Unit 9

IMPROVING YOUR WRITING

Exercise 1

Re-write each sentence in Standard English to show that you have understood the idiom.

1. The debate about whether to add an extra ten minutes to the school day became a
contentious issue.
2. The detective spent a long time investigating the actions of the murder suspect but
realized he was pursuing the wrong lead once the suspect produced an airtight alibi.
3. "Stop avoiding the main issue," said the Principal. "Are you going to tell me how the
window was broken or not?"
4. I asked all my friends to help with my geometry homework, but I realized that I was
hoping for an unlikely solution as they understood it no more than I did.
5. My parents treated me to a very enjoyable meal for my birthday, but I'm sure that it
was quite expensive.
6. "There's no use dwelling on past mistakes," said my sister. "There's sure to be another
opportunity in the future."
7. After being caught in a heavy rainstorm and spending the afternoon in my wet clothes, I
was feeling very unwell when I went to bed.
8. "Thank you for that insightful comment," said the teacher. "It has accurately addressed
the issue!"
9. "Don't try to deceive me," said my father. "I was young once, remember!"
10. We had to decide whether we were in favor of a longer school day or not, but some of
my friends continued to remain undecided.
Exercise 2

Write sentences for each group of words which make their meanings clear to a reader.

Affect/Effect:

The storm will significantly affect our travel plans.

The new policy had a positive effect on employee morale.

Assure/Ensure/Insure:

I assure you that your concerns will be addressed promptly.

To ensure a smooth process, please double-check your documents.

It's essential to insure your valuable possessions against potential risks.

Breath/Breathe:

After running, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

Learning to breathe properly is crucial in meditation.

Emigrate/Immigrate:

They decided to emigrate from their homeland for better opportunities.

The family chose to immigrate to a new country for a fresh start.

Lead/Led:

The experienced teacher will lead the workshop.

She led the team to victory with her strategic skills.

If your shoelaces are too loose, you might trip.

Be careful not to lose your keys; keep them in a secure place.

Stationary/Stationery:

The car was stationary at the traffic light.

The office supplies, including pens and paper, are kept in the stationery cupboard.

Their/There/They're:

Their dog is always excited to go for a walk.

The park is over there, across the street.

They're planning a surprise party for their friend.

To/Too/Two:

She went to the store to buy groceries.

It's too hot to go for a run right now.

They purchased two tickets for the concert.

Whose/Who's:

Whose book is this on the table?

Who's going to be the captain of the team next season?

Printed below are seven paragraphs giving information about how a hurricane is formed.
However, only the first paragraph is in the correct place - the remaining six are jumbled
up.

Read through the paragraphs and rearrange them in the most logical order.

1- Hurricanes only form on warm ocean waters of about 80°F. This is why they are common
in the tropics where temperatures are high all year round.

7 - Warm air, together with moisture from evaporation from the ocean surface, rises,
creating low pressure on the water surface, which is immediately replaced by cooler air.
This process continues, and the resulting moisture-laden clouds begin to expand.

5 - The thunderstorms with rains begin to move slowly with mild wester winds (too much
wind will disperse the build-up). In a day or two, stronger vertical currents build up over the
ocean surface upward. More warm air rises, and the winds begin to move in a circular
manner, caused by the Earth's rotation. The rising warm air causes pressure to decrease at
higher altitudes. The entire system is now in circular motion around a central point. This is
called a tropical depression, and they have wind speeds going up to about 60 kilometres
per hour.

2 - Continuing its movement westward, the tropical storm may be moving over warmer
waters. The energy from the warm ocean, in the form of very warm air rising and the
gushing of cooler air replacing it, throws the entire storm into a fury, a powerful, huge, and
monstrous spiral storm that can be seen from space. The spiral has a calm centre called the
eye.

4 - The eye is surrounded by a towering and extremely dangerous vertical movement of

3 - In a couple of days, as the system moves over warmer waters, the clouds expand even
more, and the winds begin to speed up. Gale force winds, thunderstorms, and heavy rains
are in full force at this point. This may be called a tropical storm, and they have wind speeds
up to 120 kilometres per hour.

6 - The hurricane has now made landfall (has reached land). With winds of over 120 to
about 250 mph, massive destruction is usually inevitable. As the system is no more over
water, its fuel has run out and begins to ease out. The winds will subside and eventually
end, but the rains may continue.
Exercise 5

Complete the following sentences using the form of the verb that is consistent with the
rest of the sentence.

1- If you follow closely the advice of your teachers, you (c) are successful in your
examinations.

2- The doorbell (b) rang while I was taking a shower.

3- Since it was first invented in the early 1900s, the automobile (b) has grown in

importance in our everyday lives.

4- If only I had thought more carefully, the problem (b) would have been avoided.

5- Thousands of people (a) will come to the big match on Saturday.

6- The Olympic champion (b) was honoured by her country after she decided to retire from

competition.

7- I was very pleased with my exam results because I (a) worked really hard .

8- The losing team left the arena as soon as they (a) heard the final whistle blow.

9- All the supporters (b) hoped for a successful season.

10- The boy admitted to the teacher that he (b) had copied from his friend's book.
Exercise 6

Below are five groups of simple sentences. Re-write each group to make it into one
complex sentence, using any method you think suitable. (N.B. Remember to pay attention
to keeping your tenses consistent.)

1. Feeling bored after three days of rainy holiday, Maria decided to get out of the house.

2. Dialing Grace's number on her phone, Maria was met with a sleepy and tired response

from her friend.

3. Hearing Maria's voice, Grace felt pleased and hopeful that they might do something

interesting to alleviate her depression caused by the bad weather.

4. Suggesting a trip to the town, Maria planned to ask her older brother, who was at home,

to drive them in his car. They would call for Grace in 30 minutes.

5. Very pleased with Maria's suggestion, Grace quickly ran into her bedroom to get ready

and have some breakfast after putting down the telephone.