Sentence Correction and error detection.pptx

PPT on sentence correction and common types of error.

1. Sentence Correction Presented by: Kirti Mehta

2. Objectives Why Sentence Correction and its importance in test ? How to prepare for it ? What are different parameters on which sentence correction required ? Assessment and s elf p ractice . No . of questions in Verbal Ability t est.

3. Types Of Questions Underline Bold Choose the right sentence Spot the error Fill in the blank

4. Sentence Correction In this section find out what is grammatically incorrect in the sentence. Strong foundation of Grammar is required. Subject Verb Agreement and other aspects of grammar need to be practised.

5. Different Types Of Errors Subject – Verb Agreement Parallelism Tautological Error (Redundancy) Misplaced Modifier Error o f Comparison Idiomatic Errors

6. Rules on Subject-Verb Agreement

7. Rule 1: Basic Principle - Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs. My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians.

8. Rule 2: The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and,therefore,require singular verbs. Everyone has done his or her homework. Somebody has left her purse.

9. Rule 3 : Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural depending on what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns. Some of the beads are missing. Some of the water is gone.

10. Rule 4 : On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none , that can be either singular or plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb — unless something else in the sentence determines its number. None of you claims responsibility for this incident? None of you claim responsibility for this incident? None of the students have done their homework.

11. Rule 5 : Phrases such as together with, as well as , and along with are not the same as and . The phrase introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier word ( mayor in this case), but it does not compound the subjects (as the word and would do). The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison. The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

12. Rule 6 : The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things. Neither of the two traffic lights is working. Which shirt do you want for Christmas? - Either is fine with me.

13. Rule 7 : In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true of interrogative constructions Have either of you two clowns read the assignment? Are either of you taking this seriously?

14. Rule 8 : The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does). When nor or or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house. Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house. Are either my brothers or my father responsible? Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

15. Rule 9 : The words there and here are never subjects. There are two reasons [plural subject] for this. There is no reason for this. Here are two apples.

16. Rule 10 : Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects ( he, she, it and anything those words can stand for) have s -endings. Other verbs do not add s -endings. He love s and she love s and they love _ and .....

17. Rule 11 : Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb. The mayor , who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives , is finally going to jail.

18. Rule 12 : Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded by the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject). My glasses were on the bed. My pants were torn. A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

19. Rule 13 : Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular and require singular verbs. The news from the front is bad. Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

20. Rule 14 : On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural and require a plural verb. My assets were wiped out in the depression. The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically. Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

21. Rule 15 : Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. A large percentage of the older population is voting against her. Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle. Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire. Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy. Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy

22. Rule 16 : Sums and products of mathematical processes are expressed as singular and require singular verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a singular verb. More than one student has tried this. Two and two is four. Four times four divided by two is eight.

23. Rule 17 : If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject. The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on Valentine's Day. It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue. It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

24. Faulty Parallelism F aulty parallelism is a construction in which two or more parts of a sentence are roughly equivalent in meaning but not parallel (or grammatically similar) in form. While forming a sentence, the structure of the sentence should be kept parallel. Rule 1- If an infinitive is used, then all the phrases should have an infinitive. If a verb is used after it, then we use the objective cases.

25. Example - 1 Faulty Parallelism

26. Faulty Parallelism Rule 2 Parallelism is used with elements in lists or in a series. Example- This task can be done individually, in pairs, or can be done in groups of four. ( Incorrect ) This task can be done individually, in pairs, or in groups of four. ( Correct )

27. Faulty Parallelism Rule 3 Parallelism is used with elements being compared. Example- She is mad about watching TV more than to read a book. ( Incorrect ) She is mad about watching TV more than reading a book. ( Correct )

28. Faulty Parallelism Rule 4- Parallelism is used with elements joined by a linking verb or a form of be Example- To learn is understanding the world. ( Incorrect ) To learn is to understand the world. ( Correct )

29. Faulty Parallelism Rule 5- Parallelism is used with elements joined by linking words. Example- The teacher not only wants his students to keep quiet but also to do the task . ( Incorrect ) The teacher wants his students not only to keep quiet but also to do the task . ( Correct )

30. Tautological Error (Redundancy) Tautological Error is error of “ Redundancy ” It is the error of writing the same thing twice .

31. Tautological Error (Redundancy) Example -1 Since the legislation has been passed, therefore we will have more nurse practitioners. ( Incorrect ) Since the legislation has been passed we will have more nurse practitioners. ( Correct )

32. Tautological Error (Redundancy) Example -2 He detected a nail in the cushion which was small in size. ( Incorrect ) He detected a nail, which was small in size, in the cushion. ( Correct ) Example -3 It was a free gift. ( Incorrect ) It was a gift . ( Correct )

33. Practice Questions

34. Directions for Q1 to Q5 : In each of the following cases, a sentence is divided into four parts. You have to study each sentence and point out the part which contains a Subject-verb error. No sentence contains more than one error. Ignore the punctuation error.

35. Q1. Of all the grammar points(A)/ I have studied in my seven years of English,(B)/ the most recent unit confuse me (C)/the most for a variety of reasons(D). Answer -C- the most recent unit confuses me Explanation: ‘unit’ is the subject so verb should be singular & a singular verb takes ‘s’ or ‘es’ in the end like ’confuse’ become ‘confuses’.

36. Q2. As most sports magazines can attest,(A)/ playing sports/(B) such as tennis and basketball require(C) /not only mental ability but also physical strength(D). Answer- C- such as tennis and basketball requires Explanation: Sports is the subject here & which though plural in form but is singular in meaning. So, singular verb.

37. Q3. According to the police, (A)/the killer of the boys (B) /in both cities are probably(C)/ between the ages of 40 and 50(D). Answer- C- in both cities is probably Explanation: ‘Killer’ is the subject here which is singular. So, singular verb.

38. Q4. That Shakespeare was one of the most talented writers (A)/ are an understatement (B) /to those who are really familiar(C)/ with the field of literature (D). Answer- B- is an understatement Explanation: Here Shakespeare is the subject which is the name of a person. So, singular verb.

39. Q5. What are the impetus (A)/ behind tonight's meeting(B)/with members of the committee? (C)/ No error(D). Answer- A- What is the impetus( Force/Energy ) Explanation: ‘Impetus’ is the subject here which is singular so singular verb.

40. Directions for Q6 to Q10 : Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject. Q6 . That red-haired lady in the fur hat ____________(live/lives) across the street. Answer- lives Explanation: The Error of Proximity: Sometimes the Subject is separated from its Verb by a group of words called phrase or clause. In such cases we should be careful. We should consider the main Subject only and ignore the words inside the commas.

41. Q7. The family __________(is/are) occupied with their individual problems. Answer- Are Explanation: A Collective Noun takes a singular Verb when the collection is thought of as a whole; And a Plural Verb when we think of its members individually.

42. Q8. Interesting news_________ (is-are) what sells our paper. Answer- is Explanation: Some nouns are Plural in form, but Singular in meaning, take a Singular Verb; like Mathematics, News, Economics, Physics, Politics, Wages, Measles, Innings, The Arabian Nights, The West Indies, Billiards, Summons.

43. Q9. A pound of cookies __________(cost/costs) about a dollar. Answer- Costs Explanation: ‘A pound of’ refer to amount; hence, a Singular Verb is used.

44. Q10. It's not the teachers but the director of the school who ________(decide/decides) on the course schedule. Answer- Decides Explanation: When two Subjects are joined by ‘either… or’, ‘neither …. Nor’, ‘not only … but also’, not……but, the Verb must agree with the latter Subject.

45. Q11. Every morning, I run two miles, walk one mile, and half a mile on the bike . a) half a mile. b) b ike half a mile. c) n o change Answer- b b ike half a mile.

46. Q12. There are two ways to get a promotion: working hard or make friends in high places. a) work hard b) to working hard c) n o change Answer- a work hard .

47. Q13. The chef chopped the parsley, peeled the tomatoes and cut the zucchini into cubes . a) was cutting the zucchini into cubes b) c ubed the zucchini c) no change Answer- b cubed the zucchini .

48. Q14. People often try to avoid eye contact with others, whether riding on a bus, strolling through a shopping mall, or when they are in line at a supermarket . a) waiting in line at a supermarket b) i n a supermarket line c) no change Answer- a waiting in line at a supermarket .

49. Q15. Critics argue that the television show trivializes violence, glamorizes drug use and smoking . a) encourages smoking b) was encouraging smoking c) no change Answer- a encourages smoking

50. Q16. When trying to impress a prospective employer, people should pay attention to their clothing, their posture, and that they don’t use too much slang . a) if they use too much slang b) t heir speech c) no change Answer- b t heir speech .

51. Q17. The bedroom was filled with old newspapers and radios that don’t work. a) radios that are broken b) b roken radios c) no change Answer- b) b roken radios

52. Q18. Monica brewed espresso, steamed milk, and told jokes as she prepared Mike’s latte. a) error b) n o error Answer- b When you list actions, you must use parallel structure. Here, brewed, steamed, and told are all simple past tense verbs, so the list is parallel.

53. Q19. The man walked down the street, stopped at a shop window, and was fixing his tie. a) fixed his tie. b) t o fix his tie. c) no change Answer- a) fixed his tie.

54. Q20. Many college students have the same goals: playing hard, doing well in classes, and a job after graduation. a) after graduation, a job. b) finding a job after graduation. c) no change Answer- b) finding a job after graduation.

55. Q21. I went there personally. Q22. The car cost $20,000 dollars. Q23. I like chocolate, like candy, like cakes, pudding, and etc. Q24. The evening sunset was beautiful. Q25. I need a new hot water heater. A21 . I went there. A22 . The car cost $20,000. A23 . I like chocolate, candy, cakes, pudding, and etc. A24 . The sunset was beautiful. A25 . I need a new water heater.

56. Q26. In my opinion, I think he is wrong. Q27. The storm hit at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Q28. The students will take turns, one after the other. Q29. Having a drug test is a necessary requirement for the job. Q30. I loved reading Sam’s autobiography of his own life. A26 . In my opinion, he is wrong. A27 . The storm hit at 2 p.m. A28 . The students will take turns. A29 . Having a drug test is a r equirement for the job. A30 . I loved reading Sam’s autobiography .