2020-03-20 TOEFL: common writing problems

Greg Malivuk
gmalivuk@staffordhouse.com
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Global Problems part 1 - take 2 minutes to choose the correct spelling
part 2
Health part 1
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Singular “they”

When a person makes an important decision, _______ should make it alone.
- they: This is the most common option in speaking, and is frequently used in writing as well, though some people think it’s wrong.
- he: This used to be the standard, but is now widely seen as sexist and old-fashioned.
- he or she: This avoids the sexism, but it can get awkward pretty quickly if you refer to this person a lot.
When people make important decisions, they should make them alone.
- “they” is plural in this case, so no one objects to it
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There are also three other ways you could write this sentence:
- When one makes an important decision, one should make it alone.
	This can also get awkward if you repeat “one”, and has the same issue as above if you want to use a person pronoun to refer back to that person.
- When you make an important decision, you should make it alone.
	This is very common in speaking. If you use it in writing, just make sure to be consistent.
- When we make important decisions, we should make them alone.
	This feels more inclusive, and again the main issue is staying consistent.
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Another common related issue is to remember that multiple people have multiple lives:
- When you use “we” or plural “they”, possessions are also usually plural:
	When we make decisions in our lives.
	When they make decisions in their lives.
		(Singular “they”: When they make a decision in their life.)
- Some “possessions” are more universal:
	We need to protect our planet.
	They tried to change their society.
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“She also believes that the more packaged the cars are, the higher the chance of causing an accident.”
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“The more, the merrier.” = The more people there are, the merrier it will be.
- This is a paired comparative, and doesn’t really need to follow all the normal sentence rules.
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Collins “Common Errors”

sentence fragments - “too short”; they’re missing something that’s necessary for a sentence (maybe no subject, maybe no verb, maybe no independent clause)
run-on sentences - “too long”; if you can’t say the whole sentence in a single breath, consider breaking it up
comma splice - sentences with independent clauses joined only with a comma
	*My father is a banker, he lives in New York.
	-> My father is a banker. He lives in New York. (split the sentences with a period)
	-> My father is a banker; he lives in New York. (use a semicolon instead of a comma)
	-> My father is a banker, and he lives in New York. (add a conjunction)
	(-> My father is a banker who lives in New York. - Sometimes it’s possible to change one clause to a dependent clause or a relative clause.)
parallel structure - When listing things, they need to have the same grammatical structure and be able to fit in the sentence in the same way.
	*My goals are starting a business, a family, and a house. (How can you start a house?)
	-> My goals are starting a business, having a family, and buying a house.
	-> My goals are starting a business and a family and buying a house.
	*The lecturer counters this point by explaining how most technologies fail eventually, as well as the increased risk and damage of accidents in extremely dense roads.
		(The lecturer explains how something happens and something else.)
	-> by explaining how most technologies fail eventually, as well as how extremely dense roads incrase the risk and damage of accidents.
		(The lecturer explains how something happens and how another thing happens.)
subject-verb agreement - Make sure the singular or plural verb matches the subject
	Making an important decision has to involve other people.
		(Gerunds are singular.)
	Making an important decision, you have to involve other people.
		(Now the subject is “you”, so the correct verb form is “have”.)
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Part A - complete the errors in these sentences (then take your break)
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BREAK
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1 It’s difficult to decide which is better, working with a team or working independently.
  It’s difficult to decide whether working with a team or working independently is better.
2 If someone works with a group, they learn many skills, such as cooperation and tolerance.
  ...many skills. For example, they can learn how to cooperate and how to tolerate other ideas.
3 Everyone who works in a team should have a chance to say their / his or her opinion.
  People who work in teams should have a chance to say their opinions.
4 It is not always easy to work with a team because there can be a personality problem. This can cause conflicts and be very destructive.
  ...problem, which can cause conflicts and be very destructive.
  ...problem. This can cause conflicts which can be very destructive.
5 Everyone who works in a team has to cooperate with the others.
6 People who work alone only have to think about themselves.
7 You need to have initiative, creativity, and a lot of confidence.
8 I learned that it is important to be on time and have a positive attitude.
  I learned that being on time and having a positive attitude are important.
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Many “optional” things in English grammar still have a best choice in certain situations:
	Turn on the light. = Turn the light on. - both fine, equally easy to understand
	Turn on the light in the garage over your dad’s workbench. - still easy to understand
	Turn the light in the garage over your dad’s workbench on. - more awkward and confusing
		(I don’t want to wait for the end of the sentence to know what I’m doing with the light.)

	I know John is working from home today. - You might think the sentence ends with “John”.
	I know that John is working from home today. - “that” tells you to wait for the rest of the clause
		(This would be more of an issue with longer or more complex sentences.)
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Modals

Often, “might” and “may” are exactly the same:
	It might rain tomorrow. = It may rain tomorrow.
	He might be at home. = He may be at home.
	You might want to write this down. = You may want to write this down.
For permission we only use “may”:
	You may leave early if you’re finished.
	May I go to the bathroom.
For unreal hypotheticals we only use “might”:
	If I studied more I might be less nervous right now.
	I wish I’d bought a ticket. I might have won the Powerball.
	I’m glad I had my medicine or I might have died.

“Can” is also very common for permission (and in reality is almost never confusing):
	Can I leave early? - permission
	You can use your book on the test. - permission
In other situations, “can” generally refers to ability or possibility:
	Can you speak French?
	He can play the guitar.
	Can I catch COVID-19 from a door handle?

“Could” is a bit tricky because it can be used for asking permission, expressing ability, or making predictions and inferences about real or unreal situations.
	Could I leave early? - permission
	I could ride a bike when I was 5. - ability
	It could rain tomorrow. - prediction
	Where’s my ticket? I could have won. - real inference
	Why didn’t I buy a ticket? I could have won. - unreal conditional
	If I could speak French, I could go to Paris alone. - unreal ability

“Should” usually just means that something is (or was) a good idea:
	You should study every day.
	She should have studied more before the test.
Sometimes it means that something is likely but not the only possibility:
	It’s 5pm, so she should be at home.
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Homework: ETS 2.1 writing (both tasks)