarette butts or fruits skins just about anywhere they happen to be. 3. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Place modifiers near the words they describe; be sure the modified words actually appear in the sentence. Wrong: Entering the bakery, the smell of fresh pastries and coffee overwhelmed her. Revised version: Entering the bakery, she was overwhelmed by the smell of fresh pastires and coffee 4. Faulty Parallelism Wrong: The candidate’s goals include winning the election, a health program, and education. Revised version: The candidate’s goals include winning the election, enacting a national health program, and improving the educational system. 5. Pronoun Reference and Agreement Incorrect: Einstein was a brilliant mathematician. This is how he was able to explain the workings of the universe. Revised: Einstein, who was a brilliant mathematician, used his quantitative ability to explain the workings of universe. Do not combine singular and plural forms of words in the same sentence. Wrong: Each subject rated their own mood on the questionnaire. Right: Each subject rated his or her own mood on the questionnaire. Right:? All subjects rated their own moods on the questionnaire. Avoid using sexist wording, such as he or his when you are trying to