Download In Search of… Correctness

In Search of…
Correctness
"See everything. Overlook a great deal.
Correct a little."
-
POPE JOHN XXIII
“ I am aware that it is counterproductive to
rewrite a whole sentence as if the teacher,
and not the student, were the author
(Knoblauch and Brannon, 1983), but I
sometimes do so anyway.”
Do Errors Matter?
 Survey of business executives, attorneys,
bank officers, real-estate agents,
stockbrokers, small business owners and
engineers by Hairston (1981) found that
they noticed and reacted strongly to
sentence errors.
Findings:
Serious or Very Serious Errors
 Status-Marking Errors
– Non-standard verb forms
– Lack of subject-verb agreement
– Double negatives
– Pronoun case (he/him, she/her) errors
 Very Serious Errors
– Sentence fragments
– Run-on sentences
– Capitalization errors
– Obscure subject/verb agreement errors
– Commas between subject and verb or subject
and complement
– Nonparallelism
– Faulty adverb forms
 Serious Errors
– Verb form errors
– Dangling modifiers
– “I” as object
– Lack of commas for parenthetical remarks
– Lack of commas in series
– Tense switching
– Use of plural modifier with singular nouns
“Anyone who has worked with college
writers knows that there is little connection
between teacher correction and student
accuracy. Many of us focus on correctness
because it is what we know best (Noguchi,
2001).”
“Errors contain valuable information
(Shaughnessy, 1977) about a student's
writing, but I sometimes cannot wait to get
rid of them. ‘I can't read an essay until I
straighten out the sentences,’ says a
colleague.”
What is a careful writer to do?
Becoming a Self-Editor
1. Identify typical errors on old papers.
2. Determine which errors occur most often.
3. Learn the concept – what is wrong with
this?
4. Develop strategies to locate errors.
5. Set all this aside and write your paper.
“Studies have found that a student's writing
is inhibited when the student knows it is
going to be assessed in terms of correctness
(MacGowan-Gilhooly, 1991; Bass, 1993),
and that, in fact, mechanical accuracy can
result from working to express ideas
fluently and clearly rather than from
focusing on correctness (Kasper, 2001).”
Then…..
6. Take a break, clear your mind, and
7. Go back and apply the strategies for
identifying and correcting your errors.
8. Look for one type of error at a time.
This advice brought to you by Purdue
University Online Writing Lab @
http://owl.english.purdue.edu
and by Toddy Heyden, author of “Why
can't I stop correcting? Overcoming my
resistance to changing how I teach.”
“Editing is best done at the end of the
writing process (Elbow, 1981).”
A Review of Some Common
Errors
Use Commas Correctly
 Before a conjunction joining two
independent clauses.
– Martin said that he would be late, but he arrived
on time.
 After an introductory phrase that begins a
sentence.
– After you have earned your degree, you will be
eligible for a promotion.
Commas
 To set off nouns in direct address, appositives,
conjunctive adverbs, and parenthetical
remarks.
– Shelby, did you return the library book?
– He, according to our records, is employed as a
marine biologist.
 To separate independent adjectives.
– She was an efficient, dependable employee.
Commas
 To separate elements of addresses or dates.
– We live at 22 W. Nora, Spokane, Washington.
– She was born on July 3, 1892, in South Dakota.
Use Semicolons
 To separate two or more independent clauses
without a conjunction.
– Stocks have increased in value; bonds have
decreased in value.
 To improve clarity between two independent
clauses with a conjunction when one of the
clauses has internal commas.
– Regardless of the treatment, including drug
therapy, Ms. Brunson did not respond in any way;
and her headaches persisted.
Semicolons
 Between independent clauses when a
transitional expression introduces the
second clause.
– Steve’s suggestion was not accepted; however,
his logic was difficult to refute.
The Colon
 Use a colon to introduce a list that follows
introductory words that mean “as follows”
– Greg was promoted for these reasons: his
marketing experience, his performance evaluation,
and his positive attitude.
 Use a colon when a list follows on separate
lines.
– Please answer the following questions:
1. When will you leave?
2. How long will you stay?
3. When will you return?
Common Errors
 Do NOT use a colon
when the list follows a
verb or a preposition.
 Do NOT use a colon
when another sentence
follows the
introductory sentence
and precedes the list.
Avoid Subject-Verb Agreement
Errors
 Subjects separated from verbs
– Everyone in those departments participates in the
program.
 Intervening phrases are not considered the subject.
– Ms. Stockman, as well as her sisters, is going to
Europe.
 Subjects joined by “and” are plural.
– Both Mr. Johnson and his boss were waiting for the
shuttle.
 When subjects are joined by or, the verb
should agree with the closest subject.
 If one of the subjects is plural, put that
subject closest to the verb.
– Ms. Binder or her assistants are reviewing the
file.
Indefinite Pronouns
Singular
every + one
any
+
body
some
+ thing
each, either, every,
many a, neither,
nobody, nothing
Plural
both, few,
many,
several
Both
All, more,
most, some,
any, none
Modifier Placement
 For clarity, place the modifier as close as
possible to the word modified.
– The missing book was found by Terry under the
bed.
 Introductory verbal phrases must modify the
subject of the sentence.
– Working overtime, the project was completed.
– After studying several opportunities, this job was
the most desirable.
Parallelism
 Words, phrases, or clauses joined by
conjunctions must be in the same grammatical
form.
– Tim’s responsibilities include supervising five
programmers, writing monthly progress reports,
and the coordination of projects.
– Tim’s responsibilities include supervising five
programmers, writing monthly progress reports,
and coordinating projects.
– He not only wants to work in Manhattan but also
to live in Manhattan.
– He wants not only to work in Manhattan but also
to live in Manhattan.
– He not only wants to work in Manhattan but also
wants to live in Manhattan.
Use Positive Language
 Say what can or should be done, not what
can’t or shouldn’t
– We cannot process your application because
you did not sign the form.
– We will process your application promptly if
you will please sign the bottom of the form.
Use Active Voice
 The verb is in the active voice when the
subject of the sentence is doing the action.
 Active voice is more direct, more
economical, and takes responsibility.
– The company has added several new features to
its benefits package.
– The auditors found several errors in the
financial statement.
Passive Voice
 Passive voice focuses attention on the
recipient of the action.
 Use passive voice when the “doer” of the
action is unknown or unimportant.
– Several features have been added to the benefits
package.
– Several errors were found in the financial
statement.
Capitalization
 Capitalize a professional title that
immediately precedes a person’s name.
– We will meet with Program Director Mary
Costello after lunch.
 Do not capitalize a title when the person’s
name is used as a non-restrictive appositive.
– Our program director, Mary Costello, will be
attending the meeting.
 Do not capitalize a title when it follows a person’s
name.
– Marty Smith, our operations manager, will be leaving at
the end of the month.
 Do not capitalize a title when it is used in place of
a person’s name.
– Our operations manager will be leaving at the end of
the month.
Geographic Locations
 Capitalize nicknames of specific places.
– Spokane is called the Lilac City.
 Capitalize directions when they are part of a
specific regional designation or nickname.
– Eastern Washington is sometimes referred to as the
“Inland Empire.”
– She grew up in the northern corner of the Idaho
Panhandle.
Organizational Names
 Capitalize the official name of a division or
department within a business organization.
– Send a copy of the letter to the Customer Service
Department.
 Do not capitalize the name of the function of a
department that is being used because the official
departmental name is not known.
– Please have someone from your customer service
department call me.
Numbers
 Generally, use words for the numbers one
through ten and figures for numbers greater than
ten.
– I worked there for five years before transferring.
– She has worked for this company for 25 years.
 Use words for numbers that begin sentences.
– Twenty-seven of our workers have been laid off.
Numbers, cont.
 Express related numbers in the same form.
– I ordered 5 dictionaries, 3 style guides, and 12
sets of worksheets.
Proofread for correctness
Proofread, proofread, proofread!