Unit 12: Grammar for Editing-II - Subjective Questions

A delayed subject is a grammatical structure in which the real subject is placed after the verb or after an introductory word. The word it is used as a provisional or anticipatory subject at the beginning of the sentence.

• This structure makes the sentence easier to read and understand.
• The real subject is often a long infinitive phrase, gerund phrase, or clause.
• The introductory it does not refer to a particular thing in such sentences.

Examples:

• It is difficult to complete the assignment in one day.
  • Real subject: To complete the assignment in one day
• It surprised everyone that the team won the final match.
  • Real subject: That the team won the final match

The sentences can be rewritten as follows:

• (a) It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• (b) It was unexpected that she rejected the offer.
• (c) It requires careful reading to understand the poem.

In each sentence, it is used as an introductory subject, while the original subject is placed later in the sentence. This arrangement improves fluency because the reader encounters the shorter grammatical subject first.

There can function as an introductory or delayed subject, especially in sentences that state the existence or occurrence of something. The real subject usually follows the verb.

• In existential sentences, there has little or no independent meaning. It introduces the real subject.
• The verb agrees with the real subject that follows it.

Existential there:

• There is a book on the table.
• There are several reasons for the decision.

Locative there:

• In locative usage, there refers to a particular place.
• The students are waiting there.
• Please put the files there.

Thus, existential there introduces the existence of something, whereas locative there indicates a location.

In sentences beginning with existential there, the verb must agree with the real subject that follows it, not with there.

Correct forms:

• (a) There are many reasons for the change.
  • The real subject is many reasons, which is plural.
• (b) There were several errors in the report.
  • The real subject is several errors, which is plural.
• (c) There is a serious problem with the design.
  • The real subject is a serious problem, which is singular.

The pattern is usually there + be + real subject + remaining information. Careful agreement is essential in formal academic writing.

What can introduce a noun clause that functions as the subject of a sentence. The clause beginning with what often means "the thing that" or "the things that."

• The what-clause may appear before the verb as the subject.
• In formal writing, it can also be followed by an anticipatory structure that places the clause later for emphasis or readability.

Examples:

• What the committee decided remains confidential.
• What matters most is the accuracy of the evidence.
• It is unclear what the witness intended to say.

In these examples, what introduces a clause containing its own meaning and grammatical function. For example, what the committee decided means the decision made by the committee.

The three forms have different grammatical functions:

• It: Acts as an anticipatory subject before a long infinitive phrase, gerund phrase, or clause.
  • It is useful to review the evidence.
• There: Introduces the existence or occurrence of a person, object, or event. The real subject follows the verb.
  • There are several explanations for the result.
• What: Introduces a noun clause meaning the thing that or the things that. The entire clause functions as a subject or complement.
  • What she wrote was highly informative.

Therefore, it anticipates a postponed subject, there presents an existing subject, and what introduces a complete noun clause.

A long and winding sentence is a sentence that contains too many ideas, clauses, or interruptions without clear organization. Length alone is not the problem; the difficulty arises when the relationships between ideas become unclear.

Problems caused by such sentences:

• The main point may be hidden.
• Readers may lose track of the subject and verb.
• Unnecessary repetition and wordiness may occur.
• Errors in punctuation and agreement become more likely.

Methods of improvement:

• Identify the main idea and place it in the main clause.
• Remove unnecessary words and repeated information.
• Divide unrelated ideas into separate sentences.
• Use conjunctions, transitions, and punctuation to show logical relationships.
• Place related words close together.

Effective academic writing balances sentence variety with clarity and grammatical control.

One clear revision is:

The students in the advanced course conducted the research project after receiving special training in data collection. Their results were useful to the department because they showed that the new method was more effective.

Reasons for the revision:

• The original sentence contains several relative clauses that make the main idea difficult to follow.
• The students, rather than the project, are the active subject, so the revision uses the active voice.
• The information is divided into two sentences.
• The pronoun their clearly refers to the students and avoids the vague pronoun they.
• The cause-and-effect relationship is retained through because.

Coordination and subordination help writers organize ideas according to their importance and logical relationship.

• Coordination joins ideas of equal importance with coordinating conjunctions such as and, but, or, and so.
  • The sample was small, but the results were consistent.
• Subordination places one idea in a dependent clause and shows that it is less central or logically dependent on another idea.
  • Although the sample was small, the results were consistent.
• Subordinating conjunctions such as because, although, while, if, and when express cause, contrast, time, or condition.

A well-structured long sentence makes the main idea prominent and uses dependent clauses to supply supporting information. Poorly connected clauses can make a sentence confusing or ambiguous.

A long sentence should be divided when it contains several independent ideas, weak or missing connections, excessive subordinate clauses, or a punctuation problem. Division is especially useful when each idea deserves separate emphasis.

Original:
The lecture ended late the students were tired they still stayed to ask questions and the professor answered them patiently.

Revision:
The lecture ended late, and the students were tired. However, they stayed to ask questions. The professor answered them patiently.

The revision improves the passage by:

• Correcting the run-on sentence.
• Giving each major idea an appropriate position.
• Using a conjunction and a transitional word to show the relationship between ideas.
• Making the sequence of events easier to follow.

A short sentence contains relatively few words and usually expresses one clear main idea. Short sentences are valuable when they are used deliberately as part of a varied writing style.

They are particularly effective when:

• Introducing the central claim of an argument.
• Emphasizing an important result or conclusion.
• Clarifying a complicated explanation after a long sentence.
• Presenting a definition or instruction.
• Creating a clear transition between paragraphs or stages of an argument.
• Drawing attention to a contrast or warning.

For example: The evidence is inconclusive. This short sentence communicates the conclusion directly. However, academic writers should avoid making every sentence short, because excessive short sentences can make prose sound disconnected or mechanical.

Short and long sentences serve different purposes in effective academic writing.

• Short sentences are direct, easy to process, and useful for emphasis. They can state a claim or conclusion clearly.
• Long sentences can express complex relationships, qualifications, evidence, and explanations in one grammatical structure.
• Short sentences may become choppy if used repeatedly.
• Long sentences may become confusing if they contain too many unrelated ideas or poorly arranged clauses.

Sentence variety is important because it:

• Maintains reader attention.
• Creates a natural rhythm.
• Allows simple ideas to be stated directly.
• Allows complex ideas to be developed accurately.
• Helps writers control emphasis and logical focus.

A strong paragraph may combine a longer sentence that explains evidence with a short sentence that highlights its significance.

One effective revision is:

The policy was introduced in January to reduce waste at the university. Many students were uncertain about its requirements, and some departments did not provide clear instructions. Nevertheless, the amount of waste decreased by the end of the semester.

Editing decisions:

• The original sentence is divided into three sentences because it contains several complete ideas.
• The purpose of the policy is expressed concisely with to reduce waste.
• The second sentence uses coordination to connect two related problems.
• The short final sentence emphasizes the important result.
• Nevertheless clearly signals contrast between the difficulties and the positive outcome.

Parallelism is the use of the same grammatical form for two or more words, phrases, or clauses that have the same function in a sentence.

Parallelism improves writing by:

• Making related ideas easier to compare.
• Creating balance and rhythm.
• Preventing grammatical confusion.
• Making lists and arguments more concise.

Examples:

• Non-parallel: The course aims to improve writing, critical thinking, and students' ability to research.

• Parallel: The course aims to improve writing, critical thinking, and research skills.

• Non-parallel: She enjoys reading, to write, and discussing literature.

• Parallel: She enjoys reading, writing, and discussing literature.

• Non-parallel: The experiment was carefully designed, efficiently conducted, and produced useful results.

• Parallel: The experiment was carefully designed, efficiently conducted, and thoroughly evaluated.

The corrected sentences are:

• (a) The researcher collected the data, analyzed the results, and wrote a report.
  • The three verbs now have the same active form: collected, analyzed, and wrote.
• (b) The objectives are to improve accuracy, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.
  • All three items are infinitive phrases beginning with to.
• (c) The course teaches students how to read critically, write effectively, and speak confidently.
  • The three verbs following how to are in the base form.

Parallel structures ensure that items performing the same grammatical function are expressed in the same form.

Parallelism is especially important when two ideas are compared. The grammatical forms on both sides of the comparison should be equivalent.

Incorrect sentence:
Studying in a library is more productive than to study in a noisy cafeteria.

Correct sentence:
Studying in a library is more productive than studying in a noisy cafeteria.

Both sides of the comparison now use gerund phrases: studying in a library and studying in a noisy cafeteria.

Another possible correction is:

It is more productive to study in a library than to study in a noisy cafeteria.

Here, both sides use infinitive phrases. The main principle is to compare equivalent grammatical structures.

Correlative conjunctions connect elements that should have the same grammatical form and function. Faulty parallelism occurs when the paired elements are structurally different.

Examples and corrections:

• Faulty: The student is interested not only in grammar but also wants to study rhetoric.

• Correct: The student is interested not only in grammar but also in rhetoric.

• Faulty: The project will either increase efficiency or the costs will decrease.

• Correct: The project will either increase efficiency or decrease costs.

• Faulty: She is responsible for both collecting the data and the analysis of the results.

• Correct: She is responsible for both collecting the data and analyzing the results.

Parallelism makes the relationship between the paired elements clear and prevents the reader from misinterpreting the sentence structure.

Delayed subjects can prevent a long subject clause from appearing at the beginning of a sentence, while parallelism can make items within that clause grammatically balanced.

Original sentence:
That students should read widely, developing their vocabulary, and they should learn to evaluate sources is important.

Improved sentence:
It is important for students to read widely, develop their vocabulary, and learn to evaluate sources.

Explanation:

• It delays the longer subject and makes the opening easier to process.
• The three coordinated verbs, read, develop, and learn, are parallel.
• The unnecessary repeated subject and verb phrase have been removed.
• The revised sentence is concise, grammatical, and suitable for academic writing.

One clear revision is:

There are several reasons why the proposal was rejected. First, it was too expensive. Second, it was difficult to implement. Third, it did not provide enough evidence.

A more compact revision is:

There are several reasons why the proposal was rejected: it was too expensive, difficult to implement, and insufficiently supported by evidence.

Editing decisions:

• The original comma splice is corrected by dividing the passage or using a colon.
• The list is made parallel by using equivalent descriptive phrases.
• The introductory there correctly presents the existence of several reasons.
• Short sentences are used in the first version to emphasize each reason separately.

The main stages in editing a long academic sentence are:

• Find the main subject and verb: Identify the central grammatical structure.
• Separate essential and non-essential information: Decide which details are necessary for the main point.
• Check logical relationships: Use conjunctions and transitions to show cause, contrast, sequence, or condition.
• Remove repetition and vague references: Replace unclear pronouns and unnecessary phrases.
• Check sentence boundaries: Correct run-on sentences, fragments, and comma splices.
• Check parallelism: Ensure that items in lists and comparisons have matching grammatical forms.
• Read the revised sentence aloud: Confirm that the sentence is clear and appropriately paced.

For example, a sentence containing four unrelated clauses may be revised by retaining the main claim in one sentence and moving supporting details into a second sentence. This process improves both accuracy and readability.