Writing term 1. Sentence structures and errors .

Exercise 3: Underline the subjects, verbs, and the complements in the following sentences and write S, V or C above them. Also, put parentheses around prepositional phrase. My [r]

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY - 2018

Pham Cong Ngoc, M.A – Ho Thị Xuan Hong, M.A

WRITING TERM 1

SENTENCE STRUCTURES AND ERRORS

(Used for the Advanced Curriculum)

Pham Cong Ngoc, M.A –Ho Thị Xuan Hong, M.A

WRITING TERM 1

SENTENCE STRUCTURES AND ERRORS

(Used for the Advanced Curriculum)

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY - 2018

INTRODUCTION

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?

Sentence Structures and Errors is a short writing coursebook of 30 classroom

hours for the first term students of advanced curriculum who wish to master general English competence and skills and high scores in exams It teaches them not only English language skills with a focus on writing ones but also reading techniques and background knowledge In addition, this book is a good guide for students to study for exams.The units in this book cover many theories of English sentence construction and errors which help them increase their sentence writing skills and self correction Also, this book covers many types of typical writing tasks which are useful for them to take English writingexams

WHAT DOES THE BOOK CONTAIN?

Obviously, this book deals with theories related to all types of English sentences including simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence and compound- complex sentence Moreover, it covers all kinds of punctuations that are really helpful for students not only to write English tests accurately but also to use in their profession in the future For each part of theory, there are salient examples with explanation to illustrate the point, so students can understand it more effectively Also, the second part of the book analyzes common errors which are easily committed by students when writingsentences.Allelaborateexamplesaredesignedtoenhancestudents recognitio nand understand the sentence errors In addition, in each unit, there are practice parts which are intended to consolidate the theory mentionedpreviously

PART A: SENTENCE STRUCTURE

UNIT 1: AN OVERVIEW OF SENTENCES

1 A subject: what the sentence is about or the topic of the sentence

2 A predicate: what is said about the subject

Look at this example:

< - sentence ->

subject

predicate verb

You speak English

Other examples:

- He is a businessman

- Speed kills

- It was hot yesterday

- Henry looks tired

- Are you hungry now?

- Who’s in the room?

- The man bought a new car

- Does his brother live with him?

- Where did you go last night?

- There are some boys in the room

The above sentences are very short Of course, a sentence can be

longer and more complicated, but basically there is always a subject and a predicate

Look at this longer example:

< - sentence ->

Subject Predicate

verb

Ram and Tara speak English when they are working

Note that the predicate always contains a verb Sometimes the

predicate is only a verb:

< - sentence ->

Subject

Predicate Verb

Smoke rises

So we can say that a sentence must contain at leasta subject and a

verb.There is one apparent exception to this – the imperative When

someone gives a command (the imperative), he/she usually does not use a subject He/she does not say the subject because it is obvious -

the subject is YOU! Look at these examples of the imperative, with

and without a subject:

< - sentence ->

Subject

Predicate Verb

Remember that a sentence expresses a complete thought Here are

someexamples of complete and incomplete thoughts:

Come in, please

Do you like coffee?

People who work hard

The man bought

(This is not a complete thought)

Because it is rained

(This is not a complete thought)

Is very handsome?

(There is no subject)

Every morning before breakfast

(There is no subject or verb)

Also remember that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends

with a full stop or a question mark or an exclamation mark Look at these examples:

- People need food

- How are you?

- Look out!

Work with a partner:

Read each group of words out loud

Decide which ones are complete sentences and which ones are not Write YES next to the complete sentences and NO next to the non- sentences

Explain why the non-sentences are not sentences

EXAMPLES:

SUBJECTS

AND VERBS

NO Is very cold today?(…… There is no subject……….)

YES It is very cold today? (………)

1 My new boss from Britain (………)

2 She speaks four foreign languages fluently (……… )

3 Was very difficult to say (……… )

4 When we first arrived here (……… )

5 Henny wants to start her own business (………)

6 The girl isn’t married.(………)

7 Enjoys many sports, especially basketball (………)

8 Don’t worry! (………)

9 Help! (……….)

10 _ They don’t like (………)

11 _ Because we are new comers (………)

12 _ They don’t want (………)

13 _ If you were me (………)

14 _ Here you are (……….)

15 _ Flying in the sky like a bird (………)

Subjects and verbs are the most important parts of a sentence In

English, the subject of a sentence is always expressed except in

imperative sentences

The subject tells WHO or WHAT does something (sometimes it

is called “DOER” of the action) It is a noun or pronoun

Examples:

- My roommate lost the key to his car.(Who lost the key? – My roommate)

- The car hit the pedestrian.(What hit the pedestrian? –the car)

- Skiing and snowboarding are my favorite winter sports

(What are my favorite winter sports? –Skiing and snowboarding)

The verb often tells us the action (action verbs) However, sometimes a verb doesn’t tell an action but links the subject with the rest of the sentence (liking verbs)

PRACTICE:

Finding

Subjects and

Verbs

Action verbs examples:

- The car hit the pedestrian

- My family lives in two-bedroom apartment

- My roommate lost his car keys

- His girlfriend found them

Linking verbs examples:

- Snow skiing is my favorite winter sport

- I feel sick

- You look hungry

- I am lucky that my roommate is a good cook

The most common linking verbs are be, become, feel, look, seem,

smell, find, turn, sound, and taste

Exercise 1: Work with a partner

1 Underline the subjects with one line

2 Underline the verbs with one line and use bracket for it

3 Write S or V below each underlined word

1 My best friend is single

2 He likes his job but hates his boss

3 He didn’t go to work yesterday

4 This semester, he is studying English and computer science

5 He and I don’t have any classes together

6 He speaks and understands English very well

7 The boys have disappeared in the bush behind the old house

OBJECT

8 We couldn’t finish the task in due time

9 Those species are so rare in nature

Our friend got a nice well-paid job

Object in a sentence is a noun or a noun phrase that appears after the

main verb (to do) An object can be a single word (football) or a phrase (thedoor to the dining room) There are two types of

objects: direct and indirect objects:

Direct object

A direct object answers the question "what?" or "whom?"

Examples:

- David repaired hiscar → his car is the direct object of the

verb repaired ( What did David repair?)

- He invited Mary to the party → Mary is the direct object of the

verb invited (Whom did he invite?)

Examples:

- They sent him a postcard.- him is the indirectobject of the

verb sent (To whom did they send a postcard?)

-He bought his sona bike - his son is the indirect object of the

verb bought (For whom did he buy a bike?)

3 Where did you put the keys?[…….……… ]

4 He gave them a bag full of money.[……….…… ]

5 Alice wrote a book on the French revolution [………….… ]

6 I need your help [………….… ]

7 He offered her a flower[…….……… ]

8 My father bought us a new TV set.[……… ]

9 John sold me his car.[……… ]

10 I wish you good luck [………….… ]

SENTENCE

TYPES

In grammar, clause structure refers to the classification

of sentences based on the number and kind of clauses in their syntactic structure

The four basic sentence structures are the simple sentence, thecompound sentence, the complex sentence, and the compound- complex sentence

A simple sentence consists of only one dependent clause

It was a sunny day

A complex sentence has one independent and one or more dependent

clauses A comma is needed if the dependent clause comes first

Because it was a sunny day, we went to the beach

It was a sunny day, so we went to the beach

A compound-complex sentenceconsists of at least one dependent

clause and at least two independent clauses

It was a sunny day, so we went to the beach which was 20 km away from the city center

UNIT 2: SIMPLE SENTENCES DEFINITION

I are completely different)

The verb may also be compound (They laughed and cried at the same time).What is important is that there is only one subject-verb

combination in a simple sentence

These are simple sentences Notice that no commas are used in them

a My younger sister speaks English very well

b My mother and father speak English very well

c My older brother is a lawyer and has a good job

d My mother and father speak and write English well

The simple sentences above can be written as formulas

a SV-simple subject with simple verb b.SSV-compound subject with simple verb

c SVV-simple subject with compound verb

d SSVV- compound subject with compound verb The following sentences are not simple sentences because they have

two subject-verb combinations They are compound sentences, and

their formulas look like this: SV,(connecting word)SV

My brotherlives in New York, (and) my sisterlives in Hanoi

My elder brotheris a university graduate, (but) hecan’tfind a job Itwasraining heavily, (so) westayed at home and had some games Youcanfly to Can Tho, (or) youcango by coach

You will learn more about compound sentences in Unit 3

Exercise 1 Work by yourself or with a partner Identify the pattern in the following simple sentences

1 Underline the subjects with one line

2 Underline the verbs with two lines

3 Write S or V above each underlined word

4 Finally, write the formula for the sentence in the numbered space below

SUBJECT

VERB

AGREEMENT

My grandfather

1

My grandfather is old in years but young in spirit 2Every day, he swims a mile and works in his garden.3 He and my grandmother were married fifty years ago 4They have four children and ten grandchildren 5My grandfather loves parties and invites our entire family to his house for a big dinner on his birthday 6All twenty of us eat and tell stories half the night 7He never gets tired and is always the last to go to bed 8On his last birthday, my brother and I gave him

a present 9We all put our money together and bought him a video game system 10Now he wants us to come over his house every weekend

1…… 3…… 5…… 7…… 9……

2…… 4…… 6…… 8…… 10……

Exercise 2:Work first by yourself, and then with your partner 1 Write six simple sentences about your family or family member Use each of these patterns twice: SV, SSV, SVV 2 Show your sentences to your partner Ask your partner to identify the pattern in each sentence Example: SSV - My older brother goes to the college and works part-time ……1 - ………

……2 - ………

…… 3 - ………

…… 4 - ………

…… 5 - ………

…… 6 - ………

You already know that subjects and verbs must agree in number

You should write:

My sister is married (singular)

My sisters are married (plural)

My brother and my sister are single (plural)

Sometimes students make mistake in subject-verb agreement when the subject has a prepositional phase following it For this reason, you should learn to recognize prepositional phrases

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a

prepositional and ends with a noun A prepositional phrase usually tells where, when, how, or why

COMPLEMENT

from Mexico City in the morning

on December 25 of my sisters

to my best friend around the room

by bus because of the weather

A prepositional phrase may come after the subject of a sentence, but

it is not part of the subject Therefore, you should ignore it most of

the time when you are trying to decide which verb form to use Here are some examples:

Singular subjects:

- One of my brothers is a musician

- Neither of my parents is living

- Much of my time is spent in the library

- Each of my brothers wants his own car

- Either of my sisters can babysit for you tonight

Plural subjects:

- Both of my parents are teachers

- Several of the teachers speak my languagereally well

But sometimes telling a singular subject from a plural subject isn’t easy A few words can be either singular or plural In these cases, you must refer to the noun in the prepositional phrase

- Some of the money was missing (singular)

- Some of the students were missing (plural)

- All of my time is spent in the library (singular)

- All of my brothers are singer (plural)

- Most of the ice was melt (singular)

- Most of the ice cubes were melt (plural)

- A lot of the work was too easy (singular)

- A lot of the people were angry (plural)

A sentence may also have a complement (it is not always a

compulsory element) The complement completes the meaning of

the verb or adds more information to the sentence There are many types of complements A complement in a simple sentence may be a

noun, pronoun, adjective, or adverb

Subject Verb Complement

I study English (noun)

I don’t understand you (pronoun)

His girlfriend is pretty (adjective)

It isn’t raining now (adverb)

My father owns his own business (noun phrase)

My girlfriend wants to get married (verb phrase) The students are readingin the library (prepositional phrase)

A complement may also be a combination

I study English at Rolling Hills College (noun+ p.p)

She wants to get married soon (verb phrase + adverb)

Exercise 3: Underline the subjects, verbs, and the complements

in the following sentences and write S, V or C above them Also, put parentheses around prepositional phrase

Example:

S V C

My cousin’s nameisRoberto Sanchez

1 I was born (on September 21st, 1996) (in the city of San Juan)

2 My oldest sister is married and has two children

3 I am a student at Green Hills College in Boston, Massachusetts

4 Boston is the capital of Massachusetts

5 Some of my classes are difficult

6 Some of the homework is boring

7 Most of my classmates are friendly

8 None of my classmates speaks Spanish

9 A lot of my classes are in Dante Hall

10 A lot of my time is spent in the student lounge

11 I am from Puerto Rico

12 My native language is Spanish

13 My father works in an office

14 I have four brothers and two sisters

15 None of us is married

16 All of us are single

17 My youngest brother and sister are still in high school

18 My oldest brother studies in the morning and works in the afternoon

19 In the evening I watch television or play cards

20 My father understands English but doesn’t speak it

Exercise4:Rewrite each sentence to make the subject compound Don’t forget to make the verb plural!

PRACTICE

Making compound

or simple subjects

1 Akiko is studying electrical engineering

 Akiko and Roberto are studying electrical engineering

2 My brother lives in an apartment in Paris

1 My girlfriend and I want to get married next summer

 My girlfriend wants to get married next summer

I want to get married next summer

2 My oldest brother and my youngest sister are married

1 My roommate’s name Alex

 My roommate’s name is Alex

2 Is from the East Coast

 He is from the East Coast or Is he from the East Coast?

3 Alex’s family lives

 Alex’s family lives in Boston

4 Alex and I in the room

 ………

words are call conjunctions

There are many conjunctions in English Some of the most common

ones are and, or They have different meanings

And joins two or more similar things in positive sentences

- I like Chinese and Italian food

- Swimming and waterskiing are my favorite summer activities

- We have class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Or connects two or more similar things in negative sentences

- I don’t like British or American food

- We don’t have any classes on Tuesdays or Thursdays

- I can’t play tennis, ride a horse or roller skate very well

Or also connects two or more choices or alternatives

-I would like to go to Hawaii, Tahiti, or Fiji on my next vacation

(I can’t go to all three places I will choose one.)

- My father or my mother will meet me at the airport

(This sentence means that only one person will come to the airport

Compare: My father and my mother will meet me atthe airport

(This sentence means that two people will come to the airport.)

Use this chart to help you remember the meanings of and and or

I love tacos, pizza, and egg rolls

I don’t like hot dogs or hamburgers

T? F? oralso connects choices

Is this sentence true or false?

Sentence combining is an exercise to improve your sentence-writing skills When you do an exercise like the following ones, you combine several short sentences into one longer sentence All the long sentences together make a paragraph Your final product should

be a paragraph

There may be several correct ways to combine the sentences However, there are a few rules to follow

1 Don’t repeat words if possible For example, in the first

sentence below, don’t repeat I am You may omit words, but

don’t omit any important information

2 You may change words For example, you may change a noun to a pronoun or make a singular word plural

3 You may add words For example, in the second sentence

below, you need to add the connecting word and

Your goal is to write a smooth, grammatically correct sentence that contains all the information but does not repeat any words

Example:

1 a I am a figure

b I am famous

2 a I have white hair

b I have long white beard

->I am a famous figure I have white hair and a long white beard

I am a figure and I am famous is a grammatically correct sentence,

PRACTICE

And/or

but a native speaker would not write it because he would not repeat

the word I am

Another possible sentence is I am a figure who is famous, but this

sentence contains unnecessary words

You must keep the word white in the expression long white beard

because it is important information

Exercise 7:Work with a partner Combine the two sentences in

each part to make one sentence Use and or

according to the meaning Try not to repeat any words

Example: I like chocolate ice-cream I like coffee ice-cream

 I like chocolate and coffee ice-cream

1 I can speak English I can understand English

5 You can have rice with your meal You can have potatoes with

your meal (You can have only one)

Exercise 8:Work with a partner

1 Combine the sentences in each group to make one

sentence There may be more than one possible correct way to combine each group

2 Then write your new sentences in paragraph form Do not number the sentences, and do not write them in a list Write them as a paragraph

WHO AM I

1 a I am a figure

b I am famous

2 a I have white hair

b I have long white beard

3 a I always wear a suit

b The suit is red

4 a Adults like me

b Children like me

5 a Every year I take a trip

b The trip is long

c I do this on a special night

6 a I travel in a sleigh

b The sleigh is magic

7 a The sleigh doesn’t have wings

b The sleigh doesn’t have an engine

8 a It is pulled through the night sky

b It is pulled by reindeer

c There are eight reindeers

9 a I fly all over the world

b I visit houses where children live

10 a I know if the children have been good during the year

b I know if the children have been bad during the year

11 a I bring candy and toys to the good children

b I bring pieces of coal to the bad children

I am a famous

figure………

………

……… ………

………

UNIT 3: COMPOUND SENTENCES

In the previous unit, you learned to write simple sentences However, if you write only simple sentences, your writing will seem

to be choppy and childish Using other kinds of sentences will make your writing more sophisticated and mature One other kind of

sentences is a compound sentence

Remember that a simple sentence has only one S-V combination A

compound sentence has at least two S-V combinations– two

independent clauses joined by a comma and a coordinating

clauses) and dependent clauses (or subordinate clauses)

Independent clause (IC) It rained

Dependent clause (DC) ….because it rained…

An independent clause has one S-V combination and expresses a

complete thought It can be a sentence by itself A simple sentence is

an independent clause

Examples:

- Paris has excellent art museums

- It was cold and windy yesterday

- We finished our homework and cleaned up the kitchen

A dependent clause is an independent clause with a subordinating conjunction added to the beginning of it

Examples:

…because it has excellent art museums…

…although it was cold and windy yesterday…

…after we finished our homework and cleaned up the kitchen…

A dependent clause does not express a complete thought, so it is not

a sentence by itself It needs to be joined to an independent clause to

Subordinating

Conjunctions

make sense

Independent clauses Dependent clauses

- Art students should visit Paris because it has excellent art museums

- We went on a hike although it was cold and windy yesterday

- We watch TV after we finished our homework and cleaned up the

kitchen

There are many subordinating conjunctions Some introduce

reasons, some introduce times, and others introduce contrasts and conditions Some of the most common conjunctions are listed below

Contrast clauses Although, though, even though, while,

whereas Reason clauses because, since, as Place clauses where, wherever Purpose clauses so that, in order that Result clauses So, so…that, such….that Time clauses when; once; whenever; before; after;

since; while; as; as soon as; by the time; until

Conditional clause If, unless, as long as, providing that,

provided that Relative clause Who, whom, which, that, whose

Examples:

- We cancelled our picnic because it rained

- Wait for a green light before you cross the street

- I will go straight to bed after I finished this exercise

- Where were you when I called?

- My neighbors were having a party while I was trying to sleep

- John doesn’t speak English well although he lived in England for

many years

- I will be happy if I win the lottery

Notes

 A few subordinating conjunctions are also prepositions

- After my accident (preposition)

- After I had an accident (subordinating conjunction)

- Before class (preposition)

- Before class begins (subordinating conjunction)

 Because is a subordinating conjunction Because of is a

two-word preposition

- Because of my accident (preposition)

- Because I had an accident (subordinating conjunction)

Exercise 1: Work with a partner

1 Write IC (independent clause) or DC (dependent clause) in the space to the left of each group of words

2 If it is a DC, circle the subordinating conjunction

Example:

…DC… while the class was taking a test

……… 1 I take a walk around the block

……… 2 Before I go to work

……… 3 This exercise wakes up my body and clears my mind

……… 4 It’s hard to do this in the winter

……… 5 Because it is still dark when I go to work

……… 6 Although I try to get up early even on weekends

……… 7 I sometimes sleep late on Saturdays

……… 8 When it is raining, of course

……… 9 I never go out

……… 10 If I don’t exercise for several days

Exercise 2: Complete each of the following sentences using the subordinating conjunction from the parenthesis:

1 I visit the Grand Canyon ……… I go to Arizona (once, whenever, wherever)

2 This is the place ……… we stayed last time we visited (where, when, how)

3 ……… you win first place, you will receive a prize (Wherever, If, Unless)

4 You won’t pass the test ……… you study (when, if, unless)

5 He closed the window……….the cat could not come in

(because, so that, once)

6 ………they tried their best, they didn’t succeed in the tests (Because, Although, So)

7 She picked up her kids from school………she finished typing the report (when, after, whenever)

8 He didn’t get the latest news……… he didn’t watch the news on TV (as, so, although)

9 ……….she doesn’t give up smoking, she can suffer from some respiratory diseases (Providing that, If, Unless)

10 ………we came to the party, everyone showed up (If, Because, By the time)

COMPOUND

SENTENCES

COORDINATING

CONJUNCTIONS

And/ but/ or/ so

A compound sentence is a sentence that has at least two independent clausesjoined by coordinating conjunctions There is no dependent

clause in compound sentences The coordinating conjunctions used to

join independent clausesare “for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so” Independent

clauses can also be joined by a semicolon (;) A comma may or may not be used before the conjunction in compound sentences

The two independent clauses in compound sentences are joined by:

A a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so),

B a semicolonalone

Examples:

- I like an apple but my brother likes a mango

- I helped him and he became happy

- He failed two times yet he is not disappointed

- I asked him a question; he replied correctly

Here is the formula for a compound sentence:

A Independent clause, coordinating conjunction independent clause

B Independent clause; independent clause

A coordinating conjunction is a type of connecting word There are

only seven coordinating conjunctions in English In this unit, you will

practice four of them: and, but, or, andso

These are compound sentences:

Independent Clause Coordinating Independent Clause Conjunction

My family often goes camping, andwe usually have fun

They went camping at Blue Lake, but they had a terrible time

Next year we will take a cruise, orwe may stay at home

We want to go to Hawaii soon, sowe need to save money

1 And connects two clauses with similar ideas; the clauses can be

positive or negative

- My roommate is an art student, and her boyfriend plays in a rock

band

- She doesn’t like rock music, and he doesn’t like art

2 But connects two clauses with contrasting or positive ideas

- She likes classical music, but she doesn’t like rock

- She also likes country music, but he hates it

3 Or connects two clauses that express alternatives or choices

- Every Friday night, they go to a classical concert, or they visit an

art gallery

- Then on Saturday night, he practices with his board, or they go to

hear another rock group

4 So connects a reason and a result

- They both like jazz, sothey go to jazz concerts together

- He works every night, sothey don’t go out very often

- He can’t practice at his apartment, sohe uses hers

It is possible to connect three independent clauses (However, do not connect more than three, and do not use the same conjunction twice.) Example:

Correct: We love to camp, but last year we didn’t enjoy it, so this

year we will do something different during our vacation

Incorrect:We love to camp, and last year we had a good time, and

we want to do it again, but we may go to Disney World instead

Compound Sentences versus Simple Sentences with Compound Verbs

Caution: Do not confuse a compound sentence with a simple sentence

that has a compound verb Remember that a simple sentence has only one S-V combination However, the subjects in a simple sentence can

also be compound (My brother and I won) The verbs can also be compound (We swam and fished) A compound sentence has two SV

combinations

Compare the two pairs of sentences below The first of each pair of sentences is simple and doesn’t need a comma The second one is compound and requires a comma

1.Simple sentence with compound verb

My family goes camping every summer and usually has fun

SVV

2.Compound sentence My family goes

camping every summer, and we usually have fun

SV, and SV

3 Simple sentence with compound verb

Last year we went camping, but had a terrible time

SVV

4 Compound sentence Last year we went

camping, but we had a terrible time

Sentences 2 Write ‘simple” or “compound” in the space at the left of

each sentence

Example:

…simple One team kicks the ball to the other team to start

the game

1 ………… The quarterback is the most important player on the team

2 ………… The quarterback can throw the ball or run with it

3 ………… The quarterback can throw the ball, but the other players can only run with it

4 ………… Then the other team gets the ball, and it is their turn to try to make a touchdown

5 ………… The offensive team can also kick the ball between the goal posts of the other team to score points

6 ………… This play is called a “field goal.”

7 ………… A touchdown is six points, and a field goal is three points

8 ………… A football is oval in shape and it is made from pigskin

9 ………… Football players wear helmets on their heads and protect their shoulders with strong shoulder pads

10 ………… Players wear protective clothing, but injuries still happen

Exercise 4:Work by yourself or with a partner

1 Analyze each sentence in the following paragraphs

Underline the subjects with one line and the verbs with two lines

2 Write simple or compound in the numbered spaces

3 Then write the formula for reach sentence: SV, (and) SV;

SVV; SSV; and so forth

4 Add a comma to each compound sentence Sentence number six is a command, so the subjects are not expressed (You will need to add a total of five commas in the two paragraphs.)

How to Clear Your Ears in an Airplane

1

Sometimes passengers’ ears hurt in an airplane 2This pain can be quite strong 3It is caused by unequal air pressure outside and inside your ears 4The air pressure in the airplane may be at 15,000 feet but the air pressure inside your ears is still at ground level 5Airlines