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Detailed explanation of English grammatical problem

1.) Articles the; a; an When you are discussing a very "real" and "definite" thing in English, you usually need to use the . For example; "The last train had already left". In the preceding sentence, ""last train" is very specific; "the" refers to one and only one train...the "last train"... On the other hand, the sentence, "A train will be along very soon" uses the "indefinite article a " because "train" is not a specific train, but just some train...e.g. it could be a local train; an express train but it isn't "the last train" or "the next train". In English, also, we rarely use articles with peoples names (proper names)..."John Smith married Princess Pocahantas"...on the other hand, the preceding sentence could read "He married the princess" (when you or the reader knows "who" the "princess" is (e.g. "the princess" has been introduced earlier in the story...or it is common knowledge...e.g. Prince Charles divorced the princess. (e.g. Diana). But the sentence "He married a princess" tells the reader that "He" did get married...and he did marry "a" princess...but we do not know "who" the princess was, definitely. When you refer to a nation, you usually do not use an article; e.g. "Great Britain is a beautiful country".."France is famous for its romantic history"...but "The U.S. (The United States)" is an exception to this rule...as was "The USSR" but now it is just "Russia". When referring to a nation's people; as in "Japanese" "French" "Americans" "Russians', you usually use "the"...of course, since life isn't simple, there are exceptions to this rule. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

2.) Don't start sentences with conjunctions (and; or; but)". ** It is a bad habit to begin sentences with conjunctions such as "and", "but" etc. Conjunctions are supposed to be used to connect two sentences together. For example; "She went home but the lights were out." The preceding are 2 sentences but they are related. It is possible to write them as "She went home. The lights were out." Using the conjunction "and" is better than making 2 sentences. Sometimes, it is ok to use "and" or "but" to start a sentence. This is especially true when the writer wants to demonstrate "surprise" such as the following: "They gave me a wonderful surprise birthday party. And, I was really surprised!" "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

3.) Use simple sentences **The primary purpose of the written language in business is to "communicate". You cannot successfully communicate if you use extremely complex sentences. It is almost always better to use "simple sentences" in order to communicate. For example, the sentence "Our subsequent year conceptual intentions haven't been fully contemplated at this point in time." What exactly is this sentence trying to say? It would be better to say something like "We haven't decided what we are going to do next year". The former, complex sentence uses overly complex words to actually "hide" the meaning from the general reader. This is often a common habit ... especially in the professions such as Law. "the price of housing and land pricing has become less expensive" is too long. This should be written "the price of housing and land pricing has become less expensive". When you have connected related items, simplify as shown! "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

4.) Avoid unused words...don't show off **"The teacher watched the 3rd grade student squirming in his chair and asked, 'John, do you need to relieve your troubled and distended intestines?' John looked troubled. He didn't understand. But Kiyoko, who was an excellent student leaned over to John and whispered, 'Do you have to go to the bathroom?' John smiled and ran out of the room." In the preceding sentence, the teacher used words that were too difficult for the listener to understand. If you have a choice between a complex, relatively unused word and a more commonly understandable word, you should choose the simpler word in 99% of the cases. Again, remember that even if your grammar is imperfect, the reader can often understand what you are trying to say if the "words" are understandable. As students of English as a Second Language, you will just make your life more difficult if you try and use "correct grammar" combined with very sophisticated vocabulary. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

5.) Explain Japanese language terms in English **Unfortunately, everyone in the world doesn't understand Japanese. When you are writing for an "international audience", you need to explain, very clearly, what any Japanese terms mean in English (or French, if you are writing in French). Otherwise, the reader will become very frustrated with your writing and not completely understand. This statement does need to be qualified. For example, "sushi" and "judo" are fairly common terms in the United States. However, they may not be so common if you are writing to readers who have little or no experience with things Japanese (e.g. Bosnians, Turks, eastern Europeans etc.). You must think about the readers. It is generally a good idea to define "all" of your terms, at least once in your report. For example, "The Japanese love to eat fish. They often eat sushi which is either raw or sometimes lightly cooked." The former sentence defines "sushi" in the context of the sentence. Sometimes, the definition needs to be very explicit (clearly stated). "Since 1995 the "Jusen" problem has plagued Japan". This sentence leaves the reader with the question "What is "Jusen". So you, as the writer, need to define what "Jusen" means in the clearest terms. e.g.: "Since 1995 the "Jusen" problem has plagued Japan. The "Jusen problem" is a real estate investment scandal involving major real estate investment companies and banks in Japan." The preceeding sentence focuses the reader on "what" the "Jusen" problem is in simple, direct terms. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

6.) Do not mix "singular" and "plural" **"There is book, tables and plates all over the room". In the preceeding sentence, the verb "is" is the singular of "to be"...but "tables-plates" are plural. "There is a book and there are some tables and plates all over the room." is better. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

7.) Be careful of "tenses" e.g. past .. present **"Suzuki-san go to America last year and visit his mother". This is a common mistake. The sentence refers to a "past action" but the sentence uses the present tense "go" "visit". The sentence should read "Suzuki-san went to American last year and visited his mother". This is a very common mistake. It makes a report difficult and confusing to read. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

8.) Be careful if you make "categorical (absolute)" statements **A "categorical statement" is a very dangerous type of statement. Most "categorical statements" have some basis in truth but usually they are misleading. For example, "Hitler said that "the Jews caused all of the problems in Germany". In this sentence "the Jews" are not seen as individuals but as a "fixed group". The "Jews" have lost their individuality and become a "category". The statement is false but very dangerous. Evidently, the Aum Shinrikyo leader Asahara Shoko also used "categorical statements" to lead his followers to destroy "modern society" which Aum considered to be "categorically" corrupt. If you make a "categorical statement" such as "Americans are meat eaters", you need to provide a lot of evidence for that statement and then qualify (limit) the statement. There are many Americans who have chosen to become vegetarians. Many Japanese-Americans maintain a traditional Japanese diet which has less "meat" and more "fish". The problem with a "categorical" statement is that it stops you from "thinking" and, if accepted 100% by the reader is, actually, a lie. The world is too complex for "categorical statements" to be completely true. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

9.) Use the verb "to have" correctly **This verb is often used incorrectly. "I have; You have; He/she/it has; We have; They have;....Often many of you wrote, "He have a big horse". Notice, that in the 3rd person, "to have" becomes "has"..."He has a big horse". The past tense of this verb : I had; you had; he/she/it had; we had; they had is simpler...The verb is the same. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

10.) Avoid unnecessary phrases **"As we can see, there was a major earthquake in Kobe in 1995". The phrase "As we can see" is totally unnecessary. The sentence "There was a major earthquake in Kobe in 1995"...tells the reader what happened. The additional phrase "As we can see" is unnecessary. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

11.) Use computer tools such as MS-WORD "spellcheck" **Since you are working with a sophisticated word processing system "MS-WORD", learn to use the tools provided within the word processing product. MS-WORD has a built-in "spell check". If you use this tool, you will avoid having most of your misspellings in your document. It is estimated that spellcheck finds 90%+ of the errors. Most of you can probably read the correct word if you see it. Some of your reports were filled with many spelling mistakes. Spelling mistakes, more than bad grammar, give a very bad impression to the reader. Use the tool. In addition to "spellcheck", there is also a "thesaurus" (a tool that lists similar meaning words) and a "grammar check". You may find these tools useful, also. In addition to MS-WORD, there are other word processing systems such as "WORDPERFECT" that also have similar functions. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

12.) Use conjunctions such as "and" when connecting items **"John saw Paris from his train window and he remembered Francis." In the preceding case "and" is used to connect the "fact" of John looking out of the train window with the "thought" that came into his mind because of this action. This is probably better than "John saw Paris from his train window. He remember Francis". Without the conjunction "and", the close relationship between these two sentences is not so clear. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

13.) Remember, this is a team paper..avoid "I" **Do not use "I" in a team paper. Use "We" if you must make a statement such as "We felt that the Jusen problem was beyond the immediate control of the current government". However, it is preferable in a business document or professional document to leave out the 1st person "I" or "We". Just say what you mean. The preceding sentence could have been stated as follows: "The Jusen problem was beyond the immediate control of the current government" or the more impersonal "It was felt that the Jusen problem......etc." Keep the report impersonal! It is not an "I" novel. Notice the difference in style: "I came home at 5:00 and found them both dead"....written as an "I" novel. The same statement in a police report "He said he came home at 5:00 and found both of them were dead". "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

14.) Don't put your name in the report **Again, since this is a team paper, don't put your name in the "body of the report". It is all right to sign the report as a group. You are all responsible for the entire report, not only the section that you wrote. If one of the "team members" doesn't help, then that "team member" should not sign his name. When President Clinton makes a speech, he usually doesn't write the actual speech. He has "speechwriters" create the speech for him. When you write a business report or "group or team" document, the entire document is the responsibility of the entire group...not just you! The document should read as if it were written by one person. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

15.) Capitalize personal names, countries, place names **"Japan" not "japan"; "Jones" not "jones"; "France" not "france"; "Miles Wachner" not "miles wachner"; "President Clinton"; not "President clinton" or "president clinton" or "President clinton". .. "Professor Kohyama"..not "professor Kohyama"...Be very careful with this, especially with proper names, because, depending on the reader, you may, by accident, insult someone by not capitalizing their name. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

16.) Don't try and send Japanese "double-byte" characters through e-mail **Some of you tried to send "double-byte" Japanese Kanji; Hiragana; Katakana etc." through the e-mail. In most cases, the person who receives your e-mail will not be able to read the Japanese because most of the computers, worldwide, only support "single-byte" characters. Therefore, the reader will see something like "#%$@#3" instead of the Japanese you wished to send. If you know that the e-mail reader has a Japanese system, then, you can send e-mail in Japanese (double-byte). However, in most international e-mail transactions, you must assume the e-mail receiver DOES NOT have a Japanese language system on his computer. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

17.) Only talk about your research results..not how you researched **The reader doesn't want to know that "We researched this topic at the library and by reading lots of magazines." Just tell the reader what you have found during your research, not how you found it. If you want to point to a particular book, magazine article, Internet address or some other source, you can use either a footnote identifying the source (at the bottom of the page or listed on the last page) or you can put the source in parentheses as follows "According to the judge report (Judge Carlson report p. 20, 1988; Honolulu Supreme Court #2). However, placing sources in parentheses "()" is difficult to read and should generally be either avoided or very limited. "Goback to list of grammatical corrections "Go to bottom of page and to pointers to other areas

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