Ms. Amorin
English
GRAMMAR
EXERCISES
*IMPROVING
WRITING SKILLS
Writing structure/ grammar
&
 Prepositions
 Homonyms
 Parallelism
 Fragments
 Tense

#1. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage
mistakes.
Mark struggles in both
english and math class so he
is gonna stay after school for
Mark tutoring.
struggles in both english and math
class so he is gonna stay after school for
tutoring.
#2. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and
usage mistakes.
This weekend I have plans to go miniThis weekend I have plans to go
golfing, to see the movie “The Vow” and
mini- golfing, to see the movie
a giants vs. patriots Super Bowl party to
“The Vow” and a giants vs. patriots
attend.
Super Bowl party to attend.
#3. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.

She was effected by acid in the tropicana
orange juice which gave her a stomach ache
since she does not normally drank it for
brakefast.
She was effected by acid in the
tropicana orange juice which
gave her a stomach ache since
she does not normally drank it for
brakefast.
#4. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.

Their going to the birthday
party
forbirthday
Lily atparty
little
a
Their going
to the
for scoops
Lily at
little scoops
a children’s
cream parlor.
children’s
iceicecream
parlor.
#5. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.

Tara my hair dresser specializes in coloring
hair at her salon sheer precision.
Tara my hair dresser specializes
in coloring hair at her salon sheer
precision.
#6. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.
“Fortune Favors the bold”, said Dr. Zega
principle of Colonia high school.
“Fortune Favors the bold”, said
Dr. Zega principle of Colonia
high school.
#7. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.

Because Claire arrived late class on two
occasions she recieved detention from the
vice principal Mr. Short.
Because Claire arrived late too
class on two occasions she
recieved detention from the vice
principal Mr. Vernon.
#8. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.
David wants to take his wife Susan to
dinner and a movie for valentines day
but
David
to take
his go
wifeaway
Susanto
to cape
dinner
shewants
would
rather
and a
for valentines day but she would
may
formovie
the weekend.
rather go away to Cape May for the weekend.
#9. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.

Courtney wants to come to the amusement
park with us to but we only bought 4 tickets.
Courtney wants to come to the
amusement park with us to but
we only bought 4 tickets.
#10. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation,
grammar, and usage mistakes.
Its not write to be a bystander in a case
of bullying because the victim usually
feels hopless.
#11. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation,
grammar, and usage mistakes.
Lets go to jones beech and get some
sun! I need a tan since Im looking pail
 Lets
go to wanna
jones beech
andmy
get skin.
some sun! I
but
I dont
burn
need a tan since Im looking pail but I dont
wanna burn my skin.
#12. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.
The affects of not wearing sun
 The affects of not wearing sun screen
screen outdoors in the summer
outdoors in the summer are peeling burning
are peeling burning aging and
aging and melanoma of the skin
melanoma of the skin
#13. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.

Since
Billgates
Gates has
superfluousthat
amount
Bill
is aa inventor
hasof a
money
he donates alot
of it to charities.
superfluous
amount
of money
so he donates alot off it too
charities
#14. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.
Before going to the museum the
students had to do a report on dinosaurs
the tyrannosaurus diplodocus
brontosaurus and triceratops
#15. Brainstorming- Prize!

Try to come up with as many words from the
letters in the ‘name’ given.

Ex.) LOS ANGELES

Sang
sell
COLONIA
sane
lose
loan
lone
NEW JERSEY
#16. Question thinkers?!?!?!?
Answer the following questions.
1.
A surgeon performed an operation on a patient. The patient is the
surgeon’s sister, but the patient is not the patient’s brother. How
can this be?
The surgeon is a woman
2.
A plane crashed on the border between Canada and the U.S.
Where did they bury the survivors?
The survivors are still alive.
3.
Is it legal in California for a man to marry his widow’s sister?
A man is no longer living if his wife has become a widow.
#17. PREPOSITION errors.

Prepositions are words that link noun,
pronouns, and phrases to other words in a
sentence.

PREPOSITIONS that are commonly misused in
sentences are:

about, above, across, after, against, among, around,
at before, beside, between, beyond, with, by, down,
during, for, from, in, out, into, to, through,
throughout, over, like

(Yankee Doodle song)
#17. Correct the following sentences for PREPOSITION errors.

about, above, across, after, against, among, around, at
before, beside, between, beyond, with, by, down, during,
for, from, in, out, into, to, through, throughout, over, like

I was working very hard during twenty years.

I was listening on the radio this morning.

I haven’t seen him during three months.

One great thing of Valencia is the great climate.

My boss expects a lot of me.
#17. Correct the following sentences for PREPOSITION errors.

about, above, across, after, against, among,
around, at before, beside, between, beyond, with,
by, down, during, for, from, in, out, into, to,
through, throughout, over, like, of

It’s the same of your situation.

I’m fed up of politicians.

I need do exercise.

By the other hand, he’s a good communicator.
#17. Correct the following sentences for PREPOSITION errors.

about, above, across, after, against, among, around, at
before, beside, between, beyond, with, by, down, during,
for, from, in, out, into, to, through, throughout, over, like
I saw a good film in TV.

Dan was present in the wedding.

They arrived to Paris without any issues.

I went to Barcelona for visit a client.

I always gain weight at Christmas.

#18. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling,
punctuation, grammar, and usage mistakes.
Alice Walker one
of Americas best
known writers she
has published
both Poetry and
Prose.
#19. Brainstorming- Prize!!

Try to come up with as many words from the
letters in the ‘name’ given.

Ex.) Superfluous- extra; more than needed
Super
flu
of
Crucible
us
soup
surf
pole etc…
Frankenstein
#20. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage
mistakes.
Find the SIX mistakes in this
sentence.
Jenny, James and Victoria are going on
vacation this summer in galicia, Spain
when they will also expereince a
spanish bull fight.
#21. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar,
and usage mistakes.
Last night the patriots baseball
team recieved the first place award
this season. Timmy the pitcher got
an additional award for “good
sportsmanship”.
#22. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar,
and usage mistakes.
Stacey and Danny who have been
dating for 3 years are getting married
this Saturday April 7 in the
Bridgewater manor.
#23- Writing fun!
#22. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar,
and usage mistakes.
Satirical Definitions*

Satire= to ridicule something using irony or sarcasm

Read these satirical definitions. Come up with some of your own! 
Luck- When the predicted forecast is wrong, and it doesn’t rain on
someone’s wedding day.
Peace- A pause in history to plan the next war.
Mother- The person you ask after your father says “no.”
FortuneAngerLove(or choose another word)
#24- Writing fun! Use those creative critical thinking skills!
DAFFY DEFINITIONS!
Look at these words that contain definitions as to what is implied in the
word.
mandate (enforce)- male escort
alarms (loud notification or warning)- what an octopus is
lawsuit (being sued))- judge’s clothes
shamrock (Irish symbol)- a fake diamond
stalemate (chess- not moving)- a former husband/wife or boyfriend/
girlfriend
archangel (saint)- a patron saint of fast food workers
Write definitions for these words. They are meant to be humorous! 
autograph (signature)billboard (advertisement)cargo (shipment; carries a lot of things)chainsaw (tool for cutting)carpool (drive in a group)butterflies (colorful insect)-
Can you think of some of your own words?
*Common basic HOMONYM Mistakes*
Homonyms are two or more words that have the same sound but different spellings
and meanings.





its= belonging to it (posession)
It’s= contraction of ‘it is’
It’s a shame that the shiny car lots its muffler and
now roars like a truck.
their= belonging to them
there= (1) location; (2) verb “to be”- is, are, was, were
they’re = contraction of ‘they are’
Our neighbors are health food addicts. When we
attend parties at their home, they serve pizza with
broccoli florets on top. They’re also fond of serving
carrot juice. I hope they won’t be offended if we
don’t go there often.
*Common basic HOMONYM Mistakes*
to= (1) used before a verb, as in ‘to serve’;
(2) so as to reach
too= (1) overly or extremely
(2) also
two= the number 2
I’ll take these two letters to the post office for you,
but you’ll need to put more postage on one of them.
It is too heavy for only one stamp.
your= belonging to you
you’re= contraction of ‘you are’
You’re going to need a first-aid kit and high boots
for your camping trip.
*Common basic HOMONYM Mistakes*
Joe and Terri live in Philadelphia. The (two, to,
too) of them have been married for thirteen years.
They met after Terri had an operation on her
knee. While she was recovering, she had (two, to,
too) ride in a special bus for people with
disabilities. Because he had a spinal-cord injury,
Joe used that bus (two, to, too). It was (there,
their, they’re) on the bus that they began getting
acquainted. You never know where (your, you’re)
going to meet someone special!
*OTHER Common basic HOMONYM Mistakes*
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
There is only one (write, right) answer to a math problem.
No child will be able to (break, brake) this toy.
We drove (through, threw) the entire state in only three
hours.
Everyone wants (piece, peace) on earth.
I forgot (where, wear) I stored the Christmas presents.
Are you going to order a half or a (hole, whole) barbecued
chicken?
The (weather, whether) in England is rainy much of the
time.
Ray and Coral, who just got married, want all (new, knew)
furniture in their house.
People who cannot (hear, here) often communicate by
American Sign Language.
The sign in the bus said, “(There, They’re, Their) is no
excuse for domestic violence.”
Parallelism



In grammar, parallelism is a balance of two or more
similar words, phrases, or clauses.
The application of parallelism in sentence
construction can sometimes improve writing style,
clearness, and readability.
Basically, the wording of the sentence "flows"
logically

Fix this sentence to make it parallel!

Ex.) For homework, the teacher assigned ten
multiple choice questions, one short essay, and
students were to complete a crossword puzzle.
Parallelism






Ex.) Not parallel- The new restaurant has fresh food, reasonable
prices, and service that is fast.
Parallel- The new restaurant has fresh food, reasonable prices, and
fast service.
Not parallel- The children were arguing in the lobby, talked during
the movie, and complained on the ride home.
Parallel- The children argued in the lobby, talked during the movie,
and complained on the ride home.
Not parallel- Every morning, I have to feed the dog and bringing in
the mail.
Parallel- Every morning, I have to feed the dog and bring in the
mail.
Parallelism- Fix the following sentences to make them parallel

Our neighbors spend a lot of time shopping, visiting
friends, and they go to the movies.

My aunt is selfish, impatient, and she is not a kind person.

Aimee is laughing, answering the telephone, and she
works on the computer.
Parallelism- Fix the following sentences to make them parallel

Detective stories, popular music, and sports that
are on television are things that my grandparents
enjoy most.

Laura usually either braids her hair or is putting it
up in a French twist.
REVIEW* (Homonyms)

Homonyms
Terri works as a receptionist in a law office. When
(your, you’re) answering the phone, (writing,
righting) messages, sorting mail, and talking to
visitors all at once, you need (too, two,to) keep
both hands free. That’s why Terri is wearing a
telephone headset. She may have several phone
conversations going at once. Sometimes it is not
easy remembering (who’s, whose) on which line.
REVIEW* (Homonyms)

Homonyms
Joe works (here, hear), in a mental-health
clinic. He is a counselor. His job is to help people
with (their, there, they’re) problems. When clients
first come in for counseling, they are often
nervous. They don’t (know, no) what to expect. Joe
tries hard to make his clients feel comfortable. He
believes that when (you’re, your) a counselor, you
should treat (you’re, your) clients with respect.
*REVIEW- Parallelism

Parallelism
1.) My little brother would play video games night and day if it
weren’t for eating and to have to sleep.
2.) Amanda chose a bouquet of white roses, red carnations, and
tulips that were yellow.
3.) Smoking and to spit are both prohibited on the subway.
4.) These apples are not only small but also have a sour taste.
*REVIEW- Parallelism

Parallelism
5.) It is easier to wash dishes every day than letting them pile up
for a week.
6.) In a foreign country, a visitor is overwhelmed with strange
sounds, smells that surprise, and unusual sights.
7.) For lunch we were given limp bologna sandwiches, peanutbutter crackers that were stale, and warm sugary punch.
8.) Many runaways are lured to the city by the bright lights, activity
going on constantly, and empty promises.
#25. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar,
and usage mistakes.
“Some times people make mistakes. That
should not be a representation of there
character”, said artist Whitney Houston in an
televised interview with Diane Sawyer.
#26. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation,
grammar, and usage mistakes.
FRAGMENTS!!!******
Although Tina is a wife and mother. She is also
a college student. She atends Rutgers
university.
Since
isand
verymother.
busy with
son
Although Tina
is she
a wife
She her
is also
husband
and other
duties.Kean
She university.
has decided
a collegejob
student.
She atends
very busy
with her
son husband
toSince
take she
her is
college
courses
online.
She even
job and
duties.
She has
decided
to take
have
the other
option
of taking
exams
online.
Which
hercan
college
courses
online. She even have the
she
do using
e-mail.
option of taking exams online. Which she can
do using e-mail.
FRAGMENTS
To be a complete sentence, a group of words must contain a subject and
a verb.
It must also express a complete thought. If a sentence LACKS a subject,
verb, or complete thought, it is a FRAGMENT.
The most common type of fragment is a dependent word FRAGMENT, which
has a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought.
Example)
Because Laura was tired.
This sentence is a Fragment!
(What happened to Laura?)- The thought needs to be completed.
Because Laura was tired, she took a nap.
Because is the dependent word
…..“she took a nap” completes the thought
*Note:
- Think of these DEPENDENT WORD FRAGMENTS as having a “cause and effect” relationship; if
there is a cause, there should be an effect…. And vice versa.
- If the dependent word is in the middle of the sentence, there is no need to insert a comma before it.
FRAGMENTS
Common DEPENDENT WORDS*
after
even though
unless
wherever
although
even when
until
whether
as
if
what
which
because
since
when
while
before
that
whenever
who
even if
though
where
*The way to correct a dependent word fragment is to connect it to the
sentence that comes before or after it.
FRAGMENTS
Examples of dependent word fragments. The way to correct a dependent word
fragment is to connect it to the sentence that comes before or after it.
Before she goes to bed at night. Donna gets ready for the
next day.
She will get up before sunrise. Even if she stays up late
studying.
She does the cleaning job early in the morning. Before the
employees arrive at the office.
Donna can’t do everything she needs to do. Unless she
is well organized.
FRAGMENTS
Add a complete thought before or after the dependent word fragment
to make it a complete sentence. Underline the dependent word.
Although it’s hard to work and go to school.
After she gets home from school.
When they are determined.
Until they’ve finished all their work.
When the boy refused to do his assignment.
FRAGMENTS
Other ‘types’ of FRAGMENTS include:
* Fragments without a subject *
•Ex.) Joe Davis lowered himself from the van into his wheelchair. And
then rolled up the sidewalk ramp.
The second word group lacks a subject, so it is a fragment.
Corrected Sentence: Joe Davis lowered himself from the van into
his wheelchair and then rolled up the sidewalk ramp.
* Fragments with “-ing” and “to” *
•Ex.) Hoping to furnish their new home cheaply. The newlyweds go to garage
sales.
The first group lacks both a subject and a verb, so it is a fragment.
Corrected Sentence: Hoping to furnish their new home cheaply, the newlyweds go to
garage sales.
Ex.) Leo jogged through the park. To clear his mind before the midterm.
The second word is a fragment and lacks both a subject and a complete verb
Corrected Sentence: Leo jogged through the park to clear his mind before the
midterm.
FRAGMENTS
Other “types” of FRAGMENTS include:
Specific “word groups” at the beginning of a sentence
often form fragments if not written correctly. Such words
include:
Such as
For example
Including
Especially
Examples)
She has to learn some very challenging material for her major. Such as
the names of dozens of drugs and medical disorders.
For class, we had to read several books. Including To Kill A Mockingbird.
My grandfather has many interests. For example, playing poker and
watching old cowboy movies.
FRAGMENTS
Correct the following fragments.
1.) Lila’s children are all in school now. Remembering her own hard time
in school. Lila is determined that her children will have a better
experience.
2.) Working on her degree at the local business college. She has a great
deal of reading and studying to do.
3.) There are plenty of days that Lila feels overwhelmed. But knows she must
keep on going.
4.) To relieve her stress. Lila began taking yoga classes.
5.) Lila loves to see her children learn. Especially about science and history.
FRAGMENT Exercises
Correct the following fragments to make them a correctly
written complete sentence.
1. Because the movie was so violent.
2. Our neighbor is a quiet man. Who works as a nurse on a
night shift.
3. We jumped from the sofa. When we heard the crash in
the kitchen.
4. Unless the refrigerator is fixed soon.
5. Teenagers are often confused about life. Feeling the
need to have different experiences to learn more about
themselves.
#27. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar,
and usage mistakes. (TENSE)
I and my best friend will be going to
vacation this past spring break to Puerto
Rico. When we were there we went
parasailing, scuba diving, and snorkeling.
It is like being in paradise!
#27. Correct the following sentence for sentence structure, spelling, punctuation,
grammar, and usage mistakes.
The students’ which are taking the SAT
next week is studying a lot every day two
be prepared for the Test.