By far, the most common type of written
expression error involves word forms. As many as eight or nine items per test
may be word form problems. Most errors of this type involve using one part of
speech in place of another. Both the incorrect word and the correction come
from the same root (rapid and rapidly, for example, or inform and information). The four parts of speech generally involved are
verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. The most common problems are
adjectives in place of adverbs and adverbs in place of adjectives. Nouns in
place of adjectives and adjectives in place of nouns are also commonly seen. In
some word form problems, different forms of the same form of speech may be
involved. For example, a noun that refers to a person (leader) may be used in place of the field (leadership). A gerund (a verbal noun) may also be used in place
of an ordinary noun (judging and judgment, for example).
Parts of speech can often be identified
by their suffixes (word endings).
Common
Noun Endings
|
-tion
-sion
-ence
-ance
-ity
-hood
-dom
-th
|
information
provision
independence
acceptance
creativity
childhood
wisdom
health
|
-ery
-ship
-tude
-ism
-cracy
-logy
-ness
-ment
|
recovery
scholarship
multitude
capitalism
democracy
biology
happiness
experiment
|
Endings
for nouns that refer to people
|
-er
|
explorer
|
-ee
|
employee
|
-or
|
sailor
|
-ic
|
comic
|
-ist
|
psychologist
|
-ian
|
technician
|
-ent
|
student
|
-ant
|
attendant
|
Common Verb Endings
|
-ize
|
realize
|
-ify
|
justify
|
-en
|
shorten
|
-ate
|
incorporate
|
-er
|
recover
|
|
|
Common
Adjective Endings
|
-ate
|
moderate
|
-y
|
sunny
|
-ous
|
dangerous
|
-ic
|
economic
|
-al
|
normal
|
-ical
|
logical
|
-ial
|
remedial
|
-ory
|
sensory
|
-able
|
comfortable
|
-less
|
hopeless
|
-ible
|
sensible
|
-ive
|
competitive
|
-ish
|
sluggish
|
-ly
|
friendly
|
-ant
|
resistant
|
-ful
|
colorful
|
Common Adverb Endings
|
-ly
|
quickly
|
-ally
|
historically
|
ADJECTIVE/ADVERB ERRORS
The most common type of word form
problem involves the use of an adverb in place of an adjective or an adjective
in place of an adverb. A few points to remember:
√
|
Adjectives modify nouns, noun
phrases, and pronouns.
√ Adjectives often come before
nouns.
an important test
a quiet evening
a long letter
√They often answer the
question What kind?
She is a brilliant doctor. (What kind of a
doctor is she? A brilliant one.)
|
√
|
Adjectives also follow the
verb to be and other linking verbs.
The glass was
empty.
That song
sounds nice.
They look upset
|
√
|
Adverbs may modify verbs,
participles, adjectives, prepositions, adverb-clause markers, and other adverbs.
For example:
Ann eagerly accepted the challenge.
(adverb modifying the main verb accepted)
It was a rapidly changing situation. (adverb
modifying the present participle changing)
She wore a brightly colored scarf. (adverb
modifying the past participle colored)
Ted seemed extremely curious about that topic.
(adverb modifying the adjective curious)
We arrived at
the airport shortly before our
flight left. (adverb modifying the adverb-clause marker before)
We arrived at
the airport shortly before noon.
(adverb modifying the preposition before)
The accident
occurred incredibly quickly.
(adverb modifying the adverb quickly)
√Sometimes adverbs are used at
the beginning of sentences, usually followed by a comma. These adverbs
sometimes modify the entire sentence rather than one word in the sentence.
For example:
Generally, I like my
classes.
Usually, Professor
Ingram’s lectures are more interesting.
√Most adverbs tested in this
section are adverbs of manner. They are formed by adding the suffix -ly or
-ally to an adjective.
quick ➔ quickly
comic ➔ comically
comfortable ➔
comfortably
historic ➔
historically
√Adverbs of manner answer the
question How?
She treated her employees honestly. (How did she treat her
employees? Honestly.)
√A few adverbs (fast, hard,
and high, for example) have the same form as adjectives.
He bought a fast car. (adjective)
He was driving so fast that he got a speeding ticket.
(adverb)
√Well is the irregular adverb form of the adjective good.
Juan is an exceptionally good student.
He did very well on the last test.
√Some adjectives also end in -ly: friendly, yearly, costly, and lively, for example.
That was a costly mistake.
I found Houston a very friendly city.
|
Sample
Items
The (A) Black
Hills of South Dakota are (B) covered with (C) densely (D) pine
forests.
The
correct answer is (D). An adjective, dense, not an adverb,
is required to modify the noun
phrase pine forests.
Crows and
ravens are members (A) of
a family (B) of birds
that includes exact (C) 100
species (D).
The
correct answer is (C). The adverb exactly is needed in place of the adjective exact.
|
INCORRECT FORMS OF WORDS CONNECTED
WITH CERTAIN FIELDS
This error involves a confusion between
the names of fields (biology, for
example) and the name of a person who practices in that field (biologist) or between one of those
terms and the adjective that describes the field (biological).
Sample
Item
First specializing (A) in industrial (B) photography,
Margaret Bourke-White later became a famous news photographer (C) and editorial (D).
The
correct answer is (D). The adjective editorial is used to
describe the field of editing. However, a noun referring to a person
(editor) is needed in this sentence.
|
OTHER WORD FORM PROBLEMS
There are many other word form problems.
Some examples are given here:
Sample
Items
Corn played an (A) important role in (B) the cultural (C) of the cliff-dwelling (D) Indians
of the Southwest.
The
correct answer is (C). The noun culture, not the adjective cultural,
is needed.
The galaxy (A) Andromeda is the most distance (B) object visible (C) to
observers (D) in
the Northern Hemisphere.
The
correct answer is (B). The adjective distant is needed in
place of the noun distance.
Scientists belief (A) that the
continents once formed (B)
a single continent surrounded by
(C) an enormous (D) sea.
The
correct answer is (A). In this sentence, the verb believe is needed in place of the
noun belief.
Bunsen
burners are used (A) to hot (B) materials in (C) a chemistry (D) lab.
The
correct answer is (B). The verb heat is needed in place of
the adjective hot.
A sudden (A) freezing (B) can destroy (C) citrus crops (D).
The
correct answer is (B). Rather than the gerund (-ing) form, the noun freeze is required.
|
EXERCISE 18.3
Focus: Identifying
errors and recognizing correct use of adjectives and adverbs
Directions: Underline
the form that correctly completes the sentence.
|
1
|
In any animal community,
herbivores (great/greatly) outnumber carnivores.
|
2
|
Floods cause billions of
dollars worth of property damage (annual/annually).
|
3
|
(Regular/Regularly) airmail
service in the United States began in 1918.
Writer Ernest Hemingway was
known for his (simple/simply) language and his lively dialogue.
The tiny coral snake is
(beautiful/beautifully) but deadly.
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
(General/Generally), bauxite
is found near the surface, so it is relatively (simple/simply) to mine.
The colony of New Hampshire
was (permanent/permanently) separated from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in
1692.
The most numerous and
(wide/widely) distributed of all insectivorous animals are the shrews.
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
The endocrine system functions
in (close/closely) relationship with the nervous system.
A gap in the Coast Range of
California provides (easy/easily) access to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mushrooms are found in an
(incredible/incredibly) range of sizes, colors, and shapes.
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
Some airplanes have an automatic
pilot that is connected to the airplane’s controls and (automatic/ automatically)
keeps the plane on course.
|
EXERCISE 18.4
Focus: Identifying
which parts of speech are appropriate in sentences
Directions: Underline
the form that correctly completes the sentence. Then, identify the part of speech
of the word you chose. You can use these abbreviations for parts of speech
as follows:
N =
noun
V =
verb
PN = “person” noun
G = gerund (-ing) noun
ADJ = adjective
ADV = adverb
|
The first one is done as an example.
1
|
Sinclair Lewis’ novel Babbitt is set in the (fiction/fictional) town of Zenith. (
___ADJ____ )
|
2
|
By-products from chicken eggs
are used by (industry/industrial) in manufacturing such (produces/ products)
as soap and paint. (________) (________)
|
3
|
The daylily is an attractive,
(fragrance/fragrant) flower. (________)
|
4
|
An equation is a
(mathematics/mathematical) statement that says that two expressions are
(equal/ equality). (________) (________)
|
5
|
The Richter scale measures the
(severely/severity) of earthquakes. (________)
|
6
|
Justin Winsom promoted the
(developing/development) of libraries throughout the United States in the
nineteenth century. (________)
|
7
|
Scientists (differ/different)
in their opinions of how snow crystals (originate/origin). (________) (________)
|
8
|
Harry Blackstone was a famous
(magic/magician). (________)
|
9
|
Glass sponges are found in
oceans at a (deep/depth) of 300 feet or more. (________)
|
10
|
Colorado shares with Wyoming
the (distinction/distinctly) of having four (perfect/perfectly) straight borders.
(________) (________)
|
11
|
Rose Han Lee wrote a number of
(scholar/scholarly) accounts about the effects of (immigrant/ immigration)
on mining towns in the western United States. (________) (________)
|
12
|
Most snails venture out to
look for (feed/food) only after sunset or on (rain/rainy) days. (________) (________)
|
13
|
Hats may (symbolic/symbolize)
social status or (occupation/occupational), as well as being fashion items.
(________) (________)
|
14
|
Analgesics are used to
(relieve/relief) pain and reduce fever. (________)
|
15
|
A (member/membership) of the
Paiute tribe of Nevada, Sarah Winnemuca worked as a guide and an (interpret/interpreter).
(________) (________)
|
16
|
The earth’s (out/outer) shell
is divided into sections called plates, which are (constant/constantly) in motion.
(________) (________)
|
EXERCISE 18.5
Focus: Identifying
errors involving word form problems. (Note:
One or two items in this exercise do not focus on word form errors. These are
marked in the answer key with an asterisk.)
Directions: Decide
which of the four underlined words or phrases —(A), (B), (C), or (D)—would not
be considered correct, and write the letter of the expression in the blank
at the beginning of the sentence. Then, on the line following the sentence,
write the correction for the underlined phrase.
|
___________
|
1
|
Liberal arts colleges cultivate (A) general intellectually (B) abilities (C) rather than
technical or professional
(D) skills.
|
___________
|
2
|
Goats are extremely destruction (A) to natural (B) vegetation (C) and are often
responsible (D) for soil
erosion.
|
___________
|
3
|
Wild (A) plants
were of considerable (B) important (C) to early settlers,
and many are still used medicinally
(D) and as foods.
|
___________
|
4
|
One important branch (A) of linguistics (B) is semantics,
which analysis (C) the meaning (D) of words.
|
___________
|
5
|
Unlike folk dancers (A), which are the product (B) of a single culture (C), ballet is an international (D) art form.
|
___________
|
6
|
The strong (A) of a rope is directly (B) proportional
(C) to its cross-sectional
(D) area.
|
___________
|
7
|
Black bears can move rapidly (A) when necessary (B) and are skilful (C) tree climbers
for their size and weigh (D).
|
___________
|
8
|
In an arboretum, trees are cultivated (A) for scientific (B) and educational (C) purpose (D).
|
___________
|
9
|
In most Western states, the
first major industry (A) was
mining, which was gradually
(B) supplemented (C) by farms (D).
|
___________
|
10
|
Peach trees grow (A) good (B) in a variety of (C) soil types,
but do best in sandy (D) loam.
|
___________
|
11
|
The unit (A) of measuring
(B) called the foot was originally
(C) based on the length (D)
of the human foot.
|
___________
|
12
|
Philosopher (A) Theodore
A. Langerman was interested
(B) in the fields of literary
(C) and music (D).
|
___________
|
13
|
A chemical (A) react
(B) that absorbs (C) heat (D) is called
endothermic.
|
___________
|
14
|
One characteristic (A) of the poems (B) of Emily Dickinson is the sharp (C) of her images
(D).
|
___________
|
15
|
Luther Gulick was a teacher (A) and physician (B) who spent much
of his live (C) promoting
physical fitness (D).
|
___________
|
16
|
A dog should be checked regularly (A) by a
veterinarian to ensure (B)
that it remains (C)
in good healthy (D).
|
___________
|
17
|
Southwestern (A) Boston
is made up of Hyde Park, West Roxbury, and other pleasant (B) residential
(C) neighbors (D).
|
___________
|
18
|
Pure (A) nitric
acid is colorless, but it acquires
(B) a yellow color (C) when
it is exposed of (D) air.
|
___________
|
19
|
Hunting and fishing techniques
were highly developed (A)
among the North American Indians, particularly
(B) in regions where agriculture
(C) was less success (D).
|
___________
|
20
|
Science (A) requires
the careful (B) collect (C) and organization (D) of data.
|
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