Sentence Errors Review

1. Sentence Errors Review Test Wednesday, November 13th

2. Fragments • Remember that a dependent clause, though it contains both a subject and a verb, is not a complete sentence. • When winter comes early. • Which can happen quickly. • Be prepared to identify dependent clauses as sentence fragments. • Be prepared to correct sentence fragments by joining them to independent clauses. • When winter comes early, ships often rescue the stranded whales. • Whales cannot breath through the ice and will drown, which can happen quickly.

3. Fragments as part of a compound predicate • Be prepared to correct the punctuation of a sentence when a compound predicate is presented as two separate sentences. • Since gold does not easily tarnish, corrode, or rust. Making gold ideal for a variety of uses. • Gold does not easily tarnish, corrode, or rust, making it ideal for a variety of uses.

4. Fragment Special Cases • Be prepared to demonstrate your understanding of how to include a list in a sentence using a colon or a dash. • Several good places offer brunch- for example, Waffle House, The Pancake Pantry, and Loveless Café. • You have a choice of desserts: carrot cake, funfetti cupcakes, or chocolate lava cake.

5. Comma Splices and Run-On Sentences • Be prepared to identify comma spices and run-on sentences. Be prepared to demonstrate your ability to correct them. • A shark is all cartilage, it doesn’t have a bone in its body. (comma splice) • A shark is all cartilage it doesn’t have a bone in its body. (run-on) • A shark is all cartilage. It doesn’t have a bone in its body. (You could also use a semicolon. In appropriate sentences, you could combine the sentences with a conjunction.)

6. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers • Always place a modifier close to the word it describes. • Practice: Which of the following sentences contains a properly placed modifier? More than one option may be correct. • A. The football player being recruited eagerly believed each successive offer would be better. • B. The football player being eagerly recruited believed that each successive offer would be better. • C. The football player being recruited believed eagerly that each successive offer would be better.

7. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers • Practice: Revise the following sentences so that its meaning is clear and correct. • Having seen the video before, it didn’t seem very exciting. • We saw a flock of geese on the way to the mall in San Jose. • Looking down from the thirtieth story, even buses seemed small. • Growing at a remarkable rate, the fence was soon covered in ivy. • Mr. Smith’s class watched a movie about how electricity was first used last week.

8. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers • To fit into our debate schedule, your rebuttal will only be limited to three minutes. • Practicing for the piano recital, the out-of-tune key was very bothersome. • When conducting an experiment, precise notes should be kept. • Ms. Gibbens said on Thursday my assignment is due. • While pondering how to proceed, my neighbor’s advice came to mind. • You should only dial 911 in an emergency. • After having studied all week, the test was easy for me!

9. Split Infinitives • In most cases, (and for the purposes of this test), avoid splitting infinitives. • Do you have to so loudly play? • Do you have to play so loudly?

10. Other splits in sentences • While creating complex sentences, aim to create linear paths from the subject to the verb and from the verb to its object. • Examples: • The announcer, because the script, which Welles himself wrote, called for perfect imitations of emergency announcements, opened with a warning that included a description of the “invasion”. [The subject and verb are placed too far apart for the flow of the sentence.] • Because the script, which Welles himself wrote, called for perfect imitations of emergency announcements, the announcer opened with a warning that included a description of the “invasion”. [correct]