SENTENCE STRUCTURE (continued 2)
Reading edition
We were interested in buying some dry-goods, and at the same time see the sights of the great city.
Some people talk foolishness, and others on serious subjects, and some keep still.
Not only she noticed my condition, but commented on it.
He abides by neither the laws of God nor man. He spoke both to Harry and Tom.
It is good for the health of one's mind to get new ideas every day, and expressing them clearly in writing.
Everyone who is capable of understanding the tax laws should know them and how they are abused.
I began by making applications at federal, state, and city employment bureaus for a position as cost accountant, salesman, or clerical work.
The damage to the trunk was caused by rough handling and not from faults in construction.
Pope, Swift, Addison, and Defoe were four satirists, but differing greatly in their work.
The occupants of these buildings are engaged in various kinds of business, namely: shoe-shining, shoe repair shops, cleaning and pressing clothes, confectionery stores, and restaurants.
I sing of geese: of the Biblical goose, that blew his bugle from the roof of Noah's Ark; the classical goose that picked his livelihood along the shores of the Ægean; of the historical goose, that squawked to save old Rome; the mercenary goose, laying the golden egg; and, finally, of the roast goose.
B. Shift in Subject or Voice
Rewrite the following sentences, avoiding all unnecessary shift in construction.
After you decide on the plan of the house, your attention is turned to the materials of construction.
Editors are careful to use words that are exact, yet simple, and the use of technical terms is not generally considered to be good.
Bank accounts should be balanced once a month in order that you may know your exact standing.
We should have our athletic contest between the weakest students, and in that way they will become physically strong.
When one is making a long-distance run, several cautions should be borne in mind by him.
In melody the poem is good, but the author's ideas are eccentric.
Lincoln's sentences are plain, blunt, and to the point. He lacks the ornate eloquence of Jefferson.
The operator places a large shovelful of concrete in the mold, and the mixture is made solid by tamping.
He might become angry, but it was over in a few minutes.
The pauper chanced to gain entrance to the royal palace, and while there the young prince is met by him.
When the weather is hot, plowing is accomplished very slowly with horses, while on the tractor the heat has no effect.
First, one should mix one-half cup of corn syrup and one cup of brown sugar; then one cup of cream and the flavoring are added.
In the college situated in a small town there are dormitories for the student, but in the cities they usually room where they please.
An education should enable us to tell the valuable from the cheap book, and by it we should be able to tell the true from the counterfeit man.
Moisten the sand thoroughly and set the box in a warm place, and in about a week's time it can readily be seen by the way the grains have sprouted which ears of seed corn have greatest vitality.
C. Shift in Number, Person, or Tense
Rewrite the following sentences, removing all inconsistency in grammatical form.
Every one has a right to their own opinion.
Bryant rushed to the window and shouts at the postman.
The life of the honey bee has been studied, and their activities found to be remarkable.
He says to me, "Are you ready?" And I answered, "No."
When a person keeps a store, you should remember the names and faces of your customers.
An automobile is expensive, and they are liable to become an elephant on your hands.
If one studies the market, he would find that prices rise every year.
If one went to Europe, he will find everything different.
Since these tires were different in construction, the method of repairing will vary.
Contentment is a state of mind in which one is satisfied with themselves and their surroundings.
It is easy to catch 'possums if you can find the rascal.
The writer of a theme should not waste time on a long introduction, and get to the facts of your subject as quickly as possible.
Shakespeare's comedies are great fun. I prefer it to tragedy.
Often a man will knock at the door, and finds no one at home.
Too much attention will spoil a child. They should not be entertained every minute.
D. The Exact Connective
Each of the following sentences contains an idea which is, or may be, subordinate to another idea. (1) Decide what kind of subordinate relation should exist between the ideas. (2) Determine what connective best expresses this relation. (Consult 36 for a list of connectives.) (3) Write the sentence as it should be.
Wealth is a good thing, while honest wealth is better.
Spend an hour in the open air every day when you want to keep your health.
The rattlesnake gives warning and it is only afterward that he strikes.
South Americans are our national neighbors, and we as a nation should understand them.
The city man knows nothing about a cow, only that it has horns.
He got up early in order that he might be able to see the sunrise.
The tenderfoot saw the funnel-shaped cloud when he made for a cyclone cellar.
Men fear what they do not understand, and a coward is one who is ignorant.
Hinting did not influence her; then he tried scolding.
The valet spilled the wine, and the duke started up with an oath.
While he writhed on the ground, he was not really hurt.
He will not cash the check without you indorse it.
We want this work done by the first of April, so please send an estimate soon.
He had traveled everywhere, and he had a vivid recollection of only three scenes: Niagara Falls, the Jungfrau, and Lake Como.
I never hear him talk but he makes me angry.
Animals have some of the same feelings as human beings have.
It was four o'clock and we decided to return and be home for supper.
E. Repetition of Connectives
In the following sentences determine whether repetition is desirable or undesirable, and change the sentences accordingly.
With the coming of meal time, the potatoes are removed from the fire with a fork with a long handle.
His clothes were brushed and neat, but patched and repatched. But still he could be bright and cheery.
To no other magazine do I look forward to the arrival of its new issue, more than I do to the World's Work.
At the time the book was written, I believe Forster was considered to be almost the best biographer living at that time.
The freshman has no spirit until the sophomores have provoked him until he resists until he finds that he has spirit.
Some socialists are against the present system of initiative, referendum, and recall, but advocate a system much like it but applied in a different way.
The gun with which the Germans bombarded Paris with had a range of seventy-five miles.
Basketball is a game that I have played for years, and I am greatly interested in.
This is the lever which throws the switch which directs the train that takes the track that goes to Boston.
Short talks were made by the captain, the coach, and by the faculty.
At this school one can study to be a doctor, dentist, farmer, a lawyer, or an engineer.
I like to cross the harbor on the ferry, to dodge in and out among the ships, see the gulls dart among the waves, smell the sharp tang of salty air, and to feel the rocking motion of the boat.
In the sultry autumn, and when the winter's storms came, and when in spring the winds whistled, and in the summer's heat, he always wore the same old coat.
He knew that if he did not ignite the piece of wet bark this time, that he could not dry his clothing or broil the bacon.
The next speaker said that the need was critical, the schools must be enlarged, and that the paving now begun must be completed, and a new board of health should be created, that the interest on past debts had to be paid, and the city treasury was at this moment out of funds.