If you complete the following two exercises correctly, you will receive 2% on top of your overall grammar score.

A Means to a Meaning

Directions: Combine the sentences below using coordinating conjunctions, adjective clauses, adverb clauses, parallel constructions, and other transitional devices. Then, put all the sentences into a paragraph.

1.1. Writing seems so straightforward. 1.2. Writing isn’t straightforward.

2.1. Writing is similar to running a marathon. 2.2. The marathon is uphill and on a road with jagged rocks.

3.1. Sometimes, a writer thinks he/she knows exactly where a composition is going. 3.2. The writer hits a wall. 3.3. The wall is writer’s block.

4.1. Other writers write very well for a long period of time. 4.2. These writers know exactly how they want their composition to end. 4.3. The composition seems to veer off in a completely unrelated direction.

5.1. Writing can be messy. 5.2. Writing can be unpredictable. 5.3. Writing can be frustrating.

6.2. The challenge of writing for each writer is to discover a process of writing. 6.2. The process is comfortable. 6.3. The process is personal.

7.1. Writers gain experience writing. 7.2. Writers become more confident with their writing.

8.1. Writers practice writing. 8.2. Each composition gets easier and easier to create. 8.3. Each composition is better than the last one. 8.4. In the end, a writer master’s the art of writing in their own way and in their own time.

SENTENCE COMBINATION AND VARIETY

Combine the following two sentences into a compound sentence using the coordinating conjunction "and."

The boxing match will take place in Las Vegas. More than twenty thousand spectators will pay to see the fight.

Separate the following sentence into three separate sentences.

By the time the study was completed, they had determined that fourteen thousand students die each year due to alcohol related accidents, which is why new laws should be passed against binge drinking at college parties.

Combine the following two sentences into a complex sentence using the dependent clause connector "if."

Billy will be a guest on the David Lettermen Show. He will get back from his trip to Europe by Thursday.

Combine the following sentences into a compound-complex sentence using the coordinating conjunction "but" and the dependent clause connector "whose."

Steven Jones’ boss suggested that he retire. Steven has decided to continue working. He will not work at his boss’s company.

Rewrite the following sentence by placing the prepositional phrase "next to the mountains" at the beginning, after which you will need to change the word order.

The campus of California State University, San Bernardino lies next to the mountains.

Separate the following sentence into three separate sentences.

As soon as Larry finishes taking his test, he will go to the movies with his friends, all of whom have already graduated from high school.

Separate the following sentence into three separate sentences.

The man that came to my house yesterday offered me a job at his company, and he said that I could have a new car as part of the hiring package.

Combine the following sentences into a compound-complex sentence using the coordinating conjunction "so" and the dependent clause connectors "because" and "if."

I will not be able to see a movie today. I have too much homework. You might have to see it alone. You really want to go.