The following exercises are based on exercises taken from pages 244-247 of the textbook.(NOTE: I have renumbered these exercises from what they are numbered in the textbook. The numbers I have used below do not correspond to the same number of the exercises in thetextbook.) Read carefully through each question below, and conduct only as much revising to the sentence as is necessary. Take special care to preserve the meaning of the original sentence. If and wherenecessary, feel free to invent reasonable details.
1. Refer to the advice on pages 217-18, and rewrite the following sentence to eliminate thesentence fragment:Nine bones from a Pacific walrus that were found in a coffin beneath St. Pancras RailwayStation in London.
2. Refer to the advice on page 218, and rewrite the following sentence to eliminate commasplices:The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is developing newregulations for offshore oil and gas operations in the Arctic, these regulations areexpected to be ready for review later this year.
3. Refer to the advice on pages 218-19, and rewrite the following sentence to eliminate therun-on:A group of US scientists has encoded a 53,000-word book entirely in DNA this meansDNA could become a future means of storing large amounts of data. 2
4. Refer to the advice on pages 219-20, and rewrite the following sentence to eliminateambiguous pronoun references:The football program and the basketball programs are the highest grossing of theseventeen sports at the university. They posted revenues of $1.9 million last year.
5. Refer to the advice on page 222, and rewrite the following sentence so that it maintainssubject-verb agreement:The typical question received at our call centers are not answered in any of the userguides.
6. Refer to the advice on page 222, and rewrite the following sentence so that it maintainspronoun-antecedent agreement:A researcher who has submitted all the IRB forms is still required to submit theirproposal to the Research Committee.
7. Refer to the advice on pages 222-23, and rewrite the following sentence to eliminate incorrect use of tenses:Galileo paid dearly for his belief that the Earth revolved around the Sun.
8. The following sentence might be too long for some readers. Refer to the advice on page234, and break the sentence into two or more sentences:Although we had a frank discussion with Backer's legal staff, we were unable to get them to specify what they would be looking for in an out-of-court settlement, but they gave usa strong impression that they would rather settle out of court.
9. The following example contains choppy, abrupt sentences. Refer to the advice on page225, and combine the sentences to create a smoother style:I need a figure on the surrender value of a policy. The number of the policy is A4399827.Can you get me this figure by tomorrow?
10. In the following sentence, unnecessary nominalization obscures the real verb. Refer tothe advice on pages 226-27, and revise the sentence to focus on the real verb:Pollution constitutes a threat to the Matthews Wildlife Preserve.
11. Refer to the advice on pages 227-28, and revise the following sentence to eliminatenonparallelism:The next two sections of the manual discuss how to analyze the data, the conclusions thatcan be drawn from your analysis, and how to decide what further steps are needed beforeestablishing a journal list.
12. Refer to the advice on pages 228-29, and revise the following sentence to correctpunctuation or pronoun errors related to modifiers:This problem that has been traced to manufacturing delays, has resulted in our losing fourmajor contracts.
13. Refer to the advice on pages 228-29, and revise the following sentence to correctpunctuation or pronoun errors related to modifiers:Please get in touch with Tom Harvey who is updating the instructions.
14. Refer to the advice on pages 230-31, and revise the following informal sentences to makethem moderately formal:The biggest problem faced by multimedia designers is that users freak if they don't see abutton-or, heaven forbid, if they have to make up their own buttons!
15. Refer to the advice on pages 231-33, and rewrite the following sentence to removeinappropriate use of the passive voice:Mistakes were made.
16. Refer to the advice on page 233, and revise the following sentence by replacing the vagueelements with specific information. Make up any reasonable details.The chemical spill caused extensive damage. 5
17. Refer to the advice on page 234, and revise the following sentence to remove unnecessaryjargon:We need to be prepared for blowback from the announcement.
18. General readers might find the following sentences awkward or difficult to understand.Refer to the advice on page 235, and rewrite the following sentence to eliminate the longnoun strings:The research team discovered a glycerin-initiated, alkylene-oxide-based, long-chainpolyether.
19. Refer to the advice on pages 235-36, and revise the following sentences to eliminateclichés:If we are to survive this difficult period, we are going to have to keep our ears to theground and our noses to the grindstone.
20. Refer to the advice on pages 236-37, and revise the following sentence to eliminate theobvious material:To register to take a course offered by the university, you must first determine whetherthe university will be offering that course that semester.
21. Refer to the advice on page 237, and revise the following sentence to remove meaninglessfiller:For all intents and purposes, our company's long-term success depends to a certaindegree on various factors that are in general difficult to foresee.
22. Refer to the advice on page 237, and revise the following sentence to eliminateunnecessary prepositional phrases:The complexity of the module will hamper the ability of the operator in the diagnosis ofproblems in equipment configuration
23. Refer to the advice on pages 238-39, and revise the following sentence to make it moreconcise:The instruction manual for the new copier is lacking in clarity and completeness.
24. Refer to the advice on page 239, and revise the following sentence to eliminate fancywords:This state-of-the art soda-dispensing module is to be utilized by Marketing Departmentpersonnel.
25. Refer to the advice on pages 240-41, and revise the following sentence to eliminate sexistlanguage:Policemen are required to live in the city in which they work.