common concerns in english(Erroneous usages)

Erroneous usages

Fused Sentences

    when two sentences or independent clauses are place together in one sentence with no separating punctuation.
example          The books for school are thick and heavy they are too expensive to lose.


to repair fused sentences,put the appropriate punctuation mark at the end of the first sentence or independent clause.

Run on sentences and Comma Splices

A run -on sentence contains at least two independent clauses,but the two independent clauses have not been properly connected.When two independent clauses are connected only by a comma, they form a run-on sentence called comma splice.
example                           It is getting late,I have to go home.
 To repair run-on sentences,replace the comma with the appropriate punctuation mark.
example                          a period or a semicolon.

Misplace Modifiers

There is a misplaced modifier when a modifier is in the wrong place in the sentence.A misplaced modifier gives the impression that the word (or words) it is closed to is the one being modified. Simple modifiers,such as only,just,nearly,and barely are the most frequently misplaced modifiers.
example
         the bullet nearly missed him by an inch;it hit the wall instead.(if the bullet nearly missed,it would not have missed and hit the wall instead.)


To repair misplace modifiers,you have to move the modifiers to its proper position,that is,near the word or words it modifies.
example                    the bullet missed him by nearly an inch;it hit the wall instead.

Dangling Modifiers

You have what is called a dangling modifier when a modifier improperly describes something.This often happens with beginning participial phrases.


To repair dangling modifiers,rewrite the sentence so that the modifier and the word or word being modified are placed beside each other.
example                      Applauding enthusiastically,the cheering spectators raised the posters.

Sentence Fragments

             A sentence fragment is not a sentence because it cannot stand by itself.It does not contain a single independent clause.A group of words may contain a subject and a verb buy may not express a complete thought.The number of words in a sentence fragment may mislead the writer into thinking that he has written a complete sentence.
example             Some of the students enrolled in the English class that was dissolved last semester(this sentence fragment does not say what some of the students do or are.)


To repair sentence fragments,identify the verb that will complete the thought.In the first example above,ask,"what are some of the students enrolled in the English class that was dissolved last semester doing or being ?"Then add the answer to  the sentence fragment.
example                 some of the students enrolled in the English class that was dissolved last semester are taking another class this semester.(subject are [some of he students]and predicate[are taking].This is a complete sentence.)

Double Negatives

  some people erroneously use two negative words,a double negative words,a double negative,in one sentence when only one is necessary to express that they are denying something or saying no.
example             rodolfo did not give his daughter nothing


to repair a double negative,remove one of  the negative words and ,if necessary,replace it with the appropriate word.
example           rodolfo did not give his daugther    anything(or,rodolfo gave his daughter  nothing.)