Common errors in English writing

Contents:

Common Errors in English writing Definite Article: the Clarity Dangling modifier and confusion Compound Adjectives Write as much as is appropriate

Common Errors in English writing – 10 sources

1. using an incorrect or inappropriate word. Don’t forget to eat your medicine. The rescuers drive helicopters to search the mountain. Doing exercises extremely could cause muscle sour.

2. the error results from a conflict between Chinese and English grammar.

I very like English. – I like English very much. Because the weather was nice today, so we decided to

go out. Although I was busy, but I helped him anyway. We are difficult to find a job these days.

3. confusing common pairs of words. He went aboard to study English. The curriculum contains courses in computing.

4. using literal (word-for-word) translation of a phrase or concept that does not exist in English.

Wish you have a success on the job interview. – good luck on your job interview.

Healthy foods that contain vitamin B1 include: lentils, peas, brown rice, spinach

5. Using grammatically correct expressions that do not exist in English - the expression sounds strange in English.

We hope you achieve a success with your new book.

6. Using mixed or incorrect levels of formality. (the tone of one’s message must be consistent with the tone of the entire message as well as the purpose and the writer’s relationship to the reader)

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me immediately.

7. Subject – Verb agreement Some of the houses was destroyed in the battle.

8. Informal writing or colloquial language

Off course, I think this area is so important for our current society. You can see from the table easily that….

9. Definite article – “the” The Mount Everest is the highest point of the world.

10. Confusion and unclarity – Dangling or misplaced modifiers / pronouns

Having arrived late for practice, a written excuse was needed.

A survey in 1996 revealed that the anti-science tag and antitheism has been attached to many other groups, but they did not exist after year of 2000.

How to make an improvement?

The most effective way of overcoming these errors is by learning English in a natural way and not simply memorizing grammar rules and English words and phrase.

find materials suitable for your level, and read as much as possible. Reading is the best way to acquire new words, phrases, and expressions and review and reinforce the ones you already know. It also helps you learn new grammatical structures and sentence patterns.

try to apply what you learn. Copy words, expressions, and sentence patterns you like and use them in your emails to help to increase your fluency and accuracy.

Proofread carefully

1. Spelling

2. Verb forms

3. Punctuation

4. Pronoun agreement

5. Subject-verb agreement

6. Fragment

7. Parallel structure

8. Possessives

9. Shifts (voice – consistency with active or

passive)(tense – consistency with past, present,

future)

10. Misplaced modifiers11. Correct word usage12. Wordiness13. Outdated language or

informal language

Definite Article: the

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group.

For example: "The dog that bit me ran away." (Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit

me.)

"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" (Here, we're talking about a particular policeman.)

"I saw the elephant at the zoo." (Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is

only one elephant at the zoo.)

Count and Noncount Nouns

The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

"I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).

"He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns. "I need a bottle of water." "I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.

Geographical use of “the”There are some specific rules for using the with

geographical nouns.

Do not use the before:

1. names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however,

the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States

2. names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Taipei,

Miami 3. names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.

4. names of continents (Asia, Europe)

5. names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes

6. names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn

7. names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

1. names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific

2. points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole 3. geographical areas: the Middle East, the West

4. deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Omission of Articles

Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian

Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball

Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science

Clarity

Make sure every pronoun has a clear antecedent.

Examples:

Norden picked up the wrench, removed the nut, and handed it to Robert.

Norden picked up the wrench, removed the nut, and handed the tool to Robert.

Complaining angrily, John wrote it up and sent it to the newspaper. (what is it?)

Angrily, John wrote up his complaint and sent it to the newspaper.

practice1. I went with Brad to Phil’s place because he wanted

company.

2. Peter spoke to the assistant, and he was very rude.

3. The division manger always favored Sam. This angered the other employees.

4. John showed the news reporter how to take good pictures, and his pictures turned out beautifully.

5. Gail hired the waitress, which was a wise move on her part.

6. After the electrician installed new switches in the motors, some of them did not work.

7. Plant three-food azalea in front of the seven-food rhododendrons to make them stand out.

8. As the ferry boat approaches the tugboat, it blows a warning.

Avoid the use of the indefinite it and they.

In the college handbook, it lists the holidays we get in the winter quarter.

The college handbook lists the holidays we get in the winter quarter.

At DuPont, they provide very reasonable health insurance.

DuPont provides very reasonable health insurance.

Eliminate the vague it, they, is when, and is where.

1. In Oregon, they have passed a law which encourages the recycling of waste materials.

2. In the instruction manual, it explains how to operate an chewing machine.

3. Inflation is when the dollar is worth less than previously.

4. At the Farmers’ Auction Block is where they have many buyers of truck crops.

Dangling modifier and confusion

Modifier Placement – Dangling modifier

1 . When using participial phrases as modifiers: Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, the car seemed to run  better.

Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, Fred found he could get  much better gas mileage.

2. Participial phrases cannot be combined with “it… “ or “there…”: Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, there is an easy way to  keep

your car running smoothly. If we change the oil every 3,000 miles, we can keep our car  running

smoothly.

3. Participial phrases cannot be combined with passive verbs either: Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, the car was kept in  excellent

condition. Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, we kept the car in  excellent

condition.

4. Infinitives (to + verb) should clearly modify the doer: To keep the young recruits interested in getting in shape, an 

exercise program was set up for the summer months. To keep the young recruits interested in getting in shape, the 

coaching staff set up an exercise program for the summer   months.

5. Squinting modifier: adverb can be placed nearly everywhere in a sentence, thus causing ambiguity:

Students who seek their instructors' advice often can improve their grades.

Student who often seek their instructors' advice can improve  their grades.

Students who seek their instructors' advice can often improve their grades.

Confusion: Its Sources and Remedies

1. Adverbial phrases modify the subject, not serve as one: Although the season has not yet begun has caused the public to get

over anxious for information about the team. Although the season has not yet begun, the public is overly anxious

for information about the team.

2. Prepositional phrases modify the subject, not serve as one: In its attempt to spark sales of season tickets broke several rules

about pre-season publicity. In its attempt to spark sales of season tickets, the basketball

program broke several rules about pre-season publicity. The basketball program's attempt to spark sales of season tickets

broke several rules about pre-season publicity.

3. Two “subjects” in one sentence without subordination or modification: The new system of student registration, we began to use it in the fall. We began to use the new system of student registration in the fall.

4. Adverbial phrases do not serve as the subject of a sentence: By devising carefully worded forms ahead of time made the registrar's job

much easier. Devising carefully worded forms ahead of time made the Registrar's job mu

ch easier.

5. Adverbial clauses do not serve as the subject of a sentence: Even if students' records are lost in the shuffle of registration does not mea

n they will have to start the process over. Even if students' records are lost in the shuffle of registration, they will not

necessarily have to start the process over. Students do not have to start the process over if their records are lost in th

e registration shuffle.

6. “Reason” means “why” or “because”: Do not use phrases such as “the reason why is because” or “the reason is because”:

The reason they were so eager to sell tickets is because they're trying to refurbish the old house.

The reason they were so eager to sell tickets is that they're trying to refurbish the old house.

They were so eager to sell tickets because they're trying to refurbish the old house.

7. Ambiguity in using pronouns: To encourage the recruits to blend in with veteran players, the coac

hes let them play in summer leagues. The coaches let the recruits play in summer leagues so they'd be ab

le to blend in with veteran players.

8. Too many words between antecedent and relative pronouns: The recruits seemed to blend in with the team's master strategies and

make friends on the team who played during the summer months. The recruits who played during the summer months seemed to blend in

with the team's master strategies and make friends on the team.

9. Adjective clauses should clearly point to the antecedent: The new coach seemed to know nothing about his team's recent history,

which reporters seem to pick up on quickly. Reporters quickly picked up on the fact that the new coach knew

nothing about his team's recent history.

10. “It” must have a clear point of reference: Coach Espinoza made several recruiting trips around the country, but it

came to no avail. Coach Espinoza made several recruiting trips around the country, but

her efforts were not successful.

Practice – eliminate confusion by repositioning misplaced phrases or clauses next to the words they modify.

1. Concerned about the grain market, a call was made to the broker.

2. Although writing for several years, no articles have been published.

3. I received instructions for operating the 10-ton crane by mail.

4. Smiling courteously, her offer was accepted.

Compound Adjectives 複合形容詞

A single adjective made up of two or more words is called a "compound adjective".

The words in a compound adjective are linked together by a hyphen (or hyphens) to show that they are part of the same adjective.

A compound adjective is a modifier of a noun. Compound adjectives do not always have hyphens. 

They are hyphenated to avoid confusion.

Types of hyphenated compound adjectives

A、名詞為主的複合形容詞 :

(1) Adjective (including comparatives and superlatives) + Noun A red-light district.  A full-time employee.  A high-level requirement.  A large-scale development.  A shorter-term solution

 (2) Numeric+ Noun (Singular) A seven-year itch.  A ten-storey building.  A five-minute walk (3) Noun + Noun (Adjectival phrases are often hyphenated to avoid con

fusion with nouns.) A parent-teacher conference.  Some food-web dependencies.  A crude-oil processing.  An ice-cream shop

B、形容詞為主的複合形容詞 :

(1) Adjective + Adjective

A dark-green dress.  A bitter-sweet memory.

(2) Noun + Adjective A water-proof jacket.  A nation-wide campaign. 

A duty-free shop. 

A world-famous player.

C、分詞為主的複合形容詞 :如果詞性是主動語態，用現在分詞；若是被動語態，則用過去分詞

 (1) Adjective (including comparatives and superlatives) + P

articiple An ugly-looking goose = A goose which looks ugly. A snow-covered mountain = A mountain which is covere

d with snow. An eye-catching girl = A girl who catches people’s eyes.  (2) Adverb + Participle A never-ending story = A story which never ends. A well-paid salary.  A well-respected teacher  

(3) Noun + Participle An adventure-packed quest = A quest which is packed with adventures. A home-made cookie.= The cookie was made at home. A heart-broken story. A fun-loving person. (4) Numeric + Past Participle

A one-eyed bear.  A two-sided story (5) Past Participle + Adverb A laid-off worker = A work who is laid off. A scaled-down operation. (6) Past Participle + Preposition An agreed-upon solution.

We should not place a hyphen in a compound adjective if the adjectives are capitalized, such as when they are part of a title.

  (O) His book was entitled, "Gender Neutral Language in English Usage," and it revolutionized the way people think about sex roles.

However: His book on gender-neutral language revolutionized the way people think about sex roles.

(O) The students were participants in Chicago-Kent's vaunted Legal Research and Writing Program.

practice

1.This is a dress which was made by hand.

This is a _________ dress.

2. It is a walk which takes just 7 minutes.

It is just a ___________ walk.

3. I like the house which was painted brown.

I like the ___________ house.

4. Can you see the star which is shining brightly?

Can you see the _____________ star.

5. This is a cake which is made carefully.

This is a ____________ cake.

Write As Much As Is Appropriate

“the professional writer writes in plastic; the amateur writer writes in concrete.”

this means that the professional works his sentences

over and over, knowing that the first version is seldom

the best.

One of the most common errors is using unnecessary words.

What is the obvious problem of the following sentence?

“Many uneducated citizens who have never attended

school continue to vote for better schools.”

Other examples

Each and every employee will report in writing and complete and turn in form number 402 by August 31 not later.

The employers cooperated together and endorsed a confirmation of the important essentials of the concurring agreement.

12 midnight midnight

3 am in the morning 3 am

a person who is honest an honest person

a total of 14 birds 14 birds

circle around circle

close proximity proximity

end result result

exactly the same the same

Important and basic essential

List of words/phrases that be made simpler:

Meaningless and Ineffective Usages

in spite of the fact that although

in the field of economics in economics

shorter/longer in length shorter/longer

small/large in size small/large

blue in color blue

square/round/rectangular in shape square/round/rectangular

summarize briefly summarize

surrounded on all sides surrounded

surrounding circumstances circumstances

there is no doubt but that no doubt

the future to come the future

and also and or also

basically, essentially, totally

(try to avoid these words)

Due to the fact that due to, because

each every each or every

equally as (O) equally important

(O) as important as

(X) equally as important

Firstly, secondly, thirdly first, second, third

kind of or sort of somewhat, rather, slightly

lots or lots of many or much

plus and or moreover

a considerable amount of much

The reason why is because The reason is / because

on account of because

a number of several

referred to as called

In a number of cases some

has the capacity to can

It is clear that clearly

obviously apparent apparently

It is apparent that apparently

employ use

fabricate make

mix together mix

combine together combine

connect together connect

for the purpose of for….

to….

noticeable to the eye noticeable

Visible to the eye visible

Audible to the ear audible

Alone all by himself alone

during the winter months during winter

In the month of May In May

In the city of Detroit In Detroit

Past experience experience

Past history history

In the final analysis finally

Final conclusion conclusion

Whole entire entire

Might possible might

Here in this place here

Different variations variations

In this day and age today

Retrieve back retrieve

Return back return

Repeat again Repeat

Prior to the time that before

practice1. The clerk reviewed the statement for the purpose of

checking for errors.

2. All the students must know the absolutely basic fundamentals of grammar.

3. The politician tried to make his influence felt among the citizens.

4. The bank teller asked the customer to endorse the check on the back.

5. The governor’s assistant gave a speech on the subject of the resources of Texas.

6. The patient was to take his medicine at regular intervals of time.

Plague Words and Phrases

1. “All things considered”:

All things considered, Connecticut's  woodlands are in better shape now than ever before.Connecticut's  woodlands are in better shape now than ever before.

2. “As a matter of fact”:

As a matter of fact, there are more  woodlands in Connecticut now than there  were in 1898.There are more woodlands in Connecticut now than there  were in 1898.

3. “At the present time”:

This is because there are fewer farmers at the present time.This is because there are fewer farmers now.

4. “Because of the fact that”:

Woodlands have grown in area because of the fact that farmers have abandoned  their fields.Woodlands have grown in area because farmers have abandoned their fields.

5. “Exists”:

The fear that exists among many people that we are losing our woodlands is uncalled for.The fear among many people that we are losing our woodlands is uncalled for.

6. “For the most part”:

For the most part, people's suspicions are  based on a misunderstanding of the facts.People's suspicions are based on a misunderstanding of the facts.

7. “In my opinion”:

In my opinion, this wasteful policy ought  to be revoked.This wasteful policy ought to be revoked.

8. “In the case of”:

In the case of this particular policy, citizens of northeast Connecticut became very upset.Citizens of northeast Connecticut became very upset about his policy.

9. “In the final analysis”:

In the final analysis, the state would have been better off without such a policy.The state would  have been better off without such a  policy.

10. “In the process of”:

Legislators are already in the process of reviewing the statutes.Legislators are already reviewing the statutes.

11. “It seems that”: It seems that they can't wait to get rid of this one.

They can't wait to get  rid of this one.

12. “The point I am trying to make”: The point I am trying to make is that sometimes public policy

doesn't  accomplish what it set out to achieve.Sometimes public policy doesn't  accomplish what it set out to achieve.

13. “Type of”: Legislators need to be more careful of the type of policy they pr

opose.Legislators need to be more careful of the policy they propose.