Exercises

1. Use a comma between the attributes where necessary:

her fine little hands; her small delicate hands; an old experienced doctor; all those stupid young doctors; beautiful brightly shining eyes; his firm lean dark-coloured cheeks; her clear dark eyes; her round wide-opened clear grey eyes; a generous intelligent warm-hearted young man; a nice brown woman's hat; a jolly light-hearted easy-going sort of a chap

2. State where the post-positional attributes are to be regarded as loose
(detached) or close (representing an indispensable part of the syntactic
structure), use a comma when necessary.

1. He is a man with a very kind heart.

2. He was a big strong man with a kind heart besides.

3. She said it in a tone full of spite.

4. She said it in a strange tone cold and hating.

5. It was something terrible.

6. It was something horrifying unimaginable.

7. He said something quite unaware of my presence.

8. To Martin sitting at her bedside time seemed endless.

9. The people waiting for the doctor rose as he entered.

10. The policeman expecting something of the kind to happen raised his gun at once.

3. Fill in suitable punctuation marks where needed.

1.I knew there must be others who like myself found themselves suddenly enchanted.

2.I remember thinking curious wasn't it of the waters that usher us into this life at

birth of the waters that contain us in the womb.

3. The sensation I had was strange never experienced before.

4.I don't mean the feeling I have been here before I don't mean the romantic dream

this is reincarnation neither of those things.

5. It was as though quite intuitively I had become at long last myself I felt that I had

become some sort of power-house radiating currents which becoming charged with

other currents returned to me again.

6.I did everything the tourist does except feed the pigeons. Too fat too sleek as they

were I picked my way amongst them with distaste.

7. Deliberately I had avoided the cafe I had walked only on the opposite side.

8. Wait a minute I said and went on reading or rather I must admit going through the
motions of reading.

9. From the point of view of filming the elephant seal colony was to say the least
difficult.

10. We have been given a fine performance of a remarkable play a play which
whatever some of us may think of its characters and its language comes as you have
rightly said to challenge any easy self-satisfaction that we may happen to feel.

11. Very nice breakfast Harold Oh Harold answered it was Mark's doing not mine.

12. If it hadn't been for the need to repair what she had indiscreetly said she wouldn't
have spoken another word she was so deeply hurt.

4. Here is a sentence without capital letters and without punctuation:

James said do you agree with those people and there are very many of them arent

there who say that mozarts best opera is the magic flute

Correctly punctuated and presented, it becomes:

James said, 'Do you agree with those people - and there are very many of them, aren't

there? - who say that Mozart's best opera is "The Magic Flute"'?

Here, now, is a passage for you to punctuate and present correctly, with capital letters

where necessary, and suitable paragraphs.

the red warning light appeared on the wall of the aeroplane beside the pilots head as i

saw it my heart gave another jump here we are sir said the dispatcher cheerfully he

got up from his seat and opened the sliding door there was a terrifying noise the air

outside seemed to be screaming furiously at us i felt very frightened again i tried to

calm myself by remembering what the instructor had said during the weeks of

training no matter how often you jump youll never lose the fear of it as you get

yourself ready but dont feel ashamed of it its very natural everybody feels afraid i got

up and approached the open doorway i put my hands on its sides and gripped i did not

look down at the earth i stared straight out into space chewed on my gum felt sick and

waited seeing the red light from the corner of my eyes the red light went out the green

one came on the dispatcher behind me said ready sir i nodded my head okay then he

said one two three go

5. Identify the postnoun modifiers in the following sentences as restrictive or
nonrestrictive by adding commas if needed.

1. My parents who retired to Arizona in 1992 love the dry climate there.

2. The town where I was born which has a population of 3,000 offers very little in the
way of entertainment for teenagers.

3. My favourite television show which I watch every chance I get is 'Cheers'.

4. The reruns of 'Cheers' that I like best are the early ones with the Shelley Long
character.

5. Neither the senator nor his wife sitting next to him on the speakers' platform
looked very enthusiastic about being there.

6. Westerners generally understand very little about the Middle East where much of
the world's oil is located.

7. On weekends I sometimes work for my eldest sister who runs a day-care centre.

8. The driver of the bus that I take to work knows her regular passengers by name.

9. The International Date Line which is an imaginary line at 180° longitude was fixed
at the location on the earth exactly opposite Greenwich England.

6. Distinguish between limiting, descriptive and continuative clauses; clarify the differences by translating or paraphrasing.

1. An event soon occurred which took a profound hold on the public mind.

2. Think a little about the world we've made for Jimmy - a world that has nothing to
offer to a generous, intelligent, warm-hearted young man like that.

3. I sat on the steps glancing at everything except my neighbour who in his turn
pointedly unwatched me.

4. They came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of
admission.

5. Everybody knows Tinsbury Pavement, which is not very far away.

6. He bears an unfortunate resemblance to a soap manufacturer of Liege who
poisoned his wife in order to marry a blonde secretary.

7. If I were a good businessman which I am not I would comb the city dumps.

8. When she does lose her heart she loses it with a desperation and an abandonment
that the silly simple type can never know.

9. Music makes one feel so romantic - at least it gets on one's nerves which is the
same thing nowadays (Wilde).

7. Add commas to the following sentences, if necessary.

1. We left the party as soon as we politely could

2. Jim agreed to leave the party early and go bowling with us although he was having
a good time.

3. When the storm is over we can head for home.

4. We might as well put on the coffee since we're going to be here for another hour.
5.I know that Jerry and I will never be able to afford that much money for rent even if
it does include utilities.

6.I won't be able to stay in this apartment if the rent goes any higher. 7.I won't be able to stay in this apartment even if the rent stays the same.

8. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. (Harry Truman)

8. Punctuate the following sentences.

1. Pete sanded the car on Friday and painted it with undercoating on Saturday.

2. Even though the car's new paint job looks terrific now I suspect it will be covered
with rust and scratches and dents before next winter.

3.I spent a fortune on new tires shock absorbers and brake linings for the car last

week.

4. The car that my father had back in the 1960s and 1970s a 1959 Chevy required

very little maintenance and no major repairs during the ten or more years he drove it.

5.I have decided to park my car until gas prices go down and to ride my bicycle

instead.

6.I don't suppose I'll ever be able to afford either the down payment or the insurance

on a new Corvette the car of my dreams.

9. Combine the following groups of sentences into compound sentences, using
conjunctions of your choice, including conjunctive adverbs. In each case there
are a number of possible ways to combine them, depending on the emphasis.

1. The library closes at noon on Thursdays.
It is open until 9:00 p.m. on Fridays.

2. The food at the new French restaurant is exceptionally good.
The prices are exceptionally high.

3.I am going to take piano lessons this fall.

I may take guitar lessons, too.

4. My first-period students are bright.
They are wide awake at 8:00 a.m., too.

5. Our trip across Kansas was long and straight and uneventful.
The trip across Kansas took an entire day.

10. Revise and/or combine the following sentences or groups by providing an appositive or by changing the focus. Experiment with commas, colons, and dashes.

1. The cost of repairs to the nation's public transportation facilities is an expenditure
that cannot be delayed much longer if the system is to survive. Roads, bridges, and
railroads are all in need of repair.

2. To many people, the mushroom is a lowly fungus. It has little food value. To other
people, it is a gourmet's delight.

3.In the early 1980s the Chinese banned the import of certain American goods, such as cotton, synthetic fibers, and soybeans. The restriction had an adverse effect on the U.S. economy, especially on the farmers.

4. According to fashion experts, the crew cut will be back in style before long. That
particular haircut was more or less the hallmark of the 1950s.

5. My favourite activities are skiing, playing golf, and bowling; unfortunately, they
cost more than my budget can stand.

6. Alexander Graham Bell is remembered as the inventor of the telephone. Most
people probably don't know that Bell succeeded his father-in-law as president of the
National Geographic Society.

7. Cypress Gardens, Florida, comprises thirty acres of flowers, exotic plants, and
wildlife. It is a year-round extravaganza of nature's bounty and beauty.

8. Many scientists believe that sightings of 'cryptids' are mistakes. Cryptids include
Big Foot, the Loch Ness monster, and Yeti, known as the Abominable
Snowman/Mistaken sightings can be attributed to unfamiliarity with known animals,
rather than to delusions.

KEYS: 1.

her fine little hands; her small, delicate hands; an old, experienced doctor; all those stupid young doctors; beautiful(,) brightly shining eyes; his firm(,) lean dark-coloured cheeks; her clear dark eyes; her round, wide-opened, clear grey eyes; a generous, intelligent, warm-hearted young man; a nice brown woman's hat; a jolly, light-hearted, easy-going sort of a chap

2.

I. close; 2. loose;;3. close; 4. loose; 5. close; 6. loose; 7. loose; 8. close; 9. loose

3.

1.I knew there must be others who, like myself, found themselves suddenly enchanted.

2.I remember thinking - curious wasn't it - of the waters that usher us into this life at birth, of the waters that contain us in the womb. 3. The sensation I had was strange, never experienced before.

4.I don't mean the feeling 'I have been here before'. I don't mean the romantic dream 'This is reincarnation'. Neither of those things.

5. It was as though, quite intuitively, I had become, at long last, myself. I felt that I had become some sort of power-house(,) radiating currents which, becoming charged with other currents, returned to me again.

6. I did everything the tourist does(,) except feed the pigeons. Too fat, too sleek as
they were, I picked my way amongst them with distaste.

7. Deliberately, I had avoided the cafe; I had walked only on the opposite side.

8. 'Wait a minute', I said and went on reading, or rather, I must admit, going through
the motions of reading.

9. From the point of view of filming, the elephant seal colony was, to say the least,
difficult.

10. We have been given a fine performance of a remarkable play, a play which,
whatever some of us may think of its characters and its language, comes, as you have
rightly said, to challenge/any easy self-satisfaction that we may happen to feel.

II. 'Very nice breakfast Harold'. 'Oh', Harold answered, 'it was Mark's doing, not
mine'.

12. If it hadn't been for the need to repair what she had indiscreetly said, she wouldn't have spoken another word, (-) she was so deeply hurt.

4.

The red warning light appeared on the wall of the aeroplane beside the pilot's head.

As I saw it, my heart gave another jump.

'Here we are, Sir,' said the dispatcher cheerfully. He got up from his seat and opened

the sliding door. There was a terrifying noise. The air outside seemed to be screaming

furiously at us.

I felt very frightened again. I tried to calm myself by remembering what the instructor

had said during the weeks of training: 'No matter how often you jump you'll never

lose the fear of it as you get yourself ready, but don't feel ashamed of it. It's very

natural. Everybody feels afraid.' I got up and approached the open doorway. I put my

hands on its sides and gripped. I did not look down at the earth. I stared straight out

into space, chewed on my gum, felt sick and waited, seeing the red light from the

corner of my eyes.

The red light went out. The green one came on.

The dispatcher behind me said, 'Ready, Sir?'

I nodded my head.

¹ Okay then,' he said.' One - two - three - go!'

5.

1. My parents, who retired to Arizona in 1992, love the dry climate there.

2. The town where I was born, which has a population of 3,000 offers very little in
the way of entertainment for teenagers.

3. My favorite television show, which I watch every chance, I get is 'Cheers'.

4. The reruns of "Cheers' that I like best are the early ones with the Shelley Long
character.

5. Neither the senator nor his wife, sitting next to him on the speakers' platform,
looked very enthusiastic about being there.

6. Westerners generally understand very little about the Middle East, where much of
the world's oil is located.

7. On weekends I sometimes work for my eldest sister, who runs a day-care center.

8. The driver of the bus that I take to work knows her regular passengers by name.

9. The International Date Line, which is an imaginary line at 180° longitude, was
fixed at the location on the earth exactly opposite Greenwich, England.

6.

1. descr.; 2. limit.; 3. contin.; 4. descr.; 5. contin.; 6. descr,; 7. contin.; 8. descr.; 9. contin.

7.

1. We left the party as soon as we politely could.

2. Jim agreed to leave the party early and go bowling with us, although he was having
a good time.

3. When the storm is over, we can head for home.

4. We might as well put on the coffee, since we're going to be here for another hour.
5.I know that Jerry and I will never be able to afford that much money for rent, even
if it does include utilities.

6.I won't be able to stay in this apartment if the rent goes any higher. 7.I won't be able to stay in this apartment, even if the rent stays the same. 8. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. (Harry Truman)

8.

1. Pete sanded the car on Friday and painted it with undercoating on Saturday.

2. Even though the car's new paint job looks terrific now, I suspect it will be covered
with rust and scratches and dents before next winter.

3. I spent a fortune on new tires, shock absorbers and brake linings for the car last
week.

4. The car that my father had back in the 1960s and 1970s, a 1959 Chevy required
very little maintenance and no major repairs during the ten or more years he drove it.

5. I have decided to park my car until gas prices go down and to ride my bicycle
instead.

6.I don't suppose I'll ever be able to afford either the down payment or the insurance on a new Corvette, the car of my dreams.