Diction and Usage
1. Then he give him a punch in the nose.
Really two errors here. Subject-Verb agreement, and tense changes, the word “then” makes the action past tense so the sentence should read, “Then he gave him…” If this sentence were not in past tense, the verb would still be incorrect as it should read, “He gives him…”
2. He was sick for a period of time.
Vague – You need an adjective with this phrase, “a period of time” is a noun phrase and it does not give us any specific information. This sentence should read, “He was sick for a long [or short] period of time.”
3. The reporter’s purpose was to relate the main points of the book.
No problems here.
4. The writer tried his best to get his ideas across to the reader, but he did not succeed.
5. The stone was so heavy that I couldn’t hardly lift it.
“Hardly” implies that it could be lifted a little bit and so this contradicts “couldn’t.” This sentence can be fixed two different ways: “The stone was so heavy that I could hardly lift it.” OR “The stone was so heavy that I couldn’t lift it.”
6. Carl became so livid with anger that his face looked like a giant.
Possessive noun – Carl’s face is being compared to one that belongs to a giant, so “giant” should be in possessive form. Correct: “Carl was so livid with anger that his face looked like a giant’s.”
7. The river is not a safe place for people to swim.
No problems here.
8. The basic fundamentals of the game are not hard to learn.
Redundant – The words “basic” and “fundamental” mean the same thing so this sentence is in effect saying, “The basic basics [or the fundamental fundamentals] of the game…” Delete either “basic” or “fundamentals” to fix this sentence.
9. I cannot and will not do it under any circumstances.
Although this sounds redundant, it is acceptable for emphasis and because “cannot” and “will not” actually have different meanings.
10. He don’t like those apples.
Subject-verb agreement with the word “don’t”; the sentence should read, “He doesn’t like those apples.” The word “those” is fine.
11. We got everything that we asked for.
No problems here.
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This page last updated on 2/11/03