Curs practic lb engleza-writing

7/26/2019 Curs practic lb engleza-writing

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Ioana

Mohor-Ivan

Galati

2015

Writing in focus:Guided Practice for Students of English


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ContentsPart One: Accuracy in Writing.....................................................................................31. Grammar and Vocabulary..................................................................................4

1.1. Tenses .......................................................................................................................................... 4

1.2. Modals and Conditionals........................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ....... 8

1.3. Passives ........................................................................................................................................ 9

1.4. Singular or plural........................................................................................................................ 10

1.5. Articles....................................................................................................................................... 11

1.6. Countable and Uncountable ........................................................................................................ 12

1.6. Prepositions ................................................................................................................................ 12

1.7. Word order ................................................................................................................................. 13

1.8. Prefixes / Suffixes....................................................................................................................... 14

1.9. Words often confused ................................................................................................................. 16

1.10. Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... 21

2. Spelling and Punctuation................................................................................... 24

2.1. Commonly Misspelled Words..................................................................................................... 24

2.2.Punctuation Marks and Capital Letters......................................................................................... 28

3. Sentences and Paragraphing................................................................................... 35

3.1. Joining sentences ........................................................................................................................ 35

3.2. Rhythm and Variation................................................................................................................. 39

3.3. Paragraphing............................................................................................................................... 42

4. Register and Style.................................................................................................... 43

4.1. Linguistic registers...................................................................................................................... 43

4.2. Formal / Informal........................................................................................................................ 44

4.3. Style ........................................................................................................................................... 46

4.4. Colloquial English and Slang...................................................................................................... 48

4.5. British and American English...................................................................................................... 51


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4.6. Cockney Rhyming Slang........................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ..... 53

5. Writing from Sources.............................................................................................. 54

5.1. Quotation.................................................................................................................................... 54

5.1. Paraphrasing ............................................................................................................................... 55

5.2. Summary .................................................................................................................................... 58

5.3. Referencing ................................................................................................................................ 62

Part Two: Types of Writing........................................................................................ 68

1. Description............................................................................................................... 68

2. Exposition................................................................................................................. 71

2.1. Definition ........................ ......................... .......................... ......................... ........................... ..... 71

2.2. Exemplification ........................................................................................................................... 75

2.3. Classification ....................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ........................... 78

2.4. Comparison and Contrast............................................................................................................ 80

2.5. Analogy ........................... ......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... ..... 86

2.6. Process analysis .......................................................................................................................... 88

2.7. Causal analysis ............................................................................................................................ 90

3. Narrative.................................................................................................................. 944. Argumentation......................................................................................................... 98

4.1. Principles and Techniques ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ..... 99

4.2. Constructing an ARGUMENT ......................... .......................... .......................... ........................ 100

Part Three:Text Organisation and Writing............................................................. 103

1. The Essential Elements of the Essay..................................................................... 104

2. Cohesion and Coherence.................................................................................. 105

3. Introductions .......................................................................................................... 109

4. Transitional paragraphs ........................................................................................ 111

5. Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 112

Select Bibliography 114


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Part One:

Accuracy in Writing


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1. Grammar and Vocabulary

1.1. Tenses

1.1.1. Put the verbs in brackets into the Simple or Continuous Present:

a) My friend (come) to see us next month.

_______________________________________________________________________

b) Apricots (ripe) in early summer.

_______________________________________________________________________

c) Here (come) our long waited for teacher!

_______________________________________________________________________d) I (see) her occasionally, as she (open) the windows in the morning.

_______________________________________________________________________

e) I (walk) to school every day, but today, as I am late, I (go) by bus.

_______________________________________________________________________

f) Still waters (run) deep.

_______________________________________________________________________

g) You again (forget) your manners!

_______________________________________________________________________

h) Egg plants (not grow) on trees.

_______________________________________________________________________i) Dont get off the bus till it (stop)!

_______________________________________________________________________

j) How he (feel) now? You (think) of going to see him at the hospital?

_______________________________________________________________________

k) She always (complain) about something.

_______________________________________________________________________

l) Why you (not stay) indoors for a change?

_______________________________________________________________________

m)Although he is unhappy with his mark, he (deserve) it as he hasnt laid hands on a book this

term._______________________________________________________________________

n) We constantly (see) you outside the cinema.

_______________________________________________________________________


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o) However late it may be, my father never goes to bed until I (come) back home.

_______________________________________________________________________

p) I (see) that you (wear) your best clothes. You (go) to a party?No, I (go) to a wedding.

And who is the unhappy man who (throw) away his freedom? You must tell him I (feel)

sorry for him.He (speak) to you now.

_______________________________________________________________________

1.1.2. Write the past simple or the present perfect form of the verbs in brackets:

a) A: Did you like the movie Star Wars?

B: I dont know. I _________________ (see, never) that movie.

b) Sam _________________ (arrive) in San Diego a week ago.

c) My best friend and I _________________ (know) each other for over fifteen years. We

still get together once a week.

d) Stinson is a fantastic writer. He _________________ (write) ten very creative short

stories in the last year. One day, hell be as famous as Hemingway.

e) I _________________ (have, not) this much fun since I _________________ (be) a kid.

f) Things _________________ (change) a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first

_________________ (start) working here three years ago, the company

_________________ (have, only) six employees. Since then, we _________________

(expand) to include more than 2000 full-time workers.

g) Listen Donna, I dont care if you _________________ (miss) the bus this morning. You_________________ (be) late to work too many times. You are fired!

h) Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he

_________________ (see, never) the ocean. He should come with us to Miami.

i) Jonny, I cant believe how much you _________________ (change) since the last time I

_________________ (see) you. You _________________ (grow) at least a foot!

j) This tree _________________ (be) planted by the settlers who _________________

(found) our city over four hundred years ago.

k) This mountain _________________ (be, never) climbed by anyone. Several

mountaineers _________________ (try) to reach the top, but nobody

_________________ (succeed, ever). The climb is extremely difficult and many people

_________________ (die) trying to reach the summit.


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l) I _________________ (visit, never) Africa, but I _________________ (travel) to South

America several times. The last time I _________________ (go) to South America, I

_________________ (visit) Brazil and Peru. I _________________ (spend) two weeks in

the Amazon, _________________ (hike) for a week near Machu Picchu, and

_________________ (fly) over the Nazca Lines.

1.1.3. Put the verbs in brackets into the past perfect simple or continuous tense:

a) They _________________ (not get) a reply, so they _________________ (decide) to spend

their holidays at home.

b) We _________________ (have) to go back, it _________________ (rain) for two hours and

the ground was water-logged.c) How long he _________________ (live) there when the war _________________ (break)

out?

d) Only a long time after that he _________________ (find out) what _________________

(happen).

e) He _________________ (know) where I _________________ (live) but he never

_________________ (be) to my flat.

f) He _________________ (listen) to her story for two hours and _________________ (think)

it was boring.

g) Nobody _________________ (know) he _________________ (disappear).

h) She_________________ (stay) at the seaside for more than a week when the weather_________________ (grow) cold.

i) He _________________ (laugh) at her hair and she _________________ (be) angry with

him.

j) They _________________ (wonder) what _________________ (become) of their luggage.

k) The hotel _________________ (be) much cheaper than he _________________ (think) at

first.

l) We _________________ (tell) him that his house _________________ (burn down).

m)The explorers _________________ (travel) for weeks without enough food and water.

n) They _________________ (ask) her why she _________________ (lie) to them.

o) He _________________ (be pushed) out of the room, before he _________________ (be

able) to speak.


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1.1.4. Choose one of the future tenses given to express the future correctly:

a) Hi! Im just calling to find out what _________________ on Tuesday evening, because

Ive got two tickets for the big football game.

youll do / youre going to do / youre doing

b) _________________ the washing up for me tonight? After all, Ive done it every day

this week.

Will you do / Are you going to do / Are you doing

c) Call me again at six oclock. I think _________________ fixing your car by then.

Im finishing / Ill have finished / Ill finish

d) Just think! This time next week _________________ on a beautiful beach in the

Caribbean sun. I cant wait.well be lying / well lie / were going to lie

e) According to the timetable the next train _________________ at 11.30. That gives us

half an hour, so lets have a coffee.

leaves / is about to leave / will have left

f) Those dark clouds are coming this way. Pack everything away in the car.

_________________.

Itll rain / Its raining / Its going to rain

g) Dont disturb me this afternoon because _________________ some important contracts

with our partners.

Ill be discussing / I discuss Ill discussh) I doubt if theres any point in asking Dad if we can use the car. He _________________

us the keys after we took them last time without telling him.

isnt giving / doesnt give / wont give

i) I know that _________________ married someday, but I just havent met the right

person yet.

Im getting / Ill get / I get

j) We have to deal with this problem before it _________________ too difficult to sort out.

will become / is going to / becomes

1.1.5. Read the text below and supply the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Pay attention to the

time phrases given in italics.


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For a long time gardeners a) _______________ (suspect) that using green fingers is just as effective as

talking softly to plants to encourage growth. Scientists b) _______________ (develop) a robot that

strokes young plants to make them grow stronger and faster. But after research a year ago c)

_______________ (confirm) that plants need the human touch, scientists at Greenwich University d)

_______________ (develop) the stroking machine they call Dr Green.

Dr Green e) _______________ (be display) at the last Chelsea Flower Show, where it f)

_______________ (demonstrate) the technique of brushing the tips of young plants to produce stronger

specimens. David Carey, who is leading the research, g) _______________ (say) that the machine could

avoid the use of chemicals.

Currently, Dr Green h) _______________ (be test) on a large scale by a commercial grower.

Stroking plants once a day i) _______________ (make) them 30% stronger, which is what you need

before you plant them out. When another kind of plant was stroked once a week, it j) _______________(develop) increased insect resistance. The research team hope that a cheap version of Dr Green k)

_______________ (be available) to amateur gardeners by 2007.

1.2. Modals and Conditionals

1.2.1. Complete the following sentences with suitable modals of ability, certainty or obligation.

a) The question is whether democracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . survive in such difficult conditions.

b) Fifty years ago a new house . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be bought for 1500.

c) Students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be expected to write more than one long essay a week.

d) The mistakes of past historians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . now be clearly seen.

e) Jenkins (1976) argued that aluminium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be used in place of steel.f) It. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . not be surprising if the company were bought by a rival.

g) Various social situations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lead to a childs loss of confidence.

h) Other studies confirm that a permanent shift in transport use . . . . . . . . . . . . . .occur.

i) By 2020 most children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . have internet access by the age of five.

j) If the pressure is lowered, the reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . take place more quickly.

k) In the long term, solar power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . make a significant contribution.

l) Students studying abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . take some of their favourite music with them.

m) All books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be returned to the main library by June 19th.

n) First-year undergraduates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . take at least three modules from the list below.

o) The second part of the essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . focus on the differences in the results.


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1.2.2. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tenses:

a) If they _________________ (hang) the poster lower, people would be able to see

the details.

b) Nobody would have recognised the burglar, if he _________________ (wear) a

mask.

c) Unless you listen to the instructions more carefully, you _________________ (not

be able) to find your way out of the forest.

d) In case it _________________ (not be) convenient to you, lets meet at 6 oclock

sharp.

e) If he _________________ (be) in, I should have told him the bad news.f) If you _________________ (have) the courage, Im sure you should have

answered him back.

g) Unless I learn to type, I _________________ (not be able) to save money.

h) If Marys shoes hadnt such high heels, she _________________ (not fall down).

i) If you _________________ (call) a dog a bad name, it will certainly bark at you.

j) If you work harder, you _________________ (have) more chances to pass the

examination.

k) If Mike had had a drink at the party, the policeman _________________ (fine) him

and _________________ (take) his driving-license.

l) If you were a liar, I _________________ (not trust) you.m) She would never have bought the dress if she _________________ (not like) it.

n) If the weather is good, I _________________ (take) the dog for a walk.

o) You neednt go if you _________________ (not want) to.

p) If he told me to do it, I _________________ (have) to obey him.

q) I cant do it unless I _________________ (have) the tools.

r) He wouldnt do it if he _________________ (not like) it.

1.3. Passives

1.3.1. Read the following article and underline the passives. Then change them into the active voice,

whenever it is possible.


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BOOTS THE CHEMISTS

When John Boot died at 45, he was worn out by the strain of establishing his herbal medicine business.

He had worked his way up from his early years as a farm labourer to be the owner of a substantial

business. He was born in 1815, became a member of a Methodist chapel in Nottingham, and later moved

to the city. Concerned by the situation of the poor, who were unable to afford a doctor, in 1849 he opened

a herbal medicine shop which was called the British and American Botanic Establishment. In the early

stages John was helped financially by his father-in-law, while his mother provided herbal knowledge.

On his death in 1860 the business was taken over by his wife, and she was soon assisted by their

10-year-old son, Jesse. He quickly showed the business ability which transformed his fathers shop into a

national business. He opened more shops in poor districts of the city and pioneered advertising methods.

Another innovation was to do all his business in cash, rather than offering credit.

In 1889 he was introduced to Florence Rowe, the daughter of a bookseller, while on holiday. Herinfluence was felt by the business after they were married: the product range was enlarged to include

stationery and books. In addition she was responsible for the introduction of the Boots subscription

library and in-store cafes.

During World War 1 the factories were used to make a variety of products from sterilizers to gas

masks. But by 1920 Jesse was being attacked by arthritis and was worried by the economic prospects.

Boots was sold to an American rival for 2 m. This, however, was made bankrupt during the Depression

and Boots was then bought by a British group for 6 m, while Jesses son, John, was made chairman. The

famous No. 7 cosmetics range was launched in the 1930s. In the 193945 War the saccharin equivalent to

700,000 tons of sugar was produced in the Nottingham factories.

1.4. Singular or plural

1.4.1. Underline and correct the mistakes in the following (one per sentence).

a) More must be done to solve that problems of development.

_____________________________________________________

b) There are two sorts of college in Japan.

_____________________________________________________

c) The attitude towards this issue vary from person to person.

_____________________________________________________

d) Many culture from around the world are found in the city.

_____________________________________________________

e) In the country the people is more friendly.

_____________________________________________________


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f) It is common to move from the countryside to find job.

_____________________________________________________

g) Huge number of cars use the motorway.

_____________________________________________________

h) The city have disadvantages such as a high rate of crime.

_____________________________________________________

i) Public transport lets us move to another places easily.

_____________________________________________________

j) There are bad pollution due to traffic congestion.

_____________________________________________________

k) People should not ignore important factors that affect their life.

_____________________________________________________

1.4.2. Read the text and underline the correct alternative.

A large number of company/companies has/have developed website/websites in the last few years.

Trading using the internet is called e-commerce/e-commerces, and this/these is/are divided into two

main kinds: B2B and B2C. Many business/businesses want to use the internet to sell directly to

its/their customers (B2C), but large numbers have experienced trouble/troubles with

security/securities and other practical issues. In addition, the high start-up costs and the

expense/expenses of advertising means/mean that this/these company/companies often struggle to

make a profit.

1.5. Articles

1.5.1. Complete the following text by inserting a/an/the (or nothing) in each gap.

THE ORIGINS OF @

Giorio Stabile, a) . . . . . . . . . professor of b) . . . . . . . . . history at La Sapienza university in Rome, has

demonstrated that c) . . . . . . . . . @ sign, now used in email addresses, was actually invented 500 years

ago. Professor Stabile has shown that d) . . . . . . . . . @, now e) . . . . . . . . . symbol of f) . . . . . . . . .

internet, was first used by Italian merchants during g) . . . . . . . . . sixteenth century.

He claims that it originally represented h) . . . . . . . . . unit of volume, based on i) . . . . . . . . . large

jars used to carry liquids in j) . . . . . . . . . ancient Mediterranean world. He has found k) . . . . . . . . . firstexample of its use in l) . . . . . . . . . letter written in 1546 by m) . . . . . . . . . merchant from Florence. n) . . .

. . . . . . letter, which was sent to Rome, announces o) . . . . . . . . . arrival in p) . . . . . . . . . Spain of ships


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carrying gold from South America. q) . . . . . . . . . professor argues that r) . . . . . . . . . @ sign derives from

s) . . . . . . . . . special script used by these merchants, which was developed in t) . . . . . . . . . sixteenth

century. According to him, u) . . . . . . . . . loop around v) . . . . . . . . . ais typical of that style. He found

w) . . . . . . . . . evidence while researching x) . . . . . . . . . visual history of y) . . . . . . . . . twentieth century.

1.6. Countable and Uncountable

1.6.1.Complete the following sentences to show the differences in meaning.

a) Three yearsexperience ________________________________________________.

b) She had some exciting experiences while _________________________________.

c) Most small businesses have _____________________________________________.

d) In many countries it is normal to discuss business _________________________.

e) A number of capitals such as Washington and Canberra are ________________.

f) Huge amounts of capital _______________________________________________.

g) Two world wars in thirty years caused___________________________________.

h) War is a feature of ____________________________________________________.

i) _______________________________________________________ was the cause of six deaths.

j) Death is _____________________________________________________________.

k) New medicines are developed __________________________________________.

l) Studying medicine at university can be ___________________________________.

1.6.2. In the following sentences, underline the correct alternative.

a) Little/few news reached the prisoners in the castle.b) He established three successful businesses/business in 1995.

c) Substantial experiences/experience of report writing are/is required.

d) It has often been claimed that travel broadens/travels broaden the mind.

e) Paper was/papers were very expensive in the Middle Ages.

f) How much advice/many advices were they given before coming to Britain?

g) She had little interest/few interests outside her work.

h) The insurance policy excludes the effects of civil war/wars.

i) Irons were/iron was first powered by electricity in the twentieth century.

j) They studied the behaviour/behaviours of three groups of lions over two years.

1.6. Prepositions

1.6.1. Insert a suitable preposition before or after the nouns in the sentences below.

a) Evidence is presented in support ________ the value of womens work.


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b) A small change ________ demand can lead to large price rises.

c) Many examples were found ________ high levels of calcium.

d) We tried to assess the feasibility ________ allowing children to choose their own subjects.

e) The second point is their impact ________ developing countries.

1.6.2. Complete the following sentences with suitable prepositions of place or time.

a) ________ the respondents, few had any experience of working abroad.

b) Industrial production declined gradually ________ 1976 ________ 1985.

c) Most workers ________ the European Union retire before the age ________ 60.

d) Albert Einstein was born ________ Germany ________ 1879.

e) Many flowers open their petals ________ the morning and close them ________ night.

f) ________ the surface, there is no difference ________ male and female responses.

1.6.3. Complete the text with suitable prepositions.

This study sets a) ________ to answer the controversial question b) ________ whether increased food

supply c) ________ a country makes a significant contribution d) ________ reducing malnutrition e)

________ children. It uses data collected f) ________ 75 countries g) ________ 1969 and 1987. The

findings are that there was a considerable improvement h) ________ the majority i) ________ countries,

despite population increases j) ________ the period. However, a clear distinction was found k) ________

the poorest countries (e.g. l) ________ South Asia), where the improvement was greatest, and the

wealthier states such as those m) ________ North Africa. Other factors, notably the educational level n)

________ women, were also found to be critical o) ________ improving childhood nutrition.

1.7. Word order

1.7.1. Re-write the following sentences correctly.

a) The captain ordered the men to throw into the sea the goods.

_______________________________________________________________

b) I went out to buy a book which had written a friend of mine.

_______________________________________________________________

c) It is pleasant to spend sometimes an hour in a library.

_______________________________________________________________

d) On my way to the office happened something very funny.

_______________________________________________________________


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e) They both again reached home.

_______________________________________________________________

f) Once used to live two detectives opposite our house.

_______________________________________________________________

g) I went into the room where was the thief hiding.

_______________________________________________________________

h) I used very often to visit in the country my uncle.

_______________________________________________________________

i) Suddenly arrived at the house relations whom he did not want to see.

_______________________________________________________________

j) From the shelf by someone the book was taken.

_______________________________________________________________

k) The friend from abroad whom I told you about has arrived.

_______________________________________________________________

l) I forgot on the letter I sent to write the address.

_______________________________________________________________

m)Never he has mentioned the subject.

_______________________________________________________________

n) You can trust him always.

_______________________________________________________________

o) You never can be certain that he will succeed.

_______________________________________________________________

p) He rarely has taken much trouble with his work.

_______________________________________________________________

q) If you had been careful this never might have happened.

_______________________________________________________________

1.8. Prefixes / Suffixes

1.8.1. Find the meaning(s) of each prefix in the examples given below:

auto autopilot The plane flew on autopilot for six hours.

co co-ordinator The co-ordinator invited them to a meeting.

ex ex-girlfriend He met his ex-girlfriend on the station.

ex exclusive It is difficult to join such an exclusive club.


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Micro microscope She studied the tiny animals with a microscope.

multi multinational Ford is a multi-national motor company.

over oversleep After oversleeping twice she got an alarm clock.

post postpone The meeting ispostponed to next Monday.

re return Return the letter to the sender.

sub subtitle Chinese films havesubtitles in England.

under undergraduate Most undergraduate courses last 3 years.

under undercook Undercooked meat can be a health hazard.

1.8.2. Suggest possible meanings for the words in italic.

a) Criminal activity seems to be very common among the underclass.

b) The passengers found the jet was overbooked and had to wait for the next flight. c) The microclimate in my garden means that I can grow oranges.

d) It is claimed that computers have created apost-industrial economy.

e) Most film stars have ex-directoryphone numbers.

f) It is believed that dreams are produced by thesubconscious.

1.8.3.Give the word class and suggest possible meanings for:

a) cancellation

b) unpredictable

c) coincidental

d) saleable

e) uncooperatively

f) interviewee

g) evolutionary

h) surrealism

i) protester

j) symbolically

1.8.4. Study each sentence and find the meaning of the words in italic.

a) The film is a FrenchItalian co-productionmade by asubsidiarycompany.

b) When the car crashed she screamed involuntarilybut was unharmed.

c) Using rechargeablebatteries has undoubtedbenefits for the environment.d) The unavailabilityof the product is due to the exceptionalweather.

e) There is a theoreticalpossibility of the cloth disintegrating.


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1.9. Words often confused

1.9.1. Make up sentences to illustrate the difference between:

1) make, do _____________________________________________________

2) say, tell_____________________________________________________

3) lend, borrow _____________________________________________________

4) rise, raise _____________________________________________________

5) rise, arise_____________________________________________________

6) practice, practise __________________________________________________

7) advise, advice_____________________________________________________

8) affect, effect _____________________________________________________

9) all ready, already __________________________________________________10)choice, choose_____________________________________________________

11)choose, chose_____________________________________________________

12)clothes, cloths_____________________________________________________

13)coarse, course_____________________________________________________

14)complement, compliment___________________________________________

15)conscious, conscience______________________________________________

16)dessert, desert_____________________________________________________

17)economics, economical_____________________________________________

18)fourth, forth_____________________________________________________

19)human, humane___________________________________________________20)latter, later_____________________________________________________

21)loose, lose_____________________________________________________

22)logic, logical_____________________________________________________

23)mathematics, mathematical_________________________________________

24)moral, morale_____________________________________________________

25)passed, past_____________________________________________________

26)personal, personnel________________________________________________

27)politics, political___________________________________________________

28)quiet, quite_____________________________________________________

29)statistics, statistical_________________________________________________

30)than, then_____________________________________________________31)very, too_____________________________________________________

32)weather, whether__________________________________________________


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1.9.2. In the spaces in the following sentences write the correct form of the word chose from the list

that is given.

a) He ________ a big effort to finish in time. (do/make)

b) Considerable progress has been ___ with the experiment. (do/make)

c) He found that he could not ________ the research. (do/make)

d) He ________ a number of attempts to finish the work. (do/make)

e) She had some difficulty in ______ her homework. (do/make)

f) Many discoveries have been _______ during the 20thcentury. (do/make)

g) The painting was ________ by a famous artist. (do/make)

h) His supervisor _____ him to prepare a talk. (say, tell)i) The lecturer ____ that he would finish early. (say/tell)

j) He _______ to her that it did not matter. (say/tell)

k) It is possible to ______ four books at a time from the library. (lend/borrow)

l) Mr. Smith ____ his dictionary to the student. (lend/borrow)

m)Sandra tried to ______ some money from the bank. (lend/borrow)

n) The sun usually _______ at 5 a.m. in the summer. (rise/arise/raise/increase)

o) A new problem ________ in the college. (rise/arise/raise/increase)

p) Bus fares were ________ three times last week. (rise/arise/raise/increase)

q) The landlord said he is going to ________ the rent. (rise/arise/raise/increase)

r) He _______ a loan. (rise/arise/raise/increase).s) There was a steady ________ in the population. (rise/arise/raise/increase)

t) The oil crisis _______ the price of petrol. (rise/arise/raise/increase)

u) Last year the price of food ______ by 15%. (rise/arise/raise/increase)

v) Tutors often give good _______ (advise/advice) but students sometimes _____

(choice/choose) not to follow it.

w)Of _______ (mathematics/mathematical) and _________ (politics/political), the former

is, perhaps, more ________ (logic/logical) than the ______ (later/latter).

1.9.3. Fill in the blank with either accept or except.

a) The whole army is out of step _______________ Fred.

b) Ill _______________ no money from that cheapskate.

c) Please _______________ this pot of Mamas chicken soup.


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d) It will cure anything _______________ flat feet.

e) Rip could do anything _______________ make money.

f) I had to _______________ their negative evaluation.

g) All the girls went to the game _______________ Mary.

h) Howard could not _______________ the job.

i) __________ when theres a classic movie playing, Pete seldom watches TV.

j) I will _______________ your gift if you let me pay for my lunch.

1.9.4. Fill in the blank with either affect or effect.

1. Wars _______________ everybody, and their destructive _______________ last for generations.

2. Television has a strong _______________ on public opinion.

3. My mood can _______________ my thinking, too.4. I see that youre trying to _______________ apathy, but I know that you really do care.

5. Falling on my head had a bad _______________ on my memory.

6. His years of smoking have negatively ____________ed his health.

7. This plan will surely ______________ significant improvements in our productivity.

8. The patient shows normal ______________ and appears to be psychologically stable.

9. The principals new rules _______________ the school.

10. Supply and demand have a direct ________________ on the prices of commodities.

11. The _______________ of the speech was visible on the faces of the sleeping audience.

12. Hes just trying to seem cool; his indifference is completely _______________ed.

13. We may never know the full _______________ of the radiation leak.

14. The early frost will _______________ the crops.

15. What kind of _______________ can this quiz have on your dinner tonight?

1.9.5. Correct the errors in the following sentences:

a) Some years ago Dr. Selye set fourth his theory of stress. _____________

b) He couldnt imagine any torture worse than doing nothing accept lying on a beach day

after day. _____________

c) The affect was disastrous. _____________

d) Turning water haphazardly into the Everglades of coarse destroyed the natural wet-dry

rhythm of nature. _____________

e) At the end of the campfire talk, we gave the park naturalist a complement on his clear

explanation of the problem. _____________

f) Im going to except Professor Eickens advise and strive for mastery. _____________


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g) I took soft clothes to polish my car and course ones to clean the wheels. _____________

h) If pidgeons are let lose 700 miles from home, theyll be home in about 12 hours,

depending on the whether and weather they have a tail wind. _____________

i) The moral of the personal were I work is excellent. _____________

j) Our supervisor is quiet a sympathetic women and help us threw difficulties.

_____________

k) She has high principals and strict morale standards. _____________

l) More than 90 nations ratified a law banning international trade in rhino products, but its

quiet difficult to enforce. _____________

m)Recently Yemen past a law forbidding the import of the horns. _____________

n) In this weather Im sure a cold desert will be best. _____________

1.9.6. Underline the correct term from the pairs given in brackets.

a) His behaviour at the party was (contemptuous/contemptible).

b) This must be the (definite/definitive) reference work on Roman history.

c) The doctor told him to use (liniment/lineament) twice a day.

d) If you print that, Ill sue you for (libel/slander).

e) This is my last will and (testimony/testament.)

f) We may have won all our matches this season, but we mustn t allow ourselves to become

(complaisant/complacent.)

g) Ive always wanted to drive (luxurious/luxuriant) cars.h) It is most (regretful/regrettable) that Mr Brown has decided to resign.

i) The police have (conclusive/decisive) proof that he robbed the bank.

j) How do you expect me to get the work finished when I m (continuously/continually)

interrupted?

k) She was a very (intensive/intense) person, who seemed to care deeply about everyone and

everything.

l) My father is a great believer in (alternative/alternate) medicine.

m)She had died her hair a (distinct/distinctive) shade of blue.

n) He spent three years in (goal, gaol).

o) Do you enjoy (urbane/urban) life, or would you prefer to live in the country?

p) He was a man of (sanguine/sanguinary) temperament.

q) My brother is (credible/credulous) enough to believe anything you tell him.


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r) The Government are very worried about the (elicit/illicit) sales of champagne.

s) What can be (implied/inferred) from the Prime Ministers remarks?

t) Im afraid the project is far too expensive to be (practical/practicable).

u) There was an (appreciative/appreciable) drop in temperature last night.

v) Are these mushrooms (edible/eatable) or are they poisonous?

w)The majority of tinned food is (deficient/defective) in vitamins.

x) The company made (judicial/judicious) use of a Government grant.

y) The difference in performance between the two computers is (negligent/negligible).

1.9.7. Read the following short story. As you can see, there are a few problems with the text. See if

you can sort them out - the title should give you a clue.

A SHORT STOREY?

NO PIECE FOR HARRY HOMOPHONE

Detective Harry Homophone new that this job was almost over. He had bean hot on the

tale of Pinky Malone, ex-heavywait boxer and now notorious gangster, four over a weak.

But now he was only ours away from getting his man.

Harry lent against the wall, pulling his hat low over his eyes. He was at the harbour

down buy the sure, and knight had already fallen. The plaice was deserted, and silent

except for a ships bell that had wrung out once or twice threw the see missed that had

crept up the beech that evening.He tossed his cigarette but into a puddle left by that afternoons reign, and approached the

seedy sailors hostel that Malone was using to whole up in. Harry entered silently, past

the door leading to the bar and began to climb the stares. At the top he paused, listening

intently to the noise that came from the room.

Was this Pinky Malone, oar was this just an ordinary guessed? No, that awful snore

could only mean won thing and have only won sauce. This had to bee the write man. In

his final fight in the wring Pinky had had his knows broken and now snored like a

foghorn.

As Harrys shoo crashed into the door, he whipped out his gun, and their he was

face to face with Malone lying in bed. Malones startled expression soon gave weigh to a

rye smile.


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Looks like you got me this thyme, Homophone - my gun hands empty, he said,

waiving his write hand in the heir.

Harry was just about to put up his peace when he remembered that Malone was a

south-pour, and that his left hand was still mysteriously under the bed-close.

As Pinky Malone was about to let loose with his concealed weapon, Harry snapped

him back into his sites and pulled the trigger.

The blanket went read.

Aargh!screamed Malone. Youve filled me full of led!

Harry put up his gun and said, You went two far when ewe tried to beet Harry

Homophone.

1.10. Abbreviations

1.10.1. Explain the abbreviations in the following sentences.

a) The PM told MPs that the NHS needed reform.

b) The failure rate among IT projects reaches 70% (Smith et al., 1997).

c) The worlds most populous country i.e. China has joined the WTO.

d) NB. CVs must be no longer than 3 sides of A4.

e) See the OECDs recent report on the UK.

f) The EU hopes to achieve a standard rate of VAT.

g) The CEO intends to raise spending on R&D by 40%.

h) Fig.4. Trade patterns on the w.w.w. (19972001).

i) The WHO is concerned about the spread of TB.

j) Director of PR requiredsalary approx. $45K.

k) GM technology is leading to advances in many fields, e.g. forestry.

l) Prof. Wren claimed that the quality of M.Phil. and Ph.D. research was falling.

1.11. Further practice

1.11.1. Underline the errors in the following sentences. Re-write each of them in correct English.

a) Table 3 is showing that most of this accidents occurs to young children.

________________________________________________________________

b) Each worker pay a small money which is taken from their salary.

________________________________________________________________


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c) Specialist doctors in hospitals can divide into surgeons which operate the body and

another specialists which act as consultants.

________________________________________________________________

d) The number of schools growed gradually till 1965 and then number rised suddenly.

________________________________________________________________

e) When a country apply for foreign aids is because it has no enough resources of its own.

________________________________________________________________

f) If someone become ill, then can to local doctor.

________________________________________________________________

g) To my opinion, there is many parent which dud not take care their children.

________________________________________________________________

h) In the other hand, if we look the table of accidents, we will see this facts.

________________________________________________________________

i) In my country we have other kind of system; it is bigger and more better.

________________________________________________________________

j) The problem was solve by the introduction of machineries.

________________________________________________________________

1.11.2. Explain the mistakes in the sentences below and write the correct variant.

a) Your hands are not very clear.

____________________________________________________________

b) At last the ship it managed the rich the harbour.

____________________________________________________________

c) Nobody said nothing for what had happened.

____________________________________________________________

d) He was enjoyied his travel very much.

____________________________________________________________

e) The sun was shinning at the sea.

____________________________________________________________

f) We went for a walk with our car.

____________________________________________________________

g) The storm cause a very big damage.

____________________________________________________________


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h) He did not leave me to go.

____________________________________________________________

i) I tried to find the luggages who I had left at the platform.

____________________________________________________________

j) We did not have a moment to loose.

____________________________________________________________

k) The afternoon I went for a walk with a friend of me.

____________________________________________________________

l) For my good luck he told me the hole story.

____________________________________________________________

m)We saw the boat to sink and run for help.

____________________________________________________________

n) I did not afraid when I herd it.

____________________________________________________________

o) People use to say that it was not a so easy thing to travel with a plane.

____________________________________________________________

p) I am enough comfortable he told.

____________________________________________________________

q) Sometimes when it happens the sea to be rough we do not go for baths.

____________________________________________________________

r) The teacher, he explained us our mistakes as usually.

____________________________________________________________

s) He went at school early this morning without to eat any breakfast.

____________________________________________________________

t) He is the friend of hers.

____________________________________________________________

u) What shall I do with all these money?

____________________________________________________________

v) The bad was that we could not to go home.

____________________________________________________________

w)He said us much stories.

____________________________________________________________

x) He is bigger than me one year.

____________________________________________________________


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y) They wanted to make us a surprise.

____________________________________________________________

z) As soon as I will return at home I will go to bed.

____________________________________________________________

2. Spelling and Punctuation

2.1. Commonly Misspelled Words

2.1.1. In the following paragraph there are fourteen words ending with -ible or -able, some of which

are misspelled. Read the paragraph, locate the misspelled words and write the correct spellings in

the space provided below the paragraph.

Most people thought that Michael, an eligable bachelor, was an adorable, personible man. Mattie,

however, found him detestable. Some time ago, Michael promised to take Mattie to a fashionible

restaurant for a remarkible dinner. As horrable as it sounds, Michael took Mattie to the local McDonalds.

Most of the food there was either inedable or undigestable. Mattie was as irritable as possable when she

told her roommates about her terrible date. Whoever finally marries that contemptable Michael,Mattie

said, is certainly not going to be in an enviable position.

___________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

2.1.2. In the following sentences, the final four letters are omitted from each -ible or -able word.

Complete each word with the appropriate ending.

1. Last nights movie about the invis____ man was so incred____ that it was laugh____.

2. My irrespons____ little brother is usually kept away from anything break____.

3. Are these new clothes really comfort____, or do people only wear them because they are fashion____?

4. I think I would be less irrit____ if my professors were more flex____.

5. I dont think voting twice in national elections is permiss____.6. Its always valu____ to have a friend who is depend____.

7. My employer said that it isnt suit____ to have a secretary whose handwriting is illeg____.


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2.1.3. Write in either ie or ei to complete the words below.

a. ach____ve

b. bel___f

c. br___f

d. c___ling

e. conc___t

f. dec___ve

g. for___gn

h. financ___r

i. misch___vous

j. n___ghbor

k. n___ther

l. p___ce

m. perc___ve

n. rec___pt

o. rel___ve

p. rev___w

q. sh___ld

r. shr___k

s. v___l

t. y___ld

u. cash___r

v. ch___f

w. f___ld

x. fr___ght

y. h___nous


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2.1.4. The following words are all spelled wrongly. Rewrite them correctly, using a dictionary if you

have great difficulty.

a) acomodation ________________________________

b) acheive ________________________________

c) applicible________________________________

d) begining ________________________________

e) caracteristics ________________________________

f) critisism________________________________ ,

g) developement________________________________

h) dissappeared________________________________

i) devided ________________________________j) embarassed ________________________________

k) enviroment ________________________________

l) frequantly ________________________________

m) foreinger________________________________

n) heighth________________________________

o) hipothesis________________________________

p) incresingely________________________________

q) insufficent________________________________

r) intervieiwed________________________________

s) maintaning________________________________

t) medecine________________________________

u) neccessary________________________________

v) ocupation________________________________

w) ocured________________________________

x) preceed________________________________

y) reaserch________________________________

z) recieve________________________________

aa) recomendasion________________________________

bb)reffering________________________________

cc) seperatly________________________________

dd)studing________________________________ee) sucesfull________________________________


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2.1.5. Underline the misspelled words in the following passages. Then write the correct spellings in the

space above the lines.

a) He put alot of work into his vegtable garden, hopeing to sell part of his produce to a locale

restaraunt.

b) Last Wensday, five atheletes from Taiwan visited the campus for a gymnastic exibition. Amoung

other things, they preformed a dicsiplined series of excercises on the paralell bars, probally one of

the finest such preformences Ive ever seen.

c) The instructer decided to develope a course calander listing the due dates for all major

asignments. Than she revised her abscence policy, making it consistant with the new attendence

regulations issued by the university during the preceeding semester.

d) Nobody thought that the desparate, starving prisoners had the strenth to excape, but through an

extrordinary effort, they managed to make it accross fourty miles of mountainous terrain, arriving

safely at the border where they where rescued by local police.

e) His poor judgement, his overly agressive style of managment, his lack of disipline, and his

tendancy to exagerate his sucesses and ignore his failuresall these factors led the firm to a

truely disasterous year. Embarassed and outraged, the board of directers fired him as soon as his

incredable ineptitude came to light.

f) Michael Learys newest novel is a study in the psycology of teror. By subtley manipulating the

reader, he manages to make the villian seem monsterous without making him seem all together

unrealistic.


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2.1.6. Write the correct answer for each sentence, using either words to spell out the numbers

(thirty-one) or numerals where appropriate (31). Write a C if the sentence is correct as is.

a) ________________ 351 people attended the performance.

b) ________________There were one hundred and thirty-five pieces in the puzzle.

c) ________________ Class started at eight-thirty A.M. in Room Twenty.

d) ________________ In the sixties there were sit-ins at 100s of colleges.

e) ________________ Every afternoon at two oclock the chimes rang.

f) ________________ The stock deal, which involved $4.5 billion, paid a twelve and a half percent

dividend.

g) ________________ The Lafayette television station is Channel Eighteen.

h) ___ _____________They needed eight ten-foot poles for the construction.

i) ___ _____________The vote was 126 in favor of the action and only sixteen opposed.j) ________________ The assignment was to read chapter 6, pages 31-39.

k) ________________ Only fifty percent of high school students go on to college.

l) ________________ We were assigned a report of about 10 pages in length.

2.2.Punctuation Marks and Capital Letters

2.2.1. Which of the following punctuation marks are most adequate as a separating device?

a) It was a fine day, the sun was shining.

b) It was a fine day. The sun was shining.

c) It was a fine daythe sun was shining.d) It was a fine day; the sun was shining.

e) It was a fine day: the sun was shining.

2.2.2. Identify the main uses of the following punctuation marks:

comma

a) It is years since I read Anna Karenina, which is my favourite novel.

b) If you do not understand, please tell me.

c) James Joyce, the great modernist writer, once said . . .

d) The speaker, getting to his feet, began to . . .

e) I shall need a book, some paper, a pencil, and a ruler.

f) You can, however, do it if you wish.g) They tried, in spite of my advice, to climb the mountain.


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full-stop

a) She quietly watched the man passing. Then she . . .

colon

a) I have some news for you: Johns father has arrived.

b) Please send the items indicated below, namely: (i) passport (ii) visa application (iii) correct fee.

semi-colon

a) The lecture was badly delivered; it went on far too long as well.

b) The chief commodities are: butter, cheese, milk, eggs; lamb, beef, veal, pork; oats, barley, rye and

wheat.

hyphen

a) The manager co-opted the workers in the project.

b) Self-control is what he needs.apostrophe

a) The directors interpretation altered the basic script of the play.

question mark

a) What time is it?

b) But: Please tell me what time it is.

dash

a) He received a prizeand a certificate as well.

quotation marks(inverted commas)

a) He said, Why did you do that?

exclamation mark

a) Oh dear! Get out!

brackets(parentheses)

a) He (Mr Brown) told him (Mr Jones) that he (Mr Green) had been accepted for his job.

b) William Smith (1910-1969) lived first in Manchester (see p. 70) and then . . .

2.2.3. Each of the following sentences needs either a comma or a semicolon. Put in the necessary

punctuation.

a) Many companies make sugar-free soft drinks, which are flavored by synthetic chemicals the drinks

usually contain only one or two calories per serving.

b) Mr. Leyland played the viola professionally for many years and he now conducts a community

orchestra.c) The crab grass was flourishing but the rest of the lawn unfortunately was dying.

d) The hill was covered with wildflowers it was a beautiful sight.


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e) As I turned around, I heard a loud thump for the cat had upset the goldfish bowl.

f) The artist preferred to paint in oils he did not like watercolors.

g) The house was clean, the table set, and the porch light on everything was ready for the guestsarrival.

h) He looked carefully in the underbrush but he failed to notice the pair of green eyes staring at him.

i) The foundations of the house had been poured but, to his disappointment, nothing else had been done

because of the carpentersstrike.

j) The computer could perform millions of operations in a split second however, it could not think

spontaneously.

k) I thought registration day would be tiring but I didnt know Id have to stand in so many lines.

l) The dog, growling and snarling, snapped at me I was so frightened that I ran.

m) The snowstorm dumped twelve inches of snow on the interstate subsequently, the state police closed

the road.n) Professors are supposed to be absent-minded and Ive seen plenty of evidence to support that claim

since Ive been in college.

o) The suspect said that he had never met the victim however the detective knew that he was lying.

p) In the first place, it was snowing too hard to see the road in the second place, we had no chains.

q) I have read Soul on Ice but I have not read The Invisible Man.

r) San Francisco is my favorite city in fact I plan to spend two weeks there this summer.

s) The quarterback made a brilliant pass and the end crossed the goal line for the winning touchdown.

t) Large supermarkets fascinate me I can find everything from frozen chow mein to soybean flour in

one place.

u) Ron and Mike were both in English class this morning they gave an interesting presentation on their

research.

v) The obstacles are not insurmountable but they are real and formidable.

w) Riding a bicycle is excellent exercise I ride mine every day.

x) I am not interested in a trip to Asia this year however I would like to go to Europe.

y) Not all highly educated people enjoy traveling, but many world travelers are particularly well

educated.

2.2.4. Punctuate the following passages and add capital letters where necessary:

a) the most striking feature of the oceans is their vast size the next most striking feature is the constant

motion of their surfaces one cause of the motion is the wind it may make waves from an inch to oversixty feet in height another cause of waves is geologic disturbances such as earthquakes and volcanic


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eruptions below the surface of the oceans waves from geologic disturbances are sometimes

incorrectly called tidal waves but they have no relation to the tides.

b) the first of the great civic universities established in england manchester is today the largest unitary

university in the united kingdom and an internationally famous centre of learning and research it is

well endowed with resources and facilities the university library for instance is one of the four big

academic libraries in the country and the university has its own modern theatre television studios art

gallery museum shopping centre and of course extensive sports facilities

c) mr brown had been teaching English abroad for a number of years he had forgotten how cold it could

be in england in the winter it was often dull and grey in november but it could be really cold in

december january and february even in the spring it could snow mr brown looked out of the window

as the train crossed the river avon he remembered the weather forecast that he had heard on the bbc at

9 oclock that tuesday morning it had said that it would be wet and windy in the north west manchester

where he was now travelling to was unfortunately in the north west

2.2.5. Put in semicolons, colons, dashes, quotation marks, Italics (use an underline), and parentheses

where ever they are needed in the following sentences.

a) The men in question Harold Keene, Jim Peterson, and Gerald Greene deserve awards.

b) Several countries participated in the airlift Italy, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg.

c) Only one course was open to us surrender, said the ex-major, and we did.

d) Judge Carswell later to be nominated for the Supreme Court had ruled against civil rights.

e) In last weeks New Yorker, one of my favorite magazines, I enjoyed reading Leland s article How

Not to Go Camping.

f) Yes, Jim said, Ill be home by ten.

g) There was only one thing to do study till dawn.

h) Montaigne wrote the following A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.


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i) The following are the primary colors red, blue, and yellow.

j) Arriving on the 8 10 plane were Liz Brooks, my old roommate her husband and Tim, their son.

k) When the teacher commented that her spelling was poor, Lynn replied All the members of my family

are poor spellers. Why not me?

l) He used the phrase you know so often that I finally said No, I don t know.

m) The automobile dealer handled three makes of cars Volkswagens, Porsches, and Mercedes Benz.

n) Though Phil said he would arrive on the 9 19 flight, he came instead on the 10 36 flight.

o) Whoever thought said Helen that Jack would be elected class president?

p) In baseball, a show boat is a man who shows off.

q) The minister quoted Isaiah 5 21 in last Sundays sermon.

r) There was a very interesting article entitled The New Rage for Folk Singing in last Sunday s New

York Times newspaper.

s) Whoever is elected secretary of the club Ashley, or Chandra, or Aisha must be prepared to do a great

deal of work, said Jumita, the previous secretary.

t) Darwins On the Origin of Species 1859 caused a great controversy when it appeared.

2.2.6. How would you improve the following samples of inadequate or incorrect

punctuation?

A. Lady X refuses all blandishments to go on the stage or into films. Though her sister, Lady Y, is an

actress. Appearing inPeople of Our Class.

B. It should be noted that plastics can vary considerable in ruggedness they can be heavy or thin,

plastic dials and knobs can have a metal sleeve to take the screw or they can be just plastic, the

latter are the more likely to pull off in your hand.

C. Cholesterol, a steroid alcohol found in certain fluids and substances, stored by the body, is a

potentially deadly phenomenon, it promotes arteriosclerosis, this precipitates high blood pressure,

which increases the chances of having a heart attack, or angina, or a host of similarly dangerous

conditions, its main carriers are foods we eat regularly, like butter, cheese, milk and salt, let alone


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things like cream and rich puddings. If you have too many of these, and I haven t yet mentioned

eggs or anything fried, oil and dripping are simply loaded with cholesterol, your arteries harden

prematurely, this makes it more difficult for the blood to flow, obviously enough, they also get

coated and, in general, unhealthy, contaminated and weak, you run a high risk, at the very least,

of premature illness, or incapacity, or even death.

2.2.7.The following letter can be correctly punctuated in two separate ways, resulting in two

utterly different meanings. Work them out, beginning immediately after Dear John, which is

the only structure common to both.

Dear John

I want a man who knows what love is all about you are generous kind thoughtful people who are not

like you admit to being useless and inferior you have ruined me for other men I yearn for you I have no

feeling whatever when were apart I can be forever happy will you let me be yours Gloria

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2.3. Further Practice

2.3.1. Identify and correct the errors of spelling, grammar, punctuation, usage in the

following passage:

Me and my friend were laying around on the floor when the bell rung. It was the postman, who was in a

very stroppy mood, he said that the parcel he was delivering to me was extremely awkward to handle, andthat 2-40 was due to be paid because the sender hadnt handed over enough money. I was disinterested

in his problems, but his manner was so unpleasantly masterly that I though Id better behave judiciously.


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Undoubtably hed have been even more unpleasant if Id stuck to my principals and told him where to get

off. After all, he is a public servant and has no business being so officious, it wasnt my fault that the

parcel was so tricky for him and its no use blaming the innocent recipient if the sender has been too mean

to pay the correct postage. I therefore offered him my condonances on having such a pressurised job, paid

the access postage and shut the door on the wicked villain.

When I opened the parcel, I was incredible: it was a priceless diamond that must have cost a pretty

penny. The reason it was so bulky was because it was wrapped in yards and yards of papertissue paper,

newspaper, brown paper, even corrugated cardboard. No wonder the postman had found such a lot of

stationary awkward to carry! My friend was fascinated by the jewel and said I could proberly retire for

life if I sold it to the right buyer. I told her not to be so venial, it was a treasured present and I would never

part with it for no one. Then she asked me who it was from? I scrabbled around in all that paper, looking

for a card or a letter, but could find absolutely nothing. I was so upset at not knowing who my benefactor

was that I needed an immediate stimulus, and so I dived for the brandy. I poured out a good measure for

both of us, but she complained that my half was bigger than hers and inferred that I was greedy. I said she

was quite unique in being the nastiest, most grasping little rat-bag I had ever come across and that if she

had the intelligence required to find the door, she might like to use it at her earliest convenience. People

like that embarass me: their full of criticism for others but never practice what they preach.

Oh, I eventually found out who sent the diamond. There wasa letter after all, tucked into the outer

rapping: it was from a Belgium I met on holiday, whose the most gorgeous man Ive ever clapped eyes

on. Anyone who doesnt fancy him must be off their head: hes the sort of phenomena that makes me go

weak, knees-wise.


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3. Sentences and Paragraphing

3.1. Joining sentences

3.1.1. Complete the following sentences by choosing one of the two words or phrases given in

brackets:

a) (And, Both) my wife and I went out early yesterday.

_______________________________________________________________________

b) (Or, Either) we will have to wait for them, or we will have to leave a message.

_______________________________________________________________________

c) He neither took my advice (nor, or) his fathers.

_______________________________________________________________________

d) The man (who, whom) you saw yesterday is my neighbour.

________________________________________________________________________

e) He has received the money (which, who) I sent him.

________________________________________________________________________

f) I cannot remember (where did I leave, where I left) my coat.

_______________________________________________________________________

g) He asked me (when would my brother, when my brother would) arrive.

_______________________________________________________________________

h) You did not tell me (how much this cost, how much did this cost.)

_______________________________________________________________________i) He had to leave (why, because) it was so late.

_______________________________________________________________________

j) (Now that, So that) it has stopped raining, I shall not have to take an umbrella.

_______________________________________________________________________

k) He was (such, so) pleased when he heard the news that he rang me up at once.

_______________________________________________________________________

l) It is (such, a so) nice day, I cannot bear to stay indoors.

_______________________________________________________________________

m) I ran quickly (in order to be not, in order not to be) late.

_______________________________________________________________________

n) The little boy hid behind the door (in order his aunt not to see him, in order that his aunt might not see

him.)

_______________________________________________________________________


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o) Ill come and fetch you from the station (so that you will not have to, in order you do not have to)

walk as far as my house.

_______________________________________________________________________

p) Seeing me coming (the man, the man he) ran towards me.

_______________________________________________________________________

q) (Turning the corner, When he turned the corner) the brick fell on his head.

________________________________________________________________

3.1.2. Join the following pairs of sentences using the conjunctions given in brackets.

a) He was in Italy last year. Now he has returned home. (but)_______________________________________________________________________

b) The talk on the radio was not amusing. It was not interesting. (neither nor)

_______________________________________________________________________

c) He told me to leave. He told me never to call again. (not only but)

_______________________________________________________________________

d) I have often invited him here. He has never come. (yet)

_______________________________________________________________________

e) Hurry up. You will be late. (or)

_______________________________________________________________________

f) The manager told him he must work hard. He must leave the firm. (either or)

_______________________________________________________________________

g) She sent a present to my brother. She sent a present to me. (both and)

_______________________________________________________________________

h) She finished her housework. She went out shopping. (so/and)

_______________________________________________________________________

i) The shops have shut. We should go home. (now that)

_______________________________________________________________________

j) You have not understood the question. I will repeat it. (since)

_______________________________________________________________________

k) You had better not stay too long. I have a lot of work to do. (as)

_______________________________________________________________________l) I did not tell him. I was afraid I would hurt his feelings. (because)

_______________________________________________________________________


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m) I have many friends abroad. I cannot write to all of them. (so that)

_______________________________________________________________________

n) He is an interesting person. It is a pleasure to hear him talk. (such that)

_______________________________________________________________________

o) The student asked the teacher a question. He wanted to understand the exercise better. (in order that)

_______________________________________________________________________

p) The thief drove quickly out of town. He did not want the police to catch him. (so that)

_______________________________________________________________________

q) He went into the room quietly. He did not want to disturb his brother who was asleep. (so as to)

_______________________________________________________________________

r) I wrote to him several times. I received no answer. (although)

_______________________________________________________________________s) He plays well. He is still not good enough for the football team. (in spite of the fact that)

_______________________________________________________________________

t) We are determined to get there. It does not matter how far away it is. (however)

_______________________________________________________________________

u) The journey takes too long. It does not matter if you go by plane. (even if)

_______________________________________________________________________

v) I still think the film is poor. It does not matter if so many people enjoyed it. (even though)

_______________________________________________________________________

3.1.3. Join the following pairs of sentences using relative pronouns or adverbs where necessary:

a) There were a lot of people at the party. I had not met them before.

_______________________________________________________________________

b) My sisters friend came to see me. Her parents died last year.

_______________________________________________________________________

c) The vase was very valuable. My younger brother broke it.

_______________________________________________________________________

d) A friend of mine will be coming tomorrow. I received a letter from him.

_______________________________________________________________________

e) Is he your friend? Did you go to the cinema with him yesterday?

_______________________________________________________________________f) He has sent me a number of letters. I havent had time to answer them.

_______________________________________________________________________


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g) The man had to pay a fine. His car was parked on the wrong side of the road.

_______________________________________________________________________

h) Why did he refuse to see me? You must find out.

_______________________________________________________________________

i) How did you find out my address? Please tell me.

_______________________________________________________________________

j) When did you last hear from him? Write and let me know.

_______________________________________________________________________

k) What did he tell you? I would like to know.

_______________________________________________________________________

l) Where did he put the book I lent you? Please ask him.

_______________________________________________________________________

3.1.4. Join the following pairs of sentences using the participle construction.

a) She thought I was a friend of hers. She greeted me.

_______________________________________________________________________

b) They found the door shut. They had to climb through the window.

_______________________________________________________________________

c) The guard was killed. The prisoner escaped.

_______________________________________________________________________

d) He has not been abroad for many years. He is now finding it difficult to settle down.

_______________________________________________________________________

e) He was not able to understand. He asked the teacher to explain.

_______________________________________________________________________

f) She did not believe me. She went to see for herself.

_______________________________________________________________________

3.1.4. Consider the following howlersand Colemanballs(i.e. writtenor oralerrors where

there is a crucial gap between intention and result.) Can you rewrite them so that to make

clear and uncomical sense? Keep as close as you can to the original idea and wording.

a) Something Went Wrong In Jet Crash, Expert Says (newspaper headline)_______________________________________________________________________


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b) Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim (newspaper headline)

_______________________________________________________________________c) We thought this story incrediblevery convincing. (Lord Asa Briggs)

_______________________________________________________________________d) The Channel Tunnel project seems to be getting off the ground again. (Sir Alistair Burnett)

_______________________________________________________________________e) To win a Gold Medal, youve got to come first. (David Coleman)

_______________________________________________________________________f) Obviously, you do other things as well as dedicating your life 24 hours a day to ballet. (Mike

Read)_______________________________________________________________________

g)

We are not prepared to stand idly by and be murdered in our beds. (The Reverend Ian Paisley)_______________________________________________________________________

h)

If Tchaikovsky were alive today hed be turning in his grave.(Radio 1)_______________________________________________________________________

3.2. Rhythm and Variation

3.2.1. Decide which of the following texts works most effectively on the reader in point of its rhythm

and sentence length/variation:

a) He took out his knife, opened it, and stuck it in the log. Then he pulled up the sack, reached into it,

and brought out one of the trout. Holding him near the tail, hard to hold, alive, in his hand, he

whacked him against the log. The trout quivered, rigid. Nick laid him on the log in the shade and

br

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