А. Авраменко - Writing на 5+. Книга для ученика

Find synonyms:

1. Absurd

2. Adequate

3. Brave

4. Eager

5. Evident

Exercise 3.4 (be concrete)

Concretize sentences:

Example:

After breakfast he started in our nice car. => After breakfast he started for work in our new fast car.

1. By three o’clock we were not in good shape.

2. He had a bad character and started arguing in the restaurant.

3. For the special case the invited several people for lunch.

4. She is an interesting person who is able to be a good teacher.

Coherence of sentences in a paragraph can be achieved by:

1. Repetition of important words and pronouns

2. Synonyms and substitutions

3. Transitional expressions

Exercise 3.5

What sentences are repeated or substituted in the paragraph? Underline them and their substitutions:

I have always considered my father a very intelligent person. His intelligence is not the type usually tested in schools; but he never finished high school. Rather, my father’s intelligence is his ability to solve problems creatively as they arise. Intelligent solutions to unforeseen problems were typical of him. In fact, my father’s brand of brains – accurate insight, followed by creative action – is the kind of intelligence that I admire.

Exercise 3.6

Write a paragraph about a famous person describing his most outstanding trait. Repeat and substitute important words. Underline them.

Exercise 3.7

Learn transitional expressions:

Fill in the gaps:

Since Clyde has been saving money for months, he will be able to afford the vacation of his dreams. He imagines himself on different cruises, __________ (illustration) a boat trip on the Amazon River. __________ (contrast) he does not have money to go far away. __________ (result) he brings his lunch every day and puts the money in a special vacation fund. __________ (addition) he saves all the cash that comes his way as gifts. It may take a while, but Clyde will take the vacation of his dreams.

Exercise 3.8

Improve your paragraph from exercise 6, adding transitional expressions

Exercise 4.1

Rationalization is the process of concealing real motives by inventing plausible reasons.

Which of the following are examples of rationalization?

Example:

Reading is not a popular hobby because there are no good writers. => Rationalization because reading is not popular for other reasons, for instance, as we prefer TV and computer to books.

1. Modern teenagers spend a lot of time in front of the computers because they do not have enough homework to do and books to read.

2. Computer games are the most popular with children since board games are not involving.

3. Teenagers tend to belong to some subcultures as they need to show off and to feel a member of a community.

4. People prefer extreme sports since they are more competitive than traditional ones.

Exercise 4.2

Find three plausible reasons for each item in the previous exercise.

Exercise 4.3 (Subject-Predicate Agreement)

Mind:

Tom and Alice are guilty

Tom or Alice is guilty

Neither Tom nor Alice is guilty

Choose the correct form of the verb:

1. Neither endurance nor skill is/are enough.

2. Mary, Jane or Toledo is/are to report at once.

3. The Democratic Party has/have the power.

4. Apple pie and strawberry mousse is/are her favorite dishes.

5. The boss, like his workers, deserves/deserve a holiday.

Exercise 4.4 (Agreement of Pronouns)

Mind:

The team gave its all (the whole group) BUT The team cleaned their lockers (members of a group)

Choose the correct word:

1. The company had a new policy; from now on it/they would build more small cars.

2. Everybody brings his/their lunch.

3. Whose/who’s on first?

4. I wish my son looked less like I/me and more like she/her.

5. My father worked hard to give we/us a good education.

Exercise 4.5 (Agreement of Participle and Subordinate Clauses)

Correct mistakes:

Example:

Painting the windows black, they became opaque. => PaintED black the windows became opaque.

1. At the age of three my parents took me to Buffalo.

2. By heating the water, the pot begins to boil.

3. Renowned for his humor, everyone reads Mark Twain.

4. Running down the street, his house could be seen.

Consistency of sentences in a paragraph can be achieved by:

1. Consistency of tense:

We strolled down the street as the jazz band started to play

We stroll down the street as the jazz band start to play

2. Consistency of the number and the person:

The jogger chooses his or her running shoes with care

The joggers choose their running shoes with care

3. Discourse consistency:

In one paragraph apply either direct or indirect speech.

Exercise 4.6

Correct mistakes:

Example:

Two seconds before the buzzer sounded, Larry Bird sank a basket from midcourt, and the crowd goes wild. => Two seconds before the buzzer sounded, Larry Bird sank a basket from midcourt, and the crowd WENT wild.

1. I told you this will happen.

2. Dreams fascinate me; it is like another world.

3. A good job is not as easy to come by as they were ten years ago.

4. John asked me do you know who won the Saturday’s game.

5. John asked me I knew who won the game.

Exercise 4.7

Write a paragraph describing your yesterday’s conversation with a friend about a match which took place the day before yesterday. Apply indirect speech and pay attention to the consistency of tense.

Exercise 5.1

Find at least three arguments that contradict the following prejudices:

1. I will never marry a foreigner.

2. All fans are crazy.

3. Airplanes are the most dangerous things in the world.

Exercise 5.2

Do you have any prejudices? Choose one or imagine it and write three arguments that contradict it.

Exercise 5.3 (Writing Numbers)

Mind:

October, 20 (dates)

362 Adams street (addresses)

Page 321 (pages)

8 499 123 45 67 (telephone numbers)

$120 (money)

108, 1200, 1500234 (long numbers)

There are 34 pupils in my class, 24 learn English, 6 study Maths and 4 specialise in history. (sentences with a few numbers).

BUT

The college is twenty-five miles away from home (short numbers)

Six hundred thirty dollars was collected for the community chest (numbers at the beginning of sentences)

Fill in the gaps:

1. I was born on _____________________________________ (date of birth).

2. I live at __________________________________________ (full address).

3. Now I am doing exercise___________ on page___________.

4. At_____________ today I will go to bed.

5. My expenses for the week are: room, $_____________;

food, $_______________; transport $____________.

Exercise 5.4 (Capitalisation)

Mind:

Yale Club, General Motors Corporation (organisations)

Democrats, Catholic, Brazilian (nationalities and other groups) BUT puritanical ideas, roman type, etc. (common nouns)

West, Amazon River, St. George Hotel (geography) BUT city of Philadelphia, state of Arkansas

World War II, Reign of Terror, Magna Charta (historic periods and documents)

Times, Washington Is Like That (literature and mass media)

Monday, June, Labour Day (dates) BUT summer (seasons)

General, the President (titles)

Uncle Henry, Mother or mother BUT your mother (relatives).

Correct mistakes:

1. After general bliss had visited the house of representatives and heard a report, he journeyed to the white house to see the president of the united states.

2. My english teacher asked whether i had read from the bottom up or the lure of the labrador wild.

3. John who had previously attended a high school in the west now attends a high school in new jersey.

4. They had a lunch on broadway.

5. The secretary of war invited general simpson for dinner.

Exercise 5.5 (Comma)

Mind:

1. Faithful, sincere friend (equal definitions, we can fill in and ) BUT Solid gold watch ( solid define the word combination gold watch)

2. He is clever, energetic and wise. BUT He is clever and energetic and wise (the conjunction is repeated).

3. Ann has a son, Mary has two daughters.

4. The full moon was obscured by clouds, but the pirates went their way on. (long sentence) BUT I called but she was away (short sentence)

5. If it rains, we won’t go for a walk. BUT We won’t go for a walk if it rains.

6. He played tennis, since (as, for) it had been his hobby for many years. BUT He played tennis because it had been his hobby for many years.

7. Dear Mr, indeed, nevertheless, etc. (like in Russian)

Fill in the commas:

1. He is a fit healthy person because he has a wise beautiful wife.

2. He played tennis and went to the swimming pool and had long walks in the park.

3. Beauty is dominating when choosing a girlfriend personality is dominating when choosing a wife.

4. Hobbies affect the way we spend free time but music creates our personalities and affects our life style.

5. I enjoy window shopping if I don’t have money.

6. Nowadays many people keep to a diet since they want to look younger.

7. The mobile that doesn’t work properly needs repairing.

8. I have three mobile phones and the one which is the newest needs repairing.

Exercise 5.6

Rewrite the paragraph, alternating short and long sentences:

The park is alive with motion today. Joggers pound up and down the boardwalk. Old folks watch them from the benches. Couples row boats across the lake. The boats are green and wooden. Two teenagers hurl a Frisbee back and forth. They yell and leap. A shaggy white dog dashes in from nowhere. He snatches the red disc in his mouth. He bounds away. The teenagers run after him.