Answers to Exercises in The Little, Brown Compact Handbook Tenth Edition Jane E. Aaron Michael Greer, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Copyright © 2019, 2016, 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise. For information regarding permissions, request forms and the appropriate contacts within the Pearson Education Global Rights & Permissions Department, please visit www.pearsoned.com/permissions/. ISBN - 10: 0 - 134 - 68099 - 5 ISBN - 13: 978 - 0 - 134 - 68099 - 6 iii Table of Contents Preface ix 1 The Wr iting Process 1 3.1 Evaluating thesis statements 1 3.2 Organizing ideas 2 2 Wr iting in and out of College 4 9.1 Considering your native language or dialect 4 9.2 Using academic language 4 11.1 Testing argument subjects 4 11.2 Identifying and revising fallacies 5 14.1 Analyzing social - media styles 5 14.2 Guidelines for posting images 5 14.3 Business letter 6 14.4 Print and scannable résumé 6 14.5 Job application letter 6 14.6 LinkedIn profile 6 14.7 Business proposal 6 14.8 Social - media post 6 3 Clarity and Style 7 15.1 Revising: Emphasis of subjects and verbs 7 15.2 Sentence combining: Beginnings and endings 7 15.3 Sentence combining: Coordination 8 15.4 S entence combining: Subordination 8 15.5 Revising: Effective subordination 9 15.6 Revising: Coordination and subordination 9 16.1 Revising: Parallelism 10 16.2 Sentence combining: Parallelism 11 17.1 Revising: Variety 11 18 .1 Revising: Appropriate words 12 18.2 Revising: Sexist language 12 18.3 Using a dictionary 13 18.4 Revising: Denotation 13 18.5 Considering the connotation of words 14 18.6 Revising: Concrete and specific words 14 18.7 Using concrete and specific words 15 iv 18.8 Using prepositions in idioms 16 18.9 Using prepositions in idioms 16 18.10 Using figurative language 16 18.11 Revising: Trite expressions 17 19.1 Revising: Completeness 17 20.1 Revising: Writing concisely 17 20.2 Revising: Conciseness 18 4 Sentence Parts and Patterns 19 Basic Grammar 19 21.1 Identifying nouns, pronouns, and verbs 19 21.2 Identifying adjectives and adverbs 20 21.3 Adding connecting words 21 22.1 Identifying subjects and predicates 21 22.2 Identifying subjects and predicates 22 22.3 Identifying sentence parts 22 22.4 Identifying sentence patt erns 24 23.1 Id entifying prepositional phrases 24 23.2 Sentence c ombining: Prepositional phrases 25 23.3 Identifying verbals and verbal phrases 25 23.4 Sentence combining: Verbals and verbal phrases 25 23.5 Sente nce combining: Absolute phrases 26 23.6 Sentence combining: Appositive phrases 26 23.7 Id entifying phrases 26 23.8 Identifying clauses 28 23.9 Sentence combining: Subordinate clauses 29 24.1 Ide ntifying sentence structures 29 Verbs 30 25.1 Using irregular verbs 30 25.2 Distinguishing between sit/set, lie/lay, rise/raise 30 25.3 Using - s and - ed verb endings 30 25.4 Using helping verbs 31 25.5 Revising: Helping verbs plus main verbs 31 25.6 Revising: Verbs plus gerunds or infinitives 31 25.7 Revising: Verbs plus particles 32 26.1 Revising: Consistent past tense 32 v 26.2 Revising: Consistent p resent tense 32 26.3 Using correct tense sequence 32 26.4 Revising: Tense sequence with conditional s entences 32 2 7.1 Revising: Subjunctive mood 32 28.1 Converting between active and passive voices 33 28.2 Revising: Using the active voice 33 29.1 R evising: Subject - verb agreement 33 29.2 Adjus ting for subject - verb agreement 34 Pronouns 34 30.1 Choosing between subjective and objective pronouns 34 30.2 Choosing between who and whom 34 30.3 Sentence combining: Who versus whom 34 30.4 Choosing between subjective and objective p ronouns 35 30.5 Revising: Pronoun case 35 31.1 Revisin g: Pronoun - antecedent agreement 35 31.2 Revisin g: Pronoun - antecedent agreement 35 32.1 Revising: Pronoun reference 36 32.2 Revising: Pronoun reference 36 32.3 Re vising: Consistency in pronouns 36 32.4 Revising: Pronoun reference 37 Modifiers 37 33.1 Revising: Adjectives and adverbs 37 33.2 Using comparatives and superlatives 37 33.3 Revising: Comparisons 38 3 3.4 Revising: Double negatives 38 33.5 Revising: Present and past participles 38 33.6 Revising: A, an, and the 38 33.7 Revising: Determiners 39 33.8 Revising: Adjectives and adverbs 39 34.1 Revising: Misplaced modifiers 39 34.2 Revising: Misplaced modifiers 39 34.3 Revising: Placement of adverbs and adjectives 40 34.4 Revising: Dangling modifiers 40 vi 34.5 Revising: Misplaced and dangling modifiers 40 Sentence Faults 40 35.1 Identifying and revising sentence fragments 40 35.2 Revising: Sentence fragments 41 35.3 Revising: Sentence fragments 41 36.1 Identifying and revising comma splices 42 36.2 Identifying and revising fused sentences 42 36.3 Revising: Comma splices and fused sentences 43 37.1 Revising: Mixed sentences 43 37.2 Revising: Repeated subjects and other parts 43 5 Punctuation 44 38.1 Revising: Periods 44 38.2 Revising: Question marks 44 38.3 Revising: Exclamation points 44 38.4 Revising: End punctuation 44 39.1 Revising: Comma with linked main clauses 44 39.2 Sentence combining: Linked main clauses 45 39.3 Revising: Comma with introductory elements 45 39.4 Sentence combining: Introductory elements 45 39.5 Revising: Punctuation of nonessential and essential elements 46 39.6 Revising: Punctuation of nonessential and essential elements 46 39.7 Sentence combining: Essential and nonessential elements 46 39.8 Revising: Commas with series items 46 39.9 Revising: Commas with adjectives 47 39.10 Revising: Punctuation of series and adjectives 47 39.11 Revising: Punctuation of dates, addresses, place names, numbers 47 39.12 Revi sing: Punctuation of quotations 47 39.13 Revising: Needless and misused commas 48 39.14 Revising: Commas 48 40.1 Revising: Punctuation between main clauses 48 40.2 Revising: Punctuation between main clauses with conjunctive adve rbs or transi tional expressions 49 vii 40.3 Sentence combining: Related main clauses 49 40.4 Revising: Punctuation of main clauses and series items containing commas 49 40.5 Revising: Semicolons 49 41.1 Revising: Colons 50 41.2 Revising: Colons and semicolons 50 42.1 Forming possessives 50 42.2 Revising: Apostrophes with possessives 51 42.3 Distinguishing between plurals and possessives 51 42.4 Revising: Misuses of the apostrophe 51 42.5 Revising: Contractions and possessive pronouns 51 42.6 Forming contractions 52 42.7 Revising: Contractions and possessive pronouns 52 42.8 Revising: Apostrophes 52 43.1 Revising: Double and single quotation marks 52 43.2 Revising: Quotation marks for titles 53 43.3 Revising: Quotation marks 53 43.4 Revising: Quotation marks 53 44.1 Revising: Dashes 53 44.2 Revising: Parentheses 54 44.3 Using ellipsis marks 54 44.4 Revising: Dashes, parentheses, el lipsis marks, brackets, slashes 54 6 Spelling and Mechanics 55 45.1 Revising: ie and ei 55 45.2 Revising: Final e 55 45.3 Revising: Final y 55 45.4 Revising: Consonants 55 45.5 Revising: Prefixes 55 45.6 Revising: Plurals 56 45.7 Using correct spellings 56 45.8 Working with a spelling checker 56 45.9 Revising: Hyphens 56 46.1 Revising: Capitals 56 47.1 R evising: Italics or underlining 57 48.1 Revising: Abbreviations 57 49.1 Revising: Numbers 57 viii 7 Research Wr iting 58 52.1 Synthesizing sources 58 52.2 Summarizing and paraphrasing 58 52.3 Combining summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation 58 52.4 Introducing and interpreting borrowed material 59 53.1 Recognizing plagiarism 59 53.2 Revising plagiarized sentences 59 8 Wr iting in the Disciplines 61 57 .1 Writing works - cited entries 61 ix Preface This book contains answers for all the exercises in The Little, Brown Compact Handbook , Tenth Edition. The answer key has several possible uses: • Instructors can use it to check students’ responses on homework and quizzes. • Some or all answers may be duplicated for class discussions or conferences. • Some or all answers may be duplicated so that students can work independently on the exercises. Answers are labeled “possible” when the corresponding exercises allow for choice in responding and the given answers are but suggestions. Even for the objective exercises, which more often lend themselves to one response, some users may disagree with some answers. Usage is often flexible, and many rules allow interpretation. The answers here conform to the usage recommended in The Little, Brown Compact Handbook . 1 PAR T 1 The Writing Process Exercise 3.1 Evaluating thesis statements 1 The statement lacks unity because the two halves do not seem to relate to each other. Possible revision: We should channel our natural feelings of aggression toward constructive rather than destructive ends. 2 The statement needs to be more specific: Why is Islam mis understood in the United States? Possible revision: The religion of Islam is widely misunder stood in the United States because many Americans equate televised depictions of Muslim fundamentalists with the religion itself. 3 Good thesis statement: limited, specific, and unified. 4 Both good manners and make our society work need to be more specific. Possible revision: Courtesy between people makes human interaction smoother and more efficient. 5 The statement simply states a fact. Possible revision: The poem depicts motherhood as a saintly calling. 6 The sentence lacks unity because the first half is positive and unspecific while the second half is negative and specific. Making the first half specific and the contrast explicit would unify the sentence. Possible revision: Television does have its virtues, such as educational programming for children, but mostly it offers adults mindless escape from their problems. 7 The sentence is not a claim but a statement of personal preference. 2 Possible revision: Courses in American history engage students the most when they move beyond personalities and political events to focus on social change. 8 The sentence lacks unity because the impairment does not clearly relate to the suspension. Possible revision: Because they have demonstrated bad judgment and lack of control by driving while impaired, drunken drivers should receive mandatory suspensions of their licenses. 9 The claim is not specific: Why is business a good major? Possible revision: For many students, a business major pro vides the right mix of academic and practical content to smooth the route to a career. 10 The sentence makes not one claim but several. It needs to be limited. Possible revision: The state’s divorce laws should be made stricter for couples who have children. Exercise 3.2 Organizing ideas Possible answer I. In the past, professional soccer could not get a foothold in the United States because of poor TV coverage and lack of financial backing. A. In the United States the success of a sport depends largely on its ability to attract huge TV audiences. 1. Soccer was not often presented on US television. 2. Potential fans did not have a chance to see soccer games. B. Failures of early start - up leagues made potential backers wary of new ventures. II. Recently, the outlook for professional soccer has changed dramatically. 3 A. Professional soccer has attracted both TV audiences and financial backing. [new general idea] 1. The US television audience for the 2014 World Cup US – Ghana match was larger than the average US television audience for baseball’s World Series. 2. Investors have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the top US professional league. B. The growing Hispanic population in the United States could help soccer grow as well. 1. In countries of South and Latin America, soccer is the favorite sport. 2. In 2010 and 2014 the World Cup final was broadcast on ABC and on Spanish - language Univision. 4 PART 2 Writing in and out of College Exercise 9.1 Considering your native language or dialect Individual response. Exercise 9.2 Using academic language Possible answer The stereotype that women talk more on cell phones than men do turns out to be false. In a five - year survey of 1021 cell phone owners, a major wireless company found that men spend 35% more time on their phones, talking an average of 571 minutes a month compared to the women’s average of 424 minutes a month. Women do talk on land lines more than men do, but that difference is declining. Exercise 11.1 Testing argument subjects Subjects that are not appropriate for argument: 2 A matter of facts, and few people would disagree. 4 A matter of facts, and few people would disagree. 8 A matter of personal preference. 9 A matter of facts. 10 A matter of personal belief. 5 Exercise 11.2 Identifying and revising fallacies Possible answers 1 Begged question. A revision: The fact that individuals in the United States cannot legally sell nuclear technology to nonnuclear nations, while the government can, points up a disturbing limit on individual rights. 2 Sweeping generalization and begged question. A revision: A successful marriage demands a degree of maturity. 3 Hasty generalization and non sequitur. A revision: Students’ persistent complaints about the unfairness of the grading system should be investigated. 4 Either/or fallacy and hasty generalization. A revision: People watch television for many reasons, but some watch because they are too lazy to talk or read or because they want mindless escape from their lives. 5 Reductive fallacy and begged question. A revision: Racial tension may occur when people with different backgrounds live side by side. Exercise 14.1 Analyzing social - media styles Individual response. Successful answers will describe specific features of visual and verbal style used by a company or organization, making explicit connections to use of ethos those features illustrate. Answers should offer an evaluation of the effectiveness of these features. Exercise 14.2 Guidelines for posting images Individual response. Successful answers should include specific detail and define a series of clear and workable guidelines for the use of images. 6 Exercise 14.3 Business letter Individual response. Successful answers should align with the format and style guidelines in 14.2 and Figure 14.1. Exercise 14.4 Print and scannable résumé Individual response. Exercise 14.5 Job application letter Individual response. Exercise 14.6 LinkedIn profile Individual response. Exercise 14.7 Business proposal Individual response. Exercise 14.8 Social - media post Individual response. 7 PART 3 Clarity and Style Exercise 15.1 Revising: Emphasis of subjects and verbs Possible revision 1 Many heroes helped to emancipate the slaves. 2 However, Harriet Tubman , an escaped slave herself, stands above the rest. 3 Tubman guided hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. 4 Tubman risked a return to slavery or possibly death. 5 During the Civil War she also carried information from the South to the North. 6 After the war, Tubman helped to raise money for needy former slaves. Exercise 15.2 Sentence combining: Beginnings and endings Possible answers 1 Pat Taylor strode into the packed room , greeting students called “Taylor’s Kids” and nodding to their parents and teachers. 2 This wealthy Louisiana oilman had promised his “Kids” free college educations because he was determined to make higher education available to all qualified but disadvantaged students. 3 The students welcomed Taylor , their voices singing “You Are the Wind beneath My Wings,” their faces flashing with self - confidence. 4 They had thought a college education was beyond their dreams , seeming too costly and too demanding. 5 To help ease the costs and demands of getting to college, Taylor created a bold plan of scholarships, tutoring, and counseling . 8 Exercise 15.3 Sentence combining: Coordination Possible revisions 1 Many chronic misspellers do not have the time or the motiva tion to master spelling rules. They may rely on spelling checkers and dictionaries to catch misspellings, but most dictionaries list words under their correct spellings. One kind of dictionary is designed for chronic misspellers. It lists each word under its common misspellings and then provides the correct spelling and definition. 2 Henry Hudson was an English explorer, but he captained ships for the Dutch East India Company. On a voyage in 1610 he passed by Greenland and sailed into a great bay in today’s northern Canada. He thought he and his sailors could winter there, but the cold was terrible and food ran out. The sailors mutinied and cast Hudson and eight others adrift in a small boat. Hudson and his companions perished. Exercise 15.4 Sentence combining: Subordination Possible answers 1 When the bombardier beetle sees an enemy, it shoots out a jet of chemicals to protect itself. Seeing an enemy, the bombardier beetle shoots out a jet of chemicals to protect itself. 2 Because the beetle’s spray consists of hot and irritating chemicals, it is often fatal to other insects. The beetle’s spray of hot and irritating chemicals is very potent. 3 Stored separately in the beetle’s body and mixed in the spraying gland, the spray’s two chemical s resemble a nerve - gas weapon. The spray’s two chemicals, which are stored separately in the beetle’s body and mixed in the spraying gland, resemble a nerve - gas weapon. 4 Revolving like a turret on a World War II bomber, the tip of the beetle’s abdomen sprays the chemicals. 9 Spraying the chemicals, the tip of the beetle’s abdomen revolves like a turret on a World War II bomber. 5 Although the beetle defeats most of its enemies, it is still eaten by spiders and birds. The beetle defeats most of its enemies except spiders and birds. Exercise 15.5 Revising: Effective subordination Possible revision 1 Genaro González is a successful writer whose stories and novels have been published to critical acclaim. 2 In interviews, he talks about his love of writing, even though he has earned a doctorate in psychology and enjoys teaching. 3 González’s first story, “Un Hijo del Sol,” reflects his growing consciousness of his Aztec heritage and place in the world. 4 He wrote the first version of “Un Hijo del Sol” while he was a sophomore at the University of Texas – Pan American. The university is in the Rio Grande valley of southern Texas, which González called “el Valle” in the story, and he now teaches psychology there. 5 González’s latest book is titled A So - Called Vacation . In this novel a teenager and his family live for a summer as migrant fruit pickers, just as his father did when he first immigrated to the United States from Mexico. Exercise 15.6 Revising: Coordination and subordination Possible revision Sir Walter Raleigh personified the Elizabethan Age, the period of Elizabeth I’s rule of England, in the last half of the sixteenth century. Raleigh was a courtier, a poet, an explorer, and an entrepreneur . Supposedly, he gained Queen Elizabeth’s favor by throwing his cloak beneath her feet a t the right moment, just as she was about to step over a puddle. Although there is no evidence for this story, it illustrates Raleigh’s dramatic and dynamic personality. His energy drew others to him, and he was one of 10 Elizabeth’s favorites. She supported him and dispensed favors to him. However, he lost his queen’s goodwill when without her permission he seduced and eventually married one of her maids of honor. After Elizabeth died , her successor, James I , imprisoned Raleigh in the Tower of London on false charges of treason . Raleigh was released after thirteen years but arrested again two years later on the old treason charges. At the age of sixty - six he was beheaded. Exercise 16.1 Revising: Parallelism Possible revision 1 The ancient Greeks celebrated four athletic contests: the Olympic Games at Olympia, the Isthmian Games near Corinth, the Pythian Games at Delphi , and the Nemean Games at Cleonae . 2 Each day the games consisted of either athletic events or ceremonies and sacrifices to the gods. 3 Competitors ran sprints, participated in spectacular chariot and horse races, and ran long distances while wearing full armor. 4 The purpose of such events was to develop physical strength, to demonstrate skill and endurance, and to sharpen the skills needed for war. 5 The athletes competed less to achieve great wealth than to gain honor for both themselves and their cities. 6 Of course, exceptional athletes received financial support from patrons, poems and statues by admiring artists, and even lavish living quarters from their sponsoring cities. 7 With the medal counts and flag ceremonies, today’s Olympians sometimes seem to be proving their countries’ superiority more than demonstrating individual talent. 11 Exercise 16.2 Sentence combining: Parallelism Possible answers 1 People can develop post - traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing a dangerous situation and fearing for their survival. 2 The disorder can be triggered by a wide variety of events, such as combat, a natural disaster, or a hostage situation. 3 PTSD can occur immediately after the stressful incident or not until many years later. 4 Sometimes people with PTSD will act irrationally and angrily. 5 Other symptoms include dreaming that one is reliving the experience, hallucinating that one is back in the terrifying place, and imagining that strangers are actually one’s former torturers. Exercise 17.1 Revising: Variety Possible revision After being dormant for many years , the Italian volcano Vesuvius exploded on August 24 in the year AD 79. The ash, pumice, and mud from the volcano buried two towns — Herculaneum and the more famous Pompeii — which lay undiscovered until 1709 and 1748, respectively. The excavation of Pompeii was the more systematic, the occasion for initiating modern methods of conservation and restoration. Whereas Herculaneum was simply looted of its most valuable finds and then left to disintegrate, Pompeii appears much as it did before the eruption. A luxurious house opens onto a lush central garden. An election poster decorates a wall. And a dining table is set for breakfast. 12 Exercise 18.1 Revising: Appropriate words Possible revision 1 The human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) is a serious threat all over the world, and those who think the disease is limited to homosexuals, drug users, and people in other countries are quite mistaken. 2 Indeed, statistics suggest that in the United States one in every five hundred American college students carries the HIV virus that causes AIDS. 3 If such numbers are accurate , then doctors and public health officials will continue to have many HIV and AIDS patients to care for in the years to come. 4 People with HIV or full - blown AIDS deserve to be treated with respect, like people with any other disease. 5 They should not be excluded or treated with disrespect . 6 Instead, they need all the medical care and financial assistance due the seriously ill . 7 Many professionals in the medical and social - service communities are committed to helping HIV and AIDS patients. [Sentence correct.] 8 For example, a doctor may help patients by obtaining social services for them as well as by providing medical care. 9 A social worker may visit HIV or AIDS patients and determine whether they qualify for public assistance, since many patients lack the money for insurance or drugs. 10 Patients who are very ill may require the care of a home - care nurse. 11 The nurse can administer medications and make the sick person as comfortable as possible. Exercise 18.2 Revising: Sexist language Possible revision 1 When students apply for jobs , they should prepare the best possible résumés because the business executives who are scanning stacks of résumés will read them all quickly. 2 Applicants who want their résumés to stand out will make sure they highlight their best points. 3 People applying for jobs as mail carriers should