making correct sentence

Making Correct and Effective Sentences

I. Correct Sentences 1.Completeness in Structure

?所谓完整的句子是指一个句子必须有基本的主谓宾成分。若将句子的某一修饰语当作一个

完整的句子，就会导致残缺句（Fragments）。如：

?1. 缺主语

?（误）If we want our country to be rich and strong, mostly depend on education. ?(正) If we want our country to be rich and strong, we must depend on education.

?2. 缺谓语

?（误）Many people who get married before they are mature enough.

?(正) Many people who get married before they are mature enough are faced with many

unexpected problems.

?3. 缺关系代词

?（误）There are a lot of students like to read aloud in the morning. ?(正) There are a lot of students who like to read aloud in the morning. ?4. 缺不定式

?（误）Become a biologist isn’t an easy thing for me. ?(正) To become a biologist isn’t an easy thing for me.

?当然，残缺句还有很多种类。通常这类错误由粗心和匆忙所致。如果仔细检查，还是可以

避免的。

?特别要注意那些以从属连词或短语等开头的句子,要确定以这些词开始的每个从句,都应附

属于一个独立的句子。

?避免残缺句的最好办法是注意区别句子和句子的一部分。在写英语作文时，要记住：一个

句子在语法和逻辑上是一个完整的意义表达单位，至少具有一个主语和谓语。 Examples of incomplete sentences

?How to operate this computer?

?Hoping to meet you again in China next year.

?This is a very interesting subject. So fascinating that I want to tell everyone about it. ?Because he hadn’t finished his assignment, so he continued working in the classroom.

?The old man returning home after 8 years’ absence to find that all the neighbors he had known

were no longer there.

?Mark Twain whose experience as sailor on the Mississippi provided him with abundant material

for the novels he was to write.

2. The right subject

?What’s wrong with the following sentence? ?To write the proposal, research must be done. ?悬垂修饰语（Dangling Modifiers）

?悬垂修饰语是与句子的主语不能构成逻辑关系的修饰语。悬垂修饰语可以出现在句中的任

意位置，但大多在句首。

?（正）To write the proposal, the professor must first do some research.

?1悬垂分词(Dangling participle)

?（误）Looking up at the sky, the sun went under a cloud. ?（正）Looking up at the sky, he saw the sun go under a cloud. ?2悬垂动名词（Dangling gerund）

?（误）After finishing the research, the paper was easy to write.

?（正）After finishing the research, I found that the paper was easy to write.

?3 悬垂动词不定式 (Dangling infinitive) ?（误）To write well, good books must be read. ?（正）To write well, I must read good books.

?4 悬垂省略从句 (Dangling elliptical clause)

?（误）When only a small boy, my father took me with him to Chicago. ?（正）When I was only a small boy, my father took me with him to Chicago.

3. Agreement between the subject and the predicate verb

?The number of doctors among the teachers of the school is / are very small. ?A number of doctors is/ are teaching at this college. ?John, together with two assistants, is/are doing the research. ?Besides Smith, William is/ are going to speak at the meeting. ?Either you or I are/ am to take up the work. ?Neither the workers nor the employer is/are responsible for the loss. ?Law and order is / are the major concern.

4. Clear pronoun reference

?Sentences with ambiguous pronoun reference

?Leave out the word in that sentence because it is too difficult.

?(Leave out the word because with it the sentence would be too difficult.) ?He is recommended by Mr. Smith who knows how to fix cars.

?(a. He has been recommended by Mr. Smith as a man who knows how to fix cars. ? b. Mr. Smith, who knows how to fix cars, has recommended him.)

5. Joining clauses with conjunctions

?What’s wrong with the following sentences?

?The girls scored higher in math the boys scored higher in verbal skills. ?Education is an elusive word, it often means different things to different people. ?接排句（）

?两个或更多的句子混合交织在一起，而没有正确的标点符号说明它们之间的关系的句子。 ?接排句的两种形式：融合句（fused sentence）和逗号连接（comma splice）。

?Fused sentences

?（误）The girls scored higher in math the boys scored higher in verbal skills. ?（正）The girls scored higher in math. The boys scored higher in verbal skills. ?The girls scored higher in math， and/but / while the boys scored higher in verbal skills. ?The girls scored higher in math；however, the boys scored higher in verbal skills.

?Comma splices

?（误）Education is an elusive word, it often means different things to different people. ?（正）Education is an elusive word. It often means different things to different people. ?Education is an elusive word; it often means different things to different people.

?Education is an elusive word, for/ because it often means different things to different people.

6. A main clause in a complex sentence

?Note: In a complex sentence, there must be a main clause, whether it is at the beginning or at the

end of the sentence.

?He would come to see me whenever he was in this city.

?When she heard the explosion, she called me immediately to ask what had happened.

?Not until the meeting had come to an end did they realize the seriousness of the problem

discussed.

What’s wrong in the following?

?Because he had not heard about that important decision. ?Whatever the director said at the conference. ?The man we could find for the job

7. Proper use of comparison

?Incorrect comparison:

?He is a better student. (He is a good student/ a fairly good student.) ?The text is easier. (The text is fairly easy/ quite easy.) ?Her English is much better than I. (mine)

?The language of Henry James is more elaborate than (that of ) Ernest Hemingway.

8. Correct use of the tenses

?What’s wrong with the following? ?We have revised our work plan last night.

?They changed their timetable and they are working according to it. ?This is his latest novel. Did you read it?

?We are going to the Great Wall. Did you ever go there? ?He has done the work alone and is still doing it.

?He visited all the historical monuments he wanted to see for a long time.

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