The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation (25 page)

Read The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Online

Authors: Jane Straus,Lester Kaufman,Tom Stern

BOOK: The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
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Lay vs. Lie
Quiz 2 Answers
1.
I am dizzy and need to
lie
down.
2.
When I got dizzy yesterday, I
lay
down.
3.
My brother
lays
carpet for a living. (CORRECT)
4.
That rug has
lain
there for decades. (CORRECT)
5.
We need to
lay
this baby down for a nap.
6.
We will know we have
laid
this issue to rest when we no longer fight about it.
7.
The lions are
lying
in wait for their prey.
8.
The lions have
lain
in wait for their prey.
9.
I
laid
the blanket over her as she slept. (CORRECT)
10.
I will
lay
my head on my pillow.
Advice vs. Advise
Quiz 1 Answers
1.
My doctor
advised
me to go to the gym more often.
2.
I always ask my brother for
advice
because he knows me best.
3.
My
advice
is to talk to Georgia face-to-face, rather than by e-mail.
4.
The traffic reporters
advise
commuters to take the back roads because of the accident on the freeway.
5.
If you are interested in becoming a marine biologist, I would
advise
you to talk to Hank.
6.
Even though Scott always gives Eden bad
advice
, she still follows it.
7.
Although Bhaven is not very opinionated, he gives astute
advice
.
8.
Teachers
advise
parents to emphasize reading at home.
9.
When giving
advice
to a friend, I try to put myself in her shoes.
10.
The ride operator
advises
passengers to keep their limbs inside the roller coaster.
Advice vs. Advise
Quiz 2 Answers
1.
Adele is always happy to offer
advice
if you ask her for it.
2.
The lawyer
advised
him to plead guilty.
3.
If you want to go on the senior trip, I would strongly
advise
you to start saving your money.
4.
Our new members are impressed with the level of
advice
they received from the leadership group.
5.
Sara always takes my
advice
to heart.
6.
I'd like to ask an engineer to
advise
us on the design.
7.
We
advised
the city council that the deadline was tentative and might need to be extended.
8.
Lakeisha knows she can always go to her best friend for
advice
.
9.
Don't give
advice
that you're not willing to follow yourself.
10.
Randall has a bad habit of offering unsolicited
advice
.
Their vs. There vs. They're
Quiz 1 Answers
1.
The Garcias are having a costume party at
their
house tonight.
2.
I heard that the best beaches are in Southern California, but I would rather not drive all the way down
there
.
3.
While
they're
in town, we want to show LaDasha and Raquel the beach at sunset.
4. There
are many ways to cut a cake.
5.
Celia allows her children to watch television once they have finished
their
homework.
6.
Paul and Summer are in search of a tank for
their
baby turtles.
7.
On Thursday,
they're
going to take a paragliding lesson.
8.
After a long day of work,
their
brains were fried.
9.
Even though
there
is not enough space in my room for that tree, my dad refuses to move it.
10.
To our surprise, Nick and Taylor just announced that
they're
getting married!
Their vs. There vs. They're
Quiz 2 Answers
1.
According to an old legend,
there
is treasure buried on that island.
2.
Juan and Pancho just called to let us know
they're
coming for dinner.
3. There
is a mouse in my closet!
4.
I can't wait to see the looks on
their
faces when I tell them the truth.
5.
I wonder if
they're
planning to go shopping with us.
6.
The children went upstairs to play after clearing
their
plates at dinner.
7.
It's
their
decision, so I'll just stay out of it.
8.
I don't know what
they're
doing to cause all that noise, but it's giving me a headache!
9.
The kids haven't called yet; I'm concerned about
their
being out so late at night.
10.
I believe Wynona left her glasses over
there
.
More Confusing Words and Homonyms
Quiz 1 Answers
1.
It was not just a great day; it was
a historic
occasion, and I was feeling
all right
.
2.
It takes
a while
to
adapt
to this hot weather when you're from Anchorage.
3.
You don't need fancy
stationery
to thank someone—that's
beside
the point.
4.
I
cannot
be calm on roller coasters. I ride them with
bated
breath.
5.
I have no
flair
for geography: I thought Buffalo was the
capital
of New York, but it's Albany.
6.
Where good friends are concerned, my chief
criterion
has always been loyalty.
7.
I
prophesied
that if she kept acting that way, she'd get her just
deserts
.
8.
You have to be more
discreet
or you'll
virtually
drive your husband up the wall.
9.
I've never
wavered
in my enjoyment of Shakespeare's plays,
e.g
.,
Romeo and Juliet
.
10.
Let's take the next boat
off
this island. We'll be in
imminent
danger if we wait around.
11.
I explained my
principal
reasons for quitting to a
couple of
guys from work.
More Confusing Words and Homonyms
Quiz 2 Answers
1.
Just wait
till
you see one of the most
unusual
buildings in the Midwest.
2.
I always buy Acme products because it's a company
that
really cares about the consumer.
3.
I was amazed by the
enormousness
of his hands, which held me in a
vise-like
grip.
4.
It's not
every day
that I get to spend several hours on my favorite
pastime
.
5.
He's one of the
premier
actors of our generation,
regardless
of his messy personal life.
6.
It won't
faze
me in the least if you just
set
your drink on the chair next to you.
7.
He never
graduated from
high school because he always
flouted
the school rules.
8.
He wore a gold
medal
when he
led
the parade yesterday.
9.
I think it was a fashion
mistake
to wear such a
minuscule
ring with such a big bracelet.
10.
Even here in earthquake country, that
temblor
was a frightening
phenomenon
.
11.
I don't have to show up until 10
o'clock
in the morning. (
OR
10
a.m. OR
10 in the morning)
Effective Writing
Quiz 1 Answers
1.
While I am in town. Let's visit Golden Gate Park.
Make a sentence fragment a full sentence:
While I am in town, let's visit Golden Gate Park
.
2.
Walking aimlessly down the street, a bus almost clipped me.
Correct the dangler (the sentence as written says the bus was walking down the street):
As I was walking aimlessly down the street, a bus almost clipped me
.
OR
Walking aimlessly down the street, I was almost clipped by a bus
.
3.
Good employees are prompt, courteous, and they help you when you need it.
Use parallel construction:
Good employees are prompt, courteous, and helpful
.
4.
Several items of evidence were overlooked by police who were investigating the scene of the crime.
Avoid wordiness:
The police investigators missed evidence left at the crime scene
.
5.
It is expected that you will report for work by no later than nine o'clock.
Use active verbs:
I expect you to report for work by nine o'clock
.
6.
There is just one more thing that I want to say before I finish up.
Avoid wordiness:
I have one more thing to say
.
7.
The patient is not unresponsive.
Be careful with multiple negatives (
not unresponsive
):
The patient is responsive
.
8.
Raised in Italy, my grandfather's broken English created problems early on.
Correct the dangler (the sentence as written says “my grandfather's broken English” was raised in Italy):
My grandfather was raised in Italy, and his broken English created problems early on
.
OR
Raised in Italy, my grandfather spoke broken English, which created problems early on
.
9.
Students will benefit themselves by listening, taking notes, and they should always pay attention.
Use parallel construction:
Students will benefit themselves by listening, taking notes, and paying attention
.
10.
The cars were worn down by the taxi drivers.
Use active verbs:
The taxi drivers wore down their cars
.
11.
After tossing and turning, the alarm came on much too early.
Correct the dangler (the alarm was not tossing and turning):
After tossing and turning, I was awoken much too early by the alarm
.
OR
Because I slept restlessly, the alarm woke me much too early
.
12.
I have always believed in being thrifty, loyal, and I do high-quality work.
Use parallel construction:
I have always believed in thrift, loyalty, and high-quality work
.
13.
One thing I could say without hesitation is that he is not unreliable.
Be careful with multiple negatives (
not unreliable
):
One thing I could say without hesitation is that he is reliable
.
Effective Writing
Quiz 2 Answers
1.
We will utilize the attorneys we have employed to engender the dissolution of our marriage.
Avoid wordiness:
We have hired attorneys to help us with our divorce
.
2.
The boy was hit in the face by the pie as it left the girl's hand.
Use active verbs to avoid dull writing:
The girl flung the pie, and it exploded in the boy's face
.
3.
It was not likely that no one would want to claim ownership of the new sports car.
Avoid confusing multiple negatives (
not
. . .
no one
):
Someone will surely want to claim ownership of the new sports car
.
4.
We washed the dishes, swept the floor, and the tables were dusted.
Use parallel construction:
We washed the dishes, swept the floor, and dusted the tables
.
5.
While singing in the shower, the bar of soap slipped from her hands.
Correct the dangler (the soap was not singing):
The bar of soap slipped from her hands as she sang in the shower
.
6.
Maria encountered a stranger clad in her parka and blue jeans.
Descriptive words and phrases should be close to the words they describe:
Maria, clad in her parka and blue jeans, encountered a stranger
.
7.
The weather had adverse impacts on our boat, resulting in the necessity of rescuing us from the water.
Avoid wordiness:
Our boat capsized in the storm, so we needed rescuing
.
8.
On a hike with my wife, a bear climbed a tree.
Correct the dangler (the bear was not hiking with “my wife”):
On a hike with my wife, I saw a bear climb a tree
.
9.
Looking back, the dog was following us.
Correct the dangler (the sentence as written says the dog was looking back):
Looking back, we saw the dog following us
.
10.
Jordan did not believe that Serena had embarrassed him unintentionally.
Avoid pretentious multiple negatives (
not…unintentionally
):
Jordan believed that Serena had embarrassed him intentionally
.
11.
Martin could not juggle watching Timmy, making breakfast, and he had a report to write.
Use parallel construction:
Martin could not juggle watching Timmy, making breakfast, and writing a report
.
12.
Like others we questioned, his name was not announced.
Correct the dangler (“his name” is not what was “like others”):
Like others we questioned, he was not identified by name
.
13.
I was wearing the sweater that Amy knitted at the concert.
Descriptive words and phrases should be close to the words they describe:
At the concert, I was wearing the sweater that Amy knitted
.
14.
Lying on a stretcher, they carried him out.
Correct the dangler (“they” were not lying on a stretcher):
They carried him out lying on a stretcher
.

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