Workshop Session 3 Common Esl Errors Ii Key

English for Academic Studies (Workshop) Semester 1, 2009/10

Session 3: Common ESL Errors II ©PolyU HKCC

Session 3: Common ESL Errors II (Pronoun Agreement and Reference, Articles and Nouns) Part A:

Diagnostic Test

Ten grammatical mistakes in the following passage have been underlined. Correct the mistakes in the space between the lines. a

an

Assisted suicide, aka euthanasia, is ∧process by which ∧individual, who may otherwise be incapable, is provided with the means, such as equipment, drugs etc., to commit suicide. As in many other jurisdictions, assisted suicide is illegal in Hong Kong. For years, people have still been discussing whether or not assisted suicide should be legalized. One of the major arguments against it is that legalizing assisted suicide will open the “floodgates” to people seeking mercy killing. it

In spite of opposite views, I am in total support of them∧. his or her

him or her

Anyone who has ever

they

experienced situations in which ∧your relatives tell ∧you that ∧he or she could not stand the pain of an additional day will perhaps understand why mercy killing in some cases is necessary. When different potentially effective medicines are tried and all hopes exhausted, to “forcibly” prolong the lives of the dying is nothing but a torture. Besides, his or her

while it is perfectly legal for a person to take ∧their life, wouldn't it be absurd to disallow his or her

another to determine how ∧their life should end simply because he or she is incapable of doing so. Part B: Grammar Principles – Review Pronoun Agreement A pronoun is a replacement of a noun. A pronoun must agree with the word it replaces in (1) number and in (2) gender. For example, Joshua and Marta are members of Orbis’s medical volunteers and they will be involved in the post-operative consultations in the coming weekend.

English for Academic Studies (Workshop) Semester 1, 2009/10

Session 3: Common ESL Errors II ©PolyU HKCC

Articles and Nouns Use a or an for singular nonspecific count nouns; use the with all specific nouns – specific singular, plural, and noncount nouns. For plurals and noncount nouns, articles can be omitted. For example, something strange happened to me when I was in the library this morning. The new textbook I purchased, which I placed on the table, was gone after I went to look for some references; I found instead a used one placed on the table. Part C: Concept Boosting Exercises Exercise C1: The following are some ungrammatical sentences.

Identify (i) the

mistake(s) and (ii) correct the mistake(s). Some sentences may have more than one error. his or her

1. Either the servers or the manager must give ∧their permission for you to return that half-eaten dish. an

2. It was ∧easy quiz. However, because I have never been good at Accounting, it still took me a long time to complete the paper. he

3. My brother’s son, in a way resembling many young kids, believes in everything ∧they comes across in tabloids. you

your

4. If you want to take leave during the Lunar New Year, ∧they had better indicate ∧their wish as soon as possible. 5. Even with the most effective tattoo removal procedure, a person’s skin can hardly be its restored to ∧their original condition. Thus, a person should think twice before having tattoos. their

6. The ideas put forth by Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud had no doubt made ∧its mark on twentieth-century life.

English for Academic Studies (Workshop) Semester 1, 2009/10

Session 3: Common ESL Errors II ©PolyU HKCC

7. Ben is the most pessimistic person I have come across. He likes to look on dark side them

of things. When he encounters problems, he always dramatizes ∧it. Indeed, these days I find him so intolerable that his grumbles always madden me. the

the

8. What did ∧teacher say about your performance in ∧recent test? he or she

9. You can always understand a person by looking at company ∧they keeps. 10. When people are in love, they tend to downplay problems found in their partners. It is only when lovers are no longer so much in love that minor problems escalate into major faults. Exercise C2: Add an appropriate article (a/an, the, or φ) in the blanks. There can be more than one possible answer. 1. I didn't bring the alcohol you asked for. I completely forgot about it. 2. Did you tip the magicians at your party? uncertainly didn't deserve our tipping.

Their performance suggested that they

3. Christina wanted to purchase a gift for her grandmother, but she ended up buying things for herself. 4. I know Galen’s character. He will not like to share φ problems with others. However, he wouldn't mind mentioning his problems once they were resolved. 5. Would you like a or φ cold iced tea? Exercise C3: Add appropriate personal pronouns (she, it, etc.) or articles (a/an, the) in the blanks. 1. Mary got a new car for her birthday. She is glad that her parents gave it to her for a car will be much more practical than other gifts. 2. The essay that Michele submitted received an F grade. For one, he didn't include

English for Academic Studies (Workshop) Semester 1, 2009/10

Session 3: Common ESL Errors II ©PolyU HKCC

any of the components Dr. Killah had explained when he assigned the essay.

For the

other, Dr Killah retrieved a replica of Michele’s work in the Internet. Exercise C4: Select one of the following topics and write a 100-word paragraph in response to the chosen topic by applying the language skills learnt in these three sessions. Answers may vary.