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English for Academic Studies (Workshop) Session 3: Common ESL Errors II

Semester 1, 2009/10 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 otherjurisdictions, 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 ofthem. Anyone who has ever

his or her him or her 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 isnecessary. 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 Orbiss

medical volunteers and they will be involved in the post-operative consultations in the

coming weekend.

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English for Academic Studies (Workshop) Session 3: Common ESL Errors II

Semester 1, 2009/10 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) themistake(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 thathalf-eaten dish.

an

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

he

3. My brothers son, in a way resembling many young kids, believes in everything theycomes across in tabloids.

you your

4. If you want to take leave during the Lunar New Year, they had better indicatetheirwish as soon as possible.

5. Even with the most effective tattoo removal procedure, a persons skin can hardly beits

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 ontwentieth-century life.

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English for Academic Studies (Workshop) Session 3: Common ESL Errors II

Semester 1, 2009/10 PolyU HKCC

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

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 downplayproblems 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 ) in the blanks. There can bemore 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? Their performance suggested that they

uncertainly didn't deserve our tipping.

3. Christina wanted to purchase a gift for her grandmother, but she ended up buyingthings for herself.

4. I know Galens character. He will not like to share problems with others.However, he wouldn't mind mentioning his problems once they were resolved.

5. Would you like a or 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 herbirthday. She is glad that her parents gave itto her fora 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

8/14/2019 Workshop Session 3 Common ESL Errors II Key

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English for Academic Studies (Workshop) Session 3: Common ESL Errors II

Semester 1, 2009/10 PolyU HKCC

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

other, Dr Killah retrieved a replica of Micheles 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.