Writing Effective Sentences

II

Semester I

Prof. Younnes ELKHADIRI

· What are the characteristics of effective
sentences?
· How to structure effective sentences?
 RUN-ON SENTENCES

• Two or more sentences that have been

written together with no punctuation, or with
merely a comma, are called run-on sentences.
 RUN-ON sentences may be corrected in
one of four ways:
• Using a conjunction and a comma.
• Using a semi-colon (;).
• Separating the independent clauses into two
or more sentences.
• Converting one independent clause into a
dependent clause by using introductory words
such as because, after, since, when, etc.
 Example:
• The book was very interesting, therefore I read it
all night.

• The example is correctly written in any of the

following ways:

– The book was very interesting, and therefore I read it

all night.
– The book was very interesting; therefore, I read it all
night.
– The book was very interesting. Therefore, I read it all
night.
– Since the book was very interesting, I read it all night.
 NOTE!
• Some words look like conjunctions, but they are
not.

• The words: “then”, “therefore”, “also”, “because”

and “however” are NOT conjunctions. DO NOT
use them to join two sentences together.
 Examples!
• John put on his coat, then he left the house.
INCORRECT
• John put on his coat, AND then he left the
house.
• CORRECT
• John put on his coat. Then he left the house.
INCORRECT
• AFTER John put on his coat, he left the house.
CORRECT
 Exercise 2-5 Identify each of the following word groups by
writing “sentence” or “run- on” after it. Correct the run-on
sentences using one of the four methods.
1. Because he was thirsty, Jack ordered another bottle of water.
2. Jack was thirsty, he ordered another bottle of water.
3. The traffic was crawling, however we arrived at the airport on
time.
4. Jill was at the party, but her husband stayed home.
5. She washed the dishes, then she dried them.
6. Arthur was driving too fast, therefore he missed the exit.
7. While we were on vacation, our home was vandalized.
8. It rained all day; the streets and basements were flooded.
9. Return the lawnmower to Philip, also ask him where my shovel is.
10. Since the weather is so bad, we’ll stay at home and watch
television.
Exercise 2-6 Identify each of the following word groups by
writing “sentence” or “run-on” after it. Correct the run-on
sentences.
1. After we ate we went for a walk.
2. The children were tired, they fell asleep.
3. Send two passport pictures, also include a copy of your birth
certificate.
4. The fire raged all day; the firefighters worked relentlessly.
5. Days are long in summer, but they are short in winter.
6. They competed in the marathon, therefore they were tired.
7. While I was standing in line at the bus stop, I recognized an
old friend.
8. The sun comes up; the sleeping city awakes.
9. The teachers were on strike, however the schools were kept
open.
10. She was late for work because she missed the bus.
Exercise 2-7 Rewrite the following paragraphs by
correcting the run-on sentences.
 Subject/Verb Agreement
• If a sentence has a singular subject, the singular
form of the verb must be used:
The vase is on the table.

• If the subject is plural, the verb must be as well:

The vases are on the table.
 Cont.
Most problems occur when there is a long phrase
separating the subject and the verb.
• Example:
Only Frank, of my many friends and acquaintances,
visit me when I am sick.

• The verb should be “visits” because the subject is

“Frank”; but because the noun nearest the verb is
plural, the verb “visit” looks right!
The following indefinite pronouns are singular and take
a singular verb:
 Punctuation
• The punctuation marks most often misused
are commas, semi-colons, and colons.
• Commas (,)
• The most common fault is overuse; use
commas sparingly.
• A good guideline is to read a sentence aloud
and insert commas only where you pause
naturally.
 Cont.
• Read the following examples aloud, pausing at
the commas, to see how comma placement
changes meaning:
• John, my brother, hates milk.
• John, my brother hates milk.

• John, my brother and I hate milk.

• John, my brother, and I hate milk.
 Cont.
• Use commas to separate the items in a series.
The comma before the last item in the series
(before and) is optional, but it is usually more
clear.
• The shuttle connects Hathorne, Danvers, and
Lynn.
• Bring to each class your pen, notebook, and
text.
 Semi-colons (;)

• Like a period, a semi-colon will follow a

complete sentence.
• When the meaning of two sentences is closely
related, a semi-colon is preferable to a period.
• Example:

Anne, close the door; it has started to rain.

 Colons (:)

• A colon is used before a series of words or a list

introduced by “the following”, “thus”, “in the
following manner”, or “for example”.
• Correct: For the trip, campers should provide
the following: sleeping bags, sturdy shoes,
heavy jackets and personal toilet articles.
• Correct: Add the ingredients in the following
order: butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, nutmeg,
cinnamon and nuts.
 Cont.
• Incorrect: I enjoy: classical, folk, and rock music.
• Correct: I enjoy classical, folk, and rock music.
• Do not use a colon after a preposition.
• Incorrect: My son is involved in: school, sports,
and music.
• Correct: My son is involved in school, sports and
music.
or
• School, sports, music: these keep my son busy.
 Apostrophe (‘)
• Apostrophes are used to show possession or
ownership, and in contractions.
• If a word, singular or plural, does not end in “s”, use
“’s” to form the possessive.
• Correct:
• We will meet at my lawyer’s office. (One lawyer’s firm)
• We will meet at the lawyers’ office. (Many lawyers’ firm)
• The manager’s decision was final. (One manager)
• The managers’ decision was final. (Many managers)
 Cont.
• If the word, singular or plural, ends in “s”, add an
apostrophe after the final s.

• Correct:
• The movie theatre schedules kids’ shows regularly.
• Sue Evans’ house was just painted.

• Do Not use an apostrophe to make a singular word plural.

• Incorrect: The unleashed dog’s belong to the McIntyres.

• Correct: The unleashed dogs belong to the McIntyres.
• The verb “belong” is plural; therefore the subject, “dogs” is
plural.
 Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers
• Adjectives or adjective phrases that are incorrectly
placed can result in confusion and, sometimes,
amusement.

• Incorrect: I bought a piano from an elderly lady with

elaborately carved legs.
• Correct: I bought a piano with elaborately carved legs
from an elderly lady.
• Incorrect: Tugging at the worms, John watched the birds.
• Correct: John watched the birds tugging at the worms.
 Numbers
• Write out numbers under 100, except when the
time of day is followed by a.m. or p.m.

• There are 365 days in a year, and it rained on

eighty.
• It was 2:00 a.m. when Alice phoned to say that
her flight would arrive at five that afternoon.
 Verb Tense Shift
• It is incorrect to shift back and forth from past to
present tense.
• This happens most often when people try to write in
the present tense about personal experiences.
• Incorrect: I am poised, tense, on the diving board,
ready to spring. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. I
can’t see a thing.
• Correct: I was poised, tense, on the diving board,
ready to spring. Suddenly there was a flash of light. I
couldn’t see a thing.
 Pronoun Shift
• This error involves changing back and forth
between one pronoun and another.
• Incorrect:
• Before one changes a fuse, you should turn off the
main switch.
• Correct:
• Before you change a fuse, you should turn off the
main switch.
• Or:
• Before one changes a fuse, one should turn off the
main switch.
 Cont.
• To avoid the “one…one” repetition, you may
wish to change the sentence:

• Before changing a fuse, the main switch

should be turned off.
 Pronoun Reference
• A pronoun takes the place of a noun or other
pronoun and agrees in number (singular or plural)
with the word to which it refers.
• Incorrect:
• Every pet should have their own dish.
• Correct:
• Every pet should have its own dish.

• The singular, possessive pronoun “its” refers to the

singular noun, “pet”.
 Cont.
• Correct:
• All pets should have their own dishes.
• This is correct because the plural possessive pronoun,
“their” refers to the plural noun, “pets”.
• Incorrect:
• My father, as well as his brothers, spent their time fishing.
• Correct:
• My father, as well as his brothers, spent his time fishing.

• This is because the singular possessive pronoun “his” refers

to the singular masculine noun, “father”.
 Cont.
Pronouns can be masculine, feminine or neuter, and
this is not a problem until we get to indefinite
pronouns (they are listed under “Subject/Agreement”),
when they refer to both males and females.
• Correct:
• None of the men forgot his sunglasses.
• Correct:
• Each member of our ladies’ choir has her own music.

• There is no difficulty with these because the groups

are clearly either male or female.
• But when a pronoun refers to a group containing
both males and females, one can run into
trouble.
• There are three accepted methods to address
this problem.
1. Use the masculine pronoun to refer to
male/female groups. This is not incorrect, but it is
distasteful to some.
Example:
• Everyone should bring his own lunch.
 Cont.

2. Use “s/he”, or “his/her.” Some people find this

awkward.
Example:
• Everyone should bring his/her own lunch.

3. Use the plural pronoun. Although, strictly

speaking, this is not correct, it is becoming more
popular as a solution to sexist language.
Example:
• Everyone should bring their own lunch.
Answer Key