SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE 1

Direction: Circle the correct verb in each of the sentences below.

1. Your friend (talk-talks) too much.

2. The man with the roses (look-looks) like your brother.
3. The women in the pool (swim-swims) well.
4. Bill (drive-drives) a cab.
5. The football players (run-runs) five miles everyday.
6. That red-haired lady in the fur hat (live-lives) across the street.
7. He (cook-cooks) dinner for his family.
8. The boys (walk-walks) to school every day.
9. The weather on the coast (appear-appears) to be good this weekend.
10. The center on the basketball team (bounce-bounces) the ball too high.

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE II

1. Each of the girls (look-looks) good on skis.

2. Everybody (was-were) asked to remain quiet.
3. Neither of the men (is-are) here yet.
4. (Is-Are) each of the girls ready to leave?
5. Several of the sheep (is-are) sick.
6. Some members of the faculty (is-are) present.
7. Nobody in the class (has-have) the answer.
8. Each of the girls (observe-observes) all the regulations.
9. All of the milk (is-are) gone.
10. Most of the seats (was-were) taken.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE III

Directions: Circle the correct verb in each of the sentences below.
1. Margo and her parents (visit-visits) each other often.
2. Either the cups or the glasses (are-is) in the dishwasher.
3. Vern and Fred (need-needs) a ride to work.
4. There (is-are) a dog, a cat, and a bird in the garage.
5. Neither Matt nor his brothers (was-were) at the party.
6. Here into the main ring of the circus (come-comes) the trained elephants.
7. Either the workers or the boss (deliver-delivers) the merchandise.
8. The committee (work-works) hard for better schools.
9. There (is-are) many things to do before the holidays.
10. The jury (was-were) polled for their verdicts.
11. Here (is-are) the nails you need for the projects.
12. Either Joyce or Ellen (was-were) here.
13. The United States (is-are) a country of contrast.
14. A magazine and a book (was-were) lying on the floor.
15. The family (is-are) occupied with their individual problems.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE IV
Directions: Circle the correct verb in each of the sentences below.
1. Mumps (is-are) one of the most uncomfortable diseases.
2. One hundred dollars (is-are) not a lot of money to some people.
3. She (doesn’t-don’t) look very well today.
4. Twenty minutes (is-are) the amount of time it takes me to get home from work.
5. It (doesn’t-don’t) seem so cold today.
6. Gymnastics (is-are) easy for Angela.
7. Interesting news (is-are) what sells our paper.
8. A pound of cookies (cost-costs) about a dollar.
9. They (doesn’t-don’t) think they’ll win the game tonight.
10. He (don’t-doesn’t) speak very well.
Directions: Write the correct verb in the blank to the left of each sentence.
1._________________ Everybody (was-were) asked to be quiet.
2._________________ In a marathon, few of the starters (finishes-finish) the race.
3._________________ Sixty days (is-are) not enough time to complete the project.
4._________________ All of the workers (is-are) receiving their bonus.
5._________________ On our street (is-are) many tall trees.
6._________________ It (don’t-doesn’t) make any difference.
7._________________ The value of cars and motorcycles (has-have) increased.
8._________________ The principal and her husband (is-are) honored guests.
9._________________ Either the pitcher or the base runners (was-were) caught
napping.
10._________________ One of my friends (believe-believes) in E.S.P.
11._________________ Have you ever heard the expression, “No new (is-are) good
news?”
12._________________ There (was-were) several dents in the car.
13._________________ Louise (doesn’t-don’t) want to drive that long distance.
14._________________ Either Luis or Horace (pay-pays) the bills in our house.
15._________________ A boy and a girl (were-was) here to see you.
16._________________ The box of apples (is-are) on the porch.
17._________________ Some of the job applicants (is-are) expected to pass the difficult
screening test.
18._________________ The army (is-are) conducting maneuvers in March.
19._________________ Here (come-comes) the family now.
20._________________ Neither of us (is-are) going to work.
21._________________ (Doesn’t-Don’t) they know when to quit?
22._________________ Thirty minutes (is-are) the time limit for the test.
23._________________ Measles (is-are) a disease most children experience.
24._________________ The class (is-are) turning in their registration forms today.
25._________________ Beyond the mountains (is-are) a fertile valley.
Practice
1. Use appropriate graphic organizers to organize the information of subject-
verb agreement.
In each of the following sentences, underline the subject(s) and cross out the
incorrect form of the verb:
1. The Hunger Games is/are a fantasy trilogy with a strong female protagonist.
2. Proofreading all pages of the final manuscript has/have turned out to be a
tedious task.
3. Each of the sources needs/need to be cited.
4. Neither my sister nor her three children likes/like the beach.
5. The art students as well as their teacher enjoy/enjoys the field trip to the
museum.
6. Two bottles of wine, a large pizza, and a new board game makes/make for a fun
evening.
7. Astrophysics is/are hard to understand for the layperson.
8. Hidden under the mattress was/were a suitcase full of money and two fake
passports.
9. A major cause for global warming is/are H2O emissions.
10. One of the factors that determines/determine longevity is/are our genes.
Rewrite the sentences below, adding the correct form of the verb. Remember that
he, she, and it take -s forms.
1. Most women cook the dinners at home. (cook)
2. My mother cooks most of the time. (cook)
3. She ________ dinner on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. (make)
4. My father ________ Italian food on the weekends. (fix)
5. My brother and I ________ the dishes. (wash)
6. We ________ the salad, too. (help with)
7. I ________ to cook already. (know how)
8. Cooking ________ my father. (relax)
9. Important people ________ and ________ all day. (rush, hurry)
10. Often they _________ a hobby after work. (enjoy)
Write the sentences below and change all the singular nouns to plural nouns. You
will not need an article before the plural noun. You will also need to change the
verb forms from singular to plural.
1. A banker works with money. Bankers work with money.
2. A pharmacist works with prescriptions.
3. A doctor eats a quick lunch.
4. A banker eats a long, slow lunch.
5. A pharmacist’s helper works in a pharmacy.
6. A good boy helps his family.
7. A mother usually washes dishes.
8. A square dancer usually wears a short dress.
9. I always have a headache on a busy day.
10. A doctor writes a prescription for a painkiller.
Each sentence below has a singular subject and an article (a or an) before it.
Change the subject to a plural form. Change the verb. You will not need an article
before the plural noun.
1. A pelican is a bird with a big beak.
Pelicans are birds with big beaks.
2. A pelican has strange food habits.
3. A pelican picks up fish in its beak.
4. A pelican takes more food than it eats at one time.
5. A person is different from a pelican.
6. A person has food habits, too.
7. A cabbage is a vegetable.
8. A vegetarian does not eat meat.
9. A habit is an activity that we do all the time.
10. A saying is a group of words with special meaning.
Subject-verb agreement + present continuous
Rewrite the paragraphs below, adding the correct form of the verbs. The verb be
must agree with the subject. The main verb takes -ing.

Many farm people are coming into the cities, (come) They ___ _____ their farms
for a life in the city. (leave) They___ _____ for jobs, houses, and a new set of friends.
(look for) The cities___ _____ very crowded.(become) The government ___ _____ to
help the people, but the problem is too serious, (try) The head city planner ___ _____
worried about the future. (get)
“We _____ not _____ new houses fast enough,” he says. (build) “The city___
_____ out of room, water, jobs, and houses. (run out) We ___ _____ about a limit on
growth. (think about) Our big cities ___ _____too fast. (grow) Few farmers ___ _____
grain and vegetables for us to eat. (raise) This situation ___ _____ the whole country in
danger.” (put)

Find the antecedent for each relative clause below. Copy the paragraph, and write
in the correct form of the verb in each blank.

There are many phobias which actually _____ (protect, protects) people. There
are many people who _____ (is, are) afraid of heights. Aerophobia, which _____ (is, are)
the fear of high places, helps people to be careful. A person who _____ (is, are) careless
in a high place may fall and hurt himself. Another phobia which _____ (is, are) actually
helpful is pyrophobia. People who _____ (has, have) pyrophobia are afraid of fire. Fire is
one thing which _____ (is, are) really dangerous.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

ANSWERS TO SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT EXERCISE I ANSWERS TO SUBJECT-VERB
1. talks EXERCISE III
2. looks 1. visit
3. swim 2. are
4. drives 3. need
5. run 4. are
6. lives 5. were
7. cooks 6. come
8. walk 7. delivers
9. appears 8. works
10. bounces 9. are
10. were
11. are
12. was
ANSWERS TO SUBJECT-VERB 13. is
AGREEMENT EXERCISE II 14. were
1. looks 15. are
2. was
3. is
4. is
5. are ANSWERS TO SUBJECT-VERB
6. are EXERCISE IV
7. has 1. is
8. observes 2. is
9. is 3. doesn’t
10. were 4. is
5. doesn’t
6. is
7. is
8. costs
9. don’t
10. doesn’t

(https://www.pcc.edu/staff/pdf/645/SubjectVerbAgreement.pdf)
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Solutions
1. The Hunger Games is a fantasy trilogy with a strong female protagonist.
2. Proofreading all pages of the final manuscript has turned out to be a tedious task.
3. Each of the sources needs to be cited.
4. Neither my sister nor her three children like the beach.
5. The art students as well as their teacher enjoy the field trip to the museum.
6. Two bottles of wine, a large pizza, and a new board game make for a fun evening.
7. Astrophysics is hard to understand for the layperson.
8. Hidden under the mattress were a suitcase full of money and two fake passports.
9. A major cause for global warming is H2O emissions.
10. One of the factors that determine longevity is our genes. (One is the subject of the verb is;
that (which refers to factors and is thus plural) is the subject of the verb determine in the relative
clause that determine longevity, which modifies factors.)

(Papaeleele (2014). Subject-Verb Agreement. Retrieved from:

http:https://uhwocomposition.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/ subject-verb agreement /)
VERB TENSE
VERB TENSES EXERCISE 1
Answer the following according to directions.

1.Identify the four most common verb tenses in academic writing:

A. present progressive
B. past progressive
C. simple past
D. present perfect
E. simple present
F. past perfect
G. simple future

Answer:
1. ____________
2. ____________
3. ____________
4. ____________

2. Use the simple past tense _____________.

A. to refer to an action that occurred at an unspecified time in the past.
B. to refer to a completed action that occurred at a specific time in the past.
Answer: _____________________________________________.

3. Use the simple present tense _____________.

A. to describe a general truth or habitual action.
B. to refer to an action that occurred in the past but has relevance in the present.
C. to describe the results.
Answer: _____________________________________________.
4. True or false: In APA, it is necessary to refer to the work of another author in the
past.
A. True
B. False
Answer: _____________________________________________.
VERB TENSE

5. True or false: In APA, verb tenses can never change within a sentence.
A. False
B. True
Answer: _____________________________________________.

6. Identify the correct verb tense: Johnson (2016) ________ that small business
owners should have an emergency backup plan in case of power outages.
A. claims
B. claimed
C. has claimed
Answer: _____________________________________________.

7. Situation: You are writing the introduction of your paper and want to explain what
comes next. Identify the correct sentence:
A. In the next paragraph, I discussed the background of the topic.
B. In the next paragraph, I discuss the background of the topic.
Answer: _____________________________________________.

8. Situation: You are writing the conclusion of your paper and want to summarize what
you already discussed. Identify the correct sentence:
A. In this section, I explain my rationale.
B. In this section, I explained my rationale.
Answer: _____________________________________________.

9. Choose the correct verb tense: She __________ semistructured interviews with all
the participants last week.
A. has completed
B. completed
Answer: _____________________________________________.

10. Choose the correct verb tense: Many researchers _________ this topic over the
years.
A. have addressed
B.addressed
Answer: _____________________________________________.
VERB TENSE

VERB TENSES EXERCISE 2

Identify the tenses used in sentences whether Present Simple, Past Simple, or Present
Perfect.

1. International students constitute 30% of the university's enrolments at present.

2. People nowadays often hate the effort required to write an essay.
3. The lecturer later doubted the integrity of the writing and gave it a 'fail' mark.
4. The students estimated how much time the task had taken.
5. Australia has exported goods to other countries since the nineteenth century.
6. Signposts are very helpful because they indicate the direction to take.
7. Students have wanted better university transport since last year.
8. Now we have formulated our ideas it is easier to write about them.
9. Academic writing, even today, still involves hours of researching and reading
before the actual writing.
10. Research indicates that everyone likes to receive high marks when they submit
an essay.
11. Yesterday, students responded unwillingly to questions in class.
12. The lecturer quickly realized her mistake and so she corrected it.
13. Unfortunately, this course assumes prior knowledge. You must pass a
mathematics topic before you can enrol.
14. A clever web designer has recently created this user-friendly website.

Practice
I. Controlled Composition “You Are What You Eat”
The unit of writing that is longer than the sentence is the paragraph. To write a good
paragraph, put together a group of sentences that all talk about the same topic. Each
paragraph must have one clear theme. The beginning of a paragraph is indented. Write
a paragraph about your food habits. Indent the beginning of the paragraph. Answer all
the questions below in good sentences to make a unified paragraph.
1. What kind of food do you eat?
2. What do you eat for breakfast?
3. What do you eat for dinner?
4. Do you follow any food laws?
VERB TENSE

ANSWERS VERB TENSE Exercise 1

1.
1.C
2.D
3.E
4.F
2. B
3.A
4.A
5. A
6.B
7.B
8.B
9.B
10.B

ANSWERS VERB TENSE Exercise 2

1. Present Simple
2. Past Simple
3. Present Perfect
4. Present Simple
5. Present Simple
6. Past Simple
7. Past Simple
8. Present Perfect
9. Present Perfect
10. Present Perfect
11. Present Perfect
12. Present Simple
13. Present Perfect

Miller, J. (2017).The University of Adelaide https://www.adelaide.edu.au/english-

for-uni/tenses/
PRONOUN USAGE
PRONOUNS AND ANTECEDENTS

PRONOUN USAGE EXERCISE I

In each sentence below underline the pronoun and circle the antecedent.
1. The shoppers couldn’t find their car in the parking lot.
2. The horse ate its hay in the barn.
3. Ricardo liked the movie, but he liked the popcorn more.
4. In the morning Elizabeth opened her window to look at the clouds.
5. As the coyotes chased the rabbits, the mice ran into their holes.
6. Mrs. Lawson dashed home, and she called Mrs. Jones.
7. Jane and Toby wanted chicken for their picnic.
8. When the bad news arrived, it came with some good news.
9. The box lay on the floor with its lid wide open.
10. Although Kara often went to the library, today she stayed home.

PRONOUN USAGE EXERCISE II

Instructions: Choose the form of the verb and/or pronoun that agrees with the subject
and/or antecedent (noun or indefinite pronoun).

1. A child can increase _____ self-confidence greatly by participating in physical activity.

A.) his
B) their
C) his or her
2.The money spent on athletes’ salaries _____ hurting the integrity of professional
sports leagues.
A) is
B) are
3. Shipping and oil drilling _____ with the risks of oil spills and the pollution of our
oceans.
A) come
B) comes
4.Open and honest communication _____ to a happy relationship.
A) contributes
B) contribute
5. The purpose of this essay is to investigate how the design of toothbrushes _____
changed over time.
A) have
B) has
6. A study by the Toronto Adoption Society and Health Canada _____ that infants
exposed to cocaine in utero often have birth defects.
A) has revealed
B) have revealed
7. Every man over 44 years of age should know the level of _____ prostate-specific
antigen.
A) his
B) their
8. In regions of the world where poverty prevails, starvation and poor hygiene _____ to
disease.
A) lead
B) leads
9. Genes are the microscopic parts of a living organism that _____ _____ structure and
functions.
A) determines its
B) determine their
C) determine its
D) determines their

10. The effects of Dissociative Identity Disorder on ____ victims _____ catastrophic.

A) its . . . are
B) their . . . is

C) its . . . is
D) their . . . are
11. If someone goes through school studying only science, _____ will complete only part
of _____ education.
A) he or she . . . their
B) they . . . one’s

C) they . . . their
D) he or she . . . his or her

12. If a hard-working student is surrounded by like-minded individuals, _____ first year

will likely be a positive experience, but living with people nothing like _____ will make
______ life difficult.
A) his or her . . . him or her . . . his or her
B) their...them...their

13. Radiation as well as moderate doses of chemotherapy _____ given prior to a bone
marrow transplant to suppress the immune system.
A) is
B) are

14. Teachers can create podcasts for each child, helping _____ learn how to work in
groups as well as plan _____ own project.
A) him or her . . . his or her
B) him...his
C) them...their

15. The everyday stresses of students, such as labs and essay deadlines, _____ them
to manage their time wisely.
A) teach
B) teaches
PRONOUN USAGE
PRONOUNS AND ANTECEDENTS

ANSWERS TO PRONOUN USAGE EXERCISE 1

In each sentence below underline the pronoun and circle the antecedent.
1. The shoppers couldn’t find their car in the parking lot.
2. The horse ate its hay in the barn.
3. Ricardo liked the movie, but he liked the popcorn more.
4. In the morning Elizabeth opened her window to look at the clouds.
5. As the coyotes chased the rabbits, the mice ran into their holes.
6. Mrs. Lawson dashed home, and she called Mrs. Jones.
7. Jane and Toby wanted chicken for their picnic.
8. When the bad news arrived, it came with some good news.
9. The box lay on the floor with its lid wide open.
10. Although Kara often went to the library, today she stayed home.

ANSWERS TO PRONOUN USAGE EXERCISE 2

1. C
2. A
3. A
4. A
5. B
6. A
7. A
8. A
9. C
10. A
11. D
12. A
13. A
14. A
15. A

(https:// www.K12reader.com)
PRONOUN USAGE
PRONOUNS AND ANTECEDENTS

PRONOUN USAGE
PRONOUNS AND ANTECEDENTS

Practice
1. Organize the ideas of Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement using appropriate
graphic organizer.

2. In each of the following sentences, underline the antecedent and cross out the
incorrect pronoun.
1. Why didn’t everybody bring his or her/their notes to class today?
2. Neither Paul nor Steve had children of his/their own.
3. I gave my book to someone who then lent it to his or her/their friend.
4. If students plagiarize in his or her/their papers, he or she/they can get
suspended.
5. The family often went on road trips in its/their car.
6. Both Mike and his younger brother liked to play pool on his/their days off.
7. If anyone sees the suspect, he or she/they should call his or her/their closest
police station immediately.
8. Mary, accompanied by her sisters, could not find her/their way out of the maze.
9. My grandma as well as her girlfriends enjoyed her/their night out tremendously.
10. The chairs were arranged in a circle so that each student faced his or her/their
classmates.

3. Now revisit the sentences that use his or her and rewrite them by replacing the
singular antecedent with a plural one.
PRONOUN USAGE
PRONOUNS AND ANTECEDENTS

Solutions
1. Why didn’t everybody bring his or her/their notes to class today? –> Why didn’t
all students bring their notes to class today?
2. Neither Paul nor Steve had children of his/their own.
3. I gave my book to someone who then lent it to his or her/their friend. –> I gave
my book to someone who then lent it to a friend.
4. If students plagiarize in his or her/their papers, he or she/they can get
suspended.
5. The family often went on road trips in its/their car.
6. Both Mike and his younger brother liked to play pool on his/their days off.
7. If anyone sees the suspect, he or she/they should call his or her/their closest
police station immediately. –> If you see the suspect, you should call your closest
police station immediately.
8. Mary, accompanied by her sisters, could not find her/their way out of the maze.
9. My grandma as well as her girlfriends enjoyed her/their night out tremendously.
10. The chairs were arranged in a circle so that each student faced his or
her/their classmates. –> The chairs were arranged in a circle so that students
faced their classmates.

(Papaeleele (2014). Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement. Retrieved from:

http:https://uhwocomposition.wordpress.com/2014/05/12 pronoun-antecedent
agreement / /)
COMPARISON

Sentence Construction Making comparisons

Use the vocabulary that is given and make a comparison between the two nouns.
Add a verb and the word than.
Example: supermarkets / corner stores / big
Supermarkets are bigger than corner stores.
1. supermarkets / corner stores / new
2. supermarkets / corner stores / modern
3. the working hours of supermarkets / the working hours of corner
stores / long

4. the prices at supermarkets / the prices at corner stores / low

5. corner stores / supermarkets / friendly

6. corner stores / supermarkets / close to home

7. fresh bread / old bread / soft

8. fresh vegetables / canned vegetables / delicious

9. supermarkets / corner stores / crowded

10. supermarkets / corner stores / noisy and busy

PARALLELISM

PARALLELISM EXERCISE 1

In the exercise that follows, identify the phrase that will complete the series in a
parallel fashion.

1. Tom’s schedule included algebra, English, and __________________.

A. world history
B. taking world history

2. High school freshmen are encouraged to earn good grades, to become involved in
extracurricular activities, and __________________.
A. getting to know their teachers and administrators
B. to get to know their teachers and administrators

3. High school freshmen are encouraged to earn good grades, to participate in

extracurricular activities, and __________________.
A. to manage their time well
B. learning to manage their time well

PARALLELISM EXERCISE 2
In the exercise that follows, identify and put a box on the parallel phrases.
1. Seventeen-year-old Austin Wierschke, allegedly the fastest texter in the Unites
States, claims that he uses correct grammar, avoids abbreviations, and spells all
words correctly.
2. He was interviewed in Time magazine about mobile etiquette, his parents’ phone
bill, andLOLs.
3. As a two-time texting champion, Weirschke travels around the country, gives
interviews, and appears on television shows.
4. Americans use their cell phones to browse the Internet, to listen to music, and to
take pictures.
 PARALLELISM
PARALLELISM EXERCISE 3

Now, try to locate on the phrase that destroys the parallel structure in each sentence.
Put them in abox.

1. The cast of The Hunger Games included Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss

Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, and Liam Hemsworth played by
Gale Hawthorne.
2. A boxed set of The Hunger Games trilogy is available at P854.55 for the Kindle
version, P1,395.00 for the hardback version, and you can get the paperback
version for P1,281.15.
3. The novel sold more than 800,000 copies, remained on the New York
Times Best-Seller list for 100 consecutive weeks, and in a book review Stephen
King gave it a grade of B.
4. Various aspects of the novel were praised by Time magazine, by Twilight author
Stephanie Meyer, and the School Library Journal liked it, too.

PARALLELISM EXERCISE 4

Identify the following and get the sentences that contains parallel clauses
.Reading aloud can often help you distinguish between parallel and nonparallel
constructions.

1. A. (Parents should hire a driving school to teach their teen to drive) and (drawing up a
“driving contract” with the teen is a good idea, too.)
B. (Parents should hire a driving school to teach their teen to drive), and (they should
draw up a “driving contract” with the teen, too.)
2. A.There are two great reasons for hiring a driving school: (you get a discount on your
new insurance rate) and (not letting your teen drive you crazy while learning to drive).
B.There are two great reasons for hiring a driving school: (you get a discount on your
new insurance rate) and (your teen does not drive you crazy while learning to drive).
3. A. Instead of taking your teen out on the road the first time he or she is behind the
wheel, (start in a large, empty parking lot) and (then move to the road as the new driver’s
confidence increases).
B. Instead of taking your teen out on the road the first time he or she is behind the
wheel, (start in a large, empty parking lot) and (then moving to the road as the new
driver’s confidence increases ).
PARALLELISM

Now, it’s your turn to complete the sentences below by choosing the best answer
that maintains the parallel structure.

4. Teens are attracted by a car’s style, appearance, and sound system; _____________.
A. how safe the car is, how much it costs, and how reliable it is are what interest parents
B. parents are interested in a car’s safety, cost, and reliability
5. Parents may remember their own first cars, which they scrimped and saved to buy
or________.
A. which they had to share with a sibling
B. were sharing with a sibling

PARALLELISM EXERCISE 5

Choose from the following. Reading aloud can often help you distinguish between
parallel and nonparallel constructions. Get the best directions to form a parallel
recipe.

Cut cooked chicken into thin slices.

Cut chicken into thin slices and place in bowl.
Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper.
You must now place them in a bowl and you should sprinkle them with salt and
pepper.
You’ll need some yogurt, which you should mix together with cucumber in a small
bowl.
Mix yogurt and cucumber together in a small bowl.
Split the pitas into pockets.
Split the pitas.
Go back to the yogurt and cucumber you mixed together. Spread 2 tablespoons of it
in each pita.
Spread 2 tablespoons of yogurt-cucumber mixture into each pita.
Place ¼ of the chicken slices in each pocket, wrap in plastic, and chill in the
refrigerator overnight.
Cut pockets in half to serve.
You’ll need ¼ of the chicken slices for each pocket, which you will then close up,
wrap in plastic wrap, chill in the refrigerator overnight. Then, you’ll cut them in half to
serve.

Parallel recipe

1. _____________________________________.
2. _____________________________________.
3. _____________________________________.
4. _____________________________________.
PARALLELISM

5. _____________________________________.
6. _____________________________________.
7. _____________________________________.

PARALLELISM EXERCISE 6

From each set of sentences, choose one that demonstrates proper parallel structure.
Follow the pattern that appears before each sentence.

1. Adjective-Noun:
a. Popular fashion trends for fall 2012 include chunky bracelets, wearing multilayered
necklaces, and Gossip Girl–inspired flowered headbands.
b. Popular fashion trends for fall 2012 include chunky bracelets, multilayered necklaces,
and Gossip Girl–inspired flowered headbands.
2. Verb + Verb:
a. The fashionably dressed teenage girl will wear neon sneakers and carry a
multicolored backpack.
b. The fashionably dressed teenage girl will wear neon sneakers and be carrying a
multicolored backpack.
2. Verb + Verb:
a. The fashionably dressed teenage girl will wear neon sneakers and carry a
multicolored backpack.
b. The fashionably dressed teenage girl will wear neon sneakers and be carrying a
multicolored backpack.
3. Noun + Noun:
a. Favorite fall 2012 footwear choices include chunky platform shoes, ballet flats, and
wearing shiny colors.
b. Favorite fall 2012 footwear choices include chunky platform heels, ballet flats, and
shoes in shiny colors.
4. Infinitive + Infinitive:
a. As she dresses for the first day of school, the fashion-conscious young lady will want
to wear a knit beanie hat, fasten a floral pin on her jacket, and strap a checkered
backpack over her shoulders.
b. As she dresses for the first day of school, the fashion-conscious young lady will want
to wear a knit beanie hat, fastening a floral pin on her jacket, and to strap a checkered
backpack over her shoulders.
4. Infinitive + Infinitive:
a. As she dresses for the first day of school, the fashion-conscious young lady will want
to wear a knit beanie hat, fasten a floral pin on her jacket, and strap a checkered
backpack over her shoulders.
b. As she dresses for the first day of school, the fashion-conscious young lady will want
to wear a knit beanie hat, fastening a floral pin on her jacket, and to strap a checkered
backpack over her shoulders.
5. Adverb + Adverb:
a. She wanted to dress fashionably but economically.
b. She wanted to dress fashionably but she wanted to be economical.
PARALLELISM

Practice

Grammar Sentence combining: compound sentence parts

When two sentences are very similar except for one part, they can often be combined
into one longer sentence with a compound part. The most common conjunction for this
kind of sentence is and.
Combine each pair of sentences below into one longer sentence. You may need to
change the verb. Leave out the parts in parentheses.

Example: Father (is taking care of the children.)

Mother is taking care of the children.
Father and Mother are taking care of the children.

1. Grandmother was a wife.

(Grandmother was) a cook.
(Grandmother was) a laundress.
(Grandmother was) a nurse.
(Grandmother was) a teacher.
2. Little boys expected to grow up.
(Little boys expected) to get jobs.
3. Little girls looked forward to marriage.
(Little girls looked forward to) motherhood.
4. The roles of men (are changing.)
(The roles of) women are changing.
5. Father (works.)
Mother works.
6. Mother works at home.
(Mother works) in a restaurant.
7. My parents share the cooking.
(My parents share) the housework.
8. Mr. Thomas (works on the police force.)
Mrs. Thomas works on the police force.
9. Mom is putting oil in the car.
(Mom is) filling it with gas.
10. Now little boys (can look forward to a job outside the home.)
(Now) little girls can look forward to a job outside the home.
 PARALLELISM

ANSWERS TO PARALLELISM EXERCISE 1

1. A. world history
2. B. to get to know their teachers and administrators
3. A. to manage their time well

ANSWERS TO PARALLELISM EXERCISE 2

1. KSeventeen-year-old Austin Wierschke, allegedly the fastest texter in the Unites States,
claims that he uses correct grammar, avoids abbreviations, and spells all words correctly.
2. He was interviewed in Time magazine about mobile etiquette, his parents’ phone bill,
andLOLs.
3. As a two-time texting champion, Weirschke travels around the country, gives interviews,
and appears on television shows.
4. Americans use their cell phones to browse the Internet, to listen to music, and to take
pictures.

ANSWERS TO PARALLELISM EXERCISE 3

1. The cast of The Hunger Games included Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh
Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, and Liam Hemsworth played by Gale Hawthorne.
2. A boxed set of The Hunger Games trilogy is available at P854.55 for the Kindle version,
P1,395.00 for the hardback version, and you can get the paperback version for P1,281.15.
3. The novel sold more than 800,000 copies, remained on the New York Times Best-Seller
list for 100 consecutive weeks, and in a book review Stephen King gave it a grade of B.
4. Various aspects of the novel were praised by Time magazine, by Twilight author Stephanie
Meyer, and the School Library Journal liked it, too.

ANSWERS TO PARALLELISM EXERCISE 4

1. B. (Parents should hire a driving school to teach their teen to drive), and (they should
draw up a “driving contract” with the teen, too.)
2. B.There are two great reasons for hiring a driving school: (you get a discount on your
new insurance rate) and (your teen does not drive you crazy while learning to drive).
3. A. Instead of taking your teen out on the road the first time he or she is behind the
wheel, (start in a large, empty parking lot) and (then move to the road as the new driver’s
confidence increases).
4. B. parents are interested in a car’s safety, cost, and reliability
5. A. which they had to share with a sibling
PARALLELISM

ANSWERS TO PARALLELISM EXERCISE 5

Parallel recipe

1. Cut chicken into thin slices and place in bowl.

2. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper.
3. Mix yogurt and cucumber together in a small bowl.
4. Split the pitas into pockets.
5. Spread 2 tablespoons of yogurt-cucumber mixture into each pita.
6. Place ¼ of the chicken slices in each pocket, wrap in plastic, and chill in the
refrigerator overnight.
7. Cut pockets in half to serve.

ANSWERS TO PARALLELISM EXERCISE 6

1. Adjective-Noun:

B. Popular fashion trends for fall 2012 include chunky bracelets, multilayered necklaces,
and Gossip Girl–inspired flowered headbands.

2. Verb + Verb:

A. The fashionably dressed teenage girl will wear neon sneakers and carry a
multicolored backpack.

3. Noun + Noun:

B. Favorite fall 2012 footwear choices include chunky platform heels, ballet flats,
and shoes in shiny colors..

4. Infinitive + Infinitive:

A. As she dresses for the first day of school, the fashion-conscious young lady
will want to wear a knit beanie hat, fasten a floral pin on her jacket, and strap a
checkered backpack over her shoulders.

5. Adverb + Adverb:

A. She wanted to dress fashionably but economically.

Tea (n.d.) Parallelism of Details (English I Writing) Texas Gateway for Online
Resources. Retrieved from https://www.texasgateway.org/resource/parallelism-details-
english-i-writing
MODIFICATION
MODIFICATION EXERCISE 1
Identify the following. Write CM if the sentence is clearly modified while UCM if is
unclear.

______1. Many politicians play tennis in the provincial legislature.

______2. Many politicians in the legislature play tennis.

______3. Students who come to the Writing Resource Centre often can improve their
writing skills.

______4. Students who come often to the Writing Resource Centre can improve their
writing skills.

______5. Students who come to the Writing Resource Centre can often improve their
writing skills.

MODIFICATION EXERCISE 2
Identify the following. Write C if the sentence is correct while IC if is incorrect.

_______1. After reading the background article, I found the article unclear.

_______2.To become a respected politician, campaign funds must be administered

correctly.

_______3. To become a respected politician, you must administer campaign funds

correctly.

______4. Having washed all the dishes, the chores were done.
_______5. Having washed all the dishes, Peter had finished his chores.
______6. Most of the strikers expected the union to, after a short period of picketing,
give in to the company's demands

_______7.After a short period of picketing, most of the strikers expected the union to
give in to the company's demands.
MODIFICATION

ANSWERS TO MODIFICATION EXERCISE 1

1.UCM

2.CM

3.UCM

4. CM

5. CM

ANSWERS TO MODIFICATION EXERCISE 2

1.C

2.IC

3. C

4.IC

5.C

6.IC

7. C

(Handout Topic: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

http://www.msvu.ca/site/media/msvu/modifiers.pdf)
 Thesis and Paragraph Construction
I. Practice
1. Think of a research project you are undertaking this semester. What are the
parameters of the assignment, and will you be writing an analytical, expository, or
argumentative essay? Write down at least three questions you hope to answer in
your research, and then draw on these questions to compose at least two possible,
preliminary thesis statements. Given these two thesis statements, what would your
two potential essays look like, and how would they differ in the specifics they
address?
Work Cited
Hjortshoj, Keith. The Transition to College Writing. 2nd ed. Boston and New York:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.

(Papaeleele (2014). Thesis and Paragraph Construction. Retrieved from:

https://uhwocomposition.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/thesis-and-paragraph-construction/)

Practice
1. Paraphrase this quote: “Black women are no longer baby machines for a plantation
economy, but what about a prison economy or a low-wage welfare economy?” (Azikwe
139).
2.Drawing on the reading strategies outlined on this page, spend 5-10 minutes to get a
general understanding of this article. Write a brief (2-3 sentences) summary of its main
points.
3. Because you woke up with a headache and sore throat, you can’t go to class or meet
your best friend for coffee today. Paying attention to your tone and word choice, compose
a text message to your friend explaining the situation, and then write an email to your
professor to let her know that you won’t be attending class.
Works Cited
Azikwe, Marlo David. “More Than Baby Mamas: Black Mothers and Hip-Hop Feminism.”
Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 3rd ed. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011. 137-143. Print.
Hall, Stuart. “The Whites of Their Eyes: Racist Ideologies and the Media.” Gender, Race,
and Class in Media. 3rd ed. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. Thousand Oaks, CA:
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2011. 81-84. Print.

(Papaeleele (2014). Reading and Writing Scholarly Essay. Retrieved from:

https://uhwocomposition.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/reading-and-writing-scholarly-essays/)
Academic texts

Choosing relevant information

Good writers choose information that is important for their topic. Choose sentences from
the list below to write about each of the topics. Then organize a paragraph with
sentences about the topic. Each paragraph will have four sentences. The topics are:
“Water” and “A Sponge.”
Model paragraph
“Water”
Water runs downhill. Gravity pulls water down. The water runs from a high place to a low
place. When it gets to the bottom, it stops.
1. Water runs downhill.
2. A sponge is full of holes.
3. Gravity pulls water down.
4. A dry sponge holds air.
5. The water runs from a high place to a low place.
6. When it gets to the bottom, it stops.
7. A wet sponge holds water.
8. A wet sponge is heavier than a dry sponge.

Controlled Composition Choosing relevant information

Choose sentences from the list below and write two separate paragraphs.
Choose relevant information and organize the sentences into a clear order. The topics
are: “Working Women—a Bad Idea” and “Working Women—a Good Idea.” Each
paragraph will have eight sentences.
1. It is bad for women to work outside the home.
2. Working women have too much freedom.
3. It is healthy for women to work outside the home.
4. Working women are interesting people.
5. They have new ideas to share with their family.
6. The extra money makes life better.
7. They forget the needs of their family.

8. The house becomes dirty, and dinner is always late.

9. All the people in the family help each other.
10. Children and husbands learn to do housework.
11. Working women don’t need their husbands any more.
12. They love their jobs more than they love their husbands.
13. If the husband is sick or out of work, the wife can earn money forthe family.
14. Families are safer when women work.
Academic texts

Controlled Composition Choosing relevant information

Choose sentences from the list below and write two separate paragraphs.
Choose relevant information and organize the sentences into a clear order. The topics
are: “I Hate Supermarkets” and “I Like Supermarkets.” Each paragraph will have eight
sentences.
1. I really don’t like shopping in supermarkets.
2. Supermarkets are too big, and I can’t find anything there.
3. The clerks are unfriendly.
4. I am so happy to live near a supermarket!
5. I can find food from Italy, Mexico, China, and Japan.
6. They are noisy, busy, crowded places.
7. They are light, clean, large, modern stores.
8. Nobody helps me.
9. The prices are low, and the food is fresh.
10. The supermarket has all the kinds of food that I need.
11. The variety of food is so great that I can’t choose.
12. I have to wait in line a long time to pay.
13. Sometimes the store serves free coffee and cake.
14. My supermarket is open from 7:00 in the morning until midnight.
15. I always spend too much money, and I get a headache.
16. My friends from other parts of the city shop there, too.

Sentence Construction Making comparisons

Use the vocabulary that is given and make a comparison between the two nouns. Add a
verb and the word than.
Example: supermarkets / corner stores / big
Supermarkets are bigger than corner stores.
1. supermarkets / corner stores / new
2. supermarkets / corner stores / modern
3. the working hours of supermarkets / the working hours of corner stores / long
4. the prices at supermarkets / the prices at corner stores / low
5. corner stores / supermarkets / friendly
6. corner stores / supermarkets / close to home
7. fresh bread / old bread / soft
8. fresh vegetables / canned vegetables / delicious
9. supermarkets / corner stores / crowded
10. supermarkets / corner stores / noisy and busy
Academic texts

Controlled Composition Variety in sentence types

Good writers use some short, simple sentences and some longer
sentences. Rewrite the paragraphs and vary the length of the sentences.
Make some longer, and change the word order in some. Combine
some sentences with and, but, so, and or.

Food habits are changing in America. Some people are trying vegetarian
food. They don’t like meat. They eat other things. This kind of diet
doesn’t include meat. It is healthy anyway. Vegetarians have many food
choices for protein. They can eat eggs. They can eat cheese.
Many Americans are trying food from other countries. People come to
America from many places. There is a great variety of food in the United
States. Food habits are part of a national culture. People bring their food
habits with them. Soon people try the food of other countries. It appears
in all the grocery stores. People eat this food in restaurants. They learn
to cook it at home.
Controlled Composition Variety in sentence types

Good writers use some short, simple sentences and some longer
sentences. Rewrite the story below and vary the length of the sentences.
Combine some sentences by using relative clauses or reduced
relative clauses.

Sara Taylor arrived in Caracas on June 14. Her uncle met her at the
airport. They were walking to the luggage counter. They saw a young
boy. He was wearing a blue shirt. He was wearing dark pants. He was
with an older woman. She was in a white dress. He was with an older
man. The older man was dressed in a business suit. The boy was
carrying a large present. The present had a ribbon on it. The boy
looked at Sara and her uncle carefully. They were the only Americans.
They were speaking English. They were in the airport. The young boy
came up to Sara and her uncle. The young boy was in the blue shirt
and the dark pants.
“Excuse me,” he said. “Are you Sara Taylor? I am Roberto Perez.
Welcome to Caracas!”
The woman was Roberta’s mother. She was in the white dress. The
man was Roberto’s father. He was in the business suit. They gave the
present to Sara. They welcomed her to Venezuela.
Academic texts

Controlled Composition Organizing ideas

The sentences below can be arranged into two paragraphs describing how
people can lose their phobias. However, the sentences are out of order now, and they
are not in proper paragraph form. Arrange the sentences into a clear order and copy the
paragraphs.
“Losing a Phobia”
Paragraph 1
The fear started when she was four years old.
My sister has ochlophobia, which is the fear of crowds.
She was very upset.
We were in a crowd of people at a fair, and she got lost.
She was lost for four hours before we found her.

Paragraph 2
Every day he goes with her to a crowded place.
Now she is 18 years old.
The first day they didn’t go very far into the crowd.
She is seeing a doctor to help her lose her fear.
She is becoming less afraid every day.
The second day they went a little farther.
The third day they went even farther.
Soon she will be able to live a normal life
Academic texts

Grammar Sentence combining practice

Use conjunctions or conjunctive adverbs to combine the pairs of sentences

below. Remember that the punctuation rules are different for
conjunctions and adverbs.

1. Many young people want to travel to other countries.

They don’t have enough money. (but)
2. Air travel and hotels are very expensive.
There are other ways to see foreign countries, (however)
3. Educational exchanges are cheaper than vacations.
They involve valuable learning experience, (in addition)
4. Most young Americans have parttime jobs.
They can save some money for travel, (as a result)
5. Sara goes to school and helps her mother.
She finds time to work at a grocery store, too. (even though)
6. She has P1000 of her own money.
She is planning to visit her uncle in Venezuela, (so)
7. Sara works hard.
She has very little free time. (so…that)
8. Sara often works. Her friends are having fun. (while)
9. She likes to have fun with her friends.
She has exciting travel plans, (on the other hand)
10. She can’t go to Venezuela.
She pays for part of the airplane ticket, (unless)
11. Sara has an uncle in Caracas.
She doesn’t need to pay for a hotel, (therefore)
12. Sara will be very happy.
She sees her uncle and her friends in Venezuela, (when)

Grammar Choosing prepositions

Copy the paragraph below, choosing a preposition to fill each blank.

There are many people ____ the beach today. Many are lying ____towels, and
many are ____ the water. Most people are ____ swimming suits, but some women are
____ dresses. The tall man ____ the dark hair is ____ Alaska. The short woman ____
the red swimming suit is watching her children ____ the water. They can’t stay ____ the
sun too long, or they will burn. People ____ light skin have to be very careful. People
____ the city don’t spend much time ____ the sun.
Academic texts

Grammar Restrictive relative clauses

Combine the sentence pairs below into one longer sentence. Substitute the relative
pronoun who for the underlined words.
1. A person…has pathophobia. He is afraid of disease.
A person who is afraid of disease has pathophobia.
2. A person…has claustrophobia. He is afraid of closed places.
3. A person…has zoophobia. He is afraid of snakes.
4. A person…has zoophobia. He is afraid of mice.
5. A person…has xenophobia. He is afraid of strange people.

Substitute the pronoun whose for the underlined word and combine the two sentences.
6. Aunt Selma is the woman. Her husband has microphobia.
Aunt Selma is the woman whose husband has microphobia.
7. Louis is the man. His grocery store is so clean.
8. He is the man. His phobia is hard to live with.
9. He is the man. His hands are always clean.
10. Don and Candy are the children. Their father is so sick.

Substitute the pronoun which for the underlined words.

11. Phobias are strong fears. They may start in childhood.
12. Uncle Louis has a phobia. It began with his sickness last year.
13. It must be his sickness. It started the phobia.
14. Usually there has been an early experience. It started the fear.
15. A doctor may ask questions. They will help him remember.

Substitute the pronoun which for the underlined words and move the
pronoun to a position between the two sentences.
16. A person may do things. He doesn’t understand them.
A person may do things which he doesn’t understand.
17. A person may have experiences. He doesn’t remember them.
18. A person may have fears. He cannot live with them.
19. A person may have feelings. He cannot talk about them.
Academic texts

Put these sentences in the best order. Put a number, 1-4.

1 A Very well, thanks. Let’s get down to business, shall we?

B I’m fine, thanks. How are you?
C Hello again! How are you getting on?
D Yes, all right.
2 A Miss Smith, I’d like you to meet Mrs Jones.
B Oh, please call me Liz.
C How do you do, Mrs Jones?
D And I’m Claire.
3 A Oh, yes. I’ve heard of you.
B The name’s Alex White.
C I’d like to introduce myself.
D Pleased to meet you.
4 A I wondered if I might take Friday off?
B Yes. Tony, of course.
C Oh, Friday’s rather difficult.
D Mrs Lang, could I have a word please?
5 A What do you think?
B Yes, sure, Bob.
C Geoff, could you come over here a minute?
D Aha, yes, you’ve put a lot of work into it.

Controlled Composition Responding to a picture

Sometimes people really do things that are exciting and difficult.
Look at the picture below. The boy was so lucky that he caught a fish with his bare
hands. Write a story and tell what happened. Use past tense verbs and include some
quotes. Tell what the boy and his friends said, and how they felt.
It is better for women to stay at home.
Academic texts

Controlled Composition. Responding to a picture

Mr. Hardy lives in Alaska. Look at the picture below to see Mr. Hardy. Rewrite the story
“The Kramers’ Woodpile” and change the word Kramers to Mr. Hardy. Make all other
changes that are necessary.
New vocabulary:
The tool that he uses to cut wood is an ax.

Free Composition

Write directions for a recipe that you know. Explain to somebody how to make that kind
of food.

Free Composition

A. Write a paragraph about a pet. It can be a cat, a dog, a bird, or any other animal. Tell
why you like this animal.

Here are some vocabulary words that may help you:

friendly fun
intelligent nice
pretty catch mice
patient protect the family
good with children learn tricks
loyal show love
quiet
clean
independent
Academic texts

B. Write a paragraph about an animal that you don’t like. Give reasons. Here are some
vocabulary words that might help you:
loud frighten people
dirty bite
dangerous bark (for dogs only)
expensive hurt people
run loose make trouble

Mechanics Copy the sentences, and make all the corrections that are necessary.
Use capital letters when they are needed, and use quotation marks.

1. they don t make ships big enough for me said Stormalong

2. there she blows a whale and another called the lookout
3. it s a whole school of whales called the second lookout
4. into the boats cried captain starbuck
5. you big elephant cried captain starbuck i m sorry i ever saw you
6. i will catch that whale like a fish he said
7. it was a lucky day when i met you Stormalong said the captain
8. you big elephant cried captain starbuck again you lost my whale
9. i tried sailing and i tried whaling said Stormalong
10. the ships are too small and a man gets tired i am going to be a
farmer and you can bet on that
Mechanics Copy the sentences, and make all the corrections that are necessary.
Use commas, and use capital letters when they are needed.

1. before you begin have everything ready

2. peel the banana before you cut it
3. after you cut the banana put it in a dish
4. heat the chocolate sauce until it boils
5. while it s heating take out the ice cream
6. when you scoop out the ice cream make little round balls
7. put the ice cream on the banana before you pour the sauce
8. when the chocolate sauce is hot pour it over the ice cream
9. whip some cream until it is stiff
10. chop some nuts while your friend is whipping the cream
11. when the cream is stiff put it on the ice cream
12. after you put on the cream add nuts and a cherry
Mechanics Copy the sentences, and make the corrections that are necessary. Use
semicolons, and use capital letters where they are needed.

1. some people love dogs other people hate them

2. mr brown wants a law against dogs he says dogs are a problem inthe city
3. dogs are loud and dirty moreover they always run loose
4. dogs need room for running therefore they should not live in town
5. dogs can t speak for themselves therefore i will speak for them
6. a dog is more than a pet a dog is a friend
Academic texts

7. dogs are animals nevertheless they are intelligent

8. we train our dogs as a result they can do tricks
9. dog owners should be thoughtful they must not let their dogs runloose
10. the city already has health laws owners must clean up after their dogs
11. mr brown is right about these problems on the other hand the city can t pass a law
against dogs
12. policemen use dogs in their work in addition blind people need
Mechanics Copy the sentences below, and make all the changes that are
necessary. Use an apostrophe (’) in each contraction.

1. sara won t leave fairbanks until June 1

2. she won t be in Caracas until June 14
3. she II visit her grandmothers in Chicago and miami
4. they II be happy to see sara
5. they haven t seen sara for years
6. she II fly to Caracas on June 14
7. sara s uncle lives in Caracas
8. he II pick her up at the airport
9. he s sent her the tickets and she s received them
10. they ve made all their plans already
11. sara hasn t flown alone before
12. she won t have any trouble
Mechanics Non restrictive relative clauses

One method of combining sentences is to use a non restrictive relative

clause. In this clause, you give extra information about a person or a
thing that you already know. Non restrictive relative clauses are separated
from the rest of the sentence with commas.

The following sentences all contain nonrestrictive clauses. Copy the

sentences and make all the corrections that are necessary. Set off the
nonrestrictive clauses with commas. Follow the example.

1. my uncle louis who runs a grocery store is afraid of germs

My uncle Louis, who runs a grocery store, is afraid of germs.
2. his store which is in the middle of the city is always very clean
3. he never sells milk which can become sour
4. he never sells meat which can turn bad
5. he never sells vegetables which can carry germs
6. he sells only canned food which doesn t go bad
7. uncle louis who has microphobia is hard to live with
8. aunt selma who is my mother s sister can t go near him
9. the children whose names are don and candy never touch him
10. this problem which started after his sickness last year is more serious than the
sickness was
(Peterson, P.(2003). Developing Writing. Retrieved from:
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/developing_writing.pdf)
Academic texts

There is an incorrect punctuation mark in each of the lines of the texts. Underline
each mistake and put the correct punctuation mark at the end of the line. The first
one has been done as an example.

There is a missing punctuation mark in each of the lines of the texts. Underline the
word next to where it should be and put the correct punctuation mark at the end of
the line. The first one has been done as an example.
Academic texts
Dealing with problems
Choose the best word to fit the gap.
1 We are happy to replace the _______ goods free of charge.
A injured B hurt C destroyed D damaged
2 All the cars in this particular range were recalled because of a design _______ .
A fault B mistake C error D slip
3 The customer complained that the assistant he spoke to had been most _______ .
A helpless B incapable C unhelpful D impotent
4 There was a ______ in the order at the factory and the wrong package was sent.
A mix-up B mixture C mixing D mixed-up
5 The delay in de spatch was due to circumstances _____ our control.
A above B beyond C under D in
6 There was a serious staff _____ at the time so several shipments were held up.
A shortage B reduction C decrease D contraction
7 The complaint about the cost of the item was soon _____ out.
A dealt B sorted C taken D cleared
8 As we were entirely responsible for the confusion your account has been _____ with
the full amount.
A debited B added C given D credited
9 The poor quality of the products was ____ on inadequate supervision of the workforce.
A caused B blamed C explained D put
10 The customer demanded _______ a when he discovered the equipment was
missing.
A return B repair C refund D reply
Visitors and travellers
Choose the best word to fit the gap.
1 You need to _____ your seat 24 hours before departure or they may cancel your
reservation.
A book B reconfirm C register D arrange
2 Their flight was delayed due to engine ________ .
A failure B collapse C defeat D crash
3 Please send us a copy of her ______ so that we can arrange transport.
A journey B map C itinerary D route
4 The hotel restaurant is not open 24 hours but room ______ is always available.
A menu B catering C waiter D service
5 The journey took ages. We were stuck in a traffic ____ as soon as we left the airport.
A queue B jam C hold-up D block
6 The delegates are ____ booked into the Hotel du Lac but they can move to something
more luxurious if they want.
A provisionally B approximately C temporarily D conditionally
7 Make sure that you allow plenty of time to ______ at the airport.
A check up B check out C check in D check on
8 I always choose a room _____ the back of the hotel as it’s usually quieter.
A showing B seeing C overlooking D viewing
9 The conference speakers will require photocopying _____ throughout their stay.
A amenities B facilities C opportunities D appliances
10 In the interests of safety it’s a good idea to walk ______ when visiting a place for the
first time.
A confidently B convincingly C confidentially D consciously
Academic texts

Incomplete letter
The word memo is short for memorandum. It is a short message or letter that people
send to each other at work. The employers at the AllenFoster Insurance Company want
to know the workers’ opinions about the city and the suburbs. They are planning a new
office building, and they want the workers to be happy. Pretend that you are a worker at
the company and write a short composition about your opinions.

March 18, 19_____

Dear Mr. Allen and Mr. Foster,
You are very kind to ask our opinions about the new office building. I like to work
in the _______, for there (is/are) _______ _______. Also, there (is/are) _______.
I don’t like to work in the _______, because there (is/are) _______.Besides this,
there (is/are) _______.
For these reasons, please build the new office building in the_______.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
____________
Academic texts

Fill in the appropriate word from the box.

Dear Mr Jacobs,
Thank you very much for your letter (1)__________ 5 March. (2)_________ answer to
your request, we have (3)_________ in enclosing our latest (4)__________ and price
list.
I would like to (5)_________ your attention to the special offers. These products are
available at a
reduced price for a limited time only.
If you would like any (6)__________ information, please get in (7)__________ with me.
I look (8)____________to hearing from you.
Yours (9)___________ ,
Howard Johnson
Sales Manager
(10)_______________: catalogue, price list, special offers supplement.

Fill in the appropriate word in gaps 1-5 from the box. There are three words you do
not need to use.

Dear Mr Becker,
(1)________our records your account is still overdue. We would like to remind you that
our (2)___________ of business are 30 days net. (3)___________ unsettled debts, it is
our (4)___________ to take legal action. We would prefer not to take this course. May we
ask you to settle your account by (5)__________ . I am enclosing a copy of your invoice
for your information.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Jones
Academic texts
Fill in the appropriate word in gaps 1-5 from the box. There are three words you do
not need to use.
FAX

Dear Mr North,

We very much regret the (1) ______about your order. There was a (2)___________fault
that day which resulted in a number of errors being made. Unfortunately, your order was
one of those (3)___________ . This error has now been (4)_________ and you should
be receiving the goods in the next few days.

We are very sorry about the (5)__________ caused.

Yours sincerely,
Jill South
Customer Care Officer

Put sentences A-F under the correct headings.

1 Tips for chairing a meeting 2 Proposals

3 Agenda 4 Summary

A Flexitime: discuss staff suggestions and management stipulations.

B Provide more car-parking places.
C Make sure everyone has a chance to give their views.
D Flexible hours should only be worked on Mondays and Fridays.
E If there is disagreement on any point, call for a vote.
F The meeting ended at 5.15 pm.
G Any other business.
H It was agreed that most people were happy with the present system.
I There should be ‘core time’ for all staff.
J Arrangements for the Company picnic.
Academic texts

Summaries, notes, reports

Vocabulary
Choose the best word to fit the gap.

1 Printix are offering us a 15% ______on all orders over P1000.

A interest B replacement C discount D consultation
2 It’s important to take ______ breaks when working at a computer.
A frequent B lots C repeated D often
3 The new Managing Director of the company has just been _______.
A applied B decided C requested D appointed
4 Make sure that the main ____ of the report contains only relevant information.
A business B body C content D form
5 If this project is completed on time we will receive _____ a in next month’s pay.
A bonus B batch C bill D salary
6 He was asked to _____ a thorough review of the health and safety provision within the
organisation.
A underline B undergo C undertake D understand
7 If you’re taking notes it’s a good idea to make them as clear and _____ as possible.
A quick B brief C essential D rough
8 As a ____ of the review, they decided to close the factory down.
A conclusion B finding C purpose D result
9 There is a _____ danger that the new regulations will be misunderstood by many staff.
A unnecessary B bad C unfortunate D grave
10 The consultants ____ the importance of managers involving staff in the issue of time
keeping
A emphasised B recommended C motivated D related

Match the descriptions 1–5 to the different functions of a company.

(New International Business English (2000). Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from:
https:// www.cambridge.org/elt/nibe)