Homework (Part Two)

Exercise 1: Complex Sentences

A.
STEP 1 Underline the independent clause of each sentence with a solid line.
STEP 2 Underline the dependent clause with a broken line.
STEP 3 Write SUB above the subordinator.
Example:
SUB
Because the cost of education is rising, many students must work part-
time.

1. When students from other countries come to the United States, they often suffer from culture shock.
2. Because the cost of education has risen, many students are having financial problem.
3. Engineers, who have an aptitude for drafting and mechanics, must also be artistic and imaginative.
4. While the contractor follows the blueprint, the engineer checks the construction in progress.
5. Since the blueprint presents the details of the engineer’s plans, it must be interpreted accurately by the
contractor.
6. Students should declare a major by their junior year unless they have not made up their minds.
7. Even though students declare a major now, they can change it later.
8. Last year, the government reported that drug use is increasing.
9. Doctors are concerned about drug use by young people, who think that smoking marijuana is risk-free.

B. STEP 1 Add a logical independent clause to each of the following dependent clauses.
STEP 2 Punctuate each sentence correctly.
1. _______________________________________________________________until I pay my tuition.
2. _________________________________________________________________unless I take twelve
units.
3. _____________________________________ that computer engineering is a popular major.
4. _______________________________________________________________ who is chair of the
Communications Department.
5. Because I had to look for a part-time job ______________________________
6. ______________________________________________________ if I want get to school on time.
7._____________________________________________________________________________________
____ whether I should take advance calculus.
8. ___________________________________ whom I met at the social club meeting last month.
9. ___________________________________________ when I left my country.
10. ________________________________ that my college adviser recommends.
Exercise 2: Compound-Complex Sentences
Punctuate these compound-complex sentences.
STEP 1 Underline the independent clauses with a solid line and the dependent clauses with a broken line.
STEP 2 Add commas and/or semicolons as necessary.
1. If housework and childcare are included women work more hours per week than men every place in the
world except North America and Australia but they also earn less than men everywhere.
2. In Africa, women work harder than men because they work 67 hours per week but men work only 53.
3. Although Latin American women work 60 hours Latin men work only 54 and in Asia women work 62
hours to men’s 48.
4. Men is Western Europe Work the least they put in only 43 hours per week although women average 48.
5. The report stated that even when men’s working hours were reduced they used the extra time for leisure
activities rather than for housework of childcare.
Exercise 3: Subornation
Change the following compound sentences to complex sentences by subordinating one of the clauses. Use
the subordinator given. Note: Be sure to add the subordinator to the correct clause so that the resulting
sentences is logical.
Example: It was raining, so I took an umbrella to work (because)
Not logical: It was raining because I took an umbrella to work.
Logical: I took an umbrella to work because it was raining.
1. In the former Soviet Union, men and women had access to equal education and job opportunities, for that
reflected the Soviet philosophy. (since)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
2. The 1937 Soviet constitution declared the women and men her equal rights, and responsibilities, and
women joined the workforce. (after)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
3. Also, millions of Russian men were away in the military during World War II, so Russian women filled
their places at work. (because)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
4. Soviet women worked full time at their jobs, but they also had the primary responsibility for taking care
of the family. (although)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
5. They finished their work, and they had shop, cook the evening meal, and perhaps wash, iron, or mend the
family’s clothes. (as soon as)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________
Exercise 4: Combining Sentences in different Ways
Use what you have learned about the four kinds of sentences to improve these paragraphs, which contains
too many short, simple sentences. Use different methods of combining the sentences.
 Nonverbal Communication
¹Nonverbal communication, or body language, is used everywhere in the world. ²It is a very powerful means
of communication. ³It communicates much more than spoken words. 4 One example of nonverbal
communication is what occurs between parents and child. 5Parents smile at their child. 6They communicate
love, acceptance, and reassurance. 7The child feels comfortable and safe. 8The smile signifies approval. 9The
child is happy and well-adjusted. 10 Another example of such communication is the image a person projects
in public. ¹¹A woman is walking alone on an unfamiliar and possibly dangerous street. ¹²She wants to appear
confident. ¹³She should walk briskly. 14 She may be tired. 15 She should walk with her shoulders straight and
her head held high. 16 Her eyes should be focused straight ahead. 17 Someone is looking at her. 18 She should
return the glance without hesitation. 19In contrast, a nervous woman will appear afraid. 20 She walks slowly
with her shoulders drooping and her eyes looking downward. ²¹Indeed, body language can express more
than spoken language. ²²It is a very strong method of communication. ²³People use their body signals
carelessly. 24 They can sometimes be misinterpreted.
Exercise 5: Fill the gaps with the correct words for these definitions.
1. ………………….. are incomplete sentences or parts of sentences.
2. A ……………… is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses are written one after
another with no punctuation. A similar error happens when two independent clauses are incorrectly
joined by a comma without a coordinating conjunction. This kind of error is called a ………………..
3. If you leave out either the subject or the verb, your sentence is incomplete. We call an incomplete
sentence a ……………….
Exercise 6: Rewriting Sentence Fragments
A. Read the following sentences. Mark them FRAG if they are sentence fragments, or COMP if they are
complete sentences. On a separate piece of paper, rewrite each fragment to make a complete sentence.
_____ 1. The desire of all humankind to live in peace and freedom, for example.
_____ 2. Second, the fact that men are physically stronger that women.
_____ 3. The best movie that I saw last year.
_____ 4. Titanic was the most financially successful movie ever made.
_____ 5. For example, many students have part-time jobs.
_____ 6. Although people want to believe that all men are created equal.
_____ 7. Finding a suitable marriage partner is a challenging task
_____ 8. Many of my friends who didn’t have the opportunity to go to college.
_____ 9. Working during the morning and attending classes during the afternoon.
_____ 10. Because I don’t feel that grades in college have any value.
_____ 11. The nuclear accident that occurred in Russia in 1986, the worst nuclear
accident in history.
_____ 12. The first hint of the tragedy came two days after the accident occurred.
_____ 13. When radiation monitors¹ in Sweden indicated an increase in radiation levels over Scandinavia.
_____ 14. Radiation escaping into the atmosphere, drifting west over other countries, and causing crops and
dairy products to become contaminated.
_____ 15. Opponents of nuclear power plants pointing to the Chernobyl disaster and the near-disaster at a
U.S. plant in Pennsylvania.
B. Read the following short essay. Put brackets [ ] around any sentence fragments that you find and mark
them FRAG. Then correct all fragments on a separate piece of paper.
Women Drivers
Male chauvinism extends even into the area of automobile driving, it seems. Believing that they are far
better drivers than women. Men consider women drivers incompetent, inattentive, and even dangerous
behind the wheel. However, statistics prove that women are, in fact, safer drivers than men. For example,
insurance rates. Insurance rates for women are20 percent lower than they are for men. Another proof is that
more accidents are caused by male drivers between the ages of 18 and 25 than by any other group. Also, the
greater percentage of accidents involving deaths caused by men. Although women are criticized for being
too cautious. They are really just being safe drivers. The reasons for women drivers’ safer driving habits can
perhaps be found in the differing attitudes of the sexes toward automobiles. On the one hand, women drivers
who regard the automobile as a convenience. Like a washing machine. On the other hand, men regard the
automobile as an extension of their egos. Using it as a weapon when they feel particularly aggressive. Or
using it as a status symbol. All in all, women are safer drivers. Because of their attitude. Men can learn to
become safe drivers. If they adopt the attitude that an automobile is merely a convenience.
Exercise 7: Run-On/Comma Splice Sentences
A. Correct the following run-on/comma splice sentences using the method indicated.
1. A newly arrived international student faces many problems, for example, he has to cope with a new
culture.
a. (Add a full stop) ____________________________________________________________________
b. (Add a semicolon) ___________________________________________________________________
2. New York City is very cosmopolitan, there are people from many cultures and ethnic groups living there.
a. (Add a full stop) _____________________________________________________________________
b. (Add a semicolon) ___________________________________________________________________
c. (Add a subordinator) _________________________________________________________________
d. (Add a coordinator) __________________________________________________________________
3. Learning a new language is like learning to swim it takes a lot of practice.
(Add coordinator) _____________________________________________________________________
4. Ask for assistance at the reference desk in the library, there is always a librarian on duty.
(Add a semicolon) ____________________________________________________________________
5. Skiing is a dangerous sport you can easily break your leg or you neck.
(Add a subordinator) __________________________________________________________________

B. Some of the following sentences are run-ons or comma splices, and some are correct. Check each
sentence. If it is incorrect, write RO or CS in the space at the left. If it is correct, leave the space
blank. Then, on a separate piece of paper, correct the incorrect sentences.
Example:
RO: Two letters arrived on Monday a third one came on Wednesday.
Correction: Two letters arrived on Monday; a third one came on Wednesday.
_____ 1. An encyclopedia is a valuable source of information it contains summaries of every area of
knowledge.
_____ 2. Because of the rapid expansion of human knowledge, it is difficult to keep encyclopedias current.
_____ 3. A printed encyclopedia becomes obsolete1 almost as soon as it is published also it is quite
expensive to purchase.
_____ 4. Encyclopedias on CD-ROMs are expensive, convenient to use, and easily updated.
_____ 5. Articles in encyclopedias are written by experts in each subject, who are often university
professors.
_____ 6. An editor of on encyclopedia doesn’t write articles he only collects and edits articles written by
other experts.
_____ 7. To find a book on a certain subject, you used to look in a card catalog, to find a magazine article on
a subject, you used to look in periodical index.
_____ 8. Now, most libraries have thrown away their cards catalog, they have computerized catalogs that
are much more efficient to use and update.
_____ 9. Many periodical indexes, which only list titles of magazine articles and indicated where to find
them, have been replaced by computer indexes, some of which display synopses and even entire articles
instantly.
_____ 10. If you can’t find any information on a subject, you can always ask a librarian to help you, they are
paid to assist students.

C. Locate the run-on/comma splice sentences in the following paragraphs. Mark them by writing RO or
CS above them. Then, on a separate piece of paper, rewrite both paragraphs, correcting the mistakes
that you found.

Grade Inflation
Teachers at Stone Mountain State College give higher grades than teachers at twelve of the nineteen other
college in the state college system, according to a recent report form the State Institutional Research
Committee. This report showed that more than one-third of the undergraduate grades awarded in the spring
semester, 1997, were A’s, only 1.1 percent were F’s. The percentage of A’s awarded to graduate students
was even higher, almost two third were A’s. While students may be happy to receive high grades, there is
evidence that this trend is having negative consequences. Investigation of the admission criteria of some
graduate and professional schools indicates that the admissions offices of these schools are discounting high
grades on the transcripts of SMSC students, this means that an A from SMSC is not equal to an A from other
universities. Grade inflation may, therefore, hurt a student from Stone Mountain State College who intends
to apply to a graduate or professional school, he or she may not be accepted despite a high-grade point
average.
Exercise 8: Circle the topic and underline the controlling idea in each of the following sentences.
Example: Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness.
1. Doing well in college requires organization.
2. Trying to buy house is sometimes frustrating.
3. School board meeting inform parents about the school.
4. Buying furniture can be challenging.
5. Enrolling in college can be a surprising experience.
6. Traveling to a foreign country is enlightening.
7. Riding an airplane can be stressful.
8. Going to a high school reunion can bring back many memories
9. Walking to school in the spring saves money.
10. My family enjoys summer fishing trips.
11. Going out to eat can be a cultural experience.
12. Riding a bicycle takes coordination.

Exercise 9: Complete each topic below by writing a statement (conclusion or opinion) about it. You
will be focusing the topic by adding a controlling idea.

Example: San Diego is a good place for wind jamming.

1. The pizza restaurant ____________________________________________________

2. Cars _________________________________________________________________
3. My sister _____________________________________________________________
4. Jeeps ________________________________________________________________
5. A nature hike __________________________________________________________
6. Baby-sitting ___________________________________________________________
7. Working on my car _____________________________________________________
8. Pine trees ____________________________________________________________
9. Reading the newspaper _________________________________________________
10. I saved my money to ___________________________________________________
11. Melanie ______________________________________________________________
12. A family reunion _______________________________________________________
13. To attend major league ball games ________________________________________
14. Repairing old radios ____________________________________________________
15. Relatives _____________________________________________________________
16. Going on Vacation ______________________________________________________
17. Making a cake _________________________________________________________
18. Rebuilding an engine ___________________________________________________