[C. Incomplete Logic]
The following sentences are inadequate statements of cause, comparison, etc. Complete the thought.
- His neck is as long as a giraffe.
- His name was David Meek, from New Hampshire.
- The Pacific Ocean is larger than any ocean.
- Because he never worked led to his failure.
- A monitor is where a heavily armored boat of light draft can go near the shore.
- Democracy is when people, through representatives, govern themselves.
- The story of Huckleberry Finn is in reality Mark Twain himself.
- Because a man has money is no reason why he should be lazy.
- The character of Sydney Carton is the real hero of this novel.
- A forester leads an interesting life is the reason I want to be one.
- Tact is where a man anticipates the criticism of others, and acts with discretion.
- The comfort of a modern house is much greater than the old-time house.
- Free trade is when no revenue is collected on imports, beyond enough to run the government.
- The cost of room, board, and tuition is low at this school, compared to the more fashionable schools.
- The theme of this novel tells how a peasant, Jean Valjean, from a convict comes to be a respected citizen.
[D. Undeveloped Thought and Transitions]
Complete the thought of the following sentences, and secure a smooth transition between parts.
- As you enter this room, to the left is an interesting painting of the Canterbury Pilgrims.
- Poe delights in fantastic plots. A pirate's treasure chest was discovered in The Gold Bug.
- I got up and ate a bite of breakfast. A few of my friends came over. We went to play golf.
- All the loose material on the trail is carried off by the rush of the water. The last time I was on it was in early summer, and I found it in this rough condition.
- I managed to find the softest board in the floor and went to sleep. Some of the boys found pleasure in arousing me with a shower of cold water.
- Under guise of friendly escort the Indians accompanied the inhabitants of the fort a few miles. Only three escaped the massacre.
- Many people say that in civil engineering it depends on the prosperity of the country; in hard times they do not build and in good times they do build.
- Canada has more forests than minerals. Canada has made only a start in the lumber industry. The minerals are found, for the most part, in the mountain district near Lake Superior.
- Thanksgiving day, as we are told, is a day on which our Puritan forefathers gathered round the roast turkey and gave thanks to God for his goodness. Last Thanksgiving I was at home.
- The old method was to dig the holes by hand, and drop two or three kernels in each hole. Corn has become a staple crop. Machinery is used. The preparing of a field for corn has become a science.
[UNITY OF THOUGHT]
Unity means oneness. A sentence should contain one thought. It may contain two or more statements only when these are closely related parts of a larger thought or impression. A writer should make certain, first, that his thought has unity; and second, that this unity will be obvious to the reader.
[Unrelated Ideas in One Sentence]
10. Do not combine ideas which have no obvious relation to each other. Place the ideas in separate sentences. Or, write the ideas as one sentence, making their relation obvious.