Sentence Problems: Top Ten Problems

Sentence Problems: Top Ten Problems

1.	Phrase Fragments A sentence has to have a subject and a verb. A phrase can lack a subject and a verb, but a complete sentence needs both. Find phrase fragments and edit to include each in a sentence that contains a subject and a verb.

	Faulty	She never talks about her inner feelings. Her feelings of fear or of joy.
	Revised	She never talks about her inner feelings of fear or of joy.

Clause Fragments
A dependent clause must always by connected to an independent clause. If you begin a sentence with a subordinating conjunction such as when, because, or although, connect that clause to an independent clause.

	Faulty	The play failed. Because it received three bad reviews.
	Revised	The play failed because it received three bad reviews.

Run-On Sentences or Comma Splices
Separate or revise independent clauses that are run together.

	Faulty	He trained hard he never considered the strain.
	Revised	He trained hard. He never considered the strain.
	Faulty	The film has been released, however, it has not come to our theater.
	Revised	The film has been released; however, it has not come to our theater.

Fuzzy Syntax
Look for sentences that might make a reader say, "Huh?" These are sentences that begin in one way and end in another, mixing constructions. Your reader should be able to tell clearly who (or what) is doing what.

	Faulty	In the essay "Notes of a Native Son" by James Baldwin discusses . . .
	Revised	In the essay "Notes of a Native Son," James Baldwin discusses . . . [James Baldwin becomes the subject of the verb discusses.]

Wrong Verb Forms
Check that all the verb forms you have used are standard verb forms. Avoid nonstandard forms like brung, has went, should of went, have being noticed, have drank.

Tense Shifts
Avoid flip-flopping back and forth between past and present time.

	Faulty	The author wrote about the Civil War and describes the battles.
	Revised	The author writes about the Civil War and describes the battles.

Lack of Subject-Verb Agreement
Singular third person subjects (he, she, it, or a singular noun) need a singular verb, with an -s ending in the present tense. Check carefully for verbs with -s endings. Look for and edit nonstandard forms.

	Faulty	my friends likes
	Revised	my friends like
	Faulty	she don't
	Revised	she doesn't

Faulty Pronoun Case and Reference
Check that subject and object pronouns are correct and avoid ambiguous or unclear pronoun references.

	Faulty	Me and my sister went to Florida.
	Revised	My sister and I went to Florida.
	Faulty	The incident in the story reminds me of my mother and I.
	Revised	The incident in the story reminds me of my mother and me.
	Faulty	When Dean and George crossed the border with two friends, they searched all the luggage.
	Revised	When Dean and George crossed the border with two friends, customs officers searched all the luggage.

Adjective/Adverb Confusion
Use the right forms of adjectives and adverbs in the right places.

	Faulty	They did real good in the playoffs.
	Revised	They did really well in the playoffs.

10.

Double Negatives
Double negatives can be vibrant in speech and are customary in some dialects, but avoid them in formal writing.

	Faulty	They don't have no problems with that.
	Revised	They don't have any problems with that.

	Faulty	He can't hardly wait.
	Revised	He can hardly wait.

Computer grammar checkers will alert you to possible grammar problems, but they are not infallible. While you should use a grammar checker if you feel you need to, you should not automatically act on every suggestion.