Better sentence-writing in 30 minutes a day - Dianna Campbell 1995

Two important notes about the exercises
Apostrophes
Revising at the word level

Some sentences in the next two exercises may contain no words that call for an apostrophe; other sentences may have more than one.

Make sure that you correct each exercise and analyze any errors before you proceed to the next one.

Exercise 6.10

Add apostrophes where they are needed. (If you underline the words to which you add the apostrophes, they’ll be easier to find and correct.)

1. What do people like to order when they go out to eat? That was the National Restaurant Associations question, and it asked researchers from NPD Research Inc. to find the answer by surveying the members of 12,800 households.

2. The research organizations national survey reached all parts of the United States, and the poilsters discovered that Americans top five restaurant food choices are French fries, hamburgers, salads, breads, and pizza.

3. But all the various regions of the country have their own special favorites when it comes to ordering in the nations cafés and restaurants.

4. In New England, for instance, restaurant diners top menu choices include heroes and subs, doughnuts and sweet rolls, and sandwiches made of egg salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad.

5. A typical New Yorkers order is likely to include—in addition to heroes, subs, and salad-type sandwiches—frozen yogurt, sherbet, land types of pasta other than spaghetti.

6. In the mountain states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, peoples favorites range from tacos, burritos, and enchiladas to chicken nuggets and ham and cheese sandwiches.

7. It is anyones guess as to why, but North Dakotans restaurant preferences are mostly on the soft side; mashed potatoes, ice cream, doughnuts, sweet rolls, pancakes, and waffles rated the highest.

8. In Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, residents first loves are burritos, enchiladas, tacos, taco salads, and Oriental foods.

9. When food lovers in the South Atlantic states eat out, they are most likely to order the following items from a restaurants menu: breakfast sandwiches, shellfish, potato skins, and chicken.

10. In Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, restaurant customers tastes are likely to run to chili, French toast, cheese, roast beef, and barbecued ribs.

Exercise 6.11

Add apostrophes where they are needed.

1. A parents greatest fear is that some harm will come to his or her child.

2. Grace Hechinger addresses this fear in a book called How to Raise a Street-Smart Child.

3. Hechinger, the mother of two boys, is a journalist and an educator who has written extensively on womens concerns and issues of family life. She has collaborated with her husband on a number of projects; the couples list of coauthored books includes Teenage Tyranny, The New York Times Guide to New York City Private Schools, and Growing Up in America.

4. Hechingers how-to book on keeping children from becoming victims makes some interesting observations and offers a few unusual bits of advice for parents.

5. One problem that concerns the author is that many childrens training at home puts them at risk when they are outside the home.