Editing Exercises


1		*Rewrite the following paragraph to eliminate agreement problems.* Geometry, which is a branch of mathematics, study objects in space. The ancient peoples of the Near East was interested in geometry because it allowed them to survey land, but the name of the subject comes from the Greek words "geo," which refers to the earth, and "metron," which have to do with the taking of measurements. Among the founders of geometry are Pythagoras, who lived in the fifth century B.C. Euclid, a Greek living in Alexandria, Egypt, during the third century, took the findings of earlier mathematicians such as Pythagoras and organized it into his Elements, a work that contain Euclid's now famous axioms and common notions. Thes principles culminated in theorems and has formed the basis for further study in geometry. Euclid's Elements was translated from Greek to Arabic in the 8th century A.D. and from Arabic to English in the 12th century. Today, these principles of geometry has developed far beyond the Euclidean models—which concern itself with flat surfaces (plane geometry) and three-dimensional objects (solid geometry)—to include the study of figures that exists nowhere in nature but is solely the product of abstract thought or of the imagination.



2		*Rewrite the following paragraph to eliminate agreement problems.* The Zulu, who make up the largest black ethnic group in South Africa, inhabits the villages and cities of South Africa's province of Kwazulu/Natal, which extend to the Indian Ocean. The Zulu community comprise extended families governed by a patriarch or father figure. Most Zulu are farmers, but some of their men has had to leave the villages to seek work in mines and factories in other parts of South Africa. Typically, everyone in a Zulu family are devoted to each other, and the Zulu even engage in the worship of ancestors, whom they believes can protect them and bring them prosperity and happiness. In fact, when the ghost of someone who have died visit a village, usually in the form of a snake, the Zulu sacrifice a young goat or other small animal in its honor. Anyone who have visited South Africa know why the Zulu has become famous for their music and dances, which they perform during festivals and religious celebrations. In one such ceremony, boys who is passing into manhood undergoes a colorful initiation ritual that recall the days when the Zulu were fierce warriors and controlled much of eastern South Africa. Today, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) are controlled by the Zulu. At first, they opposed the agreement between South Africa's white government and the African National Conference (ANC). More recently, the IFP have participated in free elections. In 1994, in fact, they helped elect a new South African government, which were led by the ANC's Nelson Mandela, the first black president in the country's history.



3		*Rewrite the following paragraph to eliminate agreement problems.* The jaguar is easily the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere. This magnificent feline, which is just as strong and fast as any of the great African cats, measure 8 1/2 feet from nose to tail and weigh up to 400 pounds. Jaguars cover an expansive range from Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico southward through Mexico, Central America, and South America to northern Argentina. The jaguar has no natural enemies; only humans, and even then only those who are well armed poses any threat to this great cat. Jaguars live on a diet ranging from small animals and fish to deer and crocodiles, but anyone who have ever lived in an area inhabited by jaguars know too well that they attack farm stock, including pigs, horses, and cattle. Nonetheless, jaguars rarely if ever attack people if not provoked, and no instance of the animal preying on people for food have ever been reported. Nocturnal by nature, jaguars do occasionally hunt and fish during the day. While fishing, the jaguar taps its tail lightly on the surface of the water to lure fish within striking distance. The jaguar is an excellent swimmer and a fast runner. So strong are these cats that a party of tourists in Central America have recently reported seeing a jaguar carrying a cow in its jaws. Finally, because of its strength, agility, and speed, a jaguar is among the few animals that looks down from the tree tops and hunts their prey in the relative safety that height and distance provides. As their weight and size attests, jaguars seldom go hungry.



4		*Rewrite the following paragraph to eliminate agreement problems.* Founded in 1773, the world famous Bolshoi Ballet has its roots in a Moscow orphanage that established a dancing school for its children. The company were given the name Bolshoi ("Great" in Russian) when in 1825 it moved to a new theater owned by the crown. Shortly after the building burned down in the 1850s, the theater and the company was reestablished on a larger scale; the theater could accommodate more than 2,000 people. Both ballets and operas from all over Europe was staged in this building. Later on, the Soviet government were asked for funds to expand this building. In the 1960s, the Soviets constructed a new building for the Bolshoi Ballet Company, the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, which hold an audience of 6,000. Russia has gone through several European wars, two world wars, a devastating revolution, the fall of communism, numerous political purges, and many economic crises since the company's inception. Nonetheless, the Bolshoi have survived, its members traveling widely and earning international, acclaim for what are now considered by many the world's premier ballet company.



5		*Rewrite the following paragraph to eliminate agreement problems. In the process, also eliminate any sexist pronouns.* A blue cheese made from ewe's milk, Roquefort is one of the oldest known cheeses. In France, where they are made, they are called "the cheese of kings and popes." In fact, Roquefort was a favorite of the emperor Charlemagne in the eighth century. Legend has it that each of his cooks was asked to incorporate the cheese into their favorite dish. The distinctively sharp and tangy Roquefort wheels are produced only in Roquefort, near Toulouse, in southern France, where it is aged in limestone caves. The caves are both cool and humid, and its unique atmosphere causes the growth of the fine blue mold, which makes the cheese famous. The Italians and the Danes also produce very fine blue cheeses, but neither have the unique flavor and reputation of the French variety. Often imitated, Roquefort, as the French would say, have never been duplicated. They have remained, since the time of Charlemagne, among France's greatest treasures.



6		*Rewrite the following paragraph to eliminate agreement problems. In the process, also eliminate any sexist pronouns.* Of all of the Utopian communities that emerged in America in the 1820s, perhaps the most successful was that of the Shakers. Actually, the first Shaker community was started in 1779 by Ann Lee on a small piece of property near Albany, New York. Over the next few decades, they grew, and Shaker converts found communities in other places. In fact, dozens of Shaker communities sprouted up throughout New England and the Midwest. Each had their own identity, but all followed the same lifestyle and moral code. During the 19th century, thousands of people joined the Shaker cause. Anyone who converted to Shakerism had to commit himself to a life of simplicity, celibacy, and hard work. They would become famous for the furniture-making and other crafts, as well as for many inventions, including the circular saw and the flat broom. Because the Shakers had vowed to be celibate, no one could hope to pass their lifestyle on to their children, nor could they expect to replenish their ranks with their descendants. As a result, the community depended on converts to keep themselves going, but by the 1890s conversions were becoming rare. As a movement, therefore, they continued to decline. By the late 1980s, only 12 known Shakers remained, each of them in his 90s.

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