Everyone knows that some people are endowed with the so-called "innate literacy", and they successfully avoid grammatical errors. Others have to memorize a lot of rules in order to improve their writing. But syntax errors, examples of which can often be seen even in newspapers or in the speech of television announcers, are equally often committed by both.
This can be explained by the fact that syntax norms are the most difficult to understand. Therefore, they have to be memorized. Below we list the most common syntax errors. And maybe it will help you avoid them in the future.
Most often, syntax errors occur due to the omission of the norm of coordination and control. These include the wrong choice of the case of the controlled word and the incorrect use of prepositions ("pay the fare" instead of "pay the fare", "laugh about the joke" instead of "laugh at the joke", etc.). Also, syntax errors are often found in sentences with the construction"those who…", for example: "Those who know the rules will write it correctly" (correct: "Those who know the rules will write it correctly"). Here the first predicate refers to the word "who" and the second one refers to the word "those", which creates confusion.
a letter written by a friend" instead of "I saw a letter written by a friend").
In the use of adverbial phrases, the most common are syntactic errors associated with the person performing the action. For example: "While passing by a store, a sign caught my eye" instead of "Walking by a store, I saw a sign." The action of the adverbial turnover always refers to the same person as the one expressed by the predicate.
Syntactic errors in the use of homogeneous members in some cases can be attributed to semantic ones. They include combinations of heterogeneous concepts ("the table is cold or green"), the introduction of a term that does not correspond to the main word ("he was surrounded by care and help" - help cannot be surrounded).
Syntactic errors in the construction of complex sentences are associated with switching attention from one part to another, and the impossibilitykeep the whole structure in mind. These include the use of several clauses of the same type in a row ("I saw a letter written by my friend who lives in Spain"). This can be avoided by introducing a participial phrase ("I saw a letter written by my friend who lives in Spain").
We have looked at the main types of syntax errors, and it can be said that most of them are due to missing links between different parts of a sentence. To prevent them, it is enough just to pay attention to all the designs and their coordination with each other. It is also worth remembering the most common syntax errors so that you can recognize them in the future. If you follow these rules, then even the most complex designs will not be able to confuse you.
