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Section 3:
MW, 11:20 a.m.–12:35 p.m., Jennison 407 Section 7: MW, 5:00 p.m.–6:15 p.m., Jennison 407 |
Philosophy 101 Problems of Philosophy Bentley College Fall 2004 |
Instructor: Miles Rind Office: Morison 114 MW, 10:10–11:10 Personal home page |
| adj. adjective adv. adverb ant. antecedent clause conj. conjunction gerund intr. intransitive (verb) obj. object or objective (case) part. participle pl. plural |
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poss. possessive (case) pred. predicate prep. preposition pres. present (tense) pron. pronoun sing. singular subj. subject or subjective (case) tr. transitive (verb) vb. verb |
| agr.
agreement case error in pronoun case CS comma splice dict. fault in diction DM dangling modifier FP faulty predication frag. sentence fragment FS fused sentence G fault in grammar (generic heading) MM misplaced modifier |
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mood error in verb mood P fault in punctuation (generic heading) quot. error in quotation ref. faulty or unclear reference sp. spelling error or spell out tense error in verb tense wordy wordiness WW wrong word: see dict. ¶ coh paragraph coherence problem //str faulty parallel structure |
| agr. failure of agreement between
subject
and verb (in number or person) or between
pronoun
and antecedent (in gender, number,
or person)
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| The relation between the two claims are not clear. | Subject and verb fail to agree in number: the subject (“relation,” not “claims”) is singular, the verb plural. | The relation between the two claims is not clear. |
| Hylas is saying that one sees colors in
your imagination. |
Pronoun and
antecedent
fail to agree in person. (Because in this case the antecedent is itself
a pronoun, this is also an example of what is called a pronoun
shift.) |
Hylas is saying that one sees colors in
one’s imagination. To write “Hylas is saying that you see colors in your imagination” would be grammatically correct, but not appropriate to formal prose. |
| Then you wake up at the high school level
and find out that the
illiteracy level of our children are appalling. (George
W. Bush) |
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| Here are
links to pages explaining the grammatical terms “gender,” “number,”
and “person.” |
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| Return to list
of
terms |
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| case error
in pronoun
case
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| EXAMPLE OF ERROR | WHAT IS WRONG | CORRECTED VERSION |
| The experiment illustrates this for we readers. | The subject
pronoun “we” is
used as an object (of the preposition “for”). |
The experiment illustrates this for us readers. |
| Smythe attributes this distinction to
Geonze, whom he believes originated it. |
The object pronoun “whom” is
used as a subject. (One says “Smythe believes he [Geonze] originated it,”
not “Smythe believes him
originated it.”) |
Smythe attributes this distinction to Geonze, who he believes originated it. Or: Smythe attributes this distinction to Geonze, whom he believes to have originated it. |
| You teach a child to read, and he or her
will be able to pass a literacy test. (George W. Bush) |
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| Here are
links to pages explaining the different
kinds of pronoun (personal, impersonal, demonstrative, relative,
etc.), the
distinction between “who” and “whom”, and the
distinction between “which” and “that.” Understanding the last
distinction requires a grasp of the distinction
between restrictive
and non-restrictive modifying clauses. |
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|
CS comma splice |
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| EXAMPLE OF ERROR | WHAT IS WRONG | CORRECTED VERSION |
| One
cannot truly conceive of
something without end or beginning, one can only negate one’s
idea of a finite thing. |
Two independent clauses are joined together by a comma. | One cannot truly conceive of something without end or beginning: one can only negate one’s idea of a finite thing. Or: One cannot truly conceive of something without end or beginning, but can only negate one’s idea of a finite thing. |
| Here is
a link to a page explaining when a comma
splice is justifiable. General explanations of comma use may be
found here
and here.
The comma splice is one of two kinds of run-on sentence, the other being the
fused
sentence (listed below). |
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| dict. fault in diction (choice of words) |
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| EXAMPLE OF ERROR | WHAT IS WRONG | CORRECTED VERSION |
| Rousseau was not what you would call a
modest man. |
The informal tone is not
appropriate to formal writing. (The use of the superfluous phrase “what
you would call” could also be censured as an instance of wordiness.) |
Rousseau
was not a modest man. |
| He has a crime on his conscious. | The writer has confused the adjective “conscious” with the noun “conscience.” (This sort of diction error may also be marked “WW” for “wrong word.”) | He has a crime on his conscience. |
| I’m against hard quotas, quotas that
basically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate,
quotas, I think, vulcanize society. (George W. Bush) |
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| In order to appreciate the argument,
certain points must be understood. |
The introductory modifying
phrase has no subject within the sentence. (The sentence also makes
needless use of the passive voice.) |
In order to appreciate the argument, one must understand certain points. |
| By using the first person to express how he perceives God and nature, we see how Descartes’ mind perceives entities outside of himself. | The introductory modifying
phrase has no subject within the sentence. (We, the readers, do not use
the first person—Descartes does; but the name “Descartes” does not
occur as a subject anywhere in the sentence.) |
By using the first person to express how he perceives God and nature, Descartes reveals to us how his mind perceives entities outside of himself. |
| If a person doesn’t have the capacity that
we all want that person to have, I suspect hope is in the far distant
future, if at all. (George W. Bush) |
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| FP faulty predication | ||
| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| The connection between one’s life and one’s philosophy is inseparable. | The predicate, “inseparable,” does not intelligibly apply to the subject, “the connection between one’s life and one’s philosophy.” | One’s life and one’s philosophy are inseparable. Or: One’s life and one’s philosophy are inseparably connected. |
| I think war is a dangerous place. (George
W. Bush) |
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|
frag. sentence fragment |
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| Descartes
declares himself to be “a thinking thing.” Which he explains as “a
thing that doubts, understands,” and so on. |
The string of words after the first period is not a gramatically complete sentence: it is a dependent (or subordinate) clause. | Descartes declares himself to be “a thinking thing,” which he explains as “a thing that doubts, understands,” and so on. |
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| FS
fused
sentence |
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| Hume doesn’t deny this why should he? |
Two independent
clauses are joined together without punctuation. |
Hume doesn’t deny this. Why should he?
Or: Hume doesn’t deny this; why
should he? |
| The
fused sentence is one of two
varieties of run-on sentence,
the other being the comma
splice (listed above). |
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| G fault
of grammar (generic heading) |
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| This
letter is used to indicate a grammatical fault that does not fall under
any of the more specific terms given on this page. I will usually
combine it with a more specific comment. For example, if you
were to write: “This is real surprising,” I would circle the word
“real” and write in the margin: “G: adj./adv.,” to indicate that
you had made a confusion between adjective and adverb. |
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| MM misplaced modifier | ||
| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| She carefully studied the Picasso hanging
in the art gallery with her friend. (Example from the University of Wisconsin Writing Center’s list of the best misplaced and dangling modifiers of all time.) |
The adjectival phrase “with her friend” is so placed as to modify “hanging in the art gallery” rather than “she carefully studied the Picasso.” | With her friend, she carefully studied the Picasso hanging in the art gallery. Or: She and her friend carefully studied the Picasso hanging in the art gallery. |
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| mood
error in verb mood |
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| If she read the book, she would not have
made such a mistake. |
The writer has used the past
indicative (“read”) rather than the past perfect (“had read”) in a past
contrary-to-fact conditional clause. |
If she had read the book, she would not
have made such a mistake. |
| Suppose that the earth was flat. |
The writer has used the past
indicative (“was”) rather than the past subjunctive (“were”) in a
present contrary-to-fact clause. |
Suppose that the earth were flat. |
| Iran would be dangerous if they have a
nuclear weapon. (George
W. Bush) |
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| Here is a link to a page explaining the uses of mood and tense in conditional statements (i.e., statements containing an “if” clause). | ||
| Return to list of terms | ||
| P fault
of punctuation (generic heading) |
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| This
letter is used to indicate a fault of punctuation that does not fall
under any of the more specific terms given on this page. I will usually
combine it with a more specific comment. For example, if you were to
write, “Singer makes this claim, although, he offers no argument for
it,” I would circle the comma after “although” and write in the margin:
“P: comma,” to indicate that you had misused that mark of punctuation. |
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| quot.
error in form, content, or use of quotation |
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| This is proven by Descartes when he says
“certainly none of the aspects that I reached by means of the senses.” |
The quoted words are not
intelligible out of their original context and fail to fit the
grammatical context in which they are quoted. (This is also an instance
of a sentence
fragment.) |
(Correction
impossible: one cannot tell what the writer was trying to say.) |
| There’s an old saying in Tennessee—I know
it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame
on—shame on you. Fool me—you can’t get fooled again. (George W. Bush) |
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| A
comprehensive account of how and when to use quotation may be found here. Guidance
in the use of quotation marks
may be found here. |
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| Return to list of terms | ||
| ref. faulty or unclear reference of pronoun or other expression | ||
| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| Some concepts allow for the introduction
of new criteria. Weitz calls this an “open concept.” |
The pronoun “this” has no clear
antecedent. |
Some concepts allow for the introduction of new criteria. Weitz calls these “open concepts.” Or: . . . Weitz calls such concepts “open concepts.” |
| In David Hume’s essay “Of the Standard of Taste,” he presents a theory of art that includes universal rules. Or: In “Of the Standard of Taste” by David Hume, he presents a theory of art that includes universal rules. | The introductory modifying phrase fails to establish a clear antecedent for the pronoun “he” in the main clause, because its subject is the title of Hume’s essay rather than the name of the author. | In
his essay “Of the Standard of Taste,” David Hume presents a theory of
art that includes universal rules. Or: David Hume, in his essay “Of the Standard
of Taste,” presents (etc.). Or (simplest and best): In “Of the Standard of Taste,” David Hume
presents (etc.). |
| I understand small business growth. I was
one. (George
W. Bush) |
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| sp.
spelling
error or spell out |
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| John Stewart Mills was a preponent of
utilarianism. |
Several words are misspelled. |
John Stuart Mill was a proponent of
utilitarianism. |
| He says this in 2 places. |
A numeral is used where the
number name should be spelled out. |
He says this in two places. |
| When
should a number term be spelled out? Guidance may be found here. |
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| tense error in verb tense | ||
| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| In
the second meditation, Descartes argued that he could doubt everything
but his own existence. |
Inappropriate use of tense: the
writer uses the past tense
to describe what is in a text. |
In the second meditation, Descartes argues that he can doubt everything but his own existence. |
| Bumwhacker raises this question, but then
did not answer it. |
Inconsistent use of tense, or tense shift. |
Bumwhacker raises this question, but then does not answer it. |
| One year ago today, the time for
excuse-making has come to an end. (George W. Bush) |
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| Here are
links to pages explaining the
sequence of tenses in English and the
use of tenses in academic writing, including the use of the
so-called literary
or historical present. |
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| Return to list of terms | ||
| wordy
wordiness |
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| Socrates basically argues that his
accusers have no serious concern with the youth of Athens. |
The word “basically” does no
respectable work in the sentence: it merely adds vagueness. |
Socrates argues that his accusers have no serious concern with the youth of Athens. |
| He says that even if he should be acquitted, that he would still follow his mission. | The second “that” is redundant:
the first one governs both clauses that follow. |
He says that even if he should be acquitted, he would still follow his mission. |
| Return to list of terms | ||
| ¶ coh paragraph coherence problem | ||
| This fault cannot conveniently be illustrated within this space. Pages providing guidance on how to make paragraphs coherent may be found here and here. | ||
| Return to list of terms | ||
| //str faulty
parallel structure (a.k.a. faulty parallelism) |
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| EXAMPLE
OF ERROR |
WHAT
IS WRONG |
CORRECTED
VERSION |
| Many
people consider it impossible for us to comprehend these things and
that they are unimportant anyway. |
Two items of incongruent
grammatical structure (“consider it impossible for us to understand
these things” and “[consider] that they are unimportant anyway”) are
conjoined. |
Many people consider these things to be impossible for us to comprehend, and unimportant anyway. Or: Many people believe that it is impossible for us to comprehend these things and that they are unimportant anyway. |
| People say, how can I help on this war
against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a
child; by going into a shut-in’s house and say I love you. (George
W. Bush) |
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