Written Practice 1

Correct each of the following sentences by adding a conjunction.

1. I use only unscented products, but all my friends use scented detergents.
2. Meet me at 6 P.M., for we’ll have dinner together.
3. We’ve been recycling plastic, glass, and newspapers, yet our town says we need to do more.
4. I have to work at home tomorrow, as my office is being painted.
5. I’m trying to save energy at home, so we’ve lowered the thermostat and switched to energy-
saving lightbulbs.

Written Practice 2
Choose any five transitional words from the power point list, and write sentences that join
independent clauses.
1. Also, the obstetricians should counsel the patients regarding their psychological
condition to psychiatrist.
2. Consequently, research about perspective of women who experienced the disaster in
2005 also became one of our primary background.
3. Furthermore, the scientist will research the correlation between vaginismus and post
traumatic syndrome disorder among women in Aceh.
4. Thus, special focus is needed to promote knowledge about reproductive health in
Indonesia, especially Aceh.
5. Moreover, a study was conducted in Aceh that stated that among 100 women,
knowledge regarding vaginismus was generally poor.
Written Practice 3
Correct the punctuation errors in the following sentences.
1. Luke reads the Times, his friend reads USA Today.
2. We will travel to Massachusetts or we’ll stop in Connecticut.
3. The car’s radiator overheated , therefore , we called a service mechanic.
4. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper, nevertheless, we stayed on the road until we reached
our destination.
5. I babysit twice a week, my friend babysits every day.

Written Practice 4
Create complex sentences by combining each of the following sets of dependent and
independent clauses, using commas where necessary. Decide which clause is more important,
and place it at the end of the sentence.
1. Because of my excellent advice , Marla and Darren had a great trip.
2. We read the book and saw the movie, although many people advised against it.
3. We'll have dinner when you arrive.
4. If Daria arrives on time , we'll have time to get to the late movie.
5. After we passed the construction site, the traffic began to flow.
Written Practice 5
Read the following paragraphs. Eliminate the choppy sentences by creating compound or
complex sentences. Insert a comma plus conjunction or just a semicolon where necessary.
1. We have always bought our baby educational toys. Manufacturers of those toys make
extravagant claims about verbal skill building. Otherwise, researchers have studied
the toys. They concluded that the toys did not increase vocabulary. We buy expensive
toys and expect them to live up to their advertising.
2. Back problems are common which a result of our walking upright. It’s also because of
degenerative changes in the spine and walking upright places a great deal of weight
on the lower spine. In middle age, some changes can occur arthritis and other changes
affect the disks.

Written Practice 6
Clarify each of the following sentences by inserting punctuation where needed.
1. Ani who plays the piano rarely listens to any other kind of music , however, Mal plays
no instrument and listens to all kinds of music.
2. We knew the prize was hidden in the house somewhere , nevertheless, even with that
knowledge we couldn’t find it.
3. Jake and Leela never told us they were not coming so ,even though, we had planned
so carefully we had much too much food.
4. Halloween never ceases to amaze me for , although it appears year after year both
children and their parents exhibit unrelenting enthusiasm.
5. By the time, he was fourteen, he had begun a professional career from the Atlantic
City Boardwalk to touring in vaudeville. He rose by force of his extraordinary ability
to star billing as W.C. Fields Tramp Juggler.
6. While Stephen Douglas maintained a popular sovereignty stance, Lincoln stated that
the United States could not survive as half-slave and half-free states, consequently the
Lincoln–Douglas debates drew the attention of the entire nation.
7. Because of the delays we’ve experienced, we are no longer using the U.S. mails hence
you will receive our new catalog via e-mail.
8. When the contaminated water had finally drained out of the pool, the special cleaning
crew climbed in and began to scrub all surfaces.
9. As I’ve told you before, I’m not perfect; nevertheless, I never turn down an
opportunity to try something new, even if I think I might not succeed.
10. Eighteenth-century cities were not models of cleanliness, furthermore, crime and
poverty were rampant while public sanitation was clearly non-existent.