Sentence Variety Exercise

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Sentence Variety Exercise

• 1/6/15-1/9/15

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Writing Concise Sentences

• Combine four ideas in each set of sentences.
• 1. Alicia read her horoscope.
• 2. Horoscope was in the newspaper.
• 3. The newspaper was called The Daily Spectator.
• 4. The horoscope said that Alicias persuasive
  powers were strong.
• First, identify the ideas.
• Then rewrite the sentences using only the ideas
  without overlapping information.
• For example, you would not need to say the
  horoscope was in the paper which called The Daily
  Spectator.

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• 1. Alicia read her horoscope.
• 2. Horoscope was in the newspaper.
• 3. The newspaper was called The Daily Spectator.
• 4. The horoscope said that Alicias persuasive
  powers were strong.
• Answer
• In The Daily Spectator, Alicia read in her
  horoscope that her persuasive powers were strong.
  

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• 2. Rashad picked up an empty soft drink can.
• The can was in the parking lot.
• The parking lot was a student parking lot.
• Rashad put the can in a trash container.
• Rashad picked up a can in the student parking lot
  and put it in the trash container.

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• 4. The window on the drivers side of the car was
  rolled down.
• The car belonged to Rosa.
• The window had been open during a thunderstorm.
• The seat on the drivers side of the car was wet.
• The window of Rosas car was rolled down during a
  thunderstorm, leaving the drivers side of the
  car wet.

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• 4. Someone in the classroom was chewing gum.
• The same person was popping the gum.
• Some students were annoyed.
• The class was taking a test.
• Someone was annoying the students during a test
  by chewing and popping gum.

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• 5. There was a calendar on the wall.
• The wall was in the machine shop.
• The calendar showed women.
• The women were wearing bathing suits.
• The calendar on the wall in the machine shop
  showed women wearing bathing suits.

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Joining Sentence with Dependent words

• Connect each sentence pair using the following
  pattern
• Dependent clause, Independent clause
• Ultimately, you are being asked to turn one
  sentence into a fragment not a compound or
  complex sentence. However, a compound/complex
  sentence does not make the sentence incorrect.
• The dependent clause is a fragment that modifies
  or describes the rest of the sentence by showing
  how, when, where, and for forth.
• Also, there is not only one way to rewrite the
  two sentences into one sentence.

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• 1. My little brother turned sixteen.
• He took the test for his drivers license.
• When my little brother turned 16, he took the
  test for his drivers license.
• When is the dependent word needed to make the
  sentence into a fragment that modifies the
  independent clause.
• How does it modify the sentence?

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• 2. Quinton was not sure he was good enough to
  make the team.
• He decided to try out anyway.
• Even though Quinton was not sure he was good
  enough to make the team, he decided to try out
  anyway.
• 3. Mika had lived in the same town all her life.
• She was eager to attend college in a different
  city.
• Even though Mika had lived in the same town all
  her life, she was eager to attend college in a
  different city.

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• 4. The weather forecast had predicted morning
  rain.
• The day dawned sunny and clear.
• Even though the weather forecast had predicted
  morning rain, the day dawn sunny and clear.
• 5. Fredo was accepted at a technical school.
• He changed his mind and decided to apply to a
  four- year college.
• Even though Fredo was accepted at a technical
  school, he changed his mind and decided to apply
  to a four year college.
• Even though was used in each answer because the
  sentences needed to illustrate contrast, but
  other dependent words can work.

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Practice 8

• This activity is slightly different because the
  dependent clause comes at the second part of the
  sentence and requires a word in the middle. The
  word in the middle indicates WHEN or WHY
  something happens.
• 1. A small house was swept away by the flood.
  Onlookers watched in horror.
• A small house was swept away by the flood as
  onlookers watched in horror.

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• 2. Sarah let out a sigh of relief.
• She saw that she had passed her midterm exam.
• Sarah let out a sigh of relief once she saw that
  she had passed her midterm exam.
• 3. Trenton was angry.
• He had to wait almost an hour for his job
  interview.
• Trenton was angry that he had to wait almost an
  hour for his job interview.

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• 4. Brandy did not finish her research project.
• She became distracted exploring the internet.
• Brandy did not finish her research project
  because she became distracted exploring the
  internet.
• 5. The workers were confident they would finish
  the project on time.
• They were three weeks behind their planned
  schedule.
• The workers were confident they would finish the
  project on time though they were three weeks
  behind their planned schedule.