types of errors in a sentence
Communication is vital in passing information from one person to another person. Language is a method of communication that is structured in nature, either written or verbal. For the message to reach the intended person undistorted, it must be clear and not misleading. During communication, either written or spoken, some errors may appear but not noticed; for example, the use of loaded language, ambiguity, vagueness, and lack of clarity is misleading.
To understand different types of errors in a sentence, the following sentence may aid in analyzing these errors. “Mary went to Standard Chartered bank to withdraw 500 dollars from the ATM at 2 Pm on Thursday last week.”
In the sentence above, it is considered to be clear and lacks ambiguity. It is not ambiguous because it gives clarity on the exact bank Mary went to withdraw the money. Besides, the sentence is clear on how much money Mary went to withdraw. It includes the exact time and the day of the week. From this sentence, there is one clear meaning and interpretation of the word bank because the speaker clarified the precise name of the bank. The reader is not left wondering which bank Mary went to, which refers to a financial institution and not a riverbank. Also, it is clear that Mary went to withdraw money from the ATM and not the counter, thus making the sentence clear and not ambiguous.
Moreover, the sentence is not vague because it is clear what Mary went to the bank to do, indicating the exact amount, time, and the bank. A vague sentence is the one that is not precise and incoherent. Lastly, the reader knows the exact time Mary went to the bank to withdraw the money on Thursday as compared if the reader was told: “Mary went to withdraw money at about 2 pm.” The use of “about” makes the sentence vague because it is not precise.