Writing Analytically, 6th Edition - Rosenwasser, David & Stephen, Jill.original_ [278]
The concept of Standard Written English has been controversial. Critics argue that the concept enforces the language practices of privileged groups and discriminates against the practices of less powerful groups in the culture. The best-known instance of this discrimination appears in the matter of subject-verb agreement among some African-Americans who leave off the verb ending -s in the third person singular present tense.
Standard Written English: He walks to town. (singular)
They walk to town. (plural)
Dialect: He walk to town. (singular)
They walk to town. (plural)
Speakers of the dialect do not differentiate singular from plural verb forms with a terminal “–s” in the present tense (only), as in standard written English.
If you look up the term “Ebonics” you can study the debate about whether or not this particular “error” is descended from syntactical patterns in African languages. Like all ethical debates, this one is not easily resolved. In practical terms, however, you should be aware that these two ways of handling subject–verb agreement are recognized by linguists not in terms of right versus wrong but rather in terms of dialect difference.
A dialect is a variety of a language characteristic of a region or culture and is sometimes unintelligible to outsiders. The problem for speakers of a dialect that differs from the norm is that they can’t always rely on the ear—on what sounds right—when they are editing according to the rules of standard written English. Such speakers need, in effect, to learn to speak more than one dialect so that they can edit according to the rules of standard written English in situations where this would be expected. This adaptation often requires adding a separate proofreading stage for particular errors, like subject–verb agreement, rather than relying on what sounds right.
BWE 4: SHIFTS IN SENTENCE STRUCTURE (FAULTY PREDICATION)
This error involves an illogical mismatch between subject and predicate. If you continually run afoul of faulty predication, you might use the exercises in a handbook to drill you on isolating the grammatical subjects and verbs of sentences because that is the first move you need to make in fixing the problem.
Faulty Predication
In 1887, the release of more information became available.
Correction
In 1887, more information became available for release. [new subject]
It was the “information,” not the “release,” that “became available.” The correction relocates “information” from its position as object of the preposition “of ” to the subject position in the sentence; it also moves “release” into a prepositional phrase.
Faulty Predication
The busing controversy was intended to rectify the inequality of educational opportunities.
Correction
Busing was intended to rectify the inequality of educational opportunities. [new subject formulated to match verb]
The controversy wasn’t intended to rectify, but busing was.
Test yourself 19.4: Faulty Predication
Identify and correct the faulty predication in this example:
The subject of learning disabilities is difficult to identify accurately.
BWE 5: ERRORS IN PRONOUN REFERENCE
There are at least three forms of this problem. All of them involve a lack of clarity about whom or what a pronoun (a word that substitutes for a noun) refers to. The surest way to avoid difficulties is to make certain the pronoun relates back unambiguously to a specific word, known as the antecedent. In the sentence “Nowadays appliances don’t last as long as they once did,” the noun “appliances” is the antecedent of the pronoun “they.”
Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement A pronoun must agree in number (and gender) with the noun or noun phrase that it refers to.
Pronoun Error: Plural Pronoun With Singular Antecedent It can be dangerous if a child, after watching TV, decides to practice what they saw.
Corrections
It can be dangerous if children, after watching TV, decide to practice what they saw. [antecedent (and