mixed sentence patterns

ANSWER KEY
FOR
GOOD MEASURES:
A PRACTICE BOOK TO ACCOMPANY RULES OF THUMB: A GUIDE FOR WRITERS, 6th ed.
Jay Silverman
Elaine Hughes
Diana Roberts Wienbroer
Published by McGraw-Hill 2005
Resources updated at www.writingshortcuts.com PART I
Correctness
To the Instructor:
We hope that this Answer Key will increase the usefulness of Good Measures.
Of course, many of the exercises require students to compose their own
sentences, and therefore those pages are not included. In cases where
exercises have several correct answers, we have presented what we consider
the best illustration of the rule at hand.
C marks correct sentences; tested words used correctly are in
boldface.
(Good Measures p.3) Confusing Words
AFFECT / EFFECT, ITS / IT'S
In the following sentences, cross out any incorrect words and write
corrections above them.
affect
Example: The trade deficit continues to effect the economy. Affect / Effect
effects
1. The special affects made the whole production magical.
C2. A hot toddy can affect how you feel when you have a bad cold.
C3. After an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), the magnets have no lasting effect on the patient.
affected
4. The tall man in the second row effected the view of the entire audience.
affects
5. A household fire effects the whole family, and the effects last for years.
Its / It's (Good Measures p.4)
it's it's
1. Even if its July, its still best to pack a sweater for a trip to
Maine.
its
2. Ingrid Bergman had only a minute to return the key to it's proper place before the villain would notice its absence.
its
3. The snake vibrates it's rattle when it senses that it's in danger. It's
4. Its a miracle that no one was hurt when the car rolled over on
its
it's side. it's it's
5. When its noon in New York, its six o'clock in Paris.
LAY / LIE, PASSED / PAST (Good Measures p.5)
In the following sentences, cross out any incorrect words and write
corrections above them.
lying
Example: The clue to the corpse's identity was laying in the bushes. Lay / Lie
lay
1. Cleopatra laid on the divan, eating grapes; as she got up, she laid the grape stems on the cushion.
C2. Once the foundation was in place, they began laying the floors, but the manager continued lying about the date of occupancy. lying
3. Every night while I was laying in bed trying to sleep, the smell from the paper factory kept me awake.
4. The archivist laid each picture flat in the drawer, but the last
lying
one was laying off-center.
C5. The patient lay comatose while the nurses quickly prepared the instruments for surgery. Passed / Past (Good Measures p.6)
past
1. The train sped passed the platform of waiting passengers.
C2. The cat has never eaten tuna in the past because we had always bought the kind that was packed in oil.
passed
3. Kip past the ball behind his back to set up Nancy, who made a slam dunk.
passed
4. Several years ago, the total of the human population past five billion.
5. In crossbreeding tulips, growers hope that the most attractive
passed
traits from the past can be genetically past on. THAN / THEN, THEIR / THERE / THEY'RE (Good Measures p.7)
In the following sentences, cross out any incorrect words and write
corrections above them.
then
Example: Chop all the ingredients; than heat the wok.
Than / Then
than
1. Beethoven's late quartets are more extraordinary then his earlier,
more popular music. C2. Advertisements urge you to buy whatever you want and then pay later.
than
3. The shares are worth 25 percent less today then they
were last week. then
4. In the dry season, this canal clogs up now and than, diminishing the water supply.
5. The chiefs in the southern part of Cameroon exercise much
than
less power then the chiefs in the west.
Their / There / They're (Good Measures p.8) there
1. Every year in August, their is a Twins Day Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. their
2. In The Brothers Karamazov, all of the brothers resent there father's silliness.
3. We turned the corner and there were my aunt and uncle
their
standing in the middle of the dusty road next to there stalled car.
they're
4. When overtime work is available, their always the ones who show up first. They're
5. There the only people I know who would rather read about a place than go there.
TO / TOO / TWO, YOUR / YOU'RE (Good Measures p.9)
In the following sentences, cross out any incorrect words and write
corrections above them.
to
Example: Employers are required by law too scrutinize the investments
included in pension plans.
To / Too / Two C1. In order to snorkel safely, you need to have the proper equipment.
Too too
2. To many is as bad as to few.
too
3. Malcolm's hair is to thin to wear combed over the top of his head.
too
4. Evidence has recently come to light that to much passive smoke is harmful to one's health. too
5. Whitman's subject matter was to risqué' for many readers of
too
his day--and ours to. (Good Measures p.10) Your / You're
You're
1. Your lucky that you've never been in Uncle Eddie's fish store on a hot day. you're
2. When your cue comes, act as if your not sure which way to walk. Your
3. You're first step is to wash your hands with an antibacterial solution. you're
4. When your in a foreign country, your sense of time is altered.
your
5. You're going to be surprised when you start to record you're sugar consumption--one cup of catsup may contain seventeen teaspoons of sugar. (Good Measures p.11) A / AN, ACCEPT / EXCEPT, AMOUNT / FEWER, BRAKE / BREAK, CHOOSE / CHOSE,
ETC.,
FEWER / LESS, LEAD / LED, LOOSE / LOSE,
KNEW / KNOW / NEW / NO / NOW, HAVE / OF,
QUIET / QUIT / QUITE, WERE / WE'RE / WHERE, WEATHER / WHETHER, WHO'S /
WHOSE,
WOMAN / WOMEN, WORSE / WORST
In the following sentences, cross out any incorrect words and write
corrections above them.
women
Example: I don't believe that any woman were interviewed for the position
of comptroller. quiet
1. A room full of three-year-olds will never be quite. accept
2. Ara decided to except the director's criticism except for the comment
about her favorite yellow hat.
3. After a night of driving through the jungle, the jeep had three
loose know
lose wheels and the driver didn't even now it.
we're
4. If the weather is favorable, were climbing to the top of Arthur's Seat when we return to Edinburgh.
C5. During a play, the performers know who's going to enter next, based on whose cue has been spoken. (Good Measures p.12) except
6. Trevor would have accepted the duchess's invitation, accept that he had already decided to elope that night.
woman
7. Sally Ride, the first women in space, has since served as a presidential adviser on scientific research. 8. It was never a question of whether he would be a doctor, but
whether
weather he would be an orthopedist or a pediatrician.
Who's
9. Costello thought that Abbott was asking "Whose on first?'' when Abbott was actually telling him about a first baseman named Who.
where
10. In the desert, were the temperatures rise and drop suddenly, you would have to wear extra layers of clothing. quite
11. The trucker has to drive quiet a long way before he is able to
quit
quite for the night. have
12. The uncontrolled forest fire might of destroyed their house, their garage, their car, etc. 13. There has been much discussion of late as to whether woman
weather a women will be chosen as the next ambassador. (Good Measures p.13)
14. In typical scenes from Chekhov, the characters know that
now is the time to speak their true feelings or they will forever
lose
loose their chance, yet they say nothing.
accept an
15. During World War II, the military would not except a African American serving in the same unit as white Americans.
have
16. They should of known that there would be problems bringing so much luggage onto the plane.
17. The loose rock debris, called "scree,'' makes it very easy to
lose
loose one's footing. quite
18. Loons are quiet good swimmers and fliers, but t