The Compound Sentence

Exercise 1. Explain the use of the punctuation marks in the following sentences.

1. He relaxed but Bob kept working. 2. My parents threatened to throw me out of the house, so I had to stop playing the drums. 3. The sun set in a golden glow behind the mountain, and a single star sparkled in the night sky. 4. Her voice became very dry during the long speech, and beads of perspiration began to appear on her forehead. 5. She felt like shouting but didn’t dare open her mouth. 6. The governor proclaimed a state of civil emergency, for the water supply was dangerously low. 7. The brown earth turned black and the trees glistened. 8. The days passed and the drought grew steadily worse. 9. The visit had a certain ritualistic value; but it didn’t brighten the man’s life, catch his fancy, stir his soul, or fire a brand-new passion. 10. It was a difficult year, filled with interruptions, new instructions, and shifting schedules; but I budgeted my time so carefully that I was able to hold my place on the team and also to graduate with my class. 11. The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. (Thomas Paine). 12. I am a great friend to public amusements, for they keep people from vice. 13. Every man is his own ancestor, and every man is his own heir. 14. Catherine the Great was born in Germany in 1729, yet she became one of Russia’s greatest leaders. 15. Pegasus is the name given to the mythical winged horse, and it is also the name of a constellation in the northern sky. 16. The rain increased, so the officials cancelled the game. 17. He could not take her in his arms, he did not even try.

Exercise 2. Put punctuation marks where necessary, and explain the reasons for using them.

1. Tom was watching television in the drawing-room and Mary was upstairs on the phone. 2. My uncle always ignores me while my aunt gives me kisses and presents. 3. She looked out of the window. Sparrows were twittering there were laughter and song in the air. 4. The newcomer did no more than smile shyly but it was sufficient. 5. Lech Walensa led the Solidarity labour movement in Poland and he became the first freely elected president of that nation. 6. I love liberty I hate inequality. 7. Cheques have largely replaced money as a means of exchange for they are widely accepted everywhere. 8. Hunting was originally a means of providing food but it has now become a sport. 9. Either you will tell me the truth or I won’t be able to help you. 10. Women in ancient Egypt not only painted their eyebrows they also added a thick dark line under each eye. 11. I opened the door and Mary came in. 12. Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue it’s hard for an empty bag to stand upright. 13. God could be not everywhere and therefore he made mothers. 14. Her voice was low and throaty, she was slight almost delicate and her skin was lovely. 15. Criminals do not die by the hands of other men. (G.B. Shaw) 16. Letters were no use he had no talent for expressing himself on paper anything he could write would undoubtedly convey a wrong impression.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-10