J203, Media Writing


Answers to the 1995 grammar test


Many of the errors were punctuation problems. There were disagreement problems, dangling modifiers and usage problems. Changes are in bold.

1. Casper Doe, a freshman who grew up in Newport, Oregon, described himself as "the friendly ghost from the coast."


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2. If the paper I found in the wastebasket in Room 218 isn't yours, it could be hers.(Correct)


3. The crash killed the pilot, George Causey of the Seattle area, and his only passenger, Ed Tulleners.


4. Causey and Tulleners were flying to a trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the single-engine helicopter.


5. She said, "Many people think football is like life; I think of it as just a game."


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6. Nike, which has contracts with elite athletes who compete in various sports, wants to reach the widest possible market for its brand of footwear.


7. "It's great that we have one day a year set aside to celebrate the environment, but every day should be Earth Day," Smith said.


8. The architect purchased the property 30 years ago because he feared that industrial development would adversely affect the Columbia River Gorge.


9. Jannelle Doe was a big-city girl from Portland; now she calls a sorority near campus her home.


10. Although its strategy remains the same, Greenpeace has evolved over the years.


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11. John Yeon, who died in 1994, was an architect and conservationist who advocated protection of the Northwest and its significant buildings.


12. Robert Z. Melnick, interim dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts and professor of landscape architecture, said, "The high aesthetic quality of John Yeon's design work deserves wider public recognition and academic acclaim."


13. It's only a matter of time before someone writes a biography of former Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding.


14. The retirement of Sam Nunn, the most prominent of a dwindling breed of conservative Southern Democrats, will leave a hole in the Democratic Party. (dangling modifier--rewrite)


15. "I don't think it's trashy one bit; I think it looks cute," she said. (Correct)


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16. Her mother's career in sales led her to seek a master's degree in marketing.


17. While Eugene's only shoe manufacturing plant burned, two firefighters collapsed because of the heat.


18. The University was granted permission to use its duck as a mascot many years ago. The figure was patterned after a cartoon character designed by Walt Disney himself. (dangling modifier-- rewrite)


19. "If you think you see a light at the end of the tunnel, it's probably a mirror," Russial said.

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