Common Mistakes in Sentence Structure and How to Avoid Them

What Makes a Sentence?

A complete sentence needs two main parts: a subject and a verb.

The subject tells us what the sentence is about, and the verb tells us what the subject is doing. When these two parts come together and form a complete thought, we have an independent clause.

For example, "The girl jumped" is a simple sentence.

To make it more detailed, you can add extra words or phrases like adjectives or adverbs: "The girl, who was on the track team, jumped over the hurdles easily."

On the other hand, a dependent clause has a subject and a verb but doesn’t form a complete thought on its own.

For instance, "After the boy ate dinner" leaves us wondering what happened next. To complete the thought, you can add an independent clause: "After the boy ate dinner, he went to his room to play."

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

Clear and effective writing relies on correct sentence structure. Mistakes in sentence structure can make your writing difficult to understand and detract from your message.

Let’s discuss some common sentence structure errors and learn how to correct them.

Comma Splices

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined together with just a comma. Each clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, so using a comma alone is incorrect.

Incorrect: "She loves to swim, he prefers to run."

Explanation: Here, "She loves to swim" and "he prefers to run" are independent clauses. Simply using a comma to connect them is a mistake.

Correct: "She loves to swim, but he prefers to run."

Alternatively: "She loves to swim; he prefers to run."

Explanation: A semicolon can be used to join the independent clauses without a conjunction.

Additional Example: "The rain was heavy, the streets were flooded."

Explanation: In this case, both "The rain was heavy" and "the streets were flooded" are independent clauses.

Correct: "The rain was heavy, so the streets were flooded."

Explanation: Using the conjunction "so" to connect the clauses makes the relationship between them clear.

Alternatively: "The rain was heavy; the streets were flooded."

Explanation: A semicolon can also be used to join these related independent clauses.

Expert Tip

Look for sentences where two complete thoughts are joined by a comma. Fix them by adding a conjunction, using a semicolon, or splitting them into separate sentences.

Run-On Sentences

Run-on sentences occur when independent clauses are incorrectly connected without proper punctuation or conjunctions. This often makes the sentence confusing and difficult to read.

Incorrect: "She finished her book she started a new one."

Explanation: "She finished her book" and "she started a new one" are independent clauses that need proper punctuation.

Correct: "She finished her book. She started a new one."

Explanation: Using a period separates the two clauses into distinct sentences.

Alternatively: "She finished her book, and she started a new one."

Explanation: Adding a conjunction with a comma connects the clauses correctly.

Another option: "She finished her book; she started a new one."

Explanation: A semicolon joins the independent clauses effectively.

Additional Example: "The team won the game they celebrated all night."

Explanation: Here, "The team won the game" and "they celebrated all night" are independent clauses.

Correct: "The team won the game, so they celebrated all night."

Explanation: Using the conjunction "so" links the cause and effect between the two clauses.

Alternatively: "The team won the game; they celebrated all night."

Explanation: A semicolon can be used to separate the clauses while keeping them closely related.

Expert Tip

Identify run-on sentences by checking if multiple independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation. Fix them by using periods, commas with conjunctions, or semicolons.

Sentence Fragments

Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that lack a subject, verb, or both. They fail to convey a complete thought and can disrupt the flow of your writing.

Incorrect: "After the meeting ended. Everyone went home."

Explanation: "After the meeting ended" is a dependent clause that needs a main clause to form a complete sentence.

Correct: "After the meeting ended, everyone went home."

Explanation: Combining the dependent clause with the main clause creates a complete sentence.

Incorrect: "Although the project was challenging. We finished it on time."

Explanation: The fragment "Although the project was challenging" does not complete the thought.

Correct: "Although the project was challenging, we finished it on time."

Explanation: Adding the independent clause "we finished it on time" completes the sentence.

Additional Example: "The new restaurant is very popular. Because the food is excellent."

Explanation: "Because the food is excellent" is a fragment and needs to be combined with the main clause.

Correct: "The new restaurant is very popular because the food is excellent."

Explanation: Combining the fragment with the main clause provides a complete thought.

Expert Tip

Ensure every sentence contains a subject and verb to form a complete thought. Combine fragments with related sentences to correct them.

Misplaced Commas in a Series

When listing three or more items, commas should separate each item except the last one. The Oxford comma, which is the comma before "and" or "or," is optional but can clarify meaning.

Incorrect: "For breakfast, I had eggs toast and juice."

Explanation: The items in the list are not separated by commas.

Correct: "For breakfast, I had eggs, toast, and juice."

Explanation: Commas correctly separate each item in the list.

Alternatively: "For breakfast, I had eggs, toast and juice."

Explanation: Omitting the Oxford comma is acceptable depending on the style guide.

Additional Example: "She bought apples oranges, bananas and grapes."

Explanation: The list lacks commas and includes an unnecessary comma.

Correct: "She bought apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes."

Explanation: Proper comma placement separates each item in the list.

Expert Tip

Use commas to clearly separate items in a series. Decide on the use of the Oxford comma based on your style guide or to avoid ambiguity.

Missing Words

Sentences can become unclear or incomplete if they are missing important words like articles, prepositions, or direct objects.

Incorrect: "He took book from shelf."

Explanation: The sentence lacks the article "the" before "book."

Correct: "He took the book from the shelf."

Explanation: Adding the missing article "the" and the preposition "from" makes the sentence complete.

Incorrect: "By the time she called, everyone had left the office."

Explanation: The sentence is missing the preposition "the" before "office."

Correct: "By the time she called, everyone had left the office."

Explanation: Including the article "the" clarifies the sentence.

Additional Example: "She gave gift to her friend."

Explanation: The sentence is missing a direct object, making it unclear.

Correct: "She gave a gift to her friend."

Explanation: Adding the article "a" before "gift" completes the sentence.

Expert Tip

Look for missing articles, prepositions, or direct objects to ensure sentences are fully formed and clear.

Wrong Use of Subject-Verb Agreements

Verbs must agree with their subjects in number (singular or plural). Subject-verb agreement errors can cause confusion and disrupt the flow of your writing.

Incorrect: "The books on the table is new."

Explanation: "The books on the table" is a plural subject, so the verb should be plural.

Correct: "The books on the table are new."

Explanation: The plural verb "are" matches the plural subject.

Incorrect: "Either the cake or the cookies needs to be served."

Explanation: With "either/or," the subject is considered singular.

Correct: "Either the cake or the cookies need to be served."

Explanation: The plural verb "need" matches the subject.

Additional Example: "The family are planning a vacation."

Explanation: "The family" is a collective noun and acts as a single unit.

Correct: "The family is planning a vacation."

Explanation: A singular verb "is" correctly matches the collective noun.

Incorrect: "Everybody have completed their tasks."

Explanation: "Everybody" is a singular pronoun reference and should be matched with a singular verb.

Correct: "Everybody has completed their tasks."

Expert Tip

Ensure verbs agree with their subjects in number and adjust for collective nouns or subjects connected by "or" and "and."

Incorrectly Adding Appositive Phrases

An appositive phrase provides additional information about a noun and should be set off by commas. This helps to clarify the sentence and add detail.

Incorrect: "My neighbor the one who is always gardening invited us over for dinner."

Explanation: The appositive phrase "the one who is always gardening" needs to be separated by commas.

Correct: "My neighbor, the one who is always gardening, invited us over for dinner."

Explanation: Commas set off the appositive phrase, making the sentence clear.

Additional Example: "Our tour guide an expert on local history was very knowledgeable."

Explanation: The appositive phrase "an expert on local history" requires commas.

Correct: "Our tour guide, an expert on local history, was very knowledgeable."

Explanation: Commas around the appositive phrase clarify the sentence.

Expert Tip

Use commas before and after appositive phrases to provide additional details about a noun clearly.

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier is a descriptive phrase that is not clearly or logically related to the word it is supposed to modify. This can make sentences confusing or misleading.

Incorrect: "Running to catch the bus, the rain started pouring."

Explanation: The phrase "Running to catch the bus" is intended to modify the subject of the sentence, but it is not clear who is running.

Correct: "Running to catch the bus, she was caught in the pouring rain."

Explanation: Here, the subject "she" is clearly associated with the action of running.

Additional Example: "To complete the project, the deadline was extended."

Explanation: The phrase "To complete the project" is supposed to describe the action needed, but it’s not clear who is completing the project.

Correct: "To complete the project, the team requested an extension of the deadline."

Explanation: Now, it’s clear that the team requested the extension.

Expert Tip

Ensure that modifiers clearly relate to the word they are intended to modify. Revise sentences to make sure the subject is explicit and logically connected to the descriptive phrase.

Improper Use of Subordinating Conjunctions

Incorrectly using subordinating conjunctions to introduce dependent clauses to show the relationship between the dependent clause and the main clause is a common mistake students make. The most frequently used subordinating conjunctions include "although," "because," "if," and "while."

Incorrect: "Although he was tired, but he finished his homework."

Explanation: Using both "although" and "but" creates redundancy.

Correct: "Although he was tired, he finished his homework."

Explanation: "Although" introduces the dependent clause without the need for "but."

Additional Example: "She went to the store, because she needed groceries."

Explanation: A comma is not necessary before "because" when it introduces a dependent clause.

Correct: "She went to the store because she needed groceries."

Explanation: Omitting the comma clarifies the relationship between the clauses.

Expert Tip

Use subordinating conjunctions to introduce dependent clauses and avoid redundancy by not using multiple conjunctions for the same purpose.

Lack of Subordinating Clauses

A subordinating clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence; it relies on a main clause to provide context. Proper placement and punctuation are essential to avoid confusion.

Incorrect: "Because I was late. I missed the beginning of the movie."

Explanation: The subordinating clause "Because I was late" is not connected to the main clause properly.

Correct: "Because I was late, I missed the beginning of the movie."

Explanation: Combining the subordinating clause with the main clause makes the sentence complete.

Additional Example: "When the sun sets. We will have dinner."

Explanation: Here, "When the sun sets" is a dependent clause that needs to be joined with the main clause.

Correct: "When the sun sets, we will have dinner."

Explanation: Using a comma to separate the clauses ensures clarity.

Expert Tip

Ensure subordinating clauses are properly connected to main clauses and use appropriate punctuation to clearly indicate the relationship between them.

In conclusion, understanding and fixing common mistakes in sentence structure can greatly improve the clarity of your writing. By checking for these errors and applying the correct fixes, you'll enhance the readability and effectiveness of your academic papers. Review your work carefully and practice these tips to become a more effective writer.

Need Help In Detecting Errors In Your Sentences?

If you need help in detecting errors in your sentences, try out the Sentence Structure Analysis tool at MyEssayWriter.ai. It will help you analyze and optimize your sentences to improve clarity and maintain consistency in your writing. For further assistance with your writing skills, use our free AI essay writer with no sign-up required.

WRITTEN BY

Caleb S. (Mass Literature and Linguistics, Masters)

Caleb S. is an accomplished author with over five years of experience and a Master's degree from Oxford University. He excels in various writing forms, including articles, press releases, blog posts, and whitepapers. As a valued author at MyEssayWriter.ai, Caleb assists students and professionals by providing practical tips on research, citation, sentence structure, and style enhancement.

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