How often do you read the outside of food containers while you’re eating or shopping, and notice a grammatical error?

Please read below for the ones I’ve found, so far:

  • Defining the problem: In this sentence, there is no “article”, or “determiner” that is connecting the subject “we” and the noun “size.” 

    • For example, the following sentence (with just a subject and noun) is not a correct sentence - “I am youngest one.”

    • We must add a determiner (for that previous example, the article/determiner would be “the”) to the sentence; to make it a complete sentence - “I am the youngest one.” 

  • To fix it: Therefore, the two best edits to the originally mentioned sentence are either “We are the actual size”, or “We’re the actual size.”

Error: “We’re actual size!”

Error: “The sugar in figs can move over time to the surface, giving an off-white color.”

  • Defining the problem: The text is a little displaced, and sounds awkward.  In it, we can see that there is a clause between the verb “move” and the preposition of movement “to the surface.” 

    • “Over time” is more of an explanation of the moving sugar, and makes the most sense to have it after the movement of the sugar is already explained.

  • To fix it: Therefore, the best edit to this sentence is: “Over time, the natural sugar in figs can move to the surface, giving an off-white color.

Error: “For a fresher & cleaner mouth than brushing alone.”

  • Defining the problem: The prepositional phrase “for a fresher & cleaner mouth” isn’t followed by a conjunction or conjunctive adverb, to compare that phrase with the following “than brushing alone.”

    • The second predicate (brushing alone) does have both a subject (the person/thing who is brushing) and a verb (brushing), but there is no complete connection between these two predicates within this sentence. 

    • It needs more of an establishment of a connection, which is why adding “rather than,” now makes a complete sentence.

  • To fix it: Therefore, the best edit to this sentence is: “For a fresher & cleaner mouth, rather than brushing alone.”

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Social Media, Grammatical Errors