1. Guide 6

2.  The length of a sentence directly affects readability  Long, involved sentences are more difficult to read and understand  There are three types of sentences Simple sentences Complex sentences Compound sentences

3.  A simple sentence contains only one idea. This restaurant serves delicious food. I particularly liked the veal roast. The prices were reasonable.

4.  The complex sentence is used effectively when two ideas of unequal importance are presented. Although the service was slow, the restaurant served delicious food.

5.  The compound sentence is used effectively to present two ideas of equal importance.  Each idea is placed in an independent clause joined by a conjunction. The restaurant served delicious food, and it was prepared perfectly.

6.  The position of words in a sentence can change the meaning of a sentence.  Words that are related should be kept as close together as possible

7.  Confusing She put the books in the office on a shelf.  Better She put the books on a shelf in the office.  Confusing He read the book in four hours that was 125 pages long.  Better He read the 125-page book in four hours.

8.  A dangling modifier is a modifier that is incorrectly placed; that is, it modified the wrong word. Dangling: At the age of three, Lee taught his son to play the piano BETTER: Lee taught his three-year old to play the piano

9.  Equal ideas should be expressed in the same form. The verb form must be the same.  Not parallel We like to eat, walking, and then taking a nap.  Parallel We like to eat, to walk, and then to take a nap.

10.  Not Parallel Our goals include quality products, meeting deadlines, and customer satisfaction.  Parallel Our goals include providing quality products, meeting deadlines, and satisfying customers.

11. Not parallel  To use this program: Insert the disk in Drive A and press the enter key. You should then type your password. When the title screen appears, press the escape key.

12. Parallel:  To use this program: Insert the disk in Drive A and press the enter key. Type your password next. Press the escape key when the title screen appears.

13.  Expletives are unneeded words  They take space and add nothing to the meaning of the sentence.  It is, there is, and there are and similar words used to begin a sentence. There is a letter in the file about this issue. A letter about this issue is in the file.