Exa m ple Paragraph 17

Reasons for Exercise

First, your body will look better. Exercise is perfect for staying trim and

healthy looking, and it does not have to take a long time. Second, you

will actually have more energy. A person who exercises will have fewer

problems walking up stairs or climbing hills. In addition, your heart will

be healthier. A good, strong heart is necessary for a long, healthy life.

Finally, exercise reduces stress and keeps your mind in shape. Therefore,

if you want to improve your overall health, you should exercise three or

four times each week to accomplish this goal.

58 U N IT 3 • To p i c Sentences
 Exa m ple Paragra ph 1 8

Popular Popcorn

It is one of the easiest foods to eat. You can eat it with your fingers, and

it does not have to be served piping hot like some foods do. In addition,

with only 20 calories per cup and almost no fat, it is both a filling and

a heart-friendly snack. Furthermore, it can be an important source of a source: a place of

origin
natural fiber, a substance that is important in limiting certain types of

cancer. Based on this information, can anyone be surprised that sales of

popcorn are soaring in many countries? to soar: rise quickly

59
 Exa m ple Pa rag ra ph 1 9

A Method for Learning New Words

In this method, learners form their own sound association between the foreign

language word they are trying to learn and any word in their native language.

In the second stage, learners form an image link between the target word and

the native language word. For example, a Japanese learner of English might

look at the English word hatchet and connect it to the Japanese word hachi,

which means "eight:' In this case, the learner might remember that he can

use a hatchet eight times to cut down a tree. For many language students, this

particular method is effective in learning new vocabulary in a foreign language.

Bui lding Better Sentences: For f u rt h e r practice with the sentences a n d paragraphs i n t h i s p a rt of the u n it,
go to Practice 5 on page 287 in A p p e n d i x 1 .

G ra m m a r fo r Writi n g
U s i n g Com m a s i n S e nten ces
Commas are very important for clarity of meaning, but commas also represent the grammar of a
sentence. Remember:

Explanation Examples

A comma separates a l ist of t h ree or more things. I speak E n g lish, Spa n ish, and Japanese.

A comma separates two senten ces when there is a I speak th ree l a n g uages, but Adam speaks five
com b i n i ng word .

A comma sepa rates an introductory word or ph rase Fi rst, you w i l l need to get a penc i l .
from t h e rest o f t h e sentence.

A comma separates a dependent cla use that comes Because I speak three languages, I can
at the beg i n n i n g of a sentence. com m u n icate with many people.

A comma separates a n appositive from the rest Fi ber, a substance that is important in l imiting
of the sentence. (An appositive is a g ro u p of words certain types of cancer, is found i n popcorn .
that rena mes or expl a i ns the n o u n before it.)

A comma separates extra i nformation that is provided The History of Korea, which is on the teacher's
in adjective clauses. desk, is the book for the course.

For more i nfo rmation a n d exa m p les, review the section on " C o m m a s " in the Brief Writers Handbook with
Activities, pages 2 5 8-260 .

60 U N IT 3 • To p i c Sentences
 ACTI VITY 8 Comma Practice

Insert commas in these sentences where necessary. Be prepared to explain your choices. Some sentences
are correct with no commas.

BRUN� ':':-....'!. . . . . .

....
·� :
....
···.
' ,:

.. . ....
. . . ..
�... . ."'
..

SINGAPORE
·· . .
. .. . . .

Example Parag raph 20

Malaysia and Thailand

Because Malaysia and Thailand are located next to each other

we might conclude that these two nations share many similarities. To

a certain extent this conclusion is true. For example both countries

have temperate climates throughout the year. Thailand's economy is

growing and so is Malaysia's. In addition Malaysia has many miles of

beautiful beaches that attract tourists and Thailand does too. However

there are also several important differences. Malaysians and Thais

speak completely different languages. The population of Malaysia is

about 29 million but the population of Thailand is about 69 million.

Thailand has a national king but Malaysia does not. Finally Malaysia

was a British colony but Thailand was never a British colony. Thus the thus: therefore. for this
reason
fact that two countries are near each other does not always mean they

are similar.

61
 G ra m ma r for Writi n g
Avoid i ng T h ree Common Se ntence E rrors
Three common mistakes in writing are sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and comma
splices. These mistakes can prevent the reader from understanding the writer's message.

Explanation I Examples

A sentence fragment is not a com plete sentence. X I went to Ita ly last summer. �

.I I went to Italy last s u m mer. It was a wonderful

It is usually m issi n g e ither a s u bject or a verb, or it is
a dependent clause. A dependent clause is never a
tri p . (add a subject)
com plete sentence.

To correct a sentence fragment: X O n ly 1 2 0 students majored i n � they

.I Only 1 2 0 students majored in art because they

• add a subject or verb, or are worried about job opportu n ities.
• com b i n e two cla uses
are worried a bout job opportun ities.
(combine two clauses)

A run-on sentence is two sentences incorrectly X I went to Italy and saw � d i d n 't get to see
joined without a comma or a coord inating

.I I went to Italy a n d saw Rome, but I d id n 't

Milan.
conj u nction (and, or; but, so, yet, nor; for).

To correct a run-on sentence: get to see M i la n . (add comma and connecting

.I I went to Italy a n d saw Rome. I d id n 't get to see

• add a comma and a connecting word, or word)
• sepa rate the sentences i nto two with a period
M i l a n . (separate into two sentences)

A comma splice occurs when two or more X Iwent to Italy last � was a wonderful
sentences or i n dependent clauses are connected

.I I went to Ita ly last summer, and it was a

tri p .
with a com m a .

.I I went to Italy last sum mer. It was a wonderful

To correct a c o m m a splice: wonderful tri p . (add connecting word)
• add a connecting word after the com ma,
• create two sentences from the one, or trip. (create two sentences)

X O n ly 1 2 0 students majored in � they

• com b i n e the most i m portant words from
the two sentences i nto one sentence a n d

.I O n ly 1 20 students majored in art because they

a re worried about job opportu n ities.
add a s u bord i nating conj u nction (because,
since, although)

.I Because they a re worried about job

a re worried about job opportunities .

opportun ities, only 1 2 0 students majored i n a rt.

(add a subordinating conjunction)

62 U N IT 3 • Topic Se nte n ces