Presentation

on
Sentence correction
& common
mistakes

M Badrul Arefin
Director General (Secretary to the Govt.)
National Academy for Planning & Development
Ministry of Planning
1
 Sentence correction
Well command in tense :
1. It was many years since we meet first. (wrong)
It was many years since we had met first. (right)
2 . I saw him go. > I saw him going.
3. It was long since I saw her last. > It was long since I had
seen her last.
( If there is past tense before ‘since’, after since there will be
‘past perfect’)
3. It was many years since we first meet. > It was many
years since we had first met
 Sentence correction (Cont.)
4.The patient died before the doctor came. > The patient had
died before the doctor came.
OR, The patient died after the doctor had came.
(Past perfect tense places ahead of ‘before’, and then
simple past tense. In the same way simple past tense places
ahead of ‘after’.)
5. I don’t want leave this place. > I don’t want to leave this
place.
6. I seen him recently. > I’ve seen him recently.
( Just, just now, recently, already, yet, ever etc. indicate
present perfect tense.)
7. It take time. > It takes time.
 Sentence correction (Cont.)
8. What you want ? > What do you want ?
9. Why Mrs. Henna Look so angry ? > Why does Mrs. Henna
look so angry ?
( Question starts with : ‘What, When, How, Where, Which, Who,
Why’ and ‘do, does did, are, is , were’ etc.
In a question, there will be 4 components. For example : What +
is+ your+ name ? When + are + you + going there ? Is there any
mistake ? )
10. Sing a song now . > She is singing a song now.
11. They play football at this moment. > They are playing football
at this moment. ( Now, at this moment etc. indicate present
continuous tense.)
12. No sooner he saw the rainbow than he came out of home. >
No sooner had he seen the rainbow he came out of home.
 Sentence correction (Cont.)
13. It is many years since I come to Dhaka. > It is many years
since I came to Dhaka.
14. You had better to go home. > You had better go home.
(After “had better, had rather, would better, would rather, let,
must, need, dare” etc. will be present form and ‘to’ will be
removed before from verb.)
15. I will not let you to enter the classroom. > I would not let
you enter the classroom.
16. Would that I go to office. > Would that I could go to office.
( Structure : Would that + Subject + could+ present form of
verb)
17. He ran away having take money. > He ran away having
taken money. ( Having + PP)
 Sentence correction (Cont.)
18. I went to the library with view to read books. >
I went to library with view to reading books.
(Structure : Mind/worth/ without/past/cannot help/could not
help/with a view to/ look forward to/would you mind/ get used to/
preposition +verb-ing )
19. It’s high time he changes his bad habit. > It’s high time he
changed his bad habit.
( Structure: It is high time/ it is time/wish/fancy + sub+ past
tense.)
20. He speaks as though he knows everything. > He speaks as
though he knew everything.
21. He spoke as if he knew everything. > He spoke as if he
had known everything.
 Sentence correction (Cont.)
22. I wish I was a king. > I wish I were a king.
(structure: Sub+ verb /wish + as though/ as if/ + sub+
were+ object)
23. One of the boys were absent yesterday. > One of the
boys was absent yesterday.
24. He said that he go home next day/next month/ next week.
> He said that he would go home next day.
25. If he came I will go. > If he came I would go.
26.I would help him if he wants. > I would help him if he
wanted.
27. If you had started earlier, you caught the flight. > If you
had started earlier you would/could have caught the flight.
 Sentence correction (Cont.)
28. Had I been a king I would helped the poor. > Had I been
a poor I would have helped the poor.
If I were a bird, I fly.> If I were a bird I would fly.
If I were you , I will do this. > If I were you I would not do
this.
If I were a king I help the poor. > If I were a king I would
help (or would have helped) the poor.
I had my rice cook. > I had my rice cooked.
He ran fast lest he miss the flight. > He ran fast lest he
should/might miss the flight.
While walk in the garden, a viper bit him. > While
walking in the garden, a viper bit him.
 Error in tense
If I were a bird, I fly.> If I were a bird I would fly.
If I were you , I will do this. > If I were you I
would not do this.
If I were a king I help the poor. > If I were a king
I would help ( or would have helped) the poor.
I had my rice cook. > I had my rice cooked.
He ran fast lest he miss the flight. > He ran fast
lest he should/might miss the flight.
While walk in the garden, a viper bit him. >
While walking in the garden, a viper bit him.

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 Mistake in the subject-verb agreement
1. Diabetes are a incurable diseases. > Diabetes is a
incurable disease.
2. The teacher, as well as the principal were excited. > The
teacher, as well the principal was excited
3. Karim, along with his friends , have come today. > Karim
,along his friends ,has come today.
4. The committee members or the student write everyday.
>The committee members or the student writes
everyday.
( Rule of proximity in case of ‘OR’)
5. All the furniture, bought last, year is damaged by insects.
> All furniture bought last
year were damaged by insects.
6. The group meet with the minister. > The group meets
with the minister.
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 Mistake in the subject-verb agreement (Cont.)
 Bread and butter are taken in the breakfast. > Bread and
butter is taken in the breakfast.
 Great pains have been taken ( not has been)
 Much pains has been taken ( not have been)
(Pains is either be singular or plural, but their structure
is different)
 Time and tide waits for none.
 He and I were playing.
 The novelist and poet is dead.
 Honor and glory is his reward.
 The ship, with its crew, was lost.
 Justice, as well as mercy, allows it.
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 Mistake in the subject-verb agreement (Cont.)
 Neither food nor water was to be found there.
 Neither you nor he is to blame.
 Many a man has done so.
 Fifteen minutes is allowed to each speaker.
 Ten kilometers is a long walk.
 Fifty thousand Taka is a large sum for me.
 The United States has a big navy.
 None are so deaf as those who will not hear.
 Twelve dozen cost five hundred taka.
 He is mistaken, or else I am.
 Either he or I am mistaken.
 The Arabian Knights is still a great favorite.
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 Mistake in repetition

1. He returned back home from Chottagram. > He

came back home from Chattogram.
The soldiers retreated back to the cannon. > The
soldiers retreated to the cannon.

2. They scare looking the huge fuming smoke

suddenly coming out from the bed room. > They
scare looking huge fume ( or, smoke) suddenly
coming out from the bed room.

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 Parallelism
1. Sonia likes to dancing, sing, and cooking.
> Sonia likes to dance, sing and cook.
OR, Sonia likes to dancing, singing and cooking.

2. Travelling, fishing, and drive are my hobbies. >

Travelling, fishing, and driving are my hobbies.

( Rule : different phrase/words performing the

same function should be used in the same
format).

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 Error in diction
A diction error refers to the error in choice of
words/phrases.
Affect / effect .
It affects the outcome / The effect of decision
Latter / later.
Few / less
Argue against / Argue with
1. Corona virus has affected our lives enormously.
2. The after effect of corona virus is very painful as the
patients suffer from a lot of difficulties of different
physical organs.
3. A few participants passed in the exam.
4. I found less amount of water in the pitcher. 15
 Wrong comparisons
1. Johnis wiser than all men. (Incorrect)
1. John is wiser than all other men. (Correct)

2. Dhaka is larger than all cities in Bangladesh.

(Incorrect)
2. Dhaka is larger than all other cities in Bangladesh.
(Correct)

3. Foster is taller than all other boys in the class.

(Incorrect)
3. Foster is taller than most other boys in the class.
(Correct)
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 Noun and pronoun
Wrong : He gave me an advice.
Right : He gave me some advice (or: a piece of advice)

Wrong : The sceneries here are very charming.

Right : The scenery here is very charming.
(Rule : Advice, news, information, furniture,
luggage, work, business, weather, scenery, paper,
bread are countable noun and all are singular.)
He is taller than me ( not I).
I am as tall as her ( not she).

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 Noun & pronoun (Cont.)
 Nature’s law, The Governor’s bodyguards, fortune’s favorite.
 For goodness’ sake, at his fingers’ ends, out of arm’s away, the
boat’s crew, girls’ school.
 A day’s work, in a year’s time, a hand’s breadth.
 The King and Queen’s journey to Wales.
 My brother Harry’s watch.
 This is my uncle, engineer’s office.
 Let you and me ( not I) do it.
 Everyone can do it if he tries.
 Everyone ran as fast as he could.
 (Note : At present, anybody, everyone etc. are often
followed by a plural pronoun , like they, them, their etc.)
 Anybody can do it if they try.
 Each of them had their share.
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 Noun & pronoun (Cont.)

Whom do you want to see ?

Who (not whom) do you believe him to be ?
( Note : Today Whom is not usual except formal
English)
Who did you meet ?
Who are you going with ?
One must use one’s best efforts if one wishes to
succeed.
One must not boast of one’s own success.
( Note : One should be used throughout)
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 Adjectives
 He looks dainty.
 It tastes sour.
 He feels sad.
 He spoke angrily.
( Inferior, superior, senior, junior, prior, anterior, posterior, take to
instead of than )
 John is inferior to Keats in intelligence.
 He is senior to me .
 Solomon was wiser than all other men.
 The Amazon is the largest of all rivers.
Unique, ideal, perfect, complete, universal, entire, extreme, chief,
square, round etc. are already superlative word.
 So, don’t say: Most unique, chiefest, extremist, quite unique.
: But we still say, most perfect specimen I have seen.
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 Adjectives (Cont.)
The two first is a meaningless expression. Meaningful expression is the
first two.
 The first two ( not the two first) chapters of the novel are rather dull.
(Few & A few have different meaning : Few is negative, it means not
many, hardly any. A few is positive. It means some.)
 Few person can keep a secret.
 A few words spoken in earnest will convince him.
(Similarly Little = not much; a little = some, not much.)
(Latter is often wrongly used for last. When there are two use only; last
when there are more.)
 Of the three, tea, coffee and cocoa, the last ( not latter) is his
favorite. ( Verbal is often wrongly used for oral. The opposite of Written
is oral,
not verbal)
 The led was sent with a oral message to the doctor.
 There are two verbal differences in the manuscript. ( differences in
words)
( Don’t say, ‘our mutual friend’; say, ‘our common friend’)
 We were introduced to each other by a common ( not mutual) friend.
 We happened to meet at the house of a common friend.
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 Verbs
Discuss, describe, order, request are transitive verb.
 We discussed about the matter yesterday. (discussed the
matter..)
 I have ordered for three cups of coffee. (ordered three cups…)
 He requested for my help. ( requested my..)
Make should not be used with the to-infinitive; but in passive form
make is used with the to-infinitive.
 She made the boy do the whole work.
 The boy was made to do the whole work.
Enjoy, avoid, miss, postpone, suggest should be used with the
gerund, not with the to-infinitive.
 He enjoys swimming. ( not: to swim)
 He avoids meeting people. ( not: to avoid)
 We missed seeing the Prime Minister. ( not: to see)
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 Verbs (Cont.
 John told to me about it. (John told me..)
(Verb tell is followed by an indirect object.)
 I want that you should meet him. ( I want you should meet him)
(Want should not be used with that-clause.)
 I suggest you to apply for the post. ( I suggest that you should apply..)
(Suggest should be used with that-clause)
Careful about the verb lay and lie. Lay is a transitive verb and followed
by an object: the verb lie is an intransitive and cannot have an object.
Lay, laid, laid. Lie, lay, lain
 Lay the children down to sleep.
 I laid the book on the table.
 The hen has laid an egg.
 Let me lie here.
 He lay under that banyan-tree.
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 Verbs (Cont.)
A common blunder is to leave the Participle without proper
agreement or with no agreement at all.
 Sitting on the gate, a scorpion stung him. (Wrong)
Correct :Sitting on the gate , he was stung by a scorpion.
OR: While he was sitting on the gate, a scorpion stung him.
 Being a very hot day, I remained in my tent. (Wrong)
Correct : As it was a very hot day, I remained in my tent.
 Ten new members have been enrolled, and seven resigned.
(Wrong)
Correct :Ten new members have been enrolled and seven have
resigned.
 He never has, and never will, take such strong measures.
(Wrong)
Correct: He never has taken, and never will take , such strong
measures.
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 Adverbs
 He is very ( not so) weak.
 Cricket is very ( not so) uncertain.
 He was so ( not that) tired that he could scarcely stand.
Too= more than enough, and it should not be used instead
of very or much.
 The news is too good to be true.
 He is too much exhausted to speak.
 My heart is too full for words.
 Kipling was never born in London. ( Kipling was not
born….)
 I never remember having met him. ( I do not remember
ever having…)
 Does she sing well ? Certainly ( not of course) she does.
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 Conjunction
 I shall not come unless ( not except) you need me.
 Unless ( not without) you apologize I will punish you.
 Scarcely had he gone , when ( not than) a policeman
knocked the door.
 No sooner had he retuned than ( not but) he was off
again.
 Such goods are made for export, and are seldom or
never ( not seldom or ever) used in this country.
Careful : Either….or ; Neither…nor; Not only …but also
 He lost not only his ticket, but also his luggage.
 He washed neither his hands nor his face.

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