one of the,
relative pronouns,
subject+verb agreement,
syntax
"I'm one of those people who dresses according to my mood." - Mischa Barton, in In Touch
Mischa has made an error in subject/verb agreement. She has also used awkward syntax.
A common error in sentences that contain "one of" is the use of a plural noun paired with a singular verb. In Mischa's statement, many people are dressing so the pronoun "who" refers to the plural "people." The verb should be the plural "dress."
Rearranging the words in the quote results in awkward language, but it highlights the error:
- Of those people who dresses according to my mood, I am one.
The rearranged syntax underscores Mischa's awkward syntax. She uses the pronoun "my" to refer to the mood that dictates how people dress. Mischa's choice of words implies that other people dress according to her own mood.
Mischa's fashion statements may in fact influence how other people dress, but it is unlikely that they choose what to wear based on how she is feeling at any given moment. Changing the pronoun from one that refers to Mischa to one that refers to "people" would make the meaning of her statement more logical.
This version of Mischa's statement corrects the agreement error and avoids the awkward syntax:
"I'm one of those people who dress according to their moods."
Notice that "mood" has been changed to the plural "moods" to reflect that each person has his or her own mood.
diction,
syntax
There are several ways to improve your writing for the college entrance examinations and your college application essays.
This sentence features a form of weak syntax known as "expletive construction." Phrases that begin with "there" or "it" and a form of "to be" are often unnecessarily wordy and should generally be avoided. (The word "expletive," when used as an adjective, can mean "serving to fill a vacancy" and refers to the lack of meaning offered by these phrases.)
Notice the impact made by restructuring the sentence to avoid the expletive construction:
You can improve your writing for the college entrance examinations and your college application essays in several ways.
Removing the expletive phrase "There are" places more emphasis on the subject ("you") and the object ("writing"). Furthermore, every word in the sentence now serves a purpose in conveying the meaning of the sentence. "There are" is an empty phrase that did not add anything to the original sentence.
Review the following pairs of sentences and notice the difference that removing an expletive construction can make:
- There is a dog sitting on my bed.
- A dog is sitting on my bed.
- There are three things that you need to remember: close the window, lock the door, and bring the cake.
- Remember these three things: close the window, lock the door, and bring the cake.
- There was a glass pitcher, which was full of lemonade, on the table.
- A glass pitcher of lemonade sat on the table.
