Ytu writing center workshop common structural problems-verbs

YTU WRITING CENTERWORKSHOP

COMMON STRUCTURAL & LEXICAL PROBLEMS IN WRITINGVERBS

To begin with,

SOMETİMES YOU WRİTE

ESSAYS FULL OF İDEAS,

HOWEVER SOME STRUCTURAL

MİSTAKES MAY İRRİTATE

YOUR İNSTRUCTOR.

AS A RESULT, YOU STAND

WİTH YOUR PAPER FULL OF

RED COLOURED

CORRECTİONS İN YOUR HAND.

These sentence level problems,

instructors usually call them

“grammar mistakes”, may seem

hard to deal with.

However, they are not. You only

need more time and attention.

More time because YOU

SHOULD READ AND LISTEN TO

NATIVE SPEAKERS. This takes

time.

Day by day you will realise the

difference in your writing.

We will analyse problems with VERBS in sentences.

WHAT IS A VERB?

In this workshop,

A VERB is…

probably the most important part of a sentence.

Because, without a verb, it is not a sentence.

WHAT IS MORE, IF WE FIND THE RIGHT VERB,WE MAY EASILY START OUR SENTENCE.

For example

Find the right verb for the actions in each picture.

Pic.1

Pic.2 Pic.3

We can use ‘LOOK FOR’For the first picture

‘CLAP’ For the second

picture

‘CLIMB’ For the third picture

Our company is looking for university students who can work part-time.

The audience clapped hands after the show.

One can hardly climb a mountain without necessary equipment.

What are the most common problems with verbs in a sentence?A. Pseudo sentences with no verbsB.Errors in verb-tense structureC. Not paying attention to tenses &

tense coordination between sentences

D.Subject-verb agreement problems

E. Active-passive problemsF. Incorrect use of gerunds &

infinitives

A. Pseudo sentences with no verbsBelow are incorrect sentences taken from student essays(YTU Prep.)

a) “Bachelor house more comfortable than family house.”

b) “This book to talk about emotional event and real life”

c) “I'm Legend a film full of tension.”d) “he currently Nadal's coach”e) “this cars very expensive “

Can you find the mistake in each of them?

Turkish students tend to forget verb ‘to be’ the most. If there is no action in your sentence, it is easy to forget the verb.

A. Pseudo sentences with no verbsLet’s see the correct sentences with verbs:

“Bachelor house is more comfortable than family house.”

“This book talks about emotional event and real life”

“ ‘I'm Legend’ is a film full of tension.”

“He is currently Nadal's coach”

“These cars are very expensive “

B.Errors in verb tense structure

a. it dosen't be problemb. Also, computers been checked for regular use. c. All those people have seed the positive sides of

using this machine.d. We are try to solve problems.e. Did you repeated the same words?

Below are incorrect sentences taken from student essays(YTU Prep.)


B.Errors in verb tense structure

a. it is not dosen't be problemb. Also, computers have been checked for regular

use. c. All those people have seen seed the positive sides of

using this machine.d. We are trying to solve problems.e. Did you repeat repeated the same words?

Let’s see the correct verb tense structure.

The correct tense structure is important. This usually shows your accuracy in that language. Paying a little attention will help you in your writing.

C. Not paying attention to tenses & tense coordination between sentences

a. When he left, he will find his keys.b. They saw the man running along the

road. The two boys are starting to escape.

c. Istanbul is a nice metropol city so a lot of tourist came to Istanbul every year.



C. Not paying attention to tenses & tense coordination between sentences

a. When he left, he found will find his keys.

b. They saw the man running along the road. The two boys started are starting to escape.

c. Istanbul is a nice metropol city so a lot of tourists come came to Istanbul every year.

Let’s see the correct tense coordination between sentences.

D. Subject – Verb Agreement Problems

a. This book give scientific information to us. b. Everybody want to destroy the ring.c. A lot of touristic places waits for customers.d. These islands in Indian Ocean and Maldives has some

historical consequence.e. Other similarities is that people go swimming in all months.f. Both of them is very good players.



D. Subject – Verb Agreement Problems

a. This book gives scientific information to us. b. Everybody wants to destroy the ring.c. A lot of touristic places wait waits for customers.d. These islands in Indian Ocean and Maldives have

has some historical consequence.e. Other similarities are is that people go swimming in

all months.f. Both of them are is very good players.

Let’s see correct subject-verb agreement in the same sentences.

BASIC RULE:Singular subject takes singular verb!

Plural subject takes plural verb!

E. Active-Passive Problems

This game plays with 11 players and last 90 minutes.

Basketball doesn't always watch. In contrast, football usually watches.

Final of the world cup organized in this city.This car has produced since 2003.



E. Active-Passive Problems

This game is played with 11 players and lasts 90 minutes.

Basketball isn’t always watched. In contrast, football is usually watched.

Final of the world cup was organized in this city.This car has been produced since 2003.

Let’s see correct active -passive forms in the same sentences.

In order to use active-passive forms correctly, you should pay attention to;1. The subject2. The meaning of the verbHOWEVER;Avoid using passive forms if there is a way

to express the same sentence in active. When the “doer” of the action is less

important, prefer passive.

E. Incorrect use of Gerunds & Infinitives

a. You don't have to paid to billb. Do you want obey?c. We are happy telling that there aren’t any mistakes.d. Parents should avoid to correct their children’s

mistakes everytime.



E. Incorrect use of Gerunds & Infinitives

a. You don't have to pay the billb. Do you want to obey?c. We are happy to tell that there aren’t any mistakes.d. Parents should avoid correcting their children’s

mistakes everytime.

Let’s see the correct infinitive&gerund forms.

In English, there are some rules for gerunds and infinitives. After certain verbs we use v+ing (gerund); whereas some verbs demand an infinitive. You may find the list of these rules and verbs in grammar sites and books. The best way to use them correctly is to read and practise.

These were some common problems with verbs. When you finish your writing,please do not forget to take a look at your verbs.

These sentence level problems,

instructors usually call them

“grammar mistakes”, may seem

hard to deal with.

However, they are not. You only

need more time and attention.

More time because YOU

SHOULD READ AND LISTEN TO

NATIVE SPEAKERS. This takes

time.

Day by day you will realise the

difference in your writing.

Thanks for your participation

Workshop composed by Filiz Kaynak DiskayaYILDIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

WRITING CENTERMARCH, 2011

Ytu writing center workshop common structural problems-verbs

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