Archive for October, 2009
Edit the following letter for errors in grammar.
To Who it May Concern
We recently received your proposal for the new schedule. Which was creative to say the least. Thank you, for suggesting 16 hour work days. Mr. Anderson and me were going to suggest something similar.
We felt badly about the recent lay-offs and know that you are already working very hard. But you are appearing good since your operation and we know you can handle anything. Having worked nights and weekends for the past twelve months, everyone at Busy Bee’s is showing their strong work ethic.
Attached is some minor adjustments. Reading them over you’ll notice the pay cut, removal of the coffee machine (energy costs these days!), and emilination of sick days. If you have any questions please contact Me rather than Mr. Anderson. These days, I am more available than him.
Warmest Regards,
Tim Tiredly
Writing Practice Python Letter
Read the letter below. Then, answer the questions for some writing and logic practice.
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Dear Mr Python
I attended your movie the Life of Brian and must write to say Shame On You. This scandalous satire on the christian religion is heretical, now I’m sure you were reared to be a good christian boy but you have fallen in with a bad breed whom are leading you down a contemptible path, you are losing your soul to comedy and I for one think there’s enough laughter in the world, as I told Mrs. Plimpton just yesterday while she was feeding the English sparrows. She does this so neatly. Encircling muffin and bread crumbs around her statue of St. Francis of Assisi for the English sparrows which are in danger of extinction, now that might make a good movie and you could slip in a few jokes if you must.
But in my opinion comedy is ruining our nation and undermining our national character. We are not joking people but people who get things done using cold logic. Consier what would have happened in world war2 if Churchill at Yalta had made jokes about Stalin’s moustache or Roosevelts gamey leg. We might be speaking that ugly guttural language and writing nouns with 20 letters! Did you ever think about the consequences of comedy for the sake of comedy? We are a people of the “stiff upper lip” and we didn’t get that by laughing but by exercising sharp judgments of other nations inferiority and we are certainly not entertained by scurrilous attacks on a religion that gave us Gothic Cathedrals, the Cruscades, the inquisition, and bans on birth control.
With warmest regards,
Mrs. Evelyn Mott of Hampstead
Help Mrs. Mott with Her Letter
This letter has plenty of mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It also has major logic problems. Can you identify them?
1. What is Mrs. Mott’s main argument?
2. What examples does Mrs. Mott use to support her position?
3. What examples would you use to support Mrs. Mott’s position?
Comma Quiz Answers
1) According to Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the Montgolfier brothers were the first balloonists. (Introductory phrase is set off by a comma.)
2) Actually, the first balloonist was a chap from Cheapside, and he expired when his balloon collapsed over the Lady’s Auxillary Tea in Bennington. (Introductory word “actually” set off by comma; two independent clauses set off by comma.)
3) Mrs. Mott, not the apple heiress but a modest housewife from Hampstead, cried, “Oh my god, he has broken my favorite teapot.” (Parenthetical phrase set off by comma; before quote a comma is used; introductory exclamation set off by comma from the statement.)
4) Because the balloonist had broken Mrs. Mott’s favorite teapot, the Lady Auxillary dragged his body to the nearest creek. (Dependent clause at the beginning of sentence is set off by commas; however, if the sentence is reversed, no comma is necessary: “The Lady Auxillary dragged his body to the nearest creek because the balloonist had broken Mrs. Mott’s favorite teapot.”)
5) There, under the cover of darkness, they plunged the body in the creek, and they watched it slowly float like a summer leaf, bobbing up and down until it vanished. (Introductory word (there) set off by a comma; parenthetical phrase (under cover of darkness) set off by comma; two independent clauses separated by comma; final phrase (bobbing up…) set off by commas.)
6) The Ladies, however, salvaged tarp from the balloon, and they sewed large tents 10 feet by 10 feet for their next tea. (Set off transitional words (however) with commas: separate two independent phrases with commas.)
7) At the next tea held in Hampstead, the Ladies Auxillary erected these tents, and they served jam muffins with clotted cream, thick sticky buns, chocolate éclairs, and Cornish cookies. (Introductory phrase set off by commas; separate two independent clauses by commas; separate a series of items by commas.)
Tips for Using Commas
• Know the difference between dependent and independent clauses.
• Know what phrases are.
• Know what parenthetical phrases are.
Stayed tuned; we’ll define these terms and show you how to use them!
Test Your Comma IQ
A Monty Python Comma Quiz
Test your comma IQ by adding commas to the following sentences. Do you know why you need a comma here or there?
1) According to Monty Python’s Flying Circus the Montgolfier brothers were the first balloonists.
2) Actually the first balloonist was a chap from Cheapside and he expired when his balloon collapsed over the Lady’s Auxillary Tea in Bennington.
3) Mrs. Mott not the apple heiress but a modest housewife from Hampstead cried “Oh my god he has broken my favorite teapot.”
4) Because the balloonist had broken Mrs. Mott’s favorite teapot the Lady Auxillary dragged his body to the nearest creek.
5) There under the cover of darkness they plunged the body in the creek and they watched it slowly float like a summer leaf bobbing up and down until it vanished.
6) The Ladies however salvaged tarp from the balloon and they sewed large tents 10 feet by 10 feet for their next tea.
7) At the next tea held in Hampstead the Ladies Auxillary erected these tents and they served jam muffins with clotted cream thick sticky buns chocolate éclairs and Cornish cookies.
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