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falscher Bezug

English translation: wrong agreement

13:32 Mar 15, 2006
German to English translations [PRO]
Linguistics /
German term or phrase: falscher Bezug
I'm currently proofreading a German translation of an English text and I have to justify my changes. Now there is a "falscher Bezug" in one sentence, i.e. the verb relates to subject A, whereas it should relate to subject B. What do you call this kind of error in English? "Wrong reference"?
Thank you for your help.
ibz
Local time: 21:18
English translation:wrong agreement
Explanation:
See reference

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Note added at 13 mins (2006-03-15 13:46:38 GMT)
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Agreement involves certain words or phrases in a sentence being in tune with others. For example, a verb must always agree with its subject in person and number, while a pronoun must always agree with what it refers to (its referent or antecedent).

Subject-Verb Agreement
When a subject and verb are close together in a sentence, agreement is not a problem:

The students were fascinated by grammar.

But once the distance between subject and verb increases, keeping track is more difficult:

1. In The Rape of the Lock, Pope implies that stiffened hoops bound with whalebone is not enough to guard a young lady's virtue. (is --> are)

Always keep the real subject of the sentence (or clause) in mind; don't be misled by the noun that is closest to the verb. In #1, the writer has been deceived by the singular "whalebone" into thinking that the verb should be singular; its true subject is, of course, the plural "hoops."


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Note added at 14 mins (2006-03-15 13:46:57 GMT)
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http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:w7RAwJnbuFoJ:www.trentu....

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Note added at 1 hr (2006-03-15 14:59:03 GMT)
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Incorrect agreement is also possible
Selected response from:

Henry Schroeder
United States
Local time: 15:18
Grading comment
According to your explanation, this seems to be the correct term for "falscher Bezug" in my text. Thanks to all of you for your help!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3wrong agreement
Henry Schroeder
4misrelated verb/subject
Diana Loos
1 +1wrong reference
Christian
3 -1incorrect modifier
David Moore (X)


  

Answers


53 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +1
wrong reference


Explanation:
I'd go for "wrong reference" as you suggested, but I'm not quite sure.

Christian
Local time: 21:18
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gad Harel
1 day 2 hrs
  -> Thank you.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
wrong agreement


Explanation:
See reference

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2006-03-15 13:46:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Agreement involves certain words or phrases in a sentence being in tune with others. For example, a verb must always agree with its subject in person and number, while a pronoun must always agree with what it refers to (its referent or antecedent).

Subject-Verb Agreement
When a subject and verb are close together in a sentence, agreement is not a problem:

The students were fascinated by grammar.

But once the distance between subject and verb increases, keeping track is more difficult:

1. In The Rape of the Lock, Pope implies that stiffened hoops bound with whalebone is not enough to guard a young lady's virtue. (is --> are)

Always keep the real subject of the sentence (or clause) in mind; don't be misled by the noun that is closest to the verb. In #1, the writer has been deceived by the singular "whalebone" into thinking that the verb should be singular; its true subject is, of course, the plural "hoops."


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2006-03-15 13:46:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:w7RAwJnbuFoJ:www.trentu....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2006-03-15 14:59:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Incorrect agreement is also possible



    Reference: http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:ahM3T2OIolsJ:www.issco.u...
Henry Schroeder
United States
Local time: 15:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
According to your explanation, this seems to be the correct term for "falscher Bezug" in my text. Thanks to all of you for your help!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Teresa Reinhardt: Excactly!//I wrote that on students' papers for decades...;-)
2 hrs
  -> Pfeew, the first comment was a disagree, which as since been erased. Seeing another in outlook, I was nervous.
agree  Maureen Millington-Brodie: yep, write that on mine too!
3 hrs
  -> ok
agree  Gad Harel: nothing to do with agreement
1 day 3 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
incorrect modifier


Explanation:
I think the term may be as above; I have found the following definition for a "dis/misplaced modifier:" it is simply a word or phrase describing something but not placed near enough the word it is supposed to modify. ...
englishplus.com/grammar/00000013.htm


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Note added at 1 hr (2006-03-15 14:58:56 GMT)
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Ahem...(sorry, Henry): I think maybe "incorrect subject" would be the best expression...

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Note added at 1 hr (2006-03-15 15:03:07 GMT)
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incorrect linkage?

David Moore (X)
Local time: 21:18
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 14

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Henry Schroeder: http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:FyWmi24BehkJ:englishplus... modifier&hl=de&gl=de&ct=clnk&cd=2
10 mins
disagree  Teresa Reinhardt: not correct, linguistically
1 hr
  -> All the references I find describe "wrong agreement" as a "singular verb and plural subject" (or v.v.), not as an "incorrect subject". Or indeed "incorrect linkage". Or is your "disagree" aimed at my original suggestion?
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20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
misrelated verb/subject


Explanation:
According to Thomson and Martinet, from which I've been teaching English grammar for 30 years, a misrelated participle is when the principle that the participle belongs to the subject of the following main verb is disegarded (Getting out of bed, a scorpion bit him). Couldn't one use this expression in your case and say "misrelated subject/verb"?

Diana Loos
Local time: 21:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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