Exercise 5   Correcting Comma Splices and Run-Ons

1. CS optimism, but

2. RO winter, and

3. OK

5. CS branches, and

6. RO managing, for

7. CS food, so

8. CS winter, and

9. RO depressed, but

10. RO help, and

Exercise 6   Correcting Comma Splices and Run-Ons

1. CS alive, and

2. RO alive, for

3. CS preserved, and

4. CS College, but

5. RO armchair, and

6. RO instructions, so

7. CS College, but

8. RO 1924, and

9. CS too, and

10. OK

Exercise 7   Correcting Comma Splices and Run-Ons

1. RO After Jessie

2. RO Because the

3. CS Because Hitler

4. RO After Jesse

5. OK

7. OK

9. CS After Owens

10. CS Although in
Exercise 8   Correcting Comma Splices and Run-On

__CS__	1 ^ Although .	R Because oberto Clemente grew up poor in Puerto Rico, he would become rich and famous.
__RO__	2.	A After s a child he was determined to play baseball he used a tree limb to slug an old tennis ball wrapped with yarn.
__CS__	3 ^ While (or When) .	Clemente excelled in youth and sandlot teams, he signed a contract to play professional baseball.
__CS__	4 ^ .	He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 1955 and 1972, he was once selected the Most Valuable Player and twice had the highest hitting average in the National League.
__OK__	5.	Often regarded as the best right fielder of all time, he won twelve Gold Gloves for his defensive play, and it was said he could throw out runners from his knees.
__OK__	6 When (or After) .	Clemente said that he was taught good values by his family and that he respected the poor because they had learned about life from their suffering.
__CS__	7 ^ Because .	Clemente became wealthy, he always found time to help the less fortunate.
__CS__	8 ^ When .	He liked to take an active part in his humanitarian work, in 1972 he decided to fly on an airplane he had chartered to take supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
__RO__	9 ^ Because .	The airplane crashed all aboard were killed.
__RO__	1 ^ 0.	He was a great baseball player and a great human being many schools and parks have been named after him.

Exercise 9   Correcting Comma Splices and Run-Ons

__CS__	1.	H ^ ; however, arry Houdini is often referred to as a magician, he was more famous as an escapologist.
__CS__	2.	H ^ ; then e initially performed card tricks and other common routines of illusion, he developed some special non-escape acts.
__RO__	3.	O ^ ; however, ne of his spectacular non-escape acts was making an elephant and its trainer disappear they were actually lowered into an empty swimming pool under the stage.
__OK__	4.	S ; therefore, (or consequently,) oon Houdini grew bored with conventional magic, and he perfected some escape tricks.
__CS__	5.	H ^ ; therefore, (or consequently,) oudini learned to swallow and then regurgitate keys and tools, he could break free from restraints under water.
__RO__	6.	H ^ oudini could also dislocate both shoulders at will he could escape easily from a straitjacket.
__OK__	7.	Houdini’s most famous trick involved the Chinese Water Torture Cell, a steel and glass water-filled box in which he was chained and suspended upside down.
__OK__	8	A ; therefore, s an active member of a group of skeptics, he exposed spiritualists who claimed to contact the dead.
__CS__	9	H ^ e decided to put his beliefs to a test, shortly before his death, he gave his wife a secret code and told her he would try to contact her from the grave.
__CS__	10	E ; then (or finally,) ^ ach Halloween night for a decade after he died, his wife and friends met and waited for a signal from Houdini, she gave up, saying, “Ten years is long enough to wait for any man.”

Exercise 10   Correcting Comma Splices and Run-Ons
1. CS Dragster. It’s

2. RO gate. They

3. CS Japan. It

4. RO comparison. T

5. OK

6. CS feet. C

8. CS descent. You

9. RO degrees. As

10. RO 2003. Thrill

Deserts are often referred to as wastelands. Because it is true that not as many plants grow there as in temperate zones, it is also true that animals do not live there in great numbers. But many plants and animals live and do quite well in the desert because of their adaptations.

Not all deserts have the same appearance, but many people think of the desert as a hot, sandy area. Actually sand covers only about twenty percent of the desert. Some deserts have mountains, whereas some others have snow.

Because deserts are dry for most of the year, plants must conserve and store water. Several kinds of cacti can shrink during a dry season and swell during a rainy season. Some shrubs simply drop their leaves and use their green bark to manufacture chlorophyll. Seeds sometimes lie in the desert for several years before sprouting to take advantage of a rainfall.

Animals have quite effectively adjusted to the desert; therefore, some animals obtain moisture from the food they eat and require no water. One animal of the desert, the camel, produces fat, which it stores in its hump. The fat allows the camel to reserve more body heat; consequently, it needs little water. Still other animals feed only at night or are inactive for weeks or even months.

About fifteen percent of the land of the earth is covered by deserts. That area increases every year because of overgrazing by livestock and because of the destruction of forests. Areas that were once green and fertile will now support little life and only a small population of human beings.

1. vicious, relentless, and inexplicable 6. separates . . . and is hated

1. not only robbed from the rich but also gave to the poor

2. social contacts. 7. her mother would make it.

3. math. 8. we will all be miserable.

4. friend. 9. one for all.”

5. a piece of fruit. 10. quit my job.

Exercise 4   Writing Sentences with Parallel Elements

Answers will vary.

1. talk, talks 6. is, am

2. talked, talked 7. are, were

3. talked, talked 8. do, does

4. walked, walked 9. have, have

5. walk, walks 10. does, do

1. lost 6. ruined/put

2. laid 7. cost/raise

3. did/won 8. sit/liked

4. became/ran 9. rose/headed

5. eaten/served 10. knew/lusted

1. I wished I (stayed, had stayed) home.

2. I remembered that I (paid, had paid) him twice.

3. After parking their car, they (walk, walked) to the beach.

4. I (have, had) never encountered a genius until I met her.

5. I hoped that we (could have gone, went) to the big game.

6. They know that they (will complete, will have completed) the job before the first snow.

7. We (are considering, consider) the proposal.

8. He told us of the interesting life he (had led, led).

9. We went to the desert to see the cabin they (built, had built).

10. Tomorrow I (drive, will drive) to the supermarket for party items.

Exercise 4   Selecting Verbs

1. The scholars (worked, had worked) many hours before they solved the problem.

2. The shipping clerks wished they (had sent, sent) the package.

3. We (study, are studying) the issue now.

4. We (decide, will decide) on the winner tomorrow.

5. They reminded us that we (made, had made) the same promise before.

6. Before she went to Mexico, Jill (had never been, never was) out of the country.

7. Jake (had been napping, napped) when the alarm sounded.

8. By the time he finished talking, he realized that he (said, had said) too much.

9. At the end of the semester, the course grade (depends, will depend) on your ability to write well.

10. After he retired, I realized how much I (had learned, learned) from working with him.

Exercise 5   Selecting Verbs

1. lies

3. rise

5. rises

7. laid

9. lays

1. are studying

2. met

3. had fallen

5. married/ planned

6. had decided

7. took

9. committed/ stabbed

10. will have

Exercise 7   Choosing Verb Tense

1. In the eighteenth century, Benjamin Franklin (is saying, said) that compound interest was the “eighth wonder of the world.”

2. Today, taking advantage of compound interest (is, was) still one way to grow a fortune.

3. I wish I (had, had been) started investing years ago.

4. If I (will have, could have) saved $2,000 per year from age 21 on, I (would have, would have had) over a million dollars now.

5. I (have, had) never realized this until I did the math.

6. So I (have decided, could have been deciding) to begin investing money every month from now on.

7. Yesterday, I (determined, have determined) an amount I should save each week.

8. I hope that you (will have considered, are considering) doing the same thing.

9. By the time we’re ready to retire, we (were, may be) millionaires.

10. Someday we (will worry, worried) about how to pay the bills.

Exercise 8   Using Verbs in Sentences

Answers will vary.

1. The result of the defendant’s corrupt business dealings (was, were) soon felt.

2. The mayor and most citizens (was, were) deeply affected.

3. There (was, were) no justification for the defendant’s behavior.

4. Neither of the defendant’s parents (was, were) willing to defend him.

5. Neither the judge nor the jury members (was, were) very sympathetic with the defense’s case.

6. Ethics (was, were) apparently an unknown field of study to the defendant.

7. Each and every day (was, were) consumed with intense debate.

8. In the penalty phase, the judge said that ten years (was, were) the correct sentence.

9. Then the judge added, “Fifty thousand dollars (is, are) the right sum for restitution.”

10. The defendant, along with his attorney, (was, were) not pleased.

Exercise 10   Making Subjects and Verbs Agree

1. Even after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans (is, are) the site of one of the most celebrated parties in the United States.

2. Though the event was temporarily scaled back, Mardi Gras (is, are) an event that refuses to die.

3. Mardi Gras, which means “Fat Tuesday,” (is, are) always forty-six days before Easter.

4. But twelve days before that, the crowd (begins, begin) to grow.

5. All of the bands in the state of Louisiana (converges, converge) on New Orleans.

6. A visitor, along with just about all of the city’s residents, (enjoys, enjoy) nonstop jazz and blues music.

7. Cajun and Creole food (satisfies, satisfy) the revelers’ hungry appetites.

8. There (is, are) numerous parades, but the best ones (occurs, occur) during the last five days of the celebration.

9. Each of the spectacular parade floats (is, are) decorated and (carries, carry) riders wearing costumes.

10. Four miles (is, are) the length of a typical parade route.

11. Beads, coins, cups, and an occasional medallion (is, are) tossed from the floats into the crowd.

12. People who line the parade route (tries, try) to catch as many trinkets as they can.

13. One float, the best of all of that parade’s floats, (wins, win) an award.

14. Some of the most popular festivities, besides a good parade, (is, are) the masked balls.

15. Every one of the costumes (is, are) outrageous and unique.

16. Cajun Mardi Gras Masks (is, are) a book that will give you some ideas.

17. The celebration (is, are) a happening of fun and frenzy.

18. After dark, there (is, are) fireworks in the night sky.

19. Neither the participants nor the curious onlooker (wants, want) the party to end.

20. (Is, Are) these days of merrymaking something you’d enjoy?

Exercise 11   Making Verbs Consistent in Tense

A trip to the dentist should not be a terrible experience—unless one goes to Dr. Litterfloss,

has

credit dentist. Although he graduated magna cum lately from Ed’s School of Dentistry, he had a

reputation for being one of the dirtiest and most careless dentists in the state. He didn’t even know

uses lose

about germs. He never used Novocain. He just spins the chair until his patients lost consciousness.

Then he shot them with his x-ray gun from behind a lead wall. Sometimes he missed, and now

doesn’t works

his dental technician glows in the dark, so he didn’t need a light as he worked. While drilling

snacks

with one hand, he snacked on Vienna sausages with the other. Stray alley cats and mangy curs

recommend

1. P I’ll tell you a story.

2. P A local ventriloquist experienced a tragedy the other day.

3. P He was delighting hundreds of his fans at a local county fair performance.

4. A

5. A

7. P All three major television networks covered the story.

8. P Thousands of curious folk viewed the scene of the mysterious combustion.

9. P The publicity has made the ventriloquist a rich man.

10. P

11. A

1. My watch runs slowly. 6. Mr. Hawkins sells real estate.

2. My computer costs little. 7. José attends Santa Ana College.

3. The horse ran swiftly. 8. I like this assignment.

4. They wrote well. 9. We students have succeeded here.

5. The dog sleeps on the bed. 10. She combs her hair.

1. Babe Ruth hit many home runs.

2. The chef liked food.

3. I plan to graduate in two years.

4. John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence.

5. Juanita organized the event.

6. She likes to cook.

7. Carl owned the restaurant.

8. Tiger Woods will win the tournament.

9. They loved each other.

10. His passion for her died.

Exercise 15  Correcting Verb Problems

“Summary of The Old Man and the Sea”

Santiago, one of many local fishermen, have not caught a fish in eighty-four

believes

days. Young Manolin, despite the objections of his parents, has a belief in the old

man. His parents says Santiago is unlucky, and they will not let their son go fishing

The next day Santiago sit sail. Soon he catch a small tuna, which he used for bait.

hits raise

Then a huge marlin hit the bait with a strike. The old man cannot rise the fish to the

pulls

surface, and it pulled the boat throughout the rest of the day and during the night.

During the second day, Santiago’s hand is injured by the line and he become

is seen

wonders

sleeps

awakened

lies

comes pulls

On the third day, the fish came to the surface. Santiago pull steadily on the line,

he harpoons kills it He ties the fish

and finally it is harpooned and killed by Santiago. The fish is tied to the skiff by him.

attack

strip

returns

lies knows

old man lays asleep. The young boy knew he has much to learn from the old man and
is determined to go fishing with him.

Exercise 16   Writing Sentences with Correct Verbs

Sentences will vary.

1. (Who, Whom) is next in line for the throne?

2. (Who, Whom) should we call if we need help assembling our new antigravity machine?

3. We all know (who, whom) put the superglue on the boss’s chair.

4. With (who, whom) are you dancing next?

5. The sailor (who, whom) swabbed the deck did an excellent job.

6. When her husband suggested that it would be fun to host a party for one hundred of their closest friends, she replied, “Fun for (who, whom)?”

7. (Who, Whom) did you marry in Las Vegas’ drive-thru wedding chapel?

8. The contestant (who, whom) tripped on her evening gown and fell still managed to win first runner-up.

9. He will call the plumber, (who, whom) will know what to do.

10. “What you know is not as important as (who, whom) you know,” he confided.