Module 5 Common Errors

[AjAlan]

Good morning, Students,

The marking of Module 5 Task 4 will be finished shortly. All scores will be uploaded early next week.

In the meantime, while you're waiting, take a look at the following sentences and try to correct some of the common errors I found in grammar and sentence structure while marking this assignment.

1. Nakhon Si Thammarat is a big province in the southern of Thailand, about 780 km from Bangkok.
2. You can see that there are many attractions waiting for you to visit in Thailand, but we are proudly to present our hometown in Amnat Charoen, and Prachuabkirikhan province.
3. First, stop by province named Lopburi.
4. By the way, these are information of some parts about our homeland and our hometowns however, we’d like you to touch them by yourself.
5. Whether it is a plane, train, bus, car that is ready to serve almost every province in Thailand
6. There are reasons why Thailand is the top choice for traveler, it is because you always get what you want, you just need to know where to get it.

Feel free to respond to this post with your suggested corrections. Good luck!

I will provide my corrections, comments, and explanations next Wednesday.

Best wishes,
Aj. Alan

[Schicksal]

Good evening Ajarn Alan,

Thank you for the exercises. I tried to correct them and came up with the following suggested sentences.

1. Nakhon Si Thammarat is a large province in the South of Thailand and about 780 km from Bangkok.
2. Although there are a lot of attractions and places to visit in Thailand, we proudly present our hometowns, Amnat Charoen and Prachuab Khiri Khan provinces.
3. First, you can stop by a province named Lop Buri.
4. By the way, this information is just about our hometowns, some parts of our homeland, where we would like you to come and explore.
5. Whether by plane, train, bus or car you can visit almost every province in Thailand.
6. There are many reasons why Thailand is the top choice for travellers. One of them is that you can get anything you need here if you know the place to get it.

Have a nice evening

[AjAlan]

Here are some suggested corrections for the following sentences that address some common writing errors found in your previous assignment. Please note that in most cases there is more than one way to correct a writing error.

1. Nakhon Si Thammarat is a big province in the southern of Thailand, about 780 km from Bangkok.
Correction: Nakhon Si Thammarat, about 780 km from Bangkok, is a big province in southern Thailand.
The distance from Bangkok is a nonessential clause, so you can insert it in between the main clause. When you are giving a general directional term, there is no need to use the definite article "the," so you need only say "southern Thailand." Remember, too, your writing should be concise, so always think of ways to write each sentence with as few words as possible.

2. You can see that there are many attractions waiting for you to visit in Thailand, but we are proudly to present our hometown in Amnat Charoen, and Prachuabkirikhan province.
Correction: The first clause is fine. The second clause (after the comma) needs a bit of attention. Firstly, you might consider using the conjunction "and" because you mention there are many places for tourists to visit in Thailand AND you want want to highlight your hometowns; however, this is not a major issue. Secondly, the correct structure is "...are proud to present" OR "proudly present..." (no "to be" verb). Thirdly, you mention two places, so you must match singular with singular and plural with plural: our (plural) + hometowns (plural) and Amnat Charoen and Prachuabkirikhan (two locations), plural + Provinces (plural). Also, when you are only listing two places, you do not need a comma to separate them.

3. First, stop by province named Lopburi.
Correction: First, stop by the province called Lopburi. There were MANY sentences like this one! I see no major problems with this sentence, but a bit of polishing is necessary. 1) Thailand is made up of many provinces; only one is called Lopburi, so you can use the definite article "the." However, with people not familiar with Thailand's provinces, you can also use the indefinite article "a." Regarding the verb, "named" is fine but "called" is more accurate. Traditionally, only people have names; places and things are "called" something. However, both "named" and "called" are acceptable in contemporary English.

4. By the way, these are information of some parts about our homeland and our hometowns however, we’d like you to touch them by yourself.
Correction: We are giving some information about some parts of ourhomeland and hometowns, but we'd like you to experience them yourselves.
Firstly, information is not countable, so it doesn't go with a plural verb. Secondly, when talking about traveling to other places around the world, you discuss your travel experiences in those places. You would use touch for a specific object, not place. For example, you could say, "I loved my traveling experiernce in Thailand" OR "When I traveled to Thailand, I went to an island and touched a lot of the seaweed I found there." Do you see the difference?

5. Whether it is a plane, train, bus, car that is ready to serve almost every province in Thailand
Correction. This is structured in such a way that it is not a complete sentence. You might say, "Whether it is by plane, train, bus, or car, any mode of transportation can take you to almost every province you want to visit in Thailand." Isn't that clearer? Also, if written this way, it is a complete sentence. Lastly, remember to end your sentences with a period.

6. There are reasons why Thailand is the top choice for traveler, it is because you always get what you want, you just need to know where to get it.
Correction: Firstly, you have two comma splices here. You can replace the commas with stronger punctuation (periods or semicolons). Also, it is quite vague. What does this sentence mean? You need to make every sentence say something specific and important, especially since your writing assignments are quite short. You do not have the ability to waste words.

[pawatb]

Thank you for your message kab.