Unit 5: Sentence Errors

SENTENCE ERRORS

   

Subject-Verb

   

Pronoun-Antecedent

   

Parallel Structure

After you’ve considered the clarity, variety, and effectiveness of your sentences, you will need to read your sentences to be sure that they are working correctly. For this course, there are three types of errors to consider: Subject-Verb Agreement, Pronoun Antecedent Agreement, and Parallel Structure. Each of these errors will distract your reader and diminish your overall message.

Subject-Verb Agreement

As you learned in Unit 3, subjects must agree in number with their verbs. If you have a single subject, you use the singular form of the verb. Likewise, if you have a plural subject, you will use the plural form of the verb.

• The students runs down the street. (Incorrect)
• The students run down the street. (Correct)
• OR
• The president and his advisors walks together on the lawn. (Incorrect)
• The president and his advisors walk together on the lawn. (Correct)

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Pronouns stand in for or refer to a noun. Therefore, pronouns not only need to agree in number, but they also need to agree with the antecedent, the earlier word or phrase to which the pronoun refers.

• The student lost their notebook. (Incorrect)

In this example, “student” is the antecedent. Since student is singular, the pronoun needs to be singular. When we know the gender of the student, then we can rewrite the sentence correctly:

• The student lost his notebook. (Correct)
• The student lost her notebook. (Correct)
• The student lost his or her notebook. (Correct)

You can also take the original sentence and correct it by making the subject and object plural:

• The students lost their notebooks. (Correct)

Some pronouns, like each, anybody, everybody and someone, will always be singular. Therefore, they will agree with a singular pronoun.

• Has anyone lost their notebook? (Incorrect)
• Has anyone lost his or her notebook? (Correct)

Parallel Structure

For your sentences, parallel structure occurs when you list items, phrases, or clauses in the same grammatical form. Look at this example of a sentence with faulty parallel structure:

• For exercise, Tara liked snowboarding, surfing, and to run. (Incorrect)
• For exercise, Tara liked snowboarding, surfing, and running. (Correct)

In this sentence, the writer needed to keep the items listed in the same form. In this case, the items needed to be present participles. In some cases, you may have longer items listed as phrases or clauses that will need to agree. Look at this example:

• In his observation of the animals, Josef noticed that they would assemble by species in groups next to the water hole, to forage individually in the jungle for food, and then sleep in smaller family groups. (Incorrect) 
   
• In his observation of the animals, Josef noticed that they would assemble by species in groups next to the water hole, forage individually in the jungle for food, and sleep in smaller, family groups. (Correct)