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Grammatically Correct: Mixed Constructions Nonsense

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by Dodici Azpadu

061957-firey-orange-jelly-icon-people-things-people-singing200As writers, we can be lulled by careless speech into thinking that what we hear is correct on paper.

The reason the Yankees lost the series was because of their pitching.Sounds correct, doesn’t it? Phrases like the following often result in mixed construction: is when, is where, the reason … is or was.

These words suggest place, time, and causality; however, place, time, and causality often do not make sense with the verbs is, are, was, or were. After forms of the verb to be (is, are, was, were), a noun that renames the subject or an adjective that modifies the subject is customary. In the example above was is followed by an adverbial clause because of their pitching. The correct way to write the sentence is:

The Yankees lost the series because of their pitching.Misplaced, Limited and Dangling Modifiers
Mixed constructions are frequently related to misplaced and dangling modifiers because errors in these groups do not make logical or grammatical sense. Misplaced limiting modifiers are epidemic in speech. Use the following limiting modifiers cautiously: only, even, almost, nearly and just.

I only want my father to pay for tuition.In this sentence, only modifies the verb want. Surely the speaker has other wants. Do not put a limiting modifier in front of a verb, unless you intend to modify the verb. The rule is to place a limiting modifier directly in front of the word or words it modifies. The meaning of a sentence changes depending on where only is placed.

I want only my father to pay for tuition.
I want my father to pay for tuition only.Consider another example of a misplaced limiting modifier.

I just went to the grocery store, not to the bar.Just modifies went, but to what purpose? Correctly written, just limits grocery store, not went, as in the example that follows.

I went just to the grocery store, not to the bar.Sometimes you do want to limit the verb, as in the following example.

Sometimes, I can’t even find the keyboard, much less strike the keys.You may leave the grammatical subtleties to a paid copy editor, or you can save money by avoiding the faulty construction, which is often wordy as well as incorrect.

TracesOfAWoman100

Dodici Azpadu, MFA, PhD is a novelist, short story writer, and poet. Her fiction publications include: Saturday Night in the Prime of Life and Goat Song (Aunt Lute/Spinsters Ink) and subsequently Onlywoman (London, England). Living Room (2010) and Traces of a Woman (2014), both by Neuma Books, are available as ebooks. She’s currently at work on a novel, tentatively titled Living Lies.

WearingThePhantomOut100Her poetry publications include Wearing the Phantom Out (2013) and Rumi’s Falcon from Neuma Books. Individual poems have appeared in Malpais Review, Adobe Walls, ContraACultura (online), Parnassus, Sinister Wisdom, Latuca, The Rag, and The Burning Bush. Her work has also been anthologized in Centos: A Collage of Poems and Hey Pasean!

Dodici teaches “The Joy of Poetry” and “Craft of Creating Writing” classes through University of New Mexico’s Osher Lifelong Learning.

This article was originally published in the June 2011 issue of SouthWest Sage and is reprinted here by permission of the author.



Grammatically Correct: To Comma or Not to Comma

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by Dodici Azpadu

061957-firey-orange-jelly-icon-people-things-people-singing200

If writers understand the basic rules for comma usage, they will not worry about unnecessary commas. However, some people prefer to operate by what not to do. That’s why even the most rigorous grammar texts include sections on unnecessary commas.

Most writers know that a comma is necessary between compound independent clauses, and the comma is followed by a coordinating conjunction to be correct.

Bob returned the lawnmower, and he asked to borrow the clippers. [Correct]

Most writers also know that if the subject (he) of the second clause is removed, the comma is also deleted.

Bob returned the lawnmower and asked to borrow the clippers. [Correct]

The compound elements returned the lawnmower (verb and object) and asked to borrow the clippers (verb and object) are connected without a comma.

So the rule is: No comma between compound elements unless the elements are independent clauses.

A slightly more complicated version of this application occurs when the compound elements are subordinate clauses.

She said that she was serious, but that she wasn’t rigid. [Incorrect]

The compound elements are both dependent clauses introduced by that, so no comma is necessary.

She said that she was serious but that she wasn’t rigid. [Correct]

Another curious rule regarding unnecessary commas: No comma between an adjective and a noun or between an adverb and an adjective. Most writers would never use a comma between an adjective and a noun in a sentence like the following.

It was a dirty job. [Correct]

Some writers have a problem when the adjective noun occurs as part of a series.

It was a boring, dirty, job. [Incorrect]

It was a boring, dirty job. [Correct]

If writers remember how to use an adjective and noun (dirty job), they can apply the rule to adverb and adjective combinations.

He was a dangerously, rebellious boy. [Incorrect]

He was a dangerously rebellious boy. [Correct]

As in many situations, judgment calls are the most difficult. Another rule for unnecessary commas is: No commas to set off restrictive or mildly parenthetical elements. Simply stated, commas are unnecessary if the element restricts the meaning or is essential for the meaning.

The film, Hero, is an epic of Chinese history. [Incorrect]

The film Hero is an epic of Chinese history. [Correct]

Not just any film is an epic of Chinese history. The specific film is essential to the meaning.

Judgment calls also come with parenthetical expressions. The following sentence contains the rule and the example.

Some parenthetical expressions, by the nature of the qualifying information contained in them, require commas. [Correct]

However, when it comes to unnecessary commas the rule is: No commas to set off mildly parenthetical expressions.

She, essentially, taught reading and writing. [Incorrect]

She essentially taught reading and writing. [Correct]

Comma usage is one reason writers keep a grammar book on their work tables. When in doubt, check the table of contents or the index under unnecessary commas.

TracesOfAWoman

Dodici Azpadu, MFA, PhD is a novelist, short story writer, and poet. Her fiction publications include: Saturday Night in the Prime of Life and Goat Song (Aunt Lute/Spinsters Ink) and subsequently Onlywoman (London, England). Living Room (2010) and Traces of a Woman (2014), both by Neuma Books, are available as ebooks. She’s currently at work on a novel, tentatively titled Living Lies.

WearingThePhantomOut100Her poetry publications include Wearing the Phantom Out (2013) and Rumi’s Falcon from Neuma Books. Individual poems have appeared in Malpais Review, Adobe Walls, ContraACultura (online), Parnassus, Sinister Wisdom, Latuca, The Rag, and The Burning Bush. Her work has also been anthologized in Centos: A Collage of Poems and Hey Pasean!
Dodici teaches “The Joy of Poetry” and “Craft of Creating Writing” classes through University of New Mexico’s Osher Lifelong Learning.

This article was originally published in the October 2011 issue of SouthWest Sage and is reprinted here by permission of the author.



Grammatically Correct: Fixing Run-on Sentences

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by Dodici Azpadu

061957-firey-orange-jelly-icon-people-things-people-singing200Complex and compound sentences add depth and nuance to writing, but they must be constructed and connected correctly; otherwise, the errors make us look like amateurs.

This is a run-on sentence it contains two independent clauses incorrectly connected.

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence; however, two independent clauses cannot be in the same sentence without a proper connection. If we omit a connection, the error is a fused sentence (as above). If we place a comma between the independent clauses, the error is a comma splice (below).

This is a run-on sentence, it contains two independent clauses incorrectly connected.

Comma splices are relatively easy to repair. After the comma, simply add one of the seven coordinating conjunctions. The mnemonic FANBOYS contains the coordinating conjunctions: FOR, AND, NOR, BUT, OR, YET and SO.

A semi-colon between independent clauses will also repair a run-on sentence.

This is no longer a run-on sentence; it contains two independent clauses correctly connected.

If the second independent clause explains the first (or summarizes it), we could replace the semi-colon with a colon or a dash. Use the dash only in informal writing.

This is no longer a run-on sentence: it contains two independent clauses correctly connected.

We can also repair run-on sentences by using a semi-colon, a transitional expression, and a comma, as in the sentence below. Transitional expressions include conjunctive adverbs such as therefore, consequently, however, and other transitional phrases like as a matter of fact, for example, and on the other hand.

This is no longer a run-on sentence; as a matter of fact, it contains two independent clauses correctly connected.

We can also restructure run-on sentences by making one of the independent clauses dependent. Then, we need only a comma to separate the clauses. If the independent clause begins the sentence, we can usually omit the separating comma.

While some sentences run on, others are short.
Some sentences are short while others run on.

These tips are guidelines. For better or worse, published writers frequently ignore grammar conventions.

TracesOfAWoman

Dodici Azpadu, MFA, PhD is a novelist, short story writer, and poet. Her fiction publications include: Saturday Night in the Prime of Life and Goat Song (Aunt Lute/Spinsters Ink) and subsequently Onlywoman (London, England). Living Room (2010) and Traces of a Woman (2014), both by Neuma Books, are available as ebooks. She’s currently at work on a novel, tentatively titled Living Lies.

WearingThePhantomOut100Her poetry publications include Wearing the Phantom Out (2013) and Rumi’s Falcon from Neuma Books. Individual poems have appeared in Malpais Review, Adobe Walls, ContraACultura (online), Parnassus, Sinister Wisdom, Latuca, The Rag, and The Burning Bush. Her work has also been anthologized in Centos: A Collage of Poems and Hey Pasean!
Dodici teaches “The Joy of Poetry” and “Craft of Creating Writing” classes through University of New Mexico’s Osher Lifelong Learning.

This article was originally published in the January 2011 issue of SouthWest Sage and is reprinted here by permission of the author.



Grammar Tips: Excuse Me. Your Modifier Is Dangling.

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by Dodici Azpadu

061957-firey-orange-jelly-icon-people-things-people-singing200Dangling modifiers hint at a subject, but fail to refer logically to any words in the sentence. They cause confusion; occasionally, they cause a smile. Easy to correct, dangling modifiers are often difficult to spot. Look at the sentences below.

As a young man, my sister often pushed her girlfriends on me.
Seated in the car, the soft music filled my ear buds.

We can usually grasp the meaning of these faulty sentences, but when a sentence opens with a modifying word or clause, readers expect the subject of the next clause to name the actor of the modification.

We cannot simply move the modifier to a different part of the sentence. Look what happens to the examples.

My sister often pushed her girlfriends on me as a young man. [The gender is still mixed.]
The soft music filled my ear buds seated in the car. [Along with your tush.]

Repair the sentence by naming the actor in the subject of the sentence or in the modifier.

When I was a young man, my sister often pushed her girlfriends on me.
Seated in the car, I listened to soft music fill my ear buds.

Sometimes modifiers are simply misplaced. My personal favorite follows.

The bandit was a six-foot-tall cowboy with a heavy mustache, weighing 160 pounds.

Readers should be able to see immediately the relationship of the words. In order to avoid dangling modifiers, we are sometimes in a hurry to name a subject.

The politician, after years of corruption, greed, and nepotism, was voted out of office.

Generally, we should avoid long phrases that separate a subject and verb. Try this:

After years of corruption, greed, and nepotism, the politician was voted out of office.

Correct written grammar and standard punctuation don’t come easily to many of us. Language is always changing, and technology has accelerated the pace of change. I frequently refer to The Bedford Handbook by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers because I’ve taught college writing from it for years. The Elements of Style by Shrunk and White is also excellent.

TracesOfAWoman

Dodici Azpadu, MFA, PhD is a novelist, short story writer, and poet. Her fiction publications include: Saturday Night in the Prime of Life and Goat Song (Aunt Lute/Spinsters Ink) and subsequently Onlywoman (London, England). Living Room (2010) and Traces of a Woman (2014), both by Neuma Books, are available as ebooks. She’s currently at work on a novel, tentatively titled Living Lies. 

WearingThePhantomOut100Her poetry publications include Wearing the Phantom Out (2013) and Rumi’s Falcon from Neuma Books. Individual poems have appeared in Malpais Review, Adobe Walls, ContraACultura (online), Parnassus, Sinister Wisdom, Latuca, The Rag, and The Burning Bush. Her work has also been anthologized in Centos: A Collage of Poems and Hey Pasean!
Dodici teaches “The Joy of Poetry” and “Craft of Creating Writing” classes through University of New Mexico’s Osher Lifelong Learning.

This article was originally published in the December 2010 issue of SouthWest Sage and is reprinted here by permission of the author.



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