Sentence Structure Errors
Cat and Dog Sentences
Cat and dog sentence
A sentence must have unity, which means it should deal with only one main topic.
If the sentence has more than one topic, then one of the two must be subordinated
to the other. Both cannot be equal.

The
grass in the field is quite green in the spring.
This sentence has unity because it deals with only one topic.
A cat and dog sentence is a sentence that has two or more
different topics that are not related, yet they are joined by a coordinate conjunction
as if they were equal.

The
grass in the field is quite green in the spring, and I like horseback riding.
These two ideas are not related, yet they are joined by a comma and the coordinate
conjunction and. Therefore, this is a cat and dog sentence.
Correcting a cat and dog sentence
There are several ways to correct a cat and dog sentence.
(1) Break the sentence into two smaller sentences.
This is not the preferable method because it will create choppy sentences. Use this
method only if another method will not work.

The
grass in the field is quite green in the spring. I like horseback riding.
(2) Subordinate one idea to another, if possible.

I
like horseback riding in the spring because the grass in the field is quite green.
(3) Eliminate one of the two unrelated ideas.

The
grass in the field is quite green in the spring.
Sentence # 1: The recession has taken its toll, and many
people are unemployed.
These two ideas The recession has taken its toll and Many people are unemployed are not equal. One is the result
of the other. Therefore, one idea must be subordinated to the other.
Possible corrections for sentence # 1:
1. Subordinate one idea to the other.

Because
of the recession, many people are unemployed.
2. Divide the sentence into two short sentences. Then the ideas do not have to be
related. However, this will give you short, choppy sentences.

The
recession has taken its toll. Many people are unemployed.
Sentence # 2: The major banks have reduced the number of
loans, and the stock market is declining.
Again, the ideas are not related, so the sentence can be corrected using the above
two methods.
Possible corrections for sentence # 2:
1. Subordinate one idea to the other.

Because
the stock market is declining, many banks have reduced the number of loans.
2. Divide the sentence into two short sentences.

The
major banks have reduced the number of loans. The stock market is declining.