Week 5

1
Week 5

• Common Errors
• Characters

2
Common Errors

• Sentence fragments
• Run-on sentences
• Common splices
• Subject-verb agreement
• Pronouns and nouns as subjects
• Verb forms
• Pronoun cases

3
Fragments

• Incomplete sentences
• Missing subject or verb
• Or are dependent clauses

4
Spot the Fragment

• Does the sentence have a subject?
• I blew my entire salary on that trip. And then
  hit my friends up for more money.
• Quick fix supply a subject.
• Better fix link the dependent clause to the
  independent clause in the preceding sentence.
• I blew my entire salary on that trip, then hit my
  friends up for more money.

5
Spot the Fragment

• Does the sentence have a complete verb?
• He studying more this semester.
• Quick fix supply a helping verb.
• He is studying more this semester.

6
Spot the Fragment

• If the sentence begins with a subordinate
  clause, does the same sentence also have a main
  clause?
• Florida stays warm and sunny most of the winter.
  Which is why so many people move to this state.
• Quick fix attach the dependent clause to an
  independent clause.
• Florida stays warm and sunny most of the
  winter, which is why so many people move to this
  state.

7
Run-on Sentences

• Opposite of sentence fragments
• Jam together two or more sentences without
  correct punctuation.
• It is fair to say that most Americans hold
  strong opinions on controversial issues many have
  viable explanations to back them up.

8
Run-on Sentences

• Fix search for subject-verb pairs.
• If you find two main clauses with no
  punctuation separating them, you have a run-on
  sentence.
• It is fair to say that most Americans hold
  strong opinions on controversial issues/ many
  have viable explanations to back them up.

9
Run-on Sentences

• Fix determine where the sentences should be
  divided.
• Choose the appropriate punctuation.

10
Run-on Sentences

• 1. It is fair to say that most Americans hold
  strong opinions on controversial issues. Many
  have viable explanations to back them up.
• 2. It is fair to say that most Americans hold
  strong opinions on controversial issues, and many
  have viable explanations to back them up.
• 3. It is fair to say that most Americans hold
  strong opinions on controversial issues many
  have viable explanations to back them up.

11
Comma Splices

• Type of run-on sentence
• Incorrect punctuation separates two independent
  clauses
• Commas cannot separate independent clauses
• Fixes Use semicolon or period (or dash)
• Turn one clause into a dependent clause
• Use a coordinating conjunction
  (and/but/or/nor/so/yet)

12
Comma Splices

• The importance of this research rests only in
  accomplishing the goal of proving the value of
  unbiased analysis of both sides of an issue
  without using a hotly debated topic, the reader
  will undoubtedly have a preconceived opinion on
  and therefore miss the point of this paper
  altogether.

13
Comma Splices

• Change punctuation
• The importance of this research rests only in
  accomplishing the goal of proving the value of
  unbiased analysis of both sides of an issue
  without using a hotly debated topic. The reader
  will undoubtedly have a preconceived opinion on
  these topics and therefore miss the point of this
  paper altogether.

14
Comma Splices

• Make one clause dependent
• The importance of this research rests only in
  accomplishing the goal of proving the value of
  unbiased analysis of both sides of an issue
  without using a hotly debated topic, on which the
  reader will undoubtedly have a preconceived
  opinion on these topics and therefore miss the
  point of this paper altogether.

15
Comma Splices

• Use a coordinating conjunction
• The importance of this research rests only in
  accomplishing the goal of proving the value of
  unbiased analysis of both sides of an issue
  without using a hotly debated topic, but the
  reader will undoubtedly have a preconceived
  opinion on these topics and therefore miss the
  point of this paper altogether.

16
Subject-Verb Agreement

• When two subjects are joined by and, treat them
  as a compound subject and use a plural verb.
• The coach and the team climb quickly onto the
  bus.

17
Subject-Verb Agreement

• Some compound subjects are treated as singular
• Gin and tonic is a before-dinner ritual in our
  house.
• Rock and roll is still considered the devils
  music by my grandparents generation.

18
Subject-Verb Agreement

• When two nouns are linked by and and modified
  by every or each, treat these nouns as singular
  subjects.
• Every fragment and shard is potentially
  important.
• Each minute and hour ticks by painfully slowly.

19
Subject-Verb Agreement

• Either/or, neither/nor
• The verb should agree with the subject closest
  to the verb
• Neither the horse nor the donkey knows where to
  run.

20
Subject-Verb Agreement

• Subject separated from verbs
• To check for subject-verb agreement, ensure the
  verb agrees with the subject, not the noun
  closest to the verb.
• The Akita, the largest of all Nordic dog breeds,
  are surprisingly responsible dogs.
• The Akita, the largest of all Nordic dog breeds,
  is a surprisingly responsible dog.

21
Subject-Verb Agreement

• Each
• Always treat each as singular.
• Each are capable of violence.
• Each of the attendees get a gift.
• Each is capable of violence.
• Each of the attendees gets a gift.

22
Subject-Verb Agreement

• Collective nouns
• Always treat as singular when the members of
  the group are considered as a unit.
• audience, crowd, fleet, corps, company

23
Subject-Verb Agreement

• Plural nouns
• Be careful with Latin plural nouns, which take
  plural verbs
• media, data
• Singular forms
• medium, datum

24
Irregular Verbs

• Lay/lie
• Lay to put something down
• Lie recline
• I lie awake, listening. Present
• I lay down for an hour this afternoon. Past
• I have lain in bed for days, ill with fever.Past
  participle.

25
Irregular Verbs

• I lay the pen on the slab. Present
• I laid the pen on the slab. Past
• I have laid the pen on the slab. Past participle.

26
Verb Tenses

• Use the present tense to discuss an authors
  work or ideas, or a work of art.
• Douglas and Hargadon argue that the most
  successful innovations are evolutionary, rather
  than revolutionary.

27
Moods

• Three verb moods
• Indicative (states facts/opinions/questions)
• Imperative (makes requests and commands, gives
  advice )
• Subjunctive (expresses wishes,
  unlikely/untrue/hypothetical situations)

28
Examples

• Indicative The human genome project seeks to
  map out human DNA.
• Imperative Explain the role you played in the
  human genome project.
• Subjunctive We wish that the unlocking the
  secrets of our DNA were a sure-fire way of curing
  genetic diseases.

29
Difficult Moods

• In the imperative, the second person you is
  implied, not used, unless the request is couched
  as a question.
• In the subjunctive, the present tense uses the
  base form of the verb (the infinitive form minus
  the to).
• In the past tense, the standard past tense for
  to be is always used in plural.

30
For example...

• Future subjunctive mood
• I recommend that he be incarcerated for the
  rest of his natural life.
• Present subjunctive mood
• I wish that I were a pair of ragged claws,
  scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

31
More Tricky Stuff Pronoun Cases

• Four pronoun cases
• Subjective
• Objective
• Possessive
• Reflexive

32
Subjective

• I Who
• We Whoever
• You
• He
• She
• It
• They

33
Subjective

• Use subjective pronouns as subjects (and
  predicate pronouns).
• Most common at the beginnings of sentences.
• Fiona and I are handling this matter.
• Fiona and me are handling this matter.

34
Objective

• Me Whom
• Us Whomever
• You
• Him
• Her
• It
• Them

35
Objective

• Use objective pronouns as objects indirect
  objects, direct objects, objects of prepositions.
• Most common after words like to/in/on/with
• Handling this matter is entirely down to Fiona
  and I.
• Handling this matter is entirely down to Fiona
  and me.

36
Acid Test

• If you have two words joined by and, drop the
  non-pronoun in the pair, then repeat the
  sentence
• Give those papers to Susan or I.
• Give those papers to Susan or me.
• Give those paper to I.
• Give those papers to me.

37
Possessives

• Possessive nouns have apostrophes, but
  possessive pronouns do not.
• its possessive of it
• its contraction for it is
• Whos contraction for who is
• Whose possessive of who

38
Reflexive

• Used to modify a pronoun that has appeared
  earlier in the same sentence.
• I, myself, cant draw hands.
• She looked at herself in the mirror.
• Youre going to run yourself into the ground.

39
Clarity, Part 2

• Your grammatical subject most important noun
  in your clause.
• Grammatical subject in any main clause should
  indicate what the sentence is about.

40
Clarity Principle 3

• 3. Whenever possible, use characters as your
  grammatical subjects.

41
What Makes a Good Subject?

• Avoid abstractions.
• Whats the subject?
• Adequacy in description is secured insofar as
  determinate and verifiable answers can be given
  to all the scientifically
• important questions involved.

42
What Makes a Good Subject?

• Adequacy in description is secured insofar as
  determinate and verifiable answers can be given
  to all the scientifically important questions
  involved.
• Adequacy is an abstraction.

43
What Makes a Good Sentence?

• While were at it, what else is the matter with
  that sentence?
• Adequacy in description is secured insofar as
  determinate and verifiable answers can be given
  to all the scientifically important questions
  involved.

44
What Makes a Good Sentence?

• The sentence is also passive.
• Adequacy in description is secured insofar as
  determinate and verifiable answers can be given
  to all the scientifically important questions
  involved.
• Both the main and dependent clause here rely on
  passive construction.

45
What Makes a Good Sentence?

• Remember, your readers will perceive your
  writing to be clear when each sentence reads like
  a micro-narrative.
• Ideally, each sentence should contain an actor,
  an action, and its result.

46
What Makes a Good Sentence?

• Active verbs and active construction will help
  only if your subjects are people or tangible
  objects, rather than abstractions.

47
What Makes a Good Subject?

• Think of your subjects as characters, people or
  things capable of acting on something.
• These characters can include individuals or
  collections of individuals, like departments or
  companies.

48
What Makes a Good Subject?

• Characters can also include objects, like
  studies or newspapers, since these objects also
  act on situations.
• Characters can include concepts, like the White
  House, which represent groups of individuals.

49
What Makes a Good Subject?

• When you cant find a person or thing that is
  acting in a situation, use a tangible object.
• This data
• These books
• The intelligence

50
What Makes a Good Subject?

• Find a character for this sentence
• Governmental intervention in fast-changing
  technologies has resulted in distortions of
  market evolution or interference in the
  development of new products.

51
What Makes a Good Subject?

• Governmental intervention in fast-changing
  technologies has resulted in distortions of
  market evolution or interference in the
  development of new products.

52
What Makes a Good Subject?

• Governmental intervention in fast-changing
  technologies has resulted in distortions of
  market evolution or interference in the
  development of new products.
• Characters government
• intervention and market

53
What Makes a Good Verb?

• Governmental intervention in fast-changing
  technologies has resulted in distortions of
  market evolution or interference in the
  development of new products.
• Verbs distorts, interferes,
• develops

54
Hey, whered you get the verb?
Nominalizations
55
Hey, whered you get the verb?

• Nominalizations usually hog the action in the
  clause.
• To provide your verb(s), turn any
  nominalization back into its source verb.

56
Back to the Rewrite...

• Before
• Governmental intervention in fast-changing
  technologies has resulted in distortions of
  market evolution or interference in the
  development of new products.

57
Back to the Rewrite...

• After
• When a government intervenes in fast-changing
  technologies, it commonly distorts how markets
  evolve or interferes with their ability to
  develop new
• products.

58
Hey, whered you get that subject?

• How do you find characters?
• Adequacy in description is secured insofar as
  determinate and verifiable answers can be given
  to all the scientifically important questions
  involved.

59
Hey, whered you get that subject?

• Sometimes, you have to create characters.
• We can secure adequacy in description when we
  give determinate and verifiable answers to all
  scientifically important questions.

60
Did you catch it?

• The nominalization description.
• We can adequately describe things only when we
  give determinate and verifiable answers to all
  scientifically important questions.

61
Whats the subject?

• It is believed that a lack of understanding
  about the risks of alcohol is the cause of
  student bingeing.

62
Whats the subject?

• It is believed that a lack of understanding
  about the risks of alcohol is the cause of
  student bingeing.
• What is it referring to here?

63

• Nothing

64
Clarity Principle 3a

• 3a. For your grammatical subjects, avoid using
  isolated pronouns like
• it
• this
• these
• those

65
Whats the matter with pronouns?

• And sometimes, in the case of pronouns like it,
  the pronoun is not referring to anything in the
  preceding sentence--the pronoun is merely holding
  a place in the sentence.

66
Clarity Principle 3b

• 3b. Avoid using there is or there are in your
  sentences.
• These constructions make for passive clauses or
  sentences.
• They also invert the expected
  subject-verb-object order for your sentence.

67
There are

• There are at least eighteen reasons why I didnt
  do it.
• Wheres your character?
• There are at least eighteen reasons why I didnt
  do it.

68
Agent and active verb

• I didnt do it for at least eighteen reasons.

69
Clarity Principle 3c

• 3c. Place your subjects and verbs as close
  together as you can.
• Readers subconsciously seek the subject and
  verb before taking in the rest of the sentence.

70
Clarity Principle 3c

• If you place too much information between
  subject and verb
• your readers will forget what the subject was
  by the time they reach the verb
• your readers will forget the details between
  subject and verb

71
For example...

• Decisions about forcibly administering
  medication in an emergency room setting despite
  the inability of an irrational patient to provide
  legal consent is usually an on-scene medical
  decision.

72
For example...

• Subjectand verb
• Decisions about forcibly administering
  medication in an emergency room setting despite
  the inability of an irrational patient to provide
  legal consent is usually an on-scene medical
  decision.

73
What Your Reader Will Remember...

• Decisions about forcibly administering
  medication in an emergency room setting despite
  the inability of an irrational patient to provide
  legal consent is usually
• an on-scene medical decision.

74
While Were at It...

• Clinicians usually have to decide in the
  emergency room whether to forcibly administer
  medication without the legal consent of
  irrational patients.

75
Clarity Principle 3

• If we combine all the sub-sets of Clarity
  Principle 3, we get
• 3. Pair characters as subjects with action
  verbs, introduced as early in the sentence as you
  can.

76
Reading

• For more details on common errors
• Read Style, Chapter 4, pp. 39-53
• Read Brief Penguin, chapters 33-36,
• pp. 381-413

77
Next Week

• Emphasis
• Revision