English Language Skills: Knowledge of Language Structure

For each competency, remember to circle the keys words and phrases.

Knowledge of language structure

1. Evaluate correct placement of modifiers
2. Apply knowledge of parallelism, including parallel expressions for parallel ideas.
3. Apply knowledge of a variety of effective structures (e.g. recognizing fragments, comma splices, run-on sentences,
syntax errors.)
4. Determine patterns of organization in a written passage (i.e. modes of rhetoric).

1. Evaluate correct placement of modifiers

A _____________________ is a word or group of words that conveys information about another word or word group.
When modifiers out of place and too far away from the word they modify, the sentence will be awkward or confusing.

Error: The jacket was just too small in the store.

Problem: With where the modifier is now,

Correction:

Error: Weighing the options carefully, a decision was made regarding the punishment of the convicted murderer.

Problem: With where the modifier is now,

Correction:

Error: One damaged house stood only to remind townspeople of the hurricane.

Problem: With where the modifier is now,

Correction:

Error: We knew the hurricane was close, twisting in the wind, as we watched the trees.

Problem: With where the modifier is now,

Correction:

1. DIRECTIONS: Choose the sentence in which the modifiers are correctly placed.

A. While protesting the Vietnam War, clashes between Chicago police and demonstrators resulted in over 175 arrests at the
Democratic National Convention.
B. While protesting the Vietnam War, Chicago police arrested over 175 demonstrators during clashes at the Democratic
National Convention.
C. While protesting the Vietnam War, over 175 demonstrators were arrested for clashing with Chicago police at the Democratic
National Convention.
D. While protesting the Vietnam War and clashing with the Chicago police, over 175 demonstrators were arrested.
 2. Apply knowledge of parallelism, including parallel expressions for parallel ideas.

_____________________________ is when words, phrases, or clauses follow the same grammatical form.

Error: Tomorrow, I want to be shopping and eat lunch with Sarah.

Correction: Tomorrow, I want to shop and eat lunch with Sarah.
Error: Sarah and I always like to shop at specialty shops, shoe stores, and in the home stores.

Correction:

Error: The best places to eat are casual, fun, and you can get a meal for cheap.

Correction:

Error: Tomorrow afternoon I will shop for groceries, eat lunch with my brother, and be running all sorts of errands.

Correction:

DIRECTIONS: Choose the correct word or phrase that provides parallel structure to the sentence.

My cousin mowed the lawn, washed the family cars, cleaned the upstairs bathroom, and __________ on the sofa afterwards to
watch the basketball game.

A. he collapsed
B. he was able to collapse
C. collapsed
D. was collapsing
Pasta boiling in water, __________, and garlic bread baking in the oven welcomed Francisco as he opened the door.

A. simmered tomato sauce in the pan

B. tomato sauce simmering in the pan
C. tomato sauce that simmered in the pan
D. saucy tomatoes that were simmering in the pan
During our vacation in the Bahamas, we hope __________, to enjoy beautiful sunsets, and to dance ourselves dizzy at reggae
clubs.

A. that we eat delicious seafood

B. that eating delicious seafood occurs
C. to eat delicious seafood
D. eating delicious seafood
To win Lauries love, Albert visited the florist for roses, the drugstore for a box of chocolates, and __________.

A. bought an expensive gold necklace at the jewelry store

B. the jeweler for an expensive gold necklace
C. the jeweler where he bought an expensive gold necklace
D. to buy an expensive gold necklace
Karen wished Ray chewed with his mouth closed, for otherwise he was everything she wanted in a date; he was tall, intelligent,
and __________.

A. he looked good
B. being good looking
C. one handsome man to look at
D. handsome
 3. Apply knowledge of a variety of effective structures (e.g. recognizing fragments, comma splices, run-on sentences,
syntax errors.)

Sentences must have a __________________, ________________, and complete thought. ________________________

are incomplete sentences, and are usually pieces of sentences that have become disconnected from the main clause. To
correct a fragment, you could take out the period and a different form of punctuation.

________________________ try to join two different sentences, while ____________________________ do the same,
but tries to combine to separate sentences by including a comma. It can be fixed with a period and a capital letter, or a
comma and a conjunction.

Fragment: Florida is very hot. But it can get cold occasionally.

Florida is very hot, but it can get cold occasionally.

Fused Sentence: Andre sank a perfect basket from half court unfortunately the coachs back was turned.
Comma Splice: Andre sank a perfect basket from half court, unfortunately the coachs back was turned.
Andre sank a perfect basket from half court. Unfortunately, the coachs back was turned.
Andre sank a perfect basket from half court, but the coachs back was turned.

For each fragment, underline the problem, and write a revision.

Fragment: Purdue offers many majors in engineering. Such as electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering.

Possible Revision: Purdue offers many majors in engineering, such as electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering.
Fragment: A story with deep thoughts and emotions.

Possible Revision:

Fragment: I need to find a new roommate. Because the one I have now isn't working out too well.

Possible Revision:

Fragment: For doing freelance work for a competitor got Phil fired.

Possible Revision:

This paragraph needs proofreading for possible fragments. Underline the fragment, and revise below.

Well, in looking at the picture at the left you see an old lady. She has a very funny look on her face. As if she's lonely and just
wants to be left alone. She also looks as if she has seen a lot and experienced lots of things.
Mary Ellen screamed, her roommates pet tarantula crawled out of the bag of popcorn.
A. screamed her
B. screamed; because, her
C. screamed as her
D. No change is necessary.
Running late with dinner, Elizabeth fussed with seasonings and wiped spots off the glasses. While the family stared at their
empty plates.
A. dinner; Elizabeth
B. seasonings, and
C. glasses while
D. No change is necessary.
Since Larry had studied for hours; he was relieved to find a big red A at the top of his grammar quiz.
A. hours he
B. hours. He
C. hours, he
D. No change is necessary.
The dogs drooled while we ate slices of hot pizza but the cat feigned nonchalance even though we knew that she wanted a
pepperoni.
A. drooled. While
B. pizza, but
C. nonchalance. Even
D. No change is necessary
Because of the hot sun, ice cream ran down the cone and coated Randalls fingers, his tongue couldnt keep up.
A. sun; ice cream
B. cone, and
C. fingers, for his
D. No change is necessary

4. Determine patterns of organization in a written passage (i.e. modes of rhetoric).

Passages should present information in a _________________ order. A sentence that it not presented in a logical order
is a sentence that is out of order or does not relate.

Consider the organization of the paragraph below. Reorganize the ideas so that the paragraphs organization is
logical.

Hotels and transportation on trips can be expensive if you dont book them plenty of time in advance. When you go
on a trip, you need to think about how much money to allot for things like transportation, food, and hotels. It is
important to plan your trips carefully. Planning your trip carefully will allow you to have a more relaxed trip. Another
thing to plan for is how much time you want to spend sightseeing and doing different sorts of activities. Even though
you may want to do everything, you have to remember that there are only so many hours in the day!
 In the following paragraph, one or more of the sentences may be irrelevant. Read through the paragraph and
decide what sentences you would get rid of.

Exercise is really good for ones physical and mental health. It is proven that aerobic exercise is good for the heart,
which is very important to overall health. I used to run every day, but now I go to dance classes to get my aerobic
exercise. Strength training is important for maintaining muscle mass and improving bone density. Both muscle mass
and bone density can decrease as we age, so improving them through strength training is important. My grandmother
broke a hip last year because her bones were so fragile. All kinds of exercise have been shown to relieve depression,
anxiety, and stress.