English Writing Errors
(and Correction Symbols)

Clauses & Syntax:

Types of Error
(& Correction Symbols)
Examples and Related Web Pages
mm

misplaced modifier 

-- The robber was described as a tall man with a black moustache weighing 150 pounds.
-- I have a book for you which I told you about.
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SentMispMods.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/grammar/misplaced_modifiers.htm(from UIUC's Grammar Handbook)
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SentSqntMods.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)

SC sentence construction
Dgl

dangling modifier

-- Seeing from the top of it, it should look like a belfry with many colors on it.

-- Looking back from 20 years old to five years old, a question popped out of my mind.
-- Overwhelmed by the power of such a statement, the only two words I could pronounce were "I won't!"

http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SentDanglMods.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html#7(from Elements of Style)
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/grammar/dangling_modifiers.htm(from UIUC's Grammar Handbook)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_dangmod.html (from OWL)

frag  Fragment
cs comma splice
ll
//

ack of parallelism

I saw him falling in love, to become lovelorn, and he married a woman he hardly knew.
I saw him falling in love, becoming lovelorn, and finally marrying a woman he hardly knew. 
More faulty examples
-- She was innocent and still running in front of the cottage with her brother.

-- He overcame sanitary problem, bad living qualities, and educating some uncivil residents.

-- Everyone wants to get rich and authority.

-- I stay at the dorm with three other roommates that from different parts of the island and have various family backgrounds.
-- Taking MTR is the most fast and convenience method among all kinds of transportation. -- All we did was studying hard and to get good grades.

P

punctuation problem 
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/text/prose2.html
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/GramPunc.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)

p/-

hyphen 
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SentHyphEnd.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SenthyphWords.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)

p/--

dash

-- Beauty includes two parts-inner beauty and outside beauty.
-- One "good"  thing was out-Hope.
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/GramDash.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)

p/( )

parenthesis 

http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk2.html(from Elements of Style)

p/,

comma 
http://www.engl.uvic.ca/faculty/keller/pages/crunch/Pages/diagnosticsetup.html
http://www.engl.uvic.ca/faculty/keller/pages/wherecomma/

p/¡¨

quotation marks 
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk2.html(from Elements of Style)

R-O 

run-on sentence; fused sentence

-- I was moved deeply by the peaceful tranquility and the truly joyful smiles there, I then yearned to become one of them.?

-- Close your eyes and feel the warm sea breeze, it is comfortable during summer night.

-- Here is the rapidest information diffusing place of Japanese fashion, by observing the teenagers' way of dressing you can guess what's the most fashionable stuff now in Japan.?

-- You have a chance to visit West End, stay longer and observe carefully, then you won't miss the fun of seeing the odd mixture of different ways of living . . .

http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SentRunOns.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_sentpr.html (from OWL)

Others

However-- not a conjuction

It's possible for most of us to have many friends around us, however, true friends are not so easy to be found.
SS Faulty sentence structure
sub

faulty subordination

http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/subidea.html(from Writer's Web)

comp

faulty comparison 

http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SentMixMet.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://www.edunet.com/english/grammar/adjectiv.html#comparison

Logic + conjunctives
-- Although it is really necessary for us to have friends in our life, how to choose real friends is significant as well.
-- Some conservative parents are too shy to explain the "mystery" of sex to their children. However, it's also difficult for young people to get correct education of sex in school¡K¡K
¡XSince pictures in a comic book are exaggerating, there is no boderline that limit content of comics. 
[ETC] [Language Lab][Etweb]
[Internet_Course Page] [Multimedia Page]
[English Dept.] [Fu Jen University]