Top 6 Best 'Correcting Expression Errors' Lessons for Grade 8

Exercise 1

a) In a sentence with the structure “A and B are different,” logically, A and B should belong to the same category, where B is a broader term and A is a narrower one.

In this case, A (clothes, shoes) and B (school supplies) are two different categories, and B does not encompass A.

Possible correction:

- We helped the students in flood-affected areas with clothes, shoes, and school supplies.

- We assisted students in flood-stricken areas with clothes, shoes, and various other household items.

- We provided students in the flood zones with stationery, books, and additional school supplies.

b) In a sentence with the structure “A in general and B in particular,” logically, A must be a broader term than B.

In this case, it doesn’t apply. A possible correction:

- Among young people in general and university students in particular, passion is a key factor in success.

- In sports in general and football in particular, passion is an important factor for success.

c) In a sentence with the structure “A, B, and C” (elements in a parallel relationship), A, B, and C should all belong to the same vocabulary field, expressing concepts in the same category.

Here, Lão Hạc, Bước đường cùng, and Ngô Tất Tố do not belong to the same vocabulary field. Lão Hạc and Bước đường cùng are book titles, while Ngô Tất Tố is an author’s name.

A corrected version could be:

- 'Lão Hạc,' 'Bước đường cùng,' and 'Tắt đèn' have helped us deeply understand the lives of Vietnamese farmers before the August 1945 Revolution.

- Nam Cao, Nguyễn Công Hoan, and Ngô Tất Tố helped us better understand the plight of Vietnamese farmers before the August 1945 Revolution.

d) In a question with the structure “A or B?”, A and B should not have a broad-narrow relationship with each other, meaning A does not encompass B and vice versa.

Here, A (intellectual) is a broader term that includes B (doctor). A corrected version could be:

- Do you want to become an intellectual or a sailor?

- Do you want to become a teacher or a doctor?

e) In a sentence with the structure “not only A but also B,” logically, A and B should not have a broad-narrow relationship with each other.

Here, A (artistic) encompasses B (elegance in language) in the artistic value of a literary work.

A possible correction:

- The poem is not only artistically beautiful but also refined in its content.

- The poem is not only excellent in structure but also sophisticated in its language.

- The poem is excellent in art in general, and particularly sharp in its language.

f) In this sentence, the characteristics of the two objects being described are not expressed with terms belonging to the same vocabulary field, nor do they oppose each other in a single category (tall and thin, wearing a checkered shirt).

A logical correction might be:

- On the train platform, only two people remained, one tall and thin, the other short and plump.

- On the platform, two people were left. One was wearing a plain white shirt, and the other had a checkered shirt.

g) Here, a conjunction should connect the clauses with a cause-and-effect relationship between them, but no such relationship exists between 'Chị Dậu is hardworking' and 'she loves her family dearly.'

A corrected version might be:

- Chị Dậu is hardworking, diligent, and deeply loves her family.

h) In this sentence, the two parts cannot be linked with 'if...then' as they do not fit logically.

A possible correction:

- If we do not promote the virtues of the past, modern Vietnamese women will not be able to accomplish their glorious and heavy duties.

i) In sentences with the structure “both... and,” the conjunctions should logically connect elements of the same type.

A correction might be: 'Smoking is both harmful to health and costly.'

Exercise 2

Students should practice identifying and correcting errors in their own or their peers’ written work.

They can spot logical errors in essays they or their classmates have written and correct them accordingly.

1. Exercise 1, pages 127-128, Textbook.

Answer:

a) In a list where the pattern is 'A and B are different,' B should belong to the same category as A. For example, in a meal, 'meat and fish' are both food items. If B does not belong to the same category as A, it should not be listed explicitly but rather in a general way, such as 'other items' or 'things of a different category than A.'

In this exercise, do clothes and shoes belong to the same category as school supplies? Answering this question correctly will help identify and fix the logical error in the sentence. There are two ways to correct this as shown in the example above.

b) When writing a sentence with the pattern 'A in general and B specifically,' A and B must belong to the same category, and the meaning of A (general) should be broader than that of B (specific): A should encompass B or B should be included within A. For example, the term 'youth' refers to a broad group (a generation), while 'football' refers to a specific sport, which does not match logically. Hence, 'youth' (general) cannot encompass 'football' (specific).

If the term 'youth' is to be retained, it is necessary to find a narrower subset within this group that fits a specific activity requiring passion, such as students (passionate about studying or research).

If you wish to keep 'football' as the specific term, consider using another term that fits a broader category, such as volleyball, table tennis, or sports.

c) 'Lao Hac' is the title of a short story by Nam Cao, where the main character is an elderly man named Hac. 'Bước đường cùng' is the title of a novel by Nguyễn Công Hoan, with the main character being Pha. 'Ngô Tất Tố' is the author of 'Tắt đèn,' which features the character Anh Dậu. All three works discuss the lives of peasants before the August Revolution of 1945.

When listing, the principle of similarity must be followed: either list the main characters, the titles of the works, or the authors. For example: 'Lao Hac, Pha, Dậu' or 'Lao Hac, Bước đường cùng, Tắt đèn.'

d) In a question choosing between two items, such as 'A or B,' both items should belong to the same category, but there must be some difference between A and B, however small, sometimes based on the chooser’s preferences. For example, two pairs of shoes with different colors can also be a basis for choice.

In this example, 'doctor' is a subset within the broader category 'intellectuals,' and these two groups are related in a way similar to how 'students' relate to 'youth' in the previous example. Thus, a proper selection must be made between two groups that are equally categorized, such as engineer or teacher.

e) The mistake in this example is similar to the one in point b, where the principle of logical relationship is violated. In the phrase 'good in terms of art' naturally includes 'sharp in terms of language,' making the latter redundant.

g) The mistake in this example is that a thin person could also wear a plaid shirt, meaning the distinguishing factor is not strong enough to make the difference clear. This error is similar to the one in point d, where there is a logical problem with the choice between two items.

To correct this, a contrasting group to the thin person should be selected, such as a 'fat person.' The terms 'thin' and 'fat' contrast strongly enough to distinguish two people. Students can attempt to find a contrasting description for 'wearing a plaid shirt.'

h) The sentence in point h violates logical reasoning: being diligent and hardworking does not necessarily imply loving one’s family. Hard work and diligence only serve to avoid poverty, not guarantee affection for family.

i) The sentence in point i contains logical ambiguity, specifically in these two aspects:

- Not all the positive traits of people (women) from the past are necessary for today’s Vietnamese women to accomplish the glorious and heavy tasks. Only specific virtues are useful in achieving particular tasks.

- The glorious and heavy tasks are things that must be done, so if someone possesses the virtue of diligence, they can perform tasks requiring this quality, such as 'having the ability to perform these glorious and heavy tasks,' not just 'having something to do.'

This type of sentence is vague and unclear. It needs to be rewritten to express the ideas more clearly, as described above.

k) The sentence in point k also violates logical reasoning by not distinguishing between the levels of relationships.

The correct reasoning should be: Smoking is one of the causes of harm to health, and poor health is one of the causes of reduced life expectancy. This reasoning involves two levels, which can be broken down as follows:

- Smoking harms health.

- Poor health reduces life expectancy.

To fix the mistake, we need to reconsider the use of 'both.' Using 'both' creates a simultaneous relationship ('at the same time'), but it does not show the hierarchical relationship as explained above.

2. Exercise 2, page 128, Textbook.

Answer:

Refer to Exercise 1 to complete this exercise.

Question 3: Do the following sentences have expression errors? Why?

a) In addition to using the wrong word, this sentence also has many expression errors.

b) Whether in the field of short stories or prose, he made outstanding contributions.

Answer:

a) Sentence a does not have expression errors.

b) Sentence b contains an expression error because the word 'whether' suggests a contrast between the two clauses.

Question 1, 8th grade textbook, page 127

Identify and correct the errors.

a)

Clothes and shoes are everyday items, and they do not belong in the category of school supplies.

Correction: We have assisted students in flood-affected areas with clothing, footwear, and other daily necessities.

b)

Young people refer to a group of young individuals, while football is a sport. These two concepts do not match. Within the category of youth, there are students, soldiers, etc., while in football, there are coaches and players.

Correction:

Passion is a key factor in success for both youth in general and students specifically.

Passion in football, along with the youthful enthusiasm, is a key factor in success.

c)

'Lao Hac' and 'Bước đường cùng' are two critical realist works from Vietnamese literature during 1930 - 1945, and they are not by the same author, Ngô Tất Tố.

Correction: 'Lao Hac' by Nam Cao, 'Bước đường cùng' by Nguyễn Công Hoan, and 'Tắt đèn' by Ngô Tất Tố... helped [...].

d)

When there is a choice between A or B, A and B must have a parallel relationship without one encompassing the other. The sentence violates this rule because 'doctor' is a type of 'intellectual.'

Correction: Do you want to become an engineer or a doctor?

e)

This mistake is similar to that in part d: Art encompasses language.

Correction: The poem is not only beautiful in its artistic elements but also profound in its ideological content.

g)

The speaker intends to contrast two people’s appearances, but they are not comparing the same category: 'tall and thin' refers to body type, while 'plaid shirt' refers to clothing.

Correction: On the train platform, only two people remain. One is tall and thin, while the other is short and fat.

h)

The connector 'so' implies a cause-and-effect relationship. However, 'great love for her husband and children' is not a direct result of 'diligence and perseverance.'

Correction:

Mrs. Dậu is hardworking, diligent, and deeply loves her family.

Mrs. Dậu is compassionate and loyal, which is why she loves her family so dearly.

i)

The pair 'If - then' is used to indicate a condition-result relationship. However, 'good qualities' do not directly lead to 'glorious and heavy duties.'

Correction:

If the admirable qualities of women in the past are not upheld, women in Vietnam today will not deserve the eight golden words awarded by President Hồ Chí Minh: 'Heroic, indomitable, loyal, and capable.'

If the positive qualities of women from the past are not fully realized, Vietnamese women today will not be able to shoulder such glorious and heavy responsibilities.

k)

When a sentence expresses a parallel relationship with both A and B, A and B must be on the same level without one encompassing the other. The original sentence violates this because 'decreased life expectancy' implies that 'damage to health' has already occurred.

Correction: Smoking harms both your health and the health of those around you.

Exercise 1 (Page 127, 8th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2)

a) In the given sentence, school supplies do not belong with clothing and shoes, so it should be corrected to:

- We assisted students in the flood-affected areas with clothing, shoes, and school supplies.

- We assisted students in the flood-affected areas with clothing, shoes, and various other everyday items.

b) The sentence uses a general term A and a specific term B, but they should belong to the same category. Correct it as follows:

- Young people in general, students in particular, passion is a crucial factor leading to success.

- In general, sports, and specifically football, passion is an essential element for success.

c) 'Lao Hac' and 'Bước đường cùng' are works, while Ngô Tất Tố is the author. These two concepts cannot be used together as the subject. Correct it as:

- 'Lao Hac', 'Bước đường cùng', and 'Tắt đèn' helped us understand the plight of farmers before the August 1945 revolution.

d) 'Intellectual' already encompasses the meaning of 'doctor'. The corrected sentence should be:

- Do you want to become an engineer or a doctor?

e) 'Art' includes the meaning of the word 'language'. The sentence should be corrected to:

- The above poem is not only excellent in its artistic quality but also sharp in its content.

g) One person is described as tall and thin (body type), while another is described by wearing a plaid shirt (clothing), which are two different categories. Correct it as:

- Only two people are left at the train station. One is tall and thin, while the other is short and chubby.

h) 'Diligence' and 'hard work' are the causes of love for the family, so 'so' cannot be used. The correction is:

- Mrs. Dậu is hardworking and diligent, and she loves her family deeply.

i) The 'If... then' structure represents a condition-result relationship, but here it cannot express that because good qualities do not directly lead to 'glorious and heavy duties'.

- If the admirable qualities of the past are not promoted, Vietnamese women today will not be able to accomplish such glorious and heavy duties.

k) When a sentence expresses a pairwise relationship of both A and B, A and B must have a parallel structure, not one encompassing the other. The corrected sentence is:

- Smoking harms your health and wastes money.

Exercise 2: Here are some examples of incorrect sentences. Students should attempt to correct them:

- (1) The objective reality shows that success can only be achieved through learning from mistakes and overcoming early failures.

- (2) Because the 'Three Determined' movement is spreading vigorously everywhere, our women have made significant contributions to the fight against foreign aggression and the construction of a prosperous nation.

- (3) The work 'Tắt đèn' by the author addresses many issues in rural Vietnam, including the poverty of Mrs. Dậu's family.

Answer for Exercise 1 (Page 127, 8th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2)

Identify and correct logical errors

The following sentences contain some logical expression errors. Identify and correct them.

a) We have helped students in flood-affected areas with clothing, shoes, and other school supplies.

b) Passion is an important factor for success in both young people in general and football in particular.

c) 'Lao Hac', 'Bước đường cùng', and Ngô Tất Tố helped us understand the plight of Vietnamese farmers before the August 1945 Revolution.

Answer:

a) - Clothing and shoes are everyday items, not part of the school supplies category. The correction:

We helped students in flood-affected areas with clothing, shoes, and other everyday necessities.

b) - 'Young people' and 'football' are not compatible terms. The correction:

In general, young people, and specifically students, passion is a crucial element of success.

Passion in football, within the youthful enthusiasm, is a vital factor in success.

c) - 'Lao Hac' and 'Bước đường cùng' are critical works, and Ngô Tất Tố is the author, so they should not be linked in this way. The correction:

'Lao Hac' by Nam Cao, 'Bước đường cùng' by Nguyễn Công Hoan, and 'Tắt đèn' by Ngô Tất Tố helped illustrate the struggles of farmers during pre-revolutionary Vietnam.

Further sentence corrections:

d) Do you want to become an engineer or a doctor?

e) The poem is not only beautiful in its art but also profound in its content.

g) Only two people are left at the train station. One is tall and thin, while the other is short and overweight.

h) Mrs. Dậu is diligent and hardworking, which is why she takes care of all household responsibilities.

Mrs. Dậu is kind-hearted and loyal, and that is why she deeply loves her family.

i) If the admirable traits of women in the past are not preserved, modern Vietnamese women will not be able to uphold the glorious and heavy tasks bestowed upon them by Hồ Chí Minh's eight golden words: 'Heroic, indomitable, faithful, and capable'.

- If the admirable qualities of women in the past are not fully promoted, modern Vietnamese women will not be able to handle these glorious and heavy responsibilities.

k) Smoking harms both your own health and that of those around you.

Answer for Exercise 2 (Page 127, 8th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2)

Find similar logical errors in your own writing, in that of your classmates, in daily speech, or in the media.

Answer:

Here are some examples of incorrect sentences. Try to correct them:

(1) Objective reality shows that success can only be achieved by learning from experiences and overcoming initial failures.

(2) Due to the vibrant development of the 'Three Determined' movement, women in our society have contributed greatly to the struggle against foreign invasion and the building of a prosperous nation.

(3) In the work 'Tắt đèn', the author addresses numerous issues in rural Vietnam, including the poverty faced by Mrs. Dậu's family.

Question 1: Page 127, 8th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2
Below are sentences with logical errors. Identify and correct these mistakes.

a) We have assisted students in flood-affected areas with clothing, shoes, and other school supplies.

b) In general, youth, and particularly in football, passion is an important factor that leads to success.

c) "Lão Hạc," "Bước đường cùng," and Ngô Tất Tố's works have helped us deeply understand the plight of Vietnamese farmers before the August Revolution of 1945.

d) Do you want to become an intellectual or a doctor?

e) The poem is not only excellent in its artistry but also sharp in its use of language.

g) Only two people remained at the train station. One was tall and thin, while the other wore a checkered shirt.

h) Sister Dậu is very diligent and hardworking, so she deeply loves her husband and children.

i) If we do not promote the noble virtues of women from the past, Vietnamese women today will not be able to shoulder those significant and honorable tasks.

k) Smoking not only harms your health but also reduces life expectancy.

Corrections:

a) Error: Clothes and shoes are daily-use items, not part of school supplies.

Correction: We have helped students in flood-affected areas with clothing, shoes, and other daily-use items.

b) Error: Youth and football are two unrelated concepts.

Correction: In sports in general and football in particular, passion is an important factor that leads to success.

c) Error: "Lão Hạc," "Bước đường cùng," and Ngô Tất Tố are not comparable concepts.

Correction: "Lão Hạc," "Bước đường cùng," and "Tắt đèn" have helped us deeply understand the plight of Vietnamese farmers before the August Revolution of 1945.

d) Error: An intellectual and a doctor are not related concepts.

Correction: Do you want to become a doctor or an engineer?

e) Error: "Excellent in artistry" already includes sharp language.

Correction: The poem is not only excellent in its artistry but also rich in meaning.

g) Error: "Tall and thin" and "wearing a checkered shirt" are not comparable terms.

Correction: Only two people remained at the train station. One was tall and thin, while the other was short and stocky.

h) Error: Being diligent and hardworking does not directly cause love for one’s family.

Correction: Sister Dậu is very diligent and hardworking, so she took on all the household responsibilities.

i) Error: "Have" is unnecessary here.

Correction: If we do not promote the noble virtues of women from the past, Vietnamese women today will not be able to shoulder those significant and honorable tasks.

k) Error: "Harms health" already includes the reduction of life expectancy.

Correction: Smoking harms your health and also negatively affects the health of those around you.

Question 2: Page 128, 8th Grade Literature Textbook, Volume 2

Find similar logical errors in your writing exercises, those of your classmates, or in daily conversations or mass media.

Example:

In the work "Tắt đèn," the author addresses several issues in rural Vietnam and the poverty of Sister Dậu's family.