前车之鉴
任何一个句子, 尤其是书面语的句子, 首先要做到合乎语法规范, 如主谓结构完整、主谓一致、正确的时态、语态等。今天我们就把句子中最常见的语法错误罗列出来，供大家参考借鉴。
1. A series of debates between the two lecturers were scheduled for the next weekend.
主谓不一致的错误在写作中十分常见，尤其是当主语离谓语较远的时候。本句中的主语是series而不是debates或lectures，因此谓语应为单数形式，也就是要把were改为was。
2. There are many students play football on the sports ground.
本句中的错误是句式杂糅，也就是所谓的“Runon”句。两个句子糅合在一起，没有标点符号隔开或用错误的标点符号隔开被称为“Runon”句。改正的方法有四种：1）变成两个独立的分句。那么此句就可以改为：There are many students on the sports ground. They are playing football. 2）通过使用分号和连词变为并列句。此句可改为：There are many students on the sports ground; they are playing football. 或There are many students on the sports ground and they are playing football.3）将其中的一部分改为充当修饰成分的短语。比如这句话可以改为： There are many students playing football on the sports ground. 4）通过使用关联词if, when, who等将其中一个句子改为从句。那么此句可以改为： There are many students who are playing football on the sports ground.每一个句子都可以用不同的方式来表述，我们在写作时可以根据句子表达的需要选择最佳的句式。
Barking dogs dont bite.
吠狗不咬人。 3. There is a teacher I shall always remember. Because she has a sweet voice and a pleasant smile.
此处的错误是由于连词和标点使用不当而造成片语（fragment），也就是完整句子的一部分，它不能完整的表达句义。最常见的片语多数是由从属连词开头的，改正的方法就是将它跟主句合并。因此，这句话应该改为：There is a teacher I shall always remember because she has a sweet voice and a pleasant smile.
4. It is important to exercise because everybody seems to watch you if you fat and out of shape.
此句的错误是缺少句子成分。英语中的形容词必须和系动词一起构成系表结构才能作谓语。因此，本句可以改为：It is important to exercise, because everybody seems to watch you if you are fat and out of shape.
5. This great loss had kill Mrs. white, but actually this free her from her husband.
时态不一致。时态是英语中的难点之一，当用某一种时态的时候，我们感觉还不是特别难，但当两种或两种以上的时态混合使用的时候或许就会出现问题了。本句可改为：This great loss had killed Mrs. white, but actually this freed her from her husband.
What is done by night appears by day.
若要人不知，除非已莫为。 6. I did not know what was happened in the classroom.
此处的错误是不及物动词的错误使用。汉语中的动词没有及物和不及物之分，因而中国的学生常常忽略这个问题。请大家注意不及物动词不能直接跟宾语，也没有被动语态。这句话应改为： I did not know what had happened in the classroom.
7. While celebrate their 20th anniversary in the restaurant, the wine glass broke and damaged Mr. White’s finger.
这个句子中的问题出在分词作状语上。正确使用现在分词作状语能使句子结构多样化，但也不可以滥用。如果用错了的话，还不如不用。此句可以改为：While Mr. White celebrating their 20th anniversary in the restaurant, the wine glass broke and damaged his finger.或When Mr. White celebrated their 20th anniversary in the restaurant, the wine glass broke and damaged his finger.
8. The average life span in the 1980’s was much longer than 1880’s.
比较对象不一致。在使用形容词和副词的比较级时我们往往容易受汉语的影响，忽略比较对象应该一致的问题。此句应改为：The average life span in the 1980’s was much longer than that in the 1880’s.
9. Writing a essay is difficult for students who English is a second language.
这个句子中有两处错误。一个是不定冠词使用不当，元音因素前应该使用an而不是a。这不是一个难点，但考试中经常会有马虎的考生犯这类小错误。二是定语从句的关联词使用错误，应该把who改为whose。
10. The man had reproached by his daughter who was angry that he had deserted her mother for twenty years.
被动语态使用错误。请大家一定记住被动语态的基本结构是：be动词加上动词的过去分词，而其时态的变化是由be动词来体现的。在这个句子中，应把had改为was。
11. In my opinion think the company should pay for the victim’s injuries.
此句是典型的中国式英语。有许多人写作时受汉语的影响太多，甚至习惯对照每个字把汉语生硬地翻译成英语。这样就会造成一些滑稽的错误。最典型的莫过于“good good study, day day up”了。此句中think一词是多余的，去掉就可以了。
12. When I was in university, my psychology class had more than 500 students, often forcing me to sit on the floor.
在汉语中“有”既可以表示存在，也可以表示拥有。但在英语中，却需要用不同的方式来表达。表示存在时应该用there be句型，而表示拥有时则需要用have/has。When I was in university, there were more than 500 students in my psychology class, often forcing me to sit on the floor.
13. I enjoy reading forecasts of the future, but you wonder which will turn out to be correct.
人称不一致。在一句或一段话中，如果人称不一致会让读者感觉不知所云。在这个句子中，我们只需要将you改为I就可以了。
Its never too late to mend.
改过不嫌晚。14. I told my friends that I was going to major in geology, which annoyed my parents.
这个句子是歧义句。它既可以理解为我告诉朋友让父母不高兴，也可以理解为我选择了地质学让父母生气。这句话可以改为：I told my friends that I was going to major in geology， and my parents were annoyed by my choice.
15. If your English is not good, your going to have trouble with all the subject.
这句话中有三处显然是由于马虎造成的错误。1）人称代词your不可以做主语应改为you。2）表示将来的be going to 结构不完整，应在going前加上are。3）subject 是可数名词，应该用复数形式subjects。可别小看了这些小错误，记住“小石头也能绊倒人！”
16. The judge ordered that the suspect was detained immediately.
没有正确使用虚拟语气。在order, suggest等表示命令和建议的动词的宾语从句中应该使用should加动词原型，should可以省略。这句话应改为：The judge ordered that the suspect (should) be detained immediately.
17. Not only I wrote him a letter, but I also phoned him twice.
特殊句型使用错误。在英语中有许多特殊句型，我们必须熟记它们的意思和使用形式。常常会出错的有：the more… the more…, not only… but also…, too… to…, used to do, be used to doing, would rather… than…, so…that…, …so that…, had better等。not only… but also…结构可以用来连接两个并列的成分，并有加强语气的作用。这句话应改为：I not only wrote him a letter, but also phoned him twice. 此外，not only 放于句首时需用倒装句型，所以也可改为Not only did I write him a letter, but also phoned him twice.
18. Computer technology helps us do many things, but it also prevents us to do many others.
词语搭配错误。英语中的动词后接宾语或宾补时，常有固定的搭配，大家要注意积累。此句应改为：Computer technology helps us do many things, but it also prevents us from doing many others.
19. Never he will forget the terrible traffic accident.
未使用倒装语序。如果句子以：Not only, Never, Hardly, No sooner, Only等开头，则句子应使用倒装语序。此句应改为：Never will he forget the terrible traffic accident.
20. Because she does not have any friend in Paris, so she feels very lonely.
由于受汉语影响,许多同学在作文中使用：Because…so…和Although…but…两个错误结构。改正的方法就选择because和so中的任意一个，或although和but中的任意一个。此句可以改为：Because she does not have any friend in Paris, she feels very lonely.或She does not have any friend in Paris, so she feels very lonely.或she feels very lonely because she does not have any friend in Paris.
Running water does not get stale; a doorhinge is never wormeaten.
流水不腐，户枢不蠹。
活动教室〖〗请改正下面句子中的错误。
1. Education is no longer free as it use to be.
2. For example, the computer that is used everywhere today to increase efficiency and save the cost of labour.
3. In our country we vote for our government, the next federal election is coming again.
4. After they express there opinion, he dicided to reduces the operational expenses.
5. Many people are dishonest with government. Although they are married, but they don’t want to declare they are married.
6. The closing down of hospitals causes inconvenience for the growing number of patients in Ontario.
7. “How do you think of my boyfriend, Dad?” the girl ask.
8. Winter storms that bring ice, sleet, and snow they can cause traffic problem.
9. The cake was suppose to be tasty.
10. The river will flood again next year unless we will build a better dam.
11. The runner looker as if he was winded.
12. If I would have trained for the race, I might have won.
13. The instructor divided the work between Sam and I.
14. Her mother told her she was going to visit Alaska.
15. Because our car was overheating, it came as no surprise that it broke down just as it began to rain.
16. The moon, along with Venus, are visible in the night sky.
17. Three hundred dollars are what we must pay.
18. The candidate felt unusual energetic.
19. The physicist Marie Curie discovered radium, she won two Nobel Prizes.
20. People feared that they would no longer be able to happily live in peace. (参考答案见23页)It is better to give than to take.
施比受更有福。Keys to the error correction exercises on page 22
1. Education is no longer free as it used to be.
2. For example, the computer that is used everywhere today increases efficiency and saves the cost of labor.
3. In our country we vote for our government when the next federal election is coming again.
4. After they expressed their opinion, he decided to reduce the operational expenses.
5. Many people are dishonest with government. Although they are married, they dont want to declare they are married.
6. The closing down of hospitals causes inconvenience for the increasing patients in Ontario.
7. “How do you think of my boyfriend, Dad?” the girl asked.
8. Winter storms that bring ice, sleet, and snow can cause traffic problem.
或Winter storms bring ice, sleet, and snow which can cause traffic problem.
9. The cake was supposed to be tasty.
10. The river will flood again next year unless we build a better dam.
11. The runner looked as if he was winded.
12. If I had been trained for the race, I would have won.
13. The instructor divided the work between Sam and me.
14. Her mother told her she was going to visit Alaska.
15. Because our car was overheating, it came with no surprise that it broke down just as it began to run.
16. The moon, along with Venus, is visible in the night sky.
17. Three hundred dollars is what we must pay.
18. The candidate felt unusual energetic.
19. The physicist Marie Curie discovered radium, so she won two Nobel Prizes.
20. People feared that they would no longer be able to live in peace happily.
美文赏析
Money and Happiness
Money has always been what many people are thirsty for. To them, money means everything. They do not seem to know what money is for. They want it above all things. It’s the exclusively causal factor of their happiness.
But some others hold quite different views on this. They strongly believe that “the love of money is the root of all evil”. They also believe that it is man’s desire for more and more money that drives them to do anything, whether it’s good or bad, to satisfy them. It is money that encourages those weakwilled people to be addicted to some harmful habits, such as drugtaking or gambling, and bring about their own ruin. It is money that turns brothers or friends into enemies.
From my point of view, money is an important part of happiness, but happiness means far more than that. Happiness is a kind of human feeling that money can never buy. Physical health and mental wellbeing are both essential to life satisfaction. Love is fundamental to a person’s life satisfaction, too. Selfesteem, I believe, is another crucial factor that produces happiness. Therefore, we can never reckon only on money to achieve happiness. Money is a blessing when it is used rightly; it’s a curse when abused.
关于“金钱和幸福” 这样的哲理篇很普遍，每个人都有一番自己的见解，但关键是要把条理写清楚。上面这篇文章的条理就很清晰，第一段和第二段写两种人的不同观点：“金钱至上”和“金钱万恶”，段内层次也很分明，第三段提出自己的看法，“幸福是金钱难以买到的”，并列出“身心健康”“富有爱心”“自尊自强”是构成幸福的重要因素，最后水到渠成作出自己的结论。Sweep before your own door.
正人先正已。
