Writing Analytically, 6th Edition - Rosenwasser, David & Stephen, Jill [273]
In addition to the usual lead, rhythm, and bass guitar ensemble, Rubber Soul introduced new instruments—notably, the harpsichord interlude in “In My Life,” the sitar spiraling through “Norwegian Wood”—that had not previously been heard in rock ‘n’ roll.
NINE BASIC WRITING ERRORS AND HOW TO FIX THEM
If you’re unsure about some of the terms you encounter in the discussions of BWEs, see the Glossary of Grammatical Terms at the end of this chapter. You’ll also find brief Test Yourself questions interspersed throughout this section. Do them: it’s easy to conclude that you understand a problem when you are shown the correction, but understanding is not the same thing as actively practicing. There’s an appendix to this chapter that—as mentioned earlier—contains answers to these sections, along with explanations.
Some Advice on Proofreading
Have a separate proofreading phase at the end of your composing process in which you attend only to grammar and punctuation.
Look at each sentence as a discrete unit. If you have trouble doing this—if you get caught up in the flow of your thinking—try proofreading the paper backward. Start with the last sentence, then the next-to-last, and move all the way from back to front.
Circle each punctuation mark, and ask yourself why it is there. In this way, you will be more likely to find commas where there should be periods.
Read your paper out loud with a pencil in hand. Writers are much more likely to notice errors when they hear them. (Many of the BWEs typically make sentences difficult to follow and difficult to read out loud.)
BWE 1: SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
The most basic of writing errors, a sentence fragment, is a group of words punctuated like a complete sentence but lacking the necessary structure: it is only part of a sentence. Typically, a sentence fragment occurs when the group of words in question (1) lacks a subject, (2) lacks a predicate, or (3) is a subordinate (or dependent) clause.
To fix a sentence fragment, either turn it into an independent clause by providing whatever is missing—a subject or a predicate—or attach it to an independent clause on which it can depend.
Noun Clause (No Predicate) as a Fragment
A world where imagination takes over and sorrow is left behind.
This fragment is not a sentence but rather a noun clause—a sentence subject with no predicate. The fragment lacks a verb that would assert something about the subject. (The verbs takes over and is left are in a dependent clause created by the subordinating conjunction where.)
Corrections
A world arose where imagination takes over and sorrow is left behind. [new verb matched to “a world”]
She entered a world where imagination takes over and sorrow is left behind. [new subject and verb added]
The first correction adds a new verb (“arose”). The second introduces a new subject and verb, converting the fragment into the direct object of “she entered.”
Verbal as a Fragment
Falling into debt for the fourth consecutive year.
“Falling” in the preceding fragment is not a verb. Depending on the correction, “falling” is either a verbal or part of a verb phrase.
Corrections
The company was falling into debt for the fourth consecutive year. [subject and helping verb added]
Falling into debt for the fourth consecutive year led the company to consider relocating. [new predicate added]
Falling into debt for the fourth consecutive year, the company considered relocating. [new subject and verb added]
In the first correction, the addition of a subject and the helping verb “was” converts the fragment into a sentence. The second correction turns the fragment into a gerund phrase functioning as the subject of a new sentence. The third correction converts the fragment into a participial phrase attached to a new independent clause. (See the section entitled Glossary of Grammatical Terms and look under “verbal” for definitions of “gerund” and “participle.”)
Subordinate Clause as a Fragment
I had