17.3.1: Exercise- Practice Combining Sentences
- Page ID
- 315390
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)For the next exercise, you will read a paragraph and describe your initial reading experience, identifying the sentence types as you do so. Then, you will revise the paragraph by using the techniques above to combine the original sentences so that you include at least one of each sentence type (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) in your new paragraph. Once you have completed your revised paragraph, you will describe the changes you made and describe how these changes impacted the reading experience. The following example provides a template for how you should approach the exercise on your own:
Example Original paragraph: I am taking a writing class. Writing is my favorite subject. I still struggle with sentence variation. I took an advanced writing class in high school. My college writing class is more challenging than I expected. We read several essays each week. We also write our own essays every couple of weeks. I was nervous about the workload at first. I get a lot of feedback. I feel that I am improving.
Example Initial reading experience: This paragraph feels choppy and disjointed. It contains mostly short, simple sentences—many of which could be connected since their ideas are closely related.
Example Revised paragraph: I am taking a writing class because writing is my favorite subject, but I still struggle with sentence variation. Even though I took an advanced writing class in high school, my college writing class is more challenging than I expected. We read several essays each week, and we also write our own essays every couple of weeks. I was nervous about the workload at first, but I get a lot of feedback, and I feel that I am improving.
Example Post-revision reading experience: To make the paragraph feel more cohesive, I combined many of the original sentences to create a mixture of complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences. My new paragraph might be even stronger with the addition of a simple sentence or two to break things up, but it is much more fluid now.
Original paragraph for you to work with: Hamlet’s Blackberry is a book by William Powers. It focuses on the impact of technology on modern society. Powers uses personal examples and outside research to support his claims about technology. He also reframes modern technology by examining how older forms of technology impacted the societies in which they were created. The book is written in an accessible style. Academics will enjoy it. People outside of academia can engage with the ideas as well. The ideas in this book might just change the way you think about your own relationship with technology.
Writing Exercise: Read through the paragraph above and write a few sentences summarizing your initial reading experience. Using the example above as a guide, revise the paragraph using the tactics discussed in 16.2 and 16.3, and then write a reflection paragraph summarizing the changes you made and why you made them