Sentence Problem Exercise
Correctly punctuate the restrictive or nonrestrictive elements.
- Fortunately, the dog, that bit Ralph, did not have rabies.
Answer: Fortunately, the dog that bit Ralph did not have rabies. (restrictive, no commas)
- The telephone invented in 6876 changed modern society.
Answer: The telephone, invented in 6876, changed modern society. (nonrestrictive, set off by commas)
- Does the scarf lying on the floor belong to you?
Answer: Correct as written. The participial phrase lying on the floor is restrictive, so no commas are used.
- Margaret who is an aerospace engineer works for NASA.
- Margaret, who is an aerospace engineer, works for NASA.
This is a nonrestrictive clause so it should be set off by commas. Theoretically, if I knew two Margarets, and only one Margaret was an engineer, the clause might become restrictive.
- Margaret who is an aerospace engineer works for NASA, but Margaret who is a nurse works for the Veterans Administration.
- The amendment, introduced by Senator Kerry, did not pass.
Answer: This sentence is even more ambiguous than above sentence because we do not know the context. Two possibilities exist:
- The amendment, introduced by Senator Kerry, did not pass. (Correct as is, nonrestrictive: There was only one amendment, and it did not pass; Senator Kerry just happened to have introduced it.)
- The amendment introduced by Senator Kerry did not pass. (Restrictive: There were many amendments, but the specific amendment introduced by Senator Kerry did not pass.)
What is the antecedent of the pronoun in boldface?
- Before Eva met Cynthia, she had been timid and shy.
Answer: Unknown. She could mean either girl. To avoid ambiguity, state explicitly: Before Eva met Cynthia, Eva had been timid and shy.
- Steve said he is meeting with Shaun, and he will set up the new network hub.
Answer: Unknown. The first he clearly refers to Steve. Does the second he also refer to Steve? Or does it refer to Shaun, the closest antecedent? Use a name to make the meaning clear: Shaun will set up the new network hub.
Correct any unclear antecedents.
- Dave was singled out for punishment and blamed me, which was unfair.
- Dave was singled out for punishment, which was unfair, and blamed me. OR
- Dave was singled out for punishment and unfairly blamed me.
The antecedent of which was unclear in the original.
- Yvonne gave Jeanette her grandmother’s wedding ring.
- Yvonne gave Jeanette the wedding ring that had belonged to Jeanette’s grandmother. OR
- Yvonne gave Jeanette the wedding ring that had belonged to Yvonne’s grandmother.
The antecedent of her was unclear in the original.
- That chair belonged to Martin’s father or his friend.
- That chair belonged to Martin’s father or his father’s friend. OR
- That chair belonged to Martin’s father or Martin’s friend.
The antecedent of his was unclear in the original. (The first option is still slightly ambiguous in its use of the pronoun.)
In the first blank, put the correct form of the verb to be. In the second blank, put the correct pronoun.
- Raquel and Olga _____ leaving _____ shoes in the laundry room.
Answer: Are, their. Subjects joined by and are plural.
- Either Tatiana or Stella _____ taking _____ camcorder on the trip.
Answer: Is, her. Subjects joined by or are singular.
Correct any agreement problems.
- A container of tongue depressors are on the counter.
- A container of tongue depressors is on the counter.
- The tongue depressors are on the counter.
(Remember that the verb agrees with the noun of the subject, not with the noun’s modifiers.)
- I asked Leo or Steve to bring their guitar.
- I asked Leo or Steve to bring his
- I asked Leo and Steve to bring their guitars.
(Nouns joined by or require a singular pronoun.)
- A flock of birds and a solitary cloud is moving across the sky.
- A flock of birds and a solitary cloud are moving across the sky.
Despite the fact that the subject closest to the verb is singular, this sentence has two subjects joined by and, so it requires a plural verb.
- Everybody need an opportunity to prove themselves.
- Everybody needs an opportunity to prove themselves.
Most writers would not object to the use of the plural pronoun themselves in this case because it avoids the sexist pronoun he and the wordy himself or herself. However, to duck the issue, we could say, “We all need an opportunity to prove ourselves.”
- Dehydration or heatstroke are real dangers for desert hikers.
- Dehydration or heatstroke is a real danger for desert hikers. OR
- Dehydration and heatstroke are real dangers for desert hikers.
The second option actually makes more sense because both conditions are dangers.
Is this sentence parallel?
- I need to do the laundry, walk the dog, and my mother wants me to mail a package.
Answer: No. The first two items on the list are infinitives (to do, to walk), but the third item introduces a new clause. A parallel option might say, “I need to do the laundry, walk the dog, and mail a package.”
- To fix the problem, press the reset button, wait five seconds, and restart the computer.
Answer: Yes. This list offers three imperatives (press, wait, and restart), all similarly phrased.
Correct any lack of parallelism.
- The governor has the will, the means, and needs to act now to pass the legislation.
- The governor has the will and the means to pass the legislation, but he needs to act now.
The original looks as if it will list three items the governor has, but it introduces a new verb as the third item in the series. The three are not alike, so the only solution is to separate them.
- Divers found bottles of wine, gold bars, and boxes of treasure on the sunken ship.
Answer: Divers found wine bottles, treasure boxes, and gold bars on the sunken ship. Bars of gold is another possible solution, but this option is less wordy.
- The Central High team did well, but the team from East High lost in the first round.
Answer: The Central High team did well, but the East High team lost in the first round.
Besides being parallel in the way it describes the two teams, this sentence is less wordy than the original.
Do the following sentences show inconsistent use of tenses or pronouns?
- I gave the children some ice cream. They had just gotten back from the park, and they were hungry.
Answer: No. This sentence is consistently in past tense, and correctly uses simple past and past-perfect tense to indicate the sequence of events.
- When you first read a Jane Austen novel, you might be surprised by the lack of description. The author focuses one’s attention on the characters’ actions, not their appearance.
Answer: Yes. You, used in a general, impersonal sense, gets changed to the impersonal one in the second sentence. While there is nothing wrong with an impersonal you, it is easily overused. One way to avoid using impersonal elements is to substitute an imaginary person or persons: A reader approaching a Jane Austen novel might be surprised by the lack of description. The author focuses the reader’s attention on the characters’ actions.
Correct any inconsistent uses of tense or pronouns.
- The first two proposals are reasonable, but the third required more resources than we have.
Answer: The first two proposals are reasonable, but the third requires more resources than we have. (Another solution is to use past tense throughout.)
51 Upon entering the museum, you are impressed by the marble columns and the high dome. One might think you entered a palace rather than a museum.
Answer: Upon entering the museum, you are impressed by the marble columns and the high dome. You might think you are entering a palace rather than a museum. (Another solution is to use one instead of you throughout.)
- He sees us, and then he turned away, as if he thinks that would fool you.
Answer: He saw us, and then he turned away, as if he thought that would fool us. (Another solution is to use present tense throughout.)
Related Posts
- Correct Use of Adjectives
- Correct Use of Adverbs
- English Grammar Rules for Competitive Exams
- Subject Verb Agreement Rules
- Subject Verb Agreement Rules and Examples
- Pronoun Error Examples
- Rules to Use Prepositions
- Correct Use of Prepositions
- Common Errors in Prepositions
- Gerund or Infinitive
- Sentence Problems
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