ENG.   MR. SAITZ    MAJOR ERRORS                 p.1

       Major errors are those which, when found in an essay or other piece
       of writing, can seriously affect the reader's understanding.
       Unfortunately, they are usually not noticed by the writer who is
       proof reading quickly because s/he is aware of what is meant or
       implied by the writing. These errors usually penalize the writer by
       lowering the overall mark of the writing because the content is
       unclear or marks are deducted for sloppy communicattion.

       Some, but not all, of the major errors are:

          1.       Pronoun Reference errors
        

                A --ambiguous pronoun reference
                                This is when a pronoun can refer
       grammatically to more than one antecedent.
                
                The teacher informed the student that he needed another
       test booklet.  (who needed the test booklet?)
                Jane said that her mother became pregnant before she
       graduated from high school  (was Jane's mother a child bride?)
                After Jack combed the horse's mane, it ran around the
       field. (What ran around the field, the horse or the mane?)

                B- Implied antecedent
                        A pronoun's antecedent is only implied by the
       wording of the sentence.

                In the armed forces, they can retire at an early age. (Who
       are "they"?)

           2- Misplaced Modifiers

             a-  If a modifier is placed inocrrectly, your statement will
        be illogical and confusing.     Place your modifiers as closely
        as possible to the word or words which they modify.     

                The old man walked into the lamp post going to the
       optician.  (Who had the bad eyesight, the lamp post or the old
       man?)
                He crossed the stream in a canoe, which was recently
       stocked with fish.

                During the summer vacation she nearly earned a thousand
       dollars.  (You cannot nearly earn.)

                He almost ran twenty miles in the marathon race.  (He did
       not almost run).

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       MAJOR ERRORS           PAGE 2


       Students who study often get good grades.  (does often modify
       study, or does it refer to good grades?

            b- Dangling Modifiers

                Participial phrase-- Cited by the writer, the student did
                  not know the source of the quotation (the quotation, not
                  the student was cited).
                Gerund Phrase--Approaching the guard rail on Lookout
                   Mountain, a vast expanse of farmland
                   could be seen. (Who approached the guardrail?)
                Infinitive Phrase-- To appreciate the English language,
                               reading must be done. (Who must read?)
                Prepositional Phrase-- After four weeks at sea, my wife
                               was happy to see me. (Who was at sea?)
                Elliptical Phrase-- When on the top floor of the tall
                    building, the cars looked like tiny fish
                    in a stream. (Who is describing this scene?)
        
            To correct dangling modifiers, you must usually reword the
       entire sentence.
	
	Sentence Errors that you have already studied:

                3- Sentence Fragment
                4- Comma Splice
                5- Fused or Run-on Sentence