WRITING EXERCISES ON JOINING SENTENCES Guided
What to do Subordinate, coordinate, and compress structures as suggested after the sets of sentences below to form single sentence. Position modifiers properly.
1 a. They stood on the doorstep. b. The three old ladies looked like twittering crows. c. They were dressed all in black. Compress a into an –ing participial clause to introduce b which will be the main predication and change c to an –ed participial clause to modify the appropriate noun in b.
Answer Standing on the doorstep, the three old ladies dressed in black looked like twittering crows.
2 a. Physics involves the active pursuit of knowledge. b. It is like any other science. c. It contains many elements besides its basic concepts. Compress b into a prepositional phrase to modify the appropriate word in a and then link the expanded a to c with a coordinator of contrast.
Answer Like any other science, Physics involves the active pursuit of knowledge, yet contains many elements besides its basic concepts.
3 a. This is the general rule. b. Doctors get blood for their patients. c. They may ask a relative donor. d. They may do this to ensure the safety of their patients. Compress a into a single word modifying b as the main predication. Change c to a prepositional phrase of source or means to modify the verb in b. Compress d into an infinitive of purpose and link it to the main predication.
Answer Generally, doctors get blood for their patients from a relative donor in order to ensure their patients’ safety.
4 a. Gases do not have specific volumes at a particular temperature. b. They are unlike solids and liquids. c. They expand. d. They fill their containers. Link c and d to form an adjectival wh- clause modifying gases in a. Then compress b into a prepositional phrase and join it to a, the main predication, as a modifier of the subject.
Answer Unlike solids and liquids, gases, which expand and fill their containers, do not have specific volumes at a particular temperature.