LESSON #1: ENGLISH ENGLISH

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16 COMMON ERRORS
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
1.​ Adjective/Adverb Error. An adjective is used when an
Commonly asked questions are about: adverb should be used, or vice versa; or the superlative
1.​ Basic Grammar Test form is used when the comparative form should be used
2.​ Sentence Completion or vice versa.
3.​ Correct Sentence Identification Ex1. He walked slow(ly) down the hall. [slowly]
4.​ Sentence Sequencing Ex2. He was a bad(ly) teacher. [bad]
5.​ Identifying Sentence Error
2.​ Diction Error. The wrong word is used.
1. SENTENCE SEQUENCING Ex. He ate peaches than he ate the cream. [then]

-​ Four or five sentences are given that lack coherence, 3.​ Double Negatives. A double negative is used.
connection and development. Ex. He couldn't hardly believe his good luck. [could hardly]

4.​ Idiom Errors. Idioms are certain expressions that are

IMPORTANT TIPS
accepted as a standard in the English Language. If the
expressions are wrong, there is an error.
●​ Sentences that contain full names are usually found at the Ex. He was capable to understand. [of]
beginning of a paragraph or passage.
●​ Sentences that contain they, him or her, or shorter names 5.​ Modifier Errors. A modifier must be next to the thing it is
would only come after the proper introduction of a modifying (describing). If the modifier is not next to the
person/subject. thing it is describing or if the thing it is describing is never
●​ If there are pronouns (it, this, that, etc.) in a sentence, it only mentioned in the sentence at all, that is an error.
means that what the pronouns represent has already been Ex. After sunning himself for hours, the couch where the
mentioned or discussed in a previous sentence in a given cat sat was covered in fur. [After sunning xxx , the cat]
passage. This guides you on what sentence comes first. Note
that I and you are exceptions to this rule. 6.​ Parallel Structure Errors. Related parts of a sentence must
●​ Sentences that begin with And and But usually follow a central be in the same form.
theme with an explanation or additional information. Ex. I like skiing, snorkeling, and to fish. [fishing]
●​ Identify the central theme around which the passage is framed,
which is usually found in the first few sentences of a passage. 7.​ Passive Voice. The subject of the sentence must come
●​ Your answer should show a logical sequence of events. before the object of the sentence.
●​ The last sentence usually ends with some Ex. The television was what I was watching.
conclusion/statement.
8.​ Pronoun Errors. The pronoun must agree with the noun
2. IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS that it is replacing, If the noun is singular/plural, the
pronoun must be singular/plural. The pronoun must
-​ You have to pick the error in a sentence out of several match the type as well.
underlined words or phrases Ex. Kelly and Sue like peaches, and she went to get some.

IMPORTANT TIPS 9.​ Run-on Sentences. A sentence should contain a subject,

an object, and a verb. Compound sentences must use the
proper transition. Otherwise, a run-on sentence occurs.
●​ Step1. Read the sentences all the way through.
Ex. I like to fish, Joe likes to swim. [use “;” or “but” instead
●​ Step2. Check each underlined portion.
of just “,”]
●​ Step3. Confirm what the word you picked is wrong.

10.​ Sentence Fragments. If a sentence does not have a

subject, verb, and object, then it is not a complete thought
and is a sentence fragment.
Ex. Since I like cookies.

COURSE CODE: COURSE TITLE LESSON # 1

 LESSON #1: ENGLISH ENGLISH
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indefinite article a and an refer to a general term or one not only

11.​ Subject/Object Errors. If the pronoun is the subject of the mentioned: an apple.
sentence, the subject form of the pronoun must be used. Case. The form of a noun or pronoun that reflects its grammatical
If the pronoun is the object of the sentence, the object function in a sentence as subject (they), object (them), or possessor
form must be used. (their). [She gave her employees a raise that pleased them greatly.]
Ex. The teacher yelled at he and Mike. [him]

12.​ Subject/Verb Agreement Errors. A subject and verb must

agree. If a singular subject is doing the action, the verb
must be singular.
Ex. Joe like pizza. [likes]

13.​ Transition Errors. The proper transition must be used to

join two independent clauses to form a complete
sentence.
Ex. I like pizza and Sue does not. [but]

14.​ Verb Tense Errors. A sentence cannot shift verb tenses

without reason (a word that signifies a transition in time) Clause. A group of related words that contain a subject and a
Ex. I went to the store and I get pizza. [go] predicate. [While she was taking the test, Karen muttered to
herself.]
15.​ Wordiness Error. Although being wordy is not necessarily ●​ A dependent clause is a group of words that includes a
wrong, wordiness errors do appear in Improving subject and verb but is subordinate to an independent
Sentences questions, which test your ability to eliminate clause in a sentence. It begins with either a subordinating
redundancies and make sentences less wordy. conjunction (if, because, since) or a relative pronoun (who,
Ex. Being that he was an author, Joe wrote a lot. [Because which, that) [When it gets dark, we’ll find a restaurant that
he was an author, Joe wrote a lot.] has music.]
○​ A subordinate clause is a clause dependent on
16.​ Spelling. Just because it sounds right, doesn’t mean there the main clause in a sentence. [After we finish
is no error in the sentence. our work, we will go out for dinner.]
○​ A relative clause is a clause introduced by
3. BASIC GRAMMAR relative pronoun, such as who, which, that, or by
a relative adverb such as where, when, why.
References: ●​ An independent clause is a group of words with a subject
and verb that can stand alone as a sentence. [Raccoons
-​ (A) Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style
steal food.]
-​ (B) Norman Lewis’ 30 Days to Better English
Colloquialism. A word or expression appropriate to informal
-​ (C) Grammar Rules: Learn Grammar Rules to Rule English
Language conversation but not usually suitable for academic or business
writing. [They wanted to get even. Get even is informal, retaliate is
-​ (D) British Columbia Open School BC - Punctuation
more formal.]
Complement. A word or phrase (especially a noun or adjective) that
IMPORTANT TERMS AND EXAMPLES (A)
completes the predicate.
●​ Subject Complements complete linking verbs and rename
Antecedent. The noun to which a pronoun refers. A pronoun and its or describe the subject. [Martha is my neighbor. She
antecedent must agree in person, number and gender. [Michael and seems shy.]
his teammates.] ●​ Object Complements complete transitive verbs by
Appositive. A noun or noun phrase that renames or adds identifying describing or renaming the direct object. [They found the
information to a noun it immediately follows. [His brother, an play exciting. Robert considers Mary a wonderful wife.]
accountant with Arthur Andersen, was recently promoted.] Conjunction. A word that joins words, phrases, clauses, or
Articles. The words a, an, and the, which signal or introduce nouns. sentences.
The definite article the refers to a particular item: the report. The ●​ Coordinating Conjunctions join grammatically equivalent
elements (e.g., and, but, or, nor, yet, so, for - FANBOYS)

COURSE CODE: COURSE TITLE LESSON # 2

 LESSON #1: ENGLISH ENGLISH
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●​ Correlative Conjunctions join the same kinds of elements ●​ An indefinite pronoun refers to an unspecified person
(e.g., both, and; either, or; neither, nor) (anybody) or thing (something).
●​ Subordinating Conjunctions joins a dependent clause to ●​ A relative pronoun connects a dependent clause to a main
an independent clause (e.g., after, as far as, since, clause in a sentence e.g, who, whom, whose, which, that,
although, that, if, because, in order, unless, even though, whoever, whomever, whichever and whatever.
whenever, while, before, after, whether, until, lest [for the ●​ A nominative pronoun that functions as a subject or a
fear that], provided, though, as long as, between) subject complement: I, we, you, he, she, it, they, who
Modifier. A word or phrase that qualifies, describes, or limits the ●​ A possessive pronoun is a case of noun and pronouns that
meaning of a word, phrase or clause. [Frayed ribbon, dancing indicates ownership or possession. [Harold’s, ours, mine]
flowers, worldly wisdom] ○​ A pronominal possessive pronoun examples are
●​ A nonrestrictive modifier is a phrase or clause that does hers, its and theirs.
not limit or restrict the essential meaning of the element it Restrictive Term, Element, Clause. A phrase or clause that limits the
modifies. [My youngest niece, who lives in Ann Arbor, is a essential meaning of the sentence element it modifies or identifies.
magazine editor.] [Professional athletes who perform exceptionally should earn
Object. The noun or pronoun that completes a prepositional phrase stratospheric salaries.]
or the meaning of a transitive verb. ●​ Since there are no commas before and after the italicized
●​ Direct Object is a noun or pronoun that receives the clause, the italicized clause is restrictive and suggests that
action of a transitive verb. [Perason publishes books.] only those athletes who perform exceptionally are entitled
●​ Indirect Object is a noun or pronoun that indicates to to such salaries.
whom or for whom, to what or for what the action of a ●​ If commas were added before who and exceptionally, the
transitive verb is performed. [I asked her a question. Ed clause would be nonrestrictive and would suggest that all
gave the door a kick.] professional athletes should receive catastrophic salaries.
Sentence. A set of words that is complete in itself, typically
containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question,
exclamation, or command, and consisting of a main clause and
sometimes one or more subordinate clauses.
●​ A loose sentence begins with the main idea and then
attaches modifiers, qualifiers and other details. [He was
determined to succeed, with or without the promotion he
Phrase. A group of related words that functions as a unit but lacks a was hoping for and in spite of the difficulties he was
subject, verb, or both. [Without the resources to continue] confronting every turn.]
●​ A participial phrase is a present or past participle with ●​ A periodic sentence expresses the main idea at the end.
accompanying modifiers, objects, or complements. [The With or without their parent’s consent, and whether or
buzzard, circling with sinister determination, squawked not they receive the assignment relocation they
loudly.] requested, they are determined to get married.]
●​ A prepositional phrase is a group of words consisting of a Syntax. The order or arrangement of words in a sentence. Syntax
preposition, its object, and any of the object’s modifiers. may exhibit parallelism [I came, I saw, I conquered], inversion
They often tell when and where something happened. [whose woods these are I think I know] or other formal
[Georgia on my mind.] characteristics.
Transition. A word or group of words that aids coherence in writing
by showing the connections between ideas. [William Carlos Williams
was influenced by the poetry of Walt Whitman. Moreover,
Williams’s emphasis on the present and the immediacy of the
ordinary represented a rejection of the poetic stance and style of his
contemporary T.S.Eliot. In addition, Williams’s poetry … ]
Verb. A word or group of words that expresses the action or
indicates the state of the being of the subjective. Verbs activate
Preposition. A word that relates its object (a noun, pronoun, or -ing sentences.
verb form) to another word in the sentence. [She is the leader of our ●​ A principal verb is the predicating verb in a main clause or
group sentence.
Pronoun. A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or noun phrase
that has already been mentioned in a text or conversation.

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 LESSON #1: ENGLISH ENGLISH
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●​ A linking verb is a verb that joins the subject of a sentence VERBAL REASONING
to its complement. [Professor Chapman is a philosophy
teacher. They were ecstatic.]
●​ Primarily assess your vocabulary.
●​ An auxiliary verb that combines with the main verb to ●​ Will encounter questions that require you to discern word
show differences in tense, person and voice. The most meanings, or idioms, understand word relationships and
common auxiliaries are forms of be, do, and have. [I am interpret written information.
going; we did not go; they have gone.]
●​ A transitive verb requires a direct object to complete its
1. LOOK AT THE PARTS
meaning. [They washed their new car.]
●​ An intransitive verb does not require an object to
complete its meaning. [The audience laughed.] -​ Many English words are formed by tacking prefixes at the
●​ An infinitive in a present tense, a verb consisting of to beginning and suffixes at the end of simple words.
followed by the base form of the verb [to write]. -​ Sometimes, dissecting a word - looking for familiar
●​ A split infinitive occurs when one or more words separate structures inside it - can help you decode it.
to and the verb [to boldly go].
●​ Modal auxiliaries are any of the verbs that combine with
the main verb to express necessity (with), obligation
(should), permission (may), probability (might), possibility
(could), ability (can), or tentativeness (would).

Verbal. A verb form that functions in a sentence as a noun,

adjective, or an adverb rather than as a principal verb. [Thinking can ENGLISH PREFIXES
be fun. An embroidered handkerchief.]
●​ Gerund. The -ing form of a verb that functions as a noun.
[Hiking is a good exercise. She was praised for her
playing.]
●​ An infinitive in a present tense, a verb consisting of to
followed by the base form of the verb [to write].
●​ Participle. A verbal that functions as an adjective.
○​ Present participle end in -ing [brimming]
○​ Past participle end in -d or -ed [injured, broken],
but may appear in other forms [brought, been,
gone]
Prefix - Meaning - Examples
Voice. The attribute is a verb that indicates whether its subject is
Ab, Abs - away from/off - absence, abeyance
active [Janet played the guitar] or passive [The guitar was played by
Ad - towards, to, at - adjust, address
Janet.]
Bi, bis - two - bisect, bipolar
Circum - around - circumspect
De - away, from - derive, detract
Ex, e - from - exit, exhume
Inter - between, among - interject
Mal, male - bad, evil - malpractice
Non - not - compliant
Pro - forward - promote
Sub - under - submarine
Trans - across - transcend

ENGLISH ROOT WORDS

Prefix - Meaning - Examples

Cred - believe - credible
Duc, duct - lead - conduct

COURSE CODE: COURSE TITLE LESSON # 4

 LESSON #1: ENGLISH ENGLISH
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Graph - write - autograph

Mort - death - mortuary
Scrib, script - write - subscription
Therm - heat - thermostat

ENGLISH SUFFIXES

Prefix - Meaning - Examples

Cred - believe - credible
Duc, duct - lead - conduct
Graph - write - autograph
Mort - death - mortuary
Scrib, script - write - subscription
Therm - heat - thermostat

2. LOOK AT THE CONTEXT

-​ Consider the
context to
find the
meaning of a
word or
phrase in a
sentence.

-​ Context
refers to the
sentence and
environment
in which the
word is being
used.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Prefix - Meaning - Examples

Cred - believe - credible
Duc, duct - lead - conduct
Graph - write - autograph
Mort - death - mortuary
Scrib, script - write - subscription
Therm - heat - thermostat

COURSE CODE: COURSE TITLE LESSON # 5