Guide for Writers 1 PDF

# Troublespot 1: Basic Sentence Structure When you write sentences you need to follow the conventions of standard written english. Do you always know exactly what a sentence needs and what it should look like? Do you know how to identify subject and verb and use appropriate word order and parallel...

# Troublespot 1: Basic Sentence Structure When you write sentences you need to follow the conventions of standard written english. Do you always know exactly what a sentence needs and what it should look like? Do you know how to identify subject and verb and use appropriate word order and parallel structures? This Troublespot will cover the basic structure of a sentence and show you how to use words and phrases to expand on the basic structure. ## A Requirements of a Written Sentence A sentence in standard written English has certain essential requirements. 1. Each new sentence must begin with a capital letter. The author has written this example sentence. 2. A sentence must end with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point. The author has written this example sentence. 3. A sentence must contain a subject that is only stated once. The author has written this example sentence. 4. A sentence must contain a complete verb phrase, containing any auxiliary verbs, such as *is*, *were*, *has*, *will*, and so on, if necessary. The author has written this example sentence. 5. A sentence must contain standard word order: Subject Verb Object The author has written this example sentence. 6. A sentence must have one independent core idea that can stand alone. In this book, we use the term *independent clause* to describe this part of the sentence; however, you may be more familiar with the term *main clause*, which is also often used. The author has written this example sentence. ## Exercise 1 The following sentences appeared in students' essays describing a beach scene. Put a check (✔) next to any correct sentences. Then edit the incorrect sentences and write a correct version for each one. 1. ✔ the sun is shining. 2. Several clouds are in the sky. 3. Two people are walking slowly and quietly. 4. ✔ Splashing through the shallow water. 5. They are probably very happy. 6. ✔ You can imagine walking on the white glittering sand. 7. ✔ There is a big palm tree. 8. Some shells are on the sand. 9. There is a beach on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. 10. No umbrellas are there to provide shade from the sun. 11. ✔ On that beach, two people are enjoying the beautiful weather. ## B Subject Every sentence must contain a subject. 1. The subject names the person or thing doing the action. Babies cry. ## 2. Several Types of Structures Can Fill The Subject Position * a noun phrase: All babies cry. * a pronoun: They cry. * an infinitive phrase: To teach takes patience. * an -ing phrase: Parachuting is dangerous. * a noun clause: What you said made everyone unhappy. ## 3. Only a Command Will Not Have A Stated Subject The subject *you* is understood. Imagine the scene. Remember how the writer first introduced the topic. ## 4. There Can Function As a Filler (or Dummy) Subject The verb then agrees with the noun phrase that follows it. There are some new rules. There is a new rule. ## 5. It Is a Frequent Subject In English Serving to fill the subject position particularly in expressions of time, weather, distance, and description. You must always include an *it* subject in the clause along with a third person singular verb form. * It is 11 a.m. * It is raining. * It's 3,000 miles to England. * It is convenient to travel by train. ## C Verb Every sentence must contain a complete verb. The verb makes an assertion about the subject and indicates person, number and time. | Subject | Complete Verb | | | ------------- | ------------- | ------------- | | The research study | needs | to be funded. | | To err | is | human. | | Selecting the participants | has taken | a long time. | | Whatever they did | should have been done | earlier | ## Exercise 2 Indicate the complete subject and the verb in the following sentences. Example: *Amelia Earhart, a famous aviator, was born in 1897. * S V Answer: *Amelia Earhart, a famous aviator, was born in 1897.* 1. Earhart first flew across the Atlantic in 1928. 2. Her flight across the Atlantic in 1932 achieved recognition as the first solo flight by a woman. 3. She married G. P. Putnam in 1931. 4. Breaking records was her dream. 5. Her solo flight from Honolulu to California established another record. 6. Her attempt to fly around the world in 1937 failed dramatically. 7. Her plane disappeared over the Pacific. 8. The mystery of her disappearance intrigues writers today. 9. There are several theories in existence. 10. According to one popular theory, her plane crashed into the ocean. ## D Word Order 1. Use standard word order with verbs that are followed by a direct object. In some languages, such as Arabic, Hebrew and Russian, the verb can come before the subject; in Bengali, Hindi, Japanese and Korean, the verb can follow the direct object. However, in English, the regular sequence is Subject + Verb + Object: | S (Subject) | V (Verb) | O (Object) | | ------------- | ------------- | ------------- | | Children | like | cookies. | | She | eats | a lot of candy. | | His former boss | has bought | a big expensive yacht. | 2. Put time expressions first or last in the sentence, not between the verb and direct object. * **Time adverbial + S + V + O** * The manager bought a new computer yesterday. * **S + V + O + time adverbial** * Yesterday, the manager brought a new computer. * **Almost every day, she drinks five glasses of water.** * **She drinks five glasses of water almost every day.** **▲ Never put the adverbial expression between the verb and the direct object.** * The manager bought yesterday a new computer. * She drinks almost every day five glasses of water. 3. For direct questions with no question word or with questions introduced by *what, when, where, why or how, use inverted word order, with the auxiliary verb before the subject.* | Statement | Question | | ------------- | ------------- | | She is eating. | Is she eating? | | They were laughing. | Why were they laughing? | | He has eaten something. | What has he eaten? | *Throughout this book, an asterisk (*) indicates a group of words that is grammatically incorrect.* If no auxiliary is present in the statement form, use the *do auxiliary + the base form of the main verb* to form the question. (See Troublespot 5 for more on auxiliary verbs.) * **Statement:** She likes chocolate ice cream. * **Question:** Does she like chocolate ice cream? 4. Use inverted word order for emphasis after *never or not only* at the beginning of a sentence: * Never have I seen such a lot of waste. * Not only will he repair the television, but he will do it without charge. ## Exercise 3 Each sentence in the following passage contains one word order error. Rewrite the passage, making corrections as necessary. More than one answer may be possible. Frederick Douglass, an African-American who was born into slavery, fought all his life for the abolition of slavery. He wrote articles every month in the newspaper he established. He used his editorials again and again to try to get his point across. He frequently gave lectures. However, he did not find success immediately. He had to constantly urge President Abraham Lincoln to allow men of his race to enlist in the army. His work for the antislavery movement was very significant. Not only did he influence the president, but he also changed the face of the nation. Why are there no campaigners like him today? ## E Parallel Structures 1. Make structures in a sequence parallel in form. The word *and* connects similar structures: noun phrases, infinitive phrases, clauses, and so on. The lottery winners plan to take a long vacation, to buy a house, and to quit their jobs. 2. When you use paired conjunctions (either/or; neither/nor; not only/but also; both/and; as/as; whether/or), use parallel structures on each side. They enjoy both working long hours and solving complex problems. 3. Make sure that you use parallel structures with comparisons using *as* or *than*. For some people, gardening is more exercise than lifting weights. ## Exercise 4 Complete the following sentences, using at least two parallel structures in each sentence. Example: The best teachers both... Answer: The best teachers both know their material and present it clearly. 1. The lawyers intend... 2. Dressing well means.. 3. To make scrambled eggs, you need... 4. It is easier to... 5. In the twenty-first century, we will probably... 6. My parents dislike both... 7. The worst teachers not only... 8. My big ambitions are... 9. Politicians claim either... 10. Nurses want to ... ## F Packing Information Into An Independent Clause We can add information at several points to a simple sentence containing one independent clause, and that information can take the form of different grammatical structures. However, even when we add information to the sentence, it does not necessarily increase beyond one independent clause. It just becomes a longer sentence. Here are six different ways to pack an independent clause with information. 1. **Add information at the beginning**. * Last week, the man bought a new car. * Wanting to impress his friends, the man bought a new car. * Bored with his life in the city, the man bought a new car. 2. **Expand the subject**. *The rich man bought a new car* *The man working in my office bought a new car* *The man and his wife bought a new car.* 3. **Insert some additional information in the middle**. *The man in my office, Joseph Moran, bought a new car.* *The man, wanting to impress his friends, bought a new car.* *The man, proud and excited about his raise in salary, bought a new car.* 4. **Expand the verb**. *The man bought and sold a new car.* 5. **Expand the object**. *The man bought a fancy new red car.* *The man bought a new car with fine red leather upholstery.* *The man bought a new car and a computer.* 6. **Add information at the end**. *The man bought a new car last week.* *The man bought a new car for his wife.* *The man bought a new car to try to impress his friends.* ## Exercise 5 Expand the sentence below, using the six different ways of adding information to a sentence explained in item F. *The doctor prescribed some pills.* ## Writing Assignment Choose one of the following topics. As you write, do not worry about sentence structure or grammar. You can check that later, once you have a paragraph on the page. 1. Write a paragraph in which you tell about your previous experience with writing in your own language and in English. 2. Write a paragraph in which you describe an event in the past that you remember with pleasure.