4
XXXXXXXXXXName___________________________
Directions: Rewrite the following sentences to make sentence elements parallel in form. (2 pts. per sentence)
1. Not only was she noisy and rude but also rather stupid.
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2. Andre did not like Liberals and especially to have one in the family.
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3. I spend too much time both playing
idge and in talking.
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4. At about noon every day the siren blows and warning the residents of another big
explosion at the qua
y.
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5. The constant ni
ling away of the rats and to hear them running across the foot
of the bed undermined Craig’s confidence.
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6. Mrs. Grimm likes to water her garden, walking her fox te
ier, and to yell at her husband.
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7. That afternoon she changed two diapers, did the ironing of two shirts, and watched two soap operas.
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8. Later that year, having lost his job and unable to find another, he had to sell his car.
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9. My Uncle Julian wrote his autobiography which was uninteresting because nothing had ever happened to him.
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10. Students too often come to class with pencil and paper, ca
ying notebooks and texts, and an unquestioning mind.
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11. The admiral was told he was either a liar or he was a fool.
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12. Lola plans to become a model, lawyer, or to go into nursing.
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13. When I saw my roommate with my girlfriend, I felt wo
ied, angry, and emba
assment as well.
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14. Mark is not only talented as a pianist but also at acting.
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15. Billy Joe didn’t like the tacos but eats them anyway.
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16. The horse reared in the starting gate and throws his rider.
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17. No one enjoyed the haying, the milking, or to plow except Bill.
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18. If one wants a quick refund, you should file your tax return early.
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19. Emily always wants to stay up for the late show but always fell asleep watching it.
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20. His
eakfast never varies; it consisted of yogurt and prune juice.
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Directions: Read the items below. If you believe a comma belongs in the space, then add a comma. If you believe no punctuation is necessary, put an X on the line. (1 pt. per blank)
1. Tasting the air ___with its tongue___the snake lay on the warm concrete___enjoying the mild ___spring day ___and meaning no one any harm.
2. Diane promised herself ___that she would eat only three caramel candies___but her fingers kept digging into the bag___pulling out another treat___unwrapping the cellophane___and popping the chewy square into her mouth.
3.Stacked on the desk ___huge piles of books___and printed web pages ___lay ignored by Josephine ___who should have turned in her research paper___two days ago.
4.Because Shawn is so tall___he must keep the driver's seat almost fully reclined___so that his head doesn't bump___the roof of his small car. When he can afford it___he plans to buy a convertible___so that he does not have to wo
y about a roof at all.
5. Despite three cups of coffee___Danny could not keep his eyes open___for another one of Dr. O'Sullivan's long___dreary lectures on Egyptian pharaohs. Therefore___ he doodled in his notebook___wishing that he had chosen a different class___to satisfy his history requirement.
SENTENCE FRAGMENTS, RUN-ONS, AND COMMA SPLICES
Label each of the following numbered items. If it is a complete and co
ectly punctuated sentence, put C in the blank by the number. If it is a run-on, put RO in the blank. If it is a comma splice, put CS in the blank. If it is a sentence fragment, put F in the blank. Revise each run-on, comma splice, or sentence fragment on the blank lines below it. (2 pts. per sentence)
_____ 1. The sometimes painful difficulty of knowing when a sentence is complete and when it is a fragment or a run-on.
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______ 2. It is sometimes difficult to ascertain whether a sentence is complete or whether it is a fragment or a run-on.
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______ 3. I can always recognize a complete sentence, but sometimes I cannot tell the difference between a run-on and a fragment.
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______ 4. Although I have been speaking and writing English for many years, I still have some trouble with punctuation, especially commas.
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______ 5. Punctuation is an entertaining challenge to me, I love trying to decide where to put those expressive little dots and marks.
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______ 6. A semicolon, that fancy period that is sometimes mistaken for a fancy comma.
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______ 7. Do you ever use a colon, it almost always goes after a complete sentence.
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_______8. It is important to proof read, one can avoid many small e
ors.
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______ 9. I occasionally
owse through books on punctuation, they help keep me confident.
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______ 10. I am very confident, I review often.
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______ 11. Because I review often, I am very confident when I punctuate my essays and letters.
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______ 12. As I get more writing practice, I get better at punctuation.
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______ 13. I write much more these days, I am getting better at punctuation and grammar.
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______ 14. However, writing is never going to be easy, not as long as I am trying to communicate complicated and important ideas.
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