The beginning and ending of a sentence must match, and its parts should fit together. If a sentence changes course in the middle or its parts are mixed up, a reader will have to guess at the pattern or connection you intend.

E5-a Begin and end a sentence with the same structural pattern.

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A sentence is mixed if it combines several grammatical patterns. You usually need to rewrite a mixed construction so that its parts fit together.

Choose one of the grammatical patterns in a mixed sentence, and use it consistently throughout the sentence.

Rewrite a mixed sentence if neither part supplies a workable pattern for the whole.

E5-b Match the subject and the predicate in a sentence so that they are compatible.

You can solve the problem of a logically mismatched subject and predicate — called faulty predication— by rewriting either the subject or the predicate so that the two fit together.

To test a sentence for faulty predication, ask yourself whether the subject can do what the predicate says: For example, do schools behave? If not, revise the sentence.

Revise the subject so that it can perform the action described in the predicate.

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Revise the predicate so that it fits logically with the subject.

E5-c Order words logically so that the meaning of the sentence will be clear.

E5-d Eliminate the phrase is where, is when, or the reason is because, and then rewrite the sentence so that it is clear and logical.

Often you can replace an is where or is when phrase with a noun specifying a category or type.

To eliminate the reason is because, rewrite the sentence, or use either the reason is that or because instead.