Syntax refers to the arrangement of words in a sentence. In English, the sentence will be confusing if the syntax, or arrangement, is incorrect. Here are some common syntax errors to avoid:
Dangling Modifiers
Modifiers, like adjectives and adverbs, must be placed so that readers understand the words they modify. Modifiers are “dangling” when they do not clearly modify any word in the sentence.
Dangling Modifier: Speaking with a clear and reassuring tone, the students felt encouraged by the teacher’s directions.
This sentence is incorrect since the students (who are the audience) are not speaking with a clear and reassuring tone – the teacher is.
Revised: Speaking with a clear and reassuring tone, the teacher encouraged the students with her directions.
Split Infinitives
Split Infinitives occur when a modifier is placed between “to” and the base form of the verb in an infinitive (to specifically avoid). Separating the verb can make the sentence wordy and hard to follow.
Split Infinitive: Professional basketball players are expected to rigorously practice every day.
Separating to practice with rigorously creates a split infinitive.
Revised: Professional basketball players are expected to practice rigorously every day.
Faulty Parallelism
Keep sentence structure parallel to clearly show connections among different elements. Faulty parallelism occurs when the grammatical structure changes within a sentence.
Faulty Parallelism: The governor’s goals include winning another term, pension reform, and universal preschool.
The parallelism is faulty since the structure changes from featuring a verb, “winning” to nouns, “pension reform.” Add a verb before each listed item to make this sentence parallel.
Revised: The governor’s goals include winning another term, enacting pension reform, and securing universal preschool.
Unclear Pronoun Reference
All pronouns need to have a clear referent (noun). Otherwise, the subject will be unclear.
Unclear Pronoun Reference: This is why educational reform is needed.
This does not refer to a noun. Include a clear referent after the pronoun “This.”
Revised: This decline in the high school graduation rate is why educational reform is needed.
Guide created by: C. Jones 4/12/2021
Revised by: B. McCoid 1/22/2024
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