Chapter 14 Improve Your Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage
(To complete the exercises in Chapter 14, copy the text below and paste it into your word processor.)
Level 1: Self-Assessment—Vocabulary
Review Sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 in the Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage and then complete the following 15 items.
In items 1–7, indicate the correct word provided in parentheses.
1. Everyone (accept/except) Barbara King has registered for the company competition.
2. We need to find a new security (device/devise).
3. The Jennings are (loath/loathe) to admit that they are wrong.
4. The judge has ruled that this town cannot enforce such a local (ordinance/ordnance).
5. To stay on schedule, we must give (precedence/precedents) to the Marley project.
6. This month’s balance is greater (than/then) last month’s.
7. That decision lies with the director, (who’s/whose) in charge of this department.
In items 8–15, correct any errors you find:
8. In this department, we see alot of mistakes like that.
9. In my judgement, you’ll need to redo the cover.
10. He decided to reveal the information, irregardless of the consequences.
11. Why not go along when it is so easy to accomodate his demands?
12. When you say that, do you mean to infer that I’m being unfair?
13. She says that she finds this sort of ceremony embarassing.
14. All we have to do is try and get along with him for a few more days.
15. A friendly handshake should always preceed negotiations.
Level 2: Workplace Applications
The following items may contain errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, abbreviation, number style, word division, and vocabulary. Rewrite each sentence, correcting all errors. If a sentence has no errors,write “Correct” for that number.
1. An entrepreneur and their business, are so closely tied together that a bank will want to see how they handle their personal affairs, before granting a small business line of credit.
2. The companys’ annual meeting will be held from 2–4 PM on May 3d in the Santa Fe room at the Marriott hotel.
3. Well over four hundred outstanding students from coast-to-coast, have realized their dreams of a college education thanks to the NASE Scholarship program.
4. If you’re home is you’re principle place of business you can deduct generally the cost of traveling from you’re home, to any business destination.
5. Companies like McLeod USA sprung into being in the 1990’s to provide cut rate phone services to small- and medium-size businesses in competition with the established baby bells.
6. Some question whether a ‘new economy’ exists and if so how it differs from the old economy?
7. When the music industry claimed by stealing intellectual property Napster were committing piracy – Napster argued that it was’nt doing anything illegal or un-ethical.
8. The World Bank plays an important roll in todays fast changing closely-meshed global economy.
9. When it comes to consumer rights the F.D.A., F.T.C., and Agriculture department are concerned not only with safety but also accurate information.
10. Fujitsu, a $50 billion company with 190,000 employees, dominates the Japanese computer industry.
11. The fortune 500 ranks not only corporations by size but also offers brief company descriptions; along with industry statistics, and additional measures of corporate performance.
12. Having bought 55 companies over the past decade, plans to make ten to 15 new acquisitions each year are being made by Cisco Systems.
13. In 1984 Michael Dell decided to sell P.C.’s direct and built to order, now everybody in the industry are trying to imitate Dells’ strategy.
14. Resulting in large cost savings for the company, American Express have reduced the number of field office’s from 85 to 7 by using virtual teams.
15. In Europe and Asia, people are using mobile phones to send text messages to other users; exchange e-mail; read the morning news; surfing certain websites; and to make purchases such as movie tickets and charge it to they’re monthly phone bill.
Level 3: Document Critique
The following document may contain errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, abbreviation, number style, word division, and vocabulary. As your instructor indicates, photocopy this page and correct all errors using standard proofreading marks (see Appendix C) or download the document and make the corrections in your word processing software.
Morgan Mitras
2397 Glencrest ridge, Fort Worth, TEX 76119
(817/ 226-1804)
February 2 2011:
Norton Acctg. Group
Ms Nancy Remington, Human Resources
3778 Parkway North
Indianapolis, Indiana 46205
Dear Ms. Remington—
With your companys’ reputation for quality, customer service, employee empowerment, you’ll will want to hire someone who is not only accurrate and efficient but also self motivated and results-oriented—someone who is able to make decisions as well as coperate with team members and clients. The ad you placed in the February 1st issue of The Wall Street Journal for someone to fill a financial management position really has me very excited and eager.
During my 3 years at Tandy corporation -see attached resume-I’ve conducted internal auditing for accounts valued at $450 million dollars. Some of my many, countless accomplishments include
Increasing both internal and client support for the auditing process
I save the company over 2.5 million dollars when I discovered billing errors
Suggest ways accounts receivable processes could be streamlined In addition it might be that Norton Accounting may appreciate my ability to complete projects on time as well as keeping them under budget. One of my priorities is a position in which my expereince will be broaden: so any opportunity to travel would be welcomed by me!
I’ll be in your area during the weak of February 20; I’ll call your office on Feb. 8 to see whether we can arrange to meet. I hope you’ll give me a chance, please.
Sincerely,
Morgan Mitras,
Applicant
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