Temple University Reducing Clauses to Phrases Research Paper 2 grammar practice, see the attached files. Just complete these two exercises without any other requirements. Reducing Clauses to Phrases
How to get sentences like the following:
1. Pulling a book of poems from her handbag, Julie ordered a cup of coffee with cream and a
sugar cookie.
2. Told the answer was in six figures, Stravinsky quipped, “In that case… I should study with
you.”
3. Sold for 100 times more than the wages of the peons who make them, Nike shoes are hateobjects more potent than McDonald’s hamburgers.
4. Spongy, smelly, hungered after by kids across the world, Nike is the symbol of the
unacceptable triumph of global capital.
5. Nike being the most notorious multinational villain, and Vietnam being a dictatorship with a
documented lack of free speech, the operation is supposed to be a classic of conscience-free
oppression.
6. A century ago, Carl Jung, a great interpreter of the psychic differences between East and West,
described the Westerner as basically extroverted, driven by desire to conquer, and the
Easterner as a classic introvert, driven by desire to escape suffering
I. How to reduce an adverb clause to a phrase:
1. Identify an adverb clause.
2. If the subject of the adverb clause is the same as the subject of the main clause, delete the
subject of the adverb clause. If not, keep the subject of the adverb clause.
3. Change the first verb into the –ing form of the verb. If the–ing form is “being,” delete it.
4. Delete the subordinating conjunction if it is not necessary.
(e.g.) Since the nurse believed that the doctor killed the patient, she called the police.
→ Believing that the doctor killed the patient, the nurse called the police.
(e.g.) When all things were considered, the fund drive was a success.
→ All things considered, the fund drive was a success.
II. How to reduce an adjective clause to a phrase:
1. Identify an adjective clause (all relative clauses are adjective clauses).
2. If the relative clause begins with a relative pronoun (who, which, that) and a “be” verb (e.g.,
is, are, was, were), then delete both the relative pronoun and the “be” verb.
3. If the remainder of the deleted clause is one adjective (or one adjective modified by an
adverb), place the adjective in front of the noun that it modifies.
(e.g.) Chinese immigrants made a living in food-service businesses, which were fairly cheap
to run and required plenty of hired hands.
→ Chinese immigrants made a living in food-service businesses, fairly cheap
to run and required plenty of hired hands.
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* Please reduce the following dependent clauses to phrases.
1. While he was waiting for the bus, he was run over by a taxi.
2. If you get across the river by the ferry, you will come to the famous spa.
3. Although he had made an obvious mistake, he still refused to admit it.
4. Although I admit what you say, I can hardly approve your proposal.
5. He was drowned while he was bathing in the river.
6. As the book was written in haste, it has some careless mistakes.
7. After he was taken by surprise, he gave up the contest.
8. As it had rained very hard on the previous night, the road was muddy.
9. We took a side trip to Monticello, which was the home of Thomas Jefferson.
10. Last night I saw a movie which was directed by Steven Spielberg.
11. We bought a house which was very expensive.
12. Mr. Johnson, who was our manager, suggested the proposal.
Dangling Modifiers
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that does not name its actor but wrongly suggests that
the actor is the subject of the sentence (i.e., the subject of the main clause).
A dangling modifier mostly occurs when the subject of an adverb clause is omitted in
reducing the clause to a phrase, even though it is different from the subject of the main clause.
Also, in a sentence with an infinitive, we can see a dangling modifier.
Example 1: Sizzling on the grill, Sam smelled the chicken.
The original adverb clause is “While the chicken was sizzling on the grill.” The subject of this
dependent clause is “the chicken,” which is different from the subject of the main clause “Sam.”
Therefore, the adverb clause should not be reduced like the example because it would mean that
Sam was sizzling on the grill.
Correction: While the chicken was sizzling on the grill, Sam smelled it.
(With) the chicken sizzling on the grill, Sam smelled it. (the adverb clause reduced)
(“With” can be added to emphasize that the two actions [i.e., sizzling and smelling]
are happening at the same time.)
Example 2: To prevent the coronavirus from spreading, your hands must be washed often.
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This sentence means that “your hands” are what prevent the coronavirus from spreading. In
other words, it falsely signifies that the actor of the verbal “to prevent” is the subject of the
sentence as your hands.
Correction: To prevent the coronavirus from spreading, you must wash your hands often.
* Please edit the following sentences to correct dangling modifiers.
1. Seeking to lay off workers without taking the blame, consultants were hired to break the bad
news.
2. Deciding to join the navy, the recruiter enthusiastically pumped Joe’s hand.
3. Upon entering the doctor’s office, a skeleton caught my attention.
4. To save time, the paper was written on a computer.
5. To please the children, some fireworks were set off a day early.
6. Though only sixteen, UCLA accepted Linda’s application.
7. After changing my hospital gown, the nurse told me to relax.
8. Before replacing a wall outlet, the electricity must be turned off.
9. To be cooked well, you must steam vegetables.
10. Talking with privileged children, their sense of entitlement is astonishing.
Combining and Reducing
* Please combine the following sentences in each item, using relative pronouns, and then reduce
the sentence as much as you can.
1. A. In his letter Ralph enclosed a snapshot.
B. He had taken a snapshot during his visit with us.
→
2. A. Although it is usually quiet during the week, the golf course is very busy on weekends.
B. The golf course was completed just last year.
→
3. A. After a wild chase through the busy downtown traffic, the young reporter was able to
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point out the apartment.
B. The gangster was hiding out in the apartment.
→
4. A. The girl suddenly began to scream in terror.
B. The girl was walking through the park.
→
5. A. The young skater almost lost her leg in a car accident last year.
B. The young skater was practicing out there on the ice.
→
6. A. The place seemed to be enveloped in a glow.
B. Jill stood in the place.
C. A glow gleamed on her red hair.
→
7. A. The governor declared in his address to the legislature that the roads will be largely paid
for by taxes.
B. The roads are to be built this year.
C. The taxes are on gasoline and cigarettes.
→
8. A. Jules earned the money by pumping gas until midnight seven nights a week.
B. Jules is an apprentice bricklayer.
C. The money was to pay for his hiking vacation in Europe.
→
9. A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
→
The alleys were littered with bottles and garbage.
The alleys were between the apartment buildings.
The apartment buildings were dismal.
The bottles were broken.
The garbage was rotting.
Parallelism (We covered this topic earlier in the semester.)
Parallelism is the expression of similar or related ideas in similar grammatical form – sentences
with parallel elements are easy to read and understand.
(e.g.) Noun phrases: A leader must have two important qualities: an optimistic outlook
and a confident demeanor.
Adjectives:
The best physicians are patient, thorough, and compassionate.
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Adverbs:
The lawyers presented their case passionately and persuasively.
I furnished my first apartment
with purchases from department stores,
items from the want ads,
and gifts from my relatives.
* Please revise the following sentences to achieve parallelism.
1. Over the land, on the sea, or if they fly, the Marines move troops fast.
→
2. To get along with their parents, teenagers need to be patient, tactful, and to display
tolerance.
→
3. The singer Jim Morrison is remembered for his innovative style, his flamboyant
performances, and for behavior that was self-destructive.
→
4. In assembling the research team, we looked for engineers whose work was
innovative, with broad interests, and who had boundless energy.
→
5. The main character from the novel Tarzan of the Apes has appeared on television,
films, and comic books.
→
6. What kind of job would be appropriate for a person who enjoys sail boarding, skiing,
and to skydive?
→
7. The college career counselor suggested that Rosalie write out her personal goals, read
some materials on choosing a profession, or that she might take a career interest test.
→
8. First year chemistry courses are supposed to teach students how to take notes on an
experiment and the ways of writing a lab report.
→
9. After thinking about his goals, Anthony realized that the two things he wanted most
from a career were stability and an income that was reasonable.
→
10. Because she is interested in science and organizing complex information intrigues
her, Lynn has decided to become a technical writer.
→
11. Consider swimming if you are looking for exercise that aids cardiovascular fitness,
overall muscle strength, and probably will not cause injuries.
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Run-on sentences and Fragments
I. Avoid run-on sentences. Run-on sentences are independent clauses that have not been
joined correctly. There are two types of run-on sentences: fused sentences and comma splices.
When independent clauses in a sentence are joined without a conjunction, the result is referred
to as a fused sentence. When a comma is used between two independent clauses, the result is
referred to as a comma splice.
Example of a Fused Sentence
The police were suspicious of the package they called for an X-ray machine.
Independent Clause
Independent Clause
Example of a Comma Splice
These immigrants were eating more meat than they had ever before, they were not
Independent Clause
Independent
buying filet mignon.
Clause
* Ways to Correct a Run-on Sentence
1. Use a subordinating conjunction.
2. Use a coordinating conjunction.
3. Use a semicolon.
4. Put a period after the first independent clause.
5. Change a clause to a phrase.
II. Avoid sentence fragments. A sentence fragment is a group of words that cannot
stand alone as a complete sentence. Since it is part of a sentence, it should not be allowed
to stand by itself, but should be kept in the sentence of which it is a part.
Examples
1. On the school steps I saw Alice. Waiting for her mother to pick her up.
2. Although Jane walks three miles a day and she still watches her diet.
Ways to Correct a Fragment
1. Attach the fragment to a nearby sentence.
2. Rewrite the fragment as a complete sentence.
*
The following exercise contains fused sentences, comma splices, or sentence
fragments. Identify each problem and fix it.
1. Residents love the mild climate. Which is ideal for outdoor events.
2. The scientists had trouble identifying the fossil it resembled a bird and a lizard.
3. Automobiles are so complex, mechanics may train for years.
4. The left brain is analytical. Whereas the right brain is creative.
5. Most Americans refuse to give up unhealthful habits, consequently, our medical costs are
higher than those of many other countries.
6. The reason being that he shouted at us and slammed the door.
7. Population increases and uncontrolled development are taking a deadly toll on the
environment. So that in many parts of the world, fragile ecosystems are collapsing.
8. She accepted the offer. Because she had no choice.
9. On most days I had only enough money for bus fare, lunch was a luxury I could not afford.
10. Aspiring bodybuilders must first ascertain their strengths and weaknesses. And then decide
what they want to achieve.
11. There were no children around, I spent my days hiking and swimming alone.
12. Some laboratory-grown foods taste good, they are nutritious.
13. Chickens reach market size within months the lobster takes six to eight years.
14. Sitting at a sidewalk café near the Sorbonne, I could pass as a French student. As
long as I kept my mouth shut.
15. The paramedic asked where I was hurt, as soon as I told him, he cut up the leg of
my favorite pair of jeans.
16. Chemists have made much progress they still have a long way to go.
17. If Eric does not get his way, he goes into a fit of rage. For example, lying on the
floor screaming or opening the cabinet doors and then slamming them shut.
Forceful Writing
Forceful writing is writing that is unified, coherent, precise (exact and accurate), and concise.
* Which of the following paragraphs do you consider more forceful/powerful? Why?
A. At a large Eastern university, he made a literal attempt at taking in all of the many
books in the great library. People who knew him then tell of his proceeding
through the shelves of books, taking up now one book and now another, and reading
its contents.
B. At Harvard he actually tried to read every one of the millions of books in the huge
library. His acquaintances at the time recall him moving down the long aisles of
stacks, grabbing one book after another, and devouring its contents.
C. An attempt was made by him, while at Harvard, to read all the millions of books which
were in the huge library. He is remembered by those who were acquainted with him at
the time as a wanderer through the long aisles of stacks from which one book after
another was grabbed and its contents devoured.
Four Qualities of Forceful Writing on the Sentence Level:
1. Use specific words, if possible.
2. Use the active voice, rather than passive voice.
3. Express your ideas in the fewest words possible.
4. Use parallel structure when appropriate.
Active and Passive Voice
When a sentence is in the active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action of the verb;
when a sentence is in the passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb. Although
sentences in the active voice are more powerful than those in the passive voice, there are uses for
the passive voice.
When we need the passive voice:
1. When we do not know the performer of an action (e.g., The window was broken last night.)
2. When we want to stress the receiver of the action instead of the performer
(e.g., The document was discovered in 1958.)
3. When we want to be indirect
(e.g., Your resume was received after our deadline, so it could not be considered.)
4. When the subject of a sentence is long
(e.g., After the fall of Rome, this area was occupied by the Eruli, Ostrogths, Greeks,
Longobards, Moslems, Greeks (again), and the forces of the Holy Roman Empire,
in that order.)
5. When using a series of verbs with the same subject
(e.g., Cellulose is insoluble, cannot be broken down into simpler forms by human
digestion, and is therefore not directly available as food for man.
6. When the passive voice is our best bet for getting a smooth transition between sentences:
(e.g., Cellulose is insoluble, cannot be broken down into simpler forms by human
digestion, and is therefore not directly available as food for man. It can, however, be
digested by some animals with the aid of bacteria (cow), or protozoans (termites) in
their intestinal tract; and it can be split by acids and enzymes into simple sugars
for human foods.
I. Please identify whether the following sentences are in the active voice or in the passive voice.
1. Your bicycle has been damaged.
2. Scientists have conducted experiments to test the hypothesis.
3. Watching a framed, mobile world through a car’s windshield reminds me of watching a movie
or TV.
II. Please change the sentences in the active voice into passive.
1. The hurricane tore apart my neighbor’s house.
→
2. He kept the extra key to the house under the flowerpot.
→
3. The lieutenant took the robbery suspects to police headquarters for questioning.
→
4. My grandmother gave this ring to me.
→
5. He found her argument convincing.
→
III. Please change the sentences in the passive voice into active.
1. The entrance exam was failed by over one-third of the applicants to the school.
→
2. The brakes were slammed on by her as the car sped downhill.
→
3. Jackie Robinson was considered the first black major league baseball player in the U.S.
history.
→
IV. Please change the sentences in the active voice into passive.
1. He will examine the patient.
→
2. He is examining the patient.
→
3. He has examined the patient.
→
4. He will have examined the patient.
→
5. He will be examining the patient.
→
V. Please change each sentence from active to passive voice or from passive to active voice.
1. The Senators heard the testimony of Judge Clarence Thomas and Professor Anita Hill in fall
1991.
→
2. Judge Thomas had been nominated to the Supreme Court by the President.
→
3. Professor Hill had accused Judge Thomas of sexual harassment.
→
4. Professor Hill’s testimony was not found sufficient by the Senators.
→
5. The Senate approved Judge Thomas’ appointment to the Supreme Court.
→
6. The hearings were covered extensively by the media.
→
7. Most people are not likely to forget those hearings.
→
8. Professor Hill’s testimony inspired many women to discuss the topic of sexual harassment.
→
9. The truth about Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas may never be known.
→
10. The growth of algae in Lake Okeechobee has been greatly increased by runoff from fertilizer.
→
11. Oil leaking from the car has ruined the garage floor.
→
12. Cell phones are being carried by more and more people.
→
13. The researchers connected the electrodes to the robot.
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