IELTS - Grammar and Sentence Structure Quick Review 2
1. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors
**Explanation:** This error occurs when the subject and verb in a sentence don't agree in number (singular or plural). A singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. It's crucial to identify the subject and ensure the verb agrees with it.
- **Examples:**
- Correct: "The cat runs across the yard." (singular subject and verb)
- Incorrect: "The cat run across the yard."
- **Teaching Point:** Singular subjects need singular verbs (like 'runs', 'is'), and plural subjects need plural verbs (like 'run', 'are'). Don’t be confused by words between the subject and the verb!
2. Incorrect Verb Tense Usage
**Explanation:** Using the wrong verb tense can change the meaning of your sentence or make it unclear when the action is happening. Consistent and correct verb tense use is crucial to maintaining clear temporal understanding in your writing.
- **Examples:**
- Correct: "Yesterday, I walked to the park." (past tense for past action)
- Incorrect: "Yesterday, I walk to the park."
- **Teaching Point:** Always consider the time of action: is it in the past, present, or future? Ensure your verb tense matches this time.
3. Run-on Sentences
**Explanation:** Run-on sentences occur when two or more independent clauses (complete sentences) are improperly joined without proper punctuation or conjunctions. They can confuse the reader and obscure the meaning of your ideas.
- **Examples:**
- Run-on: "I love to read I read every day."
- Corrected: "I love to read; I read every day." or "I love to read. I read every day."
- **Teaching Point:** To fix a run-on, use a period to separate sentences, a semicolon if the sentences are closely related, or a comma with a coordinating conjunction (like 'and', 'but').
4. Sentence Fragments
**Explanation:** A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. It lacks either a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. Fragments can leave the reader hanging and confuse the overall message.
- **Examples:**
- Fragment: "After the rain stopped."
- Complete: "After the rain stopped, we went for a walk."
- **Teaching Point:** Check if your sentence has a subject (who or what), a verb (action or state), and expresses a complete thought. If something’s missing, it’s a fragment.
5. Comma Splices
**Explanation:** Comma splices happen when two independent clauses are joined with just a comma, which is not strong enough to hold them together. This can create run-on sentences and confuse readers.
- **Examples:**
- Comma splice: "It's sunny, we went to the park."
- Corrected: "It's sunny, so we went to the park." or "It's sunny; we went to the park."
- **Teaching Point:** To fix a comma splice, you can replace the comma with a period or a semicolon, or add a coordinating conjunction (like 'and', 'but', 'so') after the comma.
6. Misplaced Modifiers
**Explanation:** Misplaced modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that are not placed near the words they modify, leading to confusing or unintentionally humorous sentences. They should be positioned close to the words they describe for clarity.
- **Examples:**
- Misplaced: "She only laughed at the joke nervously." (implies she only laughed, nothing else)
- Corrected: "She laughed nervously at the joke." (clearly modifies how she laughed)
- **Teaching Point:** Place modifiers next to the words they modify. Ensure that your adjectives, adverbs, and phrases clearly relate to the intended words to avoid confusion.
7. Dangling Modifiers
**Explanation:** Dangling modifiers are descriptive words or phrases that don't have a clear subject to modify. They often leave the reader wondering who or what is being described, making the sentence unclear or illogical.
- **Examples:**
- Dangling: "Driving to work, the traffic was terrible." (Who was driving?)
- Corrected: "Driving to work, I found the traffic terrible."
- **Teaching Point:** Always ensure that the opening modifying phrase clearly relates to the subject of the main clause. The subject of the sentence should be the one performing the action in the modifier.
8. Inappropriate Shift in Verb Tense
**Explanation:** Inappropriate shifts in verb tense occur when a sentence or paragraph unnecessarily changes from one tense to another. This can confuse the reader about the timeline of events.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "She starts to read a book and then watched TV."
- Correct: "She starts to read a book and then watches TV."
- **Teaching Point:** Keep the verb tense consistent throughout a sentence or paragraph unless a change in time frame necessitates a tense shift. This helps maintain clarity in the sequence of events.
9. Faulty Parallelism
**Explanation:** Faulty parallelism happens when parts of a sentence that are meant to be parallel in structure are mismatched. It can make sentences sound awkward and can disrupt the flow of your writing.
- **Examples:**
- Faulty: "She enjoys reading, to swim, and jogging."
- Parallel: "She enjoys reading, swimming, and jogging."
- **Teaching Point:** Use the same grammatical form for similar elements within a sentence, especially in lists or comparisons. This creates a smooth, consistent flow in your writing.
10. Redundancy in Sentences
**Explanation:** Redundancy involves the unnecessary repetition of ideas or words within a sentence. It can make writing less clear and more verbose than needed.
- **Examples:**
- Redundant: "The frozen ice was very cold."
- Revised: "The ice was very cold."
- **Teaching Point:** Be concise in your writing. Avoid repeating the same information or ideas that don't add new meaning to the sentence. It helps in making your writing more clear and impactful.
11. Overuse of Passive Voice
**Explanation:** Passive voice occurs when the subject of a sentence is acted upon rather than performing the action. While not grammatically incorrect, overusing it can make writing less direct and dynamic.
- **Examples:**
- Passive: "The cake was eaten by the children."
- Active: "The children ate the cake."
- **Teaching Point:** Use active voice (subject performs action) for clarity and engagement. Passive voice is useful when the action’s receiver is more important than the doer or when the doer is unknown.
12. Mixed Tenses within a Sentence
**Explanation:** Mixed tenses occur when a sentence uses different verb tenses without a logical or temporal reason, leading to confusion about the sequence or timing of events.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "She is going to the market and bought apples."
- Correct: "She is going to the market to buy apples."
- **Teaching Point:** Ensure verb tenses in a sentence are consistent unless there’s a clear shift in the time frame. This keeps the sequence of events or actions clear to the reader.
13. Misuse of Pronouns
**Explanation:** Pronoun misuse happens when pronouns (like he, she, it, they) don’t clearly match up with the nouns they are replacing or when they're used incorrectly, leading to confusion about whom or what is being referred to.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "When the teacher handed out the tests, they were nervous." (Unclear who 'they' is)
- Correct: "When the teacher handed out the tests, the students were nervous."
- **Teaching Point:** Ensure pronouns agree in number and gender with their antecedents (the nouns they replace) and that it’s clear to whom or what the pronoun refers.
14. Incorrect Preposition Usage
**Explanation:** Prepositions (like in, on, at, to) show the relationship between nouns or pronouns and other words in a sentence. Using the wrong preposition can alter the meaning or make the sentence unclear.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "I'm good in math."
- Correct: "I'm good at math."
- **Teaching Point:** Prepositions can be tricky as they often don’t translate directly from one language to another. Pay attention to common prepositional phrases and how different prepositions change the meaning in specific contexts.
15. Incomplete Comparisons
**Explanation:** Incomplete comparisons occur when a sentence sets up a comparison but doesn’t clearly state what the subject is being compared to, leaving the reader unsure of the full meaning.
- **Examples:**
- Incomplete: "Our product is faster, cheaper, and better."
- Complete: "Our product is faster, cheaper, and better than the competition's."
- **Teaching Point:** When making a comparison, always clarify what you are comparing your subject to. This provides a complete and clear understanding of the comparison being made.
16. Split Infinitives
**Explanation:** A split infinitive occurs when an adverb or another word is placed between 'to' and the verb (e.g., 'to quickly go'). While not strictly incorrect, it can sometimes make sentences less clear or disrupt the flow of the writing.
- **Examples:**
- Split: "She decided to quickly leave the room."
- Unsplit: "She decided to leave the room quickly."
- **Teaching Point:** Traditional grammar rules advise against splitting infinitives, but modern usage is more accepting, especially for emphasis or natural rhythm. However, if clarity is compromised, avoid splitting the infinitive.
17. Incorrect Use of Conjunctions
**Explanation:** Conjunctions like 'and', 'but', 'because', and 'or' are used to connect words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence. Misusing them can result in sentences that are grammatically incorrect or that don't logically convey the intended meaning.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "I like apples but oranges." (The sentence structure is confusing; it's unclear how apples and oranges are being contrasted.)
- Correct: "I like apples, but I don't like oranges." (This correctly uses 'but' to show contrast between liking apples and not liking oranges.)
- **Teaching Point:** Choose conjunctions that correctly link your ideas and accurately reflect the relationship between them. 'And' is used for addition, 'but' for contrast, 'because' for reason, and 'or' for alternatives. Make sure both sides of the conjunction can stand as independent clauses if they are meant to.
18. Apostrophe Errors
**Explanation:** Apostrophes are used to indicate possession (e.g., Sarah's book) and contractions (e.g., don't for 'do not'). Common errors include using apostrophes for plurals or misplacing them in possessive.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect for plural: "Apple's for sale" (implies possession)
- Correct for plural: "Apples for sale"
- **Teaching Point:** Use apostrophes to show possession (like 'John's book') and in contractions (like 'can't'). Do not use them to make words plural.
19. Incorrect Capitalization
**Explanation:** Capitalization errors occur when words are either unnecessarily capitalized or not capitalized when they should be. Proper nouns, the first word of a sentence, and certain titles are typically capitalized.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "We visited the Eiffel tower in paris."
- Correct: "We visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris."
- **Teaching Point:** Capitalize the first letter of sentences, proper nouns (specific names), and titles. Avoid random capitalization within sentences as it can confuse readers.
20. Misuse of Adjectives and Adverbs
**Explanation:** Adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Misusing them can lead to unclear or incorrect descriptions in sentences.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect (adjective instead of adverb): "She sings beautiful."
- Correct: "She sings beautifully."
- **Teaching Point:** Use adjectives to describe nouns ('beautiful flower') and adverbs to modify verbs ('speak loudly'), adjectives ('very tall'), or other adverbs ('almost never'). Remember, many adverbs end in '-ly'.
21. Misuse of Pronouns
**Explanation:** Pronouns replace nouns and must clearly match the noun they are replacing in terms of number, gender, and clarity. Incorrect pronoun usage can create ambiguity or confusion in your sentences.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "When the teacher speaks to a student, tell them your questions." (It's unclear if 'them' refers to the teacher or the student.)
- Correct: "When the teacher speaks to a student, the student should tell the teacher any questions they have."
- **Teaching Point:** Make sure it's clear to whom or what your pronouns refer. This clarity is crucial, especially in sentences with multiple nouns that a pronoun could potentially replace. Use singular 'they' as a gender-neutral pronoun when the gender is unknown or irrelevant, or for non-binary individuals.
22. Incorrect Preposition Usage
**Explanation:** Prepositions like 'in', 'on', 'at', and 'to' show relationships in time, place, or direction. Using the wrong preposition can change the meaning of your sentence or make it unclear.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "I'm interested for history."
- Correct: "I'm interested in history."
- **Teaching Point:** Prepositions can be tricky and often don't translate directly between languages. Learn common prepositional phrases and the specific prepositions that certain verbs and adjectives require.
23. Incomplete Comparisons
**Explanation:** Incomplete comparisons happen when a sentence sets up a comparison but doesn't state what is being compared, leaving the reader guessing.
- **Examples:**
- Incomplete: "Our car is more reliable." (More reliable than what?)
- Complete: "Our car is more reliable than our neighbor's car."
- **Teaching Point:** Always specify what or whom you are comparing your subject to. Completing the comparison gives readers a clear understanding of the intended meaning.
24. Confusion between Homophones
**Explanation:** Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Using the wrong one can confuse readers and change the meaning of your sentence.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "Their going to the beach tomorrow." (Should be 'they're')
- Correct: "They're going to the beach tomorrow."
- **Teaching Point:** Be careful with homophones like 'there/their/they’re', 'your/you’re', and 'its/it’s'. Make sure you're using the correct word that fits the meaning and grammatical structure of your sentence.
25. Misuse of Quantifiers
**Explanation:** Quantifiers like 'much', 'many', 'few', and 'several' indicate the amount or quantity of something. Using the wrong quantifier can lead to grammatical errors or unclear sentences.
- **Examples:**
- Incorrect: "I have much friends." (Should be 'many' for countable nouns)
- Correct: "I have many friends."
- **Teaching Point:** Use 'much' with uncountable nouns ('much water') and 'many' with countable nouns ('many cars'). 'Few' and 'several' also apply to countable nouns, while 'a little' is for uncountable nouns.