Writing and Editing Sentence Structure 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a compound-complex sentence?
- A sentence with two subjects and one verb
- A sentence with at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause (Correct answer)
- A sentence with only subordinate clauses
- A sentence with three verbs
Correct answer: A sentence with at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause
A compound-complex sentence combines two independent clauses with one or more dependent clauses.
Question 2: What does 'sentence cohesion' mean in writing?
- Using the same sentence length throughout
- The logical and linguistic flow connecting ideas from one sentence to the next (Correct answer)
- Avoiding all pronouns
- Starting every sentence with a noun
Correct answer: The logical and linguistic flow connecting ideas from one sentence to the next
Cohesion refers to the smooth connection between sentences through repeated words, pronouns, and transitional phrases.
Question 3: Which sentence is an example of a fragment?
- She submitted the article.
- Because she submitted the article. (Correct answer)
- She submitted the article on time.
- Submitting the article took all night.
Correct answer: Because she submitted the article.
A sentence fragment lacks an independent clause; 'Because she submitted the article' is a dependent clause with no main clause.
Question 4: Which technique is used to combine two choppy sentences for better flow?
- Adding more adjectives to both sentences
- Using subordination to turn one sentence into a dependent clause (Correct answer)
- Replacing periods with commas
- Removing the subject from one sentence
Correct answer: Using subordination to turn one sentence into a dependent clause
Subordination integrates two ideas by making one clause dependent, improving the logical relationship and flow.
Question 5: Which sentence demonstrates chiasmus (a rhetorical reversal)?
- You can write well if you edit carefully.
- Edit carefully, and write well.
- Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. (Correct answer)
- Write well; edit even better.
Correct answer: Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
Chiasmus reverses grammatical structures in successive clauses, as in Kennedy's famous quotation.
Question 6: What is anaphora in writing?
- Repeating the same word at the END of successive clauses
- Repeating the same word or phrase at the BEGINNING of successive clauses (Correct answer)
- Using a synonym for a repeated word
- Placing a pronoun before its antecedent
Correct answer: Repeating the same word or phrase at the BEGINNING of successive clauses
Anaphora is a rhetorical device in which the same word or phrase begins successive clauses for emphasis.
Writing and Editing Sentence Structure 2
What is a compound-complex sentence?