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Professor of English Department of Humanities and Social Science |
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Eng 624 Spring 1999 Dr. Lynch Editing Task From Rude, Technical Editing, Chap. 9, Exercises 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Chapter 9, Punctuation 3. Sentence types and punctuation Punctuate the sentences to clarify the structure of clauses and phrases within them. a. I had hoped to find a summer job in the city however two weeks of job hunting convinced me that it was impossible. b. We came to work today in the rain; although we all preferred to stay in bed. c. Most of our studies have focused on the response of cultured mammalian cells to toxic inorganics such as cadmium, these in vitro studies benefit from the ease and definition with which cultured cells may be manipulated and from the absence of complicating secondary interactions that occur in vivo. d. Perhaps the greatest advantage of working with cultured cells however is that it is often possible to derive populations that vary in their response to the agents in question. e. Because the mechanisms involved in cell damage or protection are often altered specifically in such cells; they provide tools invaluable to identification of these mechanisms and to a definition of their importance in the overall response of the cell This intentional fragment appears in a college catalog course description. Provide alternative punctuation. f. The study of contemporary techniques of music: modes, synthetic scales, serialism, vertical structures, with a term project. e. Since computer skills, including page design have become essential to professional writers, college writing courses include a computer component. f. Other substances inhibit digestion of insects, alter insect reproduction to make it less efficient or interfere with insect development. 4. Restrictive and nonrestrictive modifiers Punctuate the following sentences. Change “which” to “that” when the modifying clause is restrictive. a. Adding polypropylene fibers to concrete increases its resistance to dynamic loading which is characterized by high strain rates that result from explosive impact or earthquake loading. b. The death of 3,000 white-tailed deer in 1962 resulted from heavy overpopulation and range abuse which led to malnutrition and its various side effects. c. Americans admire intelligence, which has practical aims, but intelligence which ponders, wonders, theorizes, and imagines is suspect. d. The photoconductive cells measure the amount of radiant energy and convert it to electrical energy which is then interpreted by the computer and displayed on the meter. e. Present lab equipment allows pulse energy experiments, which require 300,000 kW or less of electric power. New equipment would increase the potential of the lab. f. A high deer population which continuously feeds on the seedlings of a desired tree species can severely retard the propagation of that species. g. Pulse welding can join many metals which are impossible to join by conventional welding methods. 5. Parallelism, series, and compounds Each of the following sentences contains faulty parallelism or a double compound punctuated as a series of three. The present punctuation and item structure do not accurately reveal the overall sentence structure. Punctuate and use parallel structure to clarify the relationship of the items. a. The rehabilitation center is raising funds to purchase Hydro-Therapy bathing equipment, wheelchairs, and to renovate the Hydro-Therapy swimming pool. b. The disease is typified by a delay in motor development, by self-destructive behavior, and it leads to death. c. The virus may cause AIDS, cancer, or even kill. d. The literature component of the professional writing major allows students to develop their sensitivity to language, texts, and their ability to read critically. e. This anthology is for psychologists, students of psychology, and of other related fields. The articles deal mostly with contemporary problems in psychology, minority, cultural, and other underrepresented groups. f. These instructions are written for automobile owners who do their own minor repairs, know the primary parts of an engine, and the use of tools. 6. Parallel structure For each of the following, make sure all related items in a series have parallel structure. a. The old copiers produce copies of inconsistent quality, sometimes too light and at other times a black smudge of toner. b. Some qualities that are needed are the ability to communicate orally and written, and possess good judgment and tact. c. We have investigated ways of raising capital for building the Ronald McDonald House. We have spoken to banks about loans, to a foundation about getting grants, as well as fundraisers. d. Please send information on the following:
e. The ten-year cost is $5,000 for renting and $3,864 if they were to buy. Be careful, this one is tricky. Hints: A verb + “-ing” can form a participle (adjective) or gerund (noun substitute); “fall” is an intransitive verb, but “skip” and “lose” are transitive. f. A teenager may reveal a drug habit by skipping classes, falling grades, and losing friends. 7. Plurals and possessives Which of these phrases require an apostrophe to show possession? a. bears paw
8. Internal sentence punctuation Correct the punctuation in the following sentences. Some sentences require more than one change. If the sentence is punctuated correctly, leave it alone. a. The copy center, like the check cashing service and the convenience store would be open 24 hours each day. b. Harris / 3M offers a 36 month leasing plan. For the proposed copiers for the center, the 6055 and the 6213. Lease costs would be $702 per month which includes maintenance. c. If the target goal of 36,000 copies per month billed at $.045 is met the equipment would pay for itself in 2.5 years sooner if the monthly allowance is exceeded. d. The fixed costs involved with this project; electricity, ventilation and floor space are not considered. e. There are two types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation; UV-A and UV-B. UV-A radiation which is frequently used for tanning beds, is lower in energy (longer in wavelength) than UV-B therefore it is considered safer than UV-B radiation. Some experimenters; however, believe that UV-A is just as damaging as UV-B; although higher doses of UV-A are required. f. Many theories about the depletion of ozone have been proposed but at present, two main hypotheses are widely accepted; the chemical mechanism and the dynamic mechanism. g. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) such as the refrigerant freon, are very inert compounds, however, when CFCs drift into the upper atmosphere ultraviolet light will activate them. 9. Compound terms and hyphenation Determine whether the compound terms and modifiers in the following sentences should be hyphenated, solid, or open. a. While studying day to day read outs from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, Dr. Wilson discovered that drastic depletions of ozone in a short period of time are not at all out of the ordinary. b. The manual includes step by step instructions. c. We took a multiple choice exam. d. The grant requires a semi-annual progress report. e. Type the sub-headings left justified. f. The left justified headings are not recognizable as level one headings. g. The pipe is two meters long. h. The valves in the two, three, and four meter pipes have corroded. i. Cross fertilization joins gametes from different individuals. The parents may be different varieties or species. j. This text book also serves as a reference book. k. The architect designed a multi purpose cafeteria for the school. 10. Punctuation and meaning The following pairs of sentences differ only in punctuation. Explain
the difference in meaning that results.
• A style sheet is a list of the general
style—spelling, capitalization, abbreviation, hyphens,
b. • When you make an entry on your style sheet, write the
page number of the first occurrence
• When you make an entry on your
style sheet, write the page number of the first
12. Word play Tell why these terms are named as they are. a. Why is there a “junction” in a conjunction?
For use with Carolyn Rude, Technical Editing, 2nd
ed. (© Allyn & Bacon, 1998)
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