Subject Reference
Aligning Subjects and Verbs
Overview of the problem
Perhaps you’ve seen this mistake: “Walking down the street, the stroller lost a wheel.” This sentence implies that the stroller is walking down the street, which would be a very interesting sight, indeed. The problem is that the implied subject of the introductory phrase does not match the grammatical subject of the main sentence, the stroller. The writer knows what he/she means, but the reader may be confused. (Isn’t grammar fun?). Editing this sentence will help the reader understand what you are trying to say, which is the purpose of editing.
The problem in this sample sentence is rather easy to spot and easy to edit. Sample revisions include:
“[Mary] was pushing the stroller down the street when it lost a wheel.”
“The stroller lost a wheel when [Mary] was walking down the street.”
“The stroller lost a wheel when being pushed down the street.”
“The stroller lost a wheel.” (This assumes that the writer has already established that Mary was pushing it down the street. On second thought, why would Mary be pushing a stroller in a street and not on the sidewalk? This seems a bit dangerous to us.)
Sample problem
This type of error can be hard to spot and edit, but doing so reduces potential readers’ confusion and makes your sentences more direct, more cohesive, and, ultimately, stronger. Consider this sentence:
Mary spoke about nothing but her childhood experiences for more than an hour, but when finally winding down, Bob realized that he was bored to tears.
The implied subject of finally winding down is Mary, but this sentence ties it to Bob, the grammatical subject of the independent clause that follows. These are not aligned properly and give the reader an incorrect interpretation. In this case, revising isn’t too hard.
The solution
We have two main strategies for editing this type of grammar error:
1) Break the sentence and attach the phrase to the correct subject. (“…for more than an hour before winding down. Bob finally realized that he…”)
2) Modify the introductory phrase so that the implied subject refers to the grammatical subject of the sentence. (“…and seeing that she was finally winding down, Bob realized…”)
In a nutshell, what you are doing is making sure that the verbs of the sentences fit their grammatical subjects and that phrases introducing clauses refer to the subjects of those clauses. When you are writing your own sentences, consider how your verbs and subjects are aligned.
One last sample
By the way, the most humorous error of this type that we have seen is (paraphrased): “Swimming happily along the shore, the corpse floated by his head.” We leave it up to you to determine why this is so funny to us.
About the Author
David Bowman is the owner and chief editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editing, proofreading, and document analysis service for authors, students, and businesses. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development. Click here for more information about Precise Edit’s services.
The Book of Threes – A video intro to concepts in threes @ www.threes.com
|
|
CliffsTestPrep Praxis II: English Subject Area Assessme $20.21 |
|
|
CSET MSAT: Multiple Subjects 101, 102, 103 NEW $27.98 |
|
|
Kaplan SAT Subject Test: Literature 2006-2007 (Kaplan S $11.66 |
|
|
Subjects and Universal Grammar: An Explanatory Theory N $54.83 |
|
|
Subject & Strategy by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa and… $24.95 |
|
|
Subjects/Strategies (1999, Paperback) $14.95 |
|
|
A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children’s Picture Books… $20.95 |
|
|
Subjects/strategies (2004, Paperback) $20.95 |
|
|
Subject & Strategy by Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa and Alfred F. Rosa (2007,… $8.99 |
|
|
SAT Subject Test French: With 3 Audio CDs (Barron’s Sat Subject Te.. – Paperback $19.79 |
|
|
Kaplan SAT Subject Test: Mathematics Level II 2006-2007 $4.95 |
|
|
Sears List of Subject Headings 19th ed. 2007 $50.00 |
|
|
Find It Fast: How to Uncover Expert Information on Any Subject by Robert I…. $4.05 |
|
|
Guide to Microforms in Print 1998: Subject : Incorporating Interna.. – Hardcover $429.99 |
|
|
SAT Subject Test French: With 3 Audio CDs $19.81 |
|
|
Temas de turismo/ Subjects of Tourism: Manual para la preparacion del Certificad $24.52 |
|
|
The Bodleian Library: A Subject Guide to the Collections by Lesley Forbes $7.99 |
|
|
►The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible Soft Cover Book Master Subject $10.50 |
|
|
NEW SAT Subject Test French – White, Renee $13.24 |
|
|
The Multilingual Subject NEW by Claire J. Kramsch $48.33 |
|
|
NEW Cracking the Sat Physics Subject Test, 2011-2012 – $12.03 |
|
|
SUBJECT & STRATEGY – ALFRED F. ROSA PAUL ESCHHOLZ (PAPERBACK) NEW $43.35 |
|
|
SEARS LIST OF SUBJECT HEADINGS – SUSAN MCCARTHY JOSEPH MILLER (HARDCOVER) NEW $175.45 |
|
|
A SUBJECT GUIDE TO QUALITY WEB SITES – PAUL R. BURDEN (HARDCOVER) NEW $124.46 |
|
|
Practical Essays on Popular Subjects NEW $28.71 |
|
|
English: The Condition of the Subject, Philip W. Martin $21.94 |
|
|
Ships (Single Subject Reference) by Philip Wilkinson $4.96 |
|
|
NEW Subjects and Universal Grammar – Falk, Yehuda N. $41.88 |
|
|
Subject Analysis in Online Catalogs by John J. Boll, Rao Aluri and Hope A…. $72.34 |
|
|
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art by James Hall (1979, Paperback,… $14.95 |
|
|
SAT Subject Test: Spanish (REA) — The Best Test Prep f $13.95 |
|
|
Barron’s SAT Subject Test Literature with CD-ROM (Barron’s SAT Lit.. – Paperback $1.00 |
|
|
NEW The Survey of Academic Library Subject Specialists $101.16 |
|
|
Seeley’s Question Book – 1905 Public school teaching methods – all subjects $3.00 |
|
|
MSAT – The Best Test Prep for the Multiple Subjects Ass $14.50 |
|
|
Kaplan SAT Subject Test Spanish 2010-2011 Edition (Kapl $13.50 |
|
|
Barron’s SAT Subject Test: Spanish with Audio CDs, 3rd $19.05 |
|
|
The Green Book of Songs by Subject: The Thematic Guide to Popular Music, Jeff Gr $7.75 |
|
|
Subject Access: Preparing for the Future (Ifla Series o $103.83 |