REVISION FOR CUMULATIVE EXAM 2 – ACADEMIC WRITING

Exercise 1. Read the introduction sentence and combine the following sentences with the words given
in parentheses.
The freshman year can be very difficult for students who come to study at university from different
cities or countries.

1. These students miss their families. They miss the food and climates of their hometowns.
(not only…but also…)
___________________________________________________________________________________

2. They have to cope with the stresses of a new city. They have to cope with the stresses of a new
school, too. (both…and…)
___________________________________________________________________________________

3. They don’t feel secure. They don’t feel comfortable in their new environment. (neither…nor…)
____________________________________________________________________________________

4. They can adapt to their new lives. They can continue to feel lonely. (either…or…)
___________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2. Circle the correct options in the sentences below.

1. Every student need / needs to study hard for the upcoming exams.
2. Each one of my cats love / loves lying on my lap and playing with a ball of yarn.
3. The number of engineers in this factory is / are 43.
4. None of the students in the class is / are listening to the teacher.
5. The Japanese give / gives great importance to the beauty in simplicity.
6. A / The number of students are playing a game of hide and seek in the school yard.
7. My favorite pastime activity is / activities are reading books and riding my bike.
8. One of my childhood friends is / are visiting me this weekend.
9. All of the books in this box is / are mine.
10. Two of my cousins and my older sister is / are going on a camping trip next Friday.
11. Every individual deserves / deserve a happy and healthy life.
12. Everybody seems / seem to agree on this issue.
13. Every student in our school has / have the capacity to get into university.
14. One of the most common problems in urban areas is / are overcrowding.
15. Almost every large university offers / offer robotics courses.
16. Using digital textbooks in language classes has / have advantages and disadvantages.
17. Homework is / are important for academic achievement.
18. The teachers in this school is / are very patient with their students.
Exercise 3. The paragraph below contains 7 mistakes. Find and correct them.
Many people thinks that moving to another country is easy, but it is not so for the number of
people. Firstly, leaving your country and moving to a new one means leaving your loved ones behind.
This separation from family and friends are difficult for those who choose to move to a new country for
a new life. Secondly, lack of job opportunities are another problem that people may face in a new
country, especially if they do not speak the language. All in all, it seem like everyone want to move
abroad, but not everyone can really survive such a big change.

Exercise 4. Rewrite the following sentences using the words in parentheses. Do not change the
meaning of the original sentence. Punctuate your sentences carefully.
1. James decided to become a doctor because he was not a good athlete. (so)
__________________________________________________________________________________.

2. Most doctors are not comfortable with alternative medicine, but recent research says it is effective,
so more doctors are using it. (however)
___________________________________________________________________________________.

3. All of these prototype cell phones have a Nano-chip. (every)

___________________________________________________________________________________.

4. The company is spending a lot of money on new technology because it hopes to become the leader in
the electronics industry. (therefore)
___________________________________________________________________________________.

Exercise 5. Find the parallelism mistakes in the following sentences and correct them.

1. As a dedicated teacher, she observes every single student closely and careful.
2. An ideal employee should have a knowledge of computers and being able to work under pressure.
3. The new soft drink is fresh, healthy, and tasted delicious.
4. Because of financial difficulties, some students have to drop out of college and starting to work.
5. Mary wanted to make sure her presentation was creative, effective, and give information.
6. The famous singer travelled to several cities, met her fans, and giving speeches.
7. When you are planning a travel by car, you must consider not only the cost but also the distant.
8. He is only 5 years old, but he behaves so rationally and respectful.
9. The man took out his gun, refused to pay the bill, and steals money from the cash register.

2
Exercise 6. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate coordinating conjunction from the box to make the
paragraph easier to read.

so (x2) and yet

Language learning is a difficult process, 1_________ it does not have to be so. There are many
things learners can do to make the process easier. Firstly, students can do a language exchange. They
can go online and meet native English speakers who are interested in learning the student’s own
language. Two people can spend time exchanging vocabulary and practicing each other’s language,
2
_________ both sides benefit from the process. It is good, inexpensive, 3_________ it is possible to
make a new friend. Also, there are many free mobile language learning applications. They have fun
activities for learning vocabulary and constructing sentences that include sound effects, pictures, and
animations. Students can carry an effective language learning resource in their pocket, and this allows
them to practice anywhere and anytime, 4_________ they are quite convenient.

Exercise 7. Combine the two sentences in each pair using “neither ... nor ...” to make one sentence.
1. John does not have a stable job right now. His wife does not, either.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. The teacher was not satisfied with the exam results. Her students weren’t, either.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. He doesn’t deserve your love. He doesn’t deserve your friendship, either.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Smoking is not good for your health. Drinking isn’t good for your health, either.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 8. Combine the following sentences using an appropriate paired conjunction

(not only...but also..., neither...nor..., both...and…, either...or...).
1. I will not help you. I will not clean up my room, either. I am staying right here on the couch.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. A poor diet can make you sleepy. Lack of exercise can make you sleepy, too.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. The story he told was not true. It was not realistic, either.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. We have to overwork to finish the project or we have to hire somebody new.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3
Exercise 9. Combine each pair of simple sentences into a compound sentence. Use a suitable
coordinating conjunction. Be careful with punctuation! (AND/BUT/YET/SO/OR)

e.g. I am hungry. We don’t have anything to eat.

I am hungry, but we don’t have anything to eat.
1. Istanbul is a nice city. The traffic in Istanbul is a big problem.
____________________________________________________________________________________ .
2. We can go to the party in Taksim tonight. We can stay in and order takeout. (These are the options.)
____________________________________________________________________________________ .
3. Spending a great deal of time in front of a screen is extremely harmful. Parents should not allow it.
____________________________________________________________________________________ .
4. I am listening to the teacher. I don’t understand anything.
____________________________________________________________________________________ .
5. More and more people are using private cars instead of public transportation. It leads to rising levels
of air pollution.
____________________________________________________________________________________ .
6. Developed countries provide better education for their citizens. They have a strong economy.
____________________________________________________________________________________ .
7. I make breakfast every morning. I eat it on my way to work.
____________________________________________________________________________________ .

Exercise 10. Complete the text with the words from the box. Do not use a word more than once.

therefore yet or thus so however

Vietnam had many wars in the past century. First, Vietnam fought against China. Then during the 1950s,
Vietnam fought against the French. Next, Vietnam fought against the United States from 1965 to 1973. When
these wars ended, Vietnam became one of the most closed countries in the world. For twenty years, Vietnam did
not allow people from Western countries to do business in their country 1____________ to visit their country as
tourists. Even in the 90s, the government didn’t want people to know what was happening in their country;
2
____________, it was very difficult to get news about what was happening in Vietnam. The rest of the world was
becoming a global village; 3____________, Vietnam remained a closed country, isolated from the rest of the world.

Then, in the middle of the 1990s, things began to change quickly. Vietnam wanted to become part of the
world, and they used China as their model. The Chinese government gave its people economic freedom,
4
____________ they still had strong political control. The Vietnamese also decided to try giving their people limited
economic freedom, 5____________ they invited foreigners to do business with them and visit as tourists. One
country that was ready to forget about the past was the United States. In 2005, the USA was actually Vietnam’s
biggest trading partner.

Today, companies from many other countries are also doing business in Vietnam. Tourism is growing
quickly, too. Tourists can have a fantastic holiday at a very reasonable price in this country; 6____________, they
fly into Vietnam from all over the world for an unforgettable holiday. Vietnam is no longer isolated from the rest of
the world.

4
Exercise 11. Complete the following sentences in your own words.

1. All the questions in the last Maths exam were extremely difficult, yet __________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Yesterday I overslept and missed the bus; therefore, _______________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. It is my best friend’s 18th birthday next Friday, so ___________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. If you are having financial issues, you can try to find a part-time job, or _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. You need to start taking your studies more seriously; otherwise, ______________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 12. Choose one word from the table below to complete the following sentences in your own
words. Do not forget to use appropriate punctuation.

thus however but or moreover so

1. I was well-prepared for the exam _______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Nolan’s latest movie was quite interesting ________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Many people complain about their jobs and their working conditions __________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Rainforests are home to a great number of plant and animal species ___________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. You should be more thoughtful and respectful towards your colleagues _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________