BE ACCURATE: editing your work for errors in sentence structure and vocabulary choice

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Introduction

In this exercise, you will be asked to comment on and correct example sentences taken from student essays.
Step 1: identify errors in a sentence
Step 2: re-write the sentence
Step 3: listen to two tutors discussing the sentence
Step 4: compare with a sample answer


Objectives

This exercise is designed to help you edit your own writing for errors in sentence structure, style and vocabulary choice.

The essay title was given as follows:

What do you understand the role of Applied Linguistics to be in the real world?

Include discussion of at least one of the real-world problems identified in Texts 2-4, Cook 2003, considering how Applied Linguistics could be used to investigate this/these problem(s).

Reference:
Cook, G. (2003) Applied Linguistics. Oxford: OUP. Chapter 1 (pp 3-11) and Texts 2-4 (pp 83-88).



Activity 1: sentence 1

Instruction

Note: If you are using Explorer, make sure that ActiveX controls are not blocked. if prompted,click on allow blocked content. This will allow you to see the feedback comments.

Task 1
Try to identify the problem(s) in the following sentence taken from a student essay:

"Such trends may have been the result of linguistic-related decisions, or perhaps lack of."

Click on the dropdown menu to see more options.

Task 2
How would you rewrite the sentence to correct this error?

Copy and paste the sentence below into the text box and make any changes you think are necessary to correct and improve it. You can edit your text, just as you would if you were writing a document.

Such trends may have been the result of linguistic-related decisions, or perhaps lack of.



Task 3
Listen to two tutors discussing this sentence:

Click here to listen to the MP3 file.

When you have listened to the discussion, make any further changes to your sentence that you think are necessary. Write your sentence in the textbox below.



For more help, click on one of the following options:
Grammar
Writing style
Punctuation
Dictionary

Activity 2: sentence 2

'Their decision can be crucial evidence for the possible subsequent conviction, making it a highly important job and decision for the forensic linguist.'

Instruction

Follow the instructions as in Activity 1

Task 1
Try to identify the problem(s) in the following sentence taken from a student essay:

'Their decision can be crucial evidence for the possible subsequent conviction, making it a highly important job and decision for the forensic linguist.'

Task 2
How would you rewrite the sentence to correct this error?

Copy and paste the sentence into the text box below and make any changes you think are necessary to correct and improve it.

'Their decision can be crucial evidence for the possible subsequent conviction, making it a highly important job and decision for the forensic linguist.'



Task 3
Listen to two tutors discussing this sentence:

Click here to listen to the MP3 file.

When you have listened to the discussion, make any further changes to your sentence that you think are necessary. Write your sentence in the textbox below.



For more help, click on one of the following options:
Grammar
Writing style
Punctuation
Dictionary

© Nicola Taylor University of Reading