Editing Exercises


1		*Rewrite the following paragraph to correct problems with spelling and hyphenation.* Dogs have served as loyal helpers and freindly companions to human biengs for almost 14,000 years. In fact, dogs were one of the first animals to be domesticated. In comparison, goats, horses, cattle, chickens, and other livstock were domesticated only about 7,000 years ago. Scientists have traced the earliest dogs back to a small, weesel like mammal that roamed the plains of Asia more than 60 million years ago. Today, their are more than 400 breds of dogs, all the products of ages of genetic enginering. Since people first took in dogs, , they have served as hunters, protectors, herders, beasts of burden, and most importantly, as companions. Modern society has often deamed the dog as an equal, a loyal and trusted friend. In anceint Egypt, however, the dog enjoyed devine status; it was considered sacred. Most recently, dogs have come to play invaluble roles as guides to the blind, agents of the law, and fur covered therapists in some situations.



2		*Rewrite the following paragraph to correct problems with spelling and hyphenation.* Brought to Europe from the New World, potateos seemed like the ideal crop. They were easy to grow and could be stored for long periods without spoiling. Enough potateos could be produced on a small peice of land to feed a family, and the potato was rich in nutreints and protien. By the mid 19th-century, most of the people in Ireland would depend on the potato crop for thier livelihoods and thier lives. Ireland had become a one crop nation, and the qualiteis of potatos had forced a concentration on this crop over all others. The average male ate two to four pounds of potatos every day. In 1845, tradgedy struck. In that year, a fungus, accidently transported from America, whipped out the potato crop. For the next five years, the fungus ravaged the land, and more than one million people died of starvation and its accompanying deseases. Another one million were forced to flee Ireland to excape what became known as "the great hunger." By the time the potato blight had run its coarse, the population of Ireland had declined by 25 percent.



3		*Rewrite the following paragraph to correct problems with spelling and hyphenation.* An Italian phisicist and astronomer, Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy, in 1564. Galileo began his studies in medicine, but he soon abandoned them in favor of mathamatics . At age 25, Galileo became a professor at the University of Pisa. There he worked on the formulation of the laws of motion. Some of his free fall experiments involved drooping various objects from the Tower of Pisa. He is sopposed to have drooped a canonball and a small bullet at the same time to demonstrate that objects of different wieghts would acheive the same aceleration while faling. Galileo also developed the thermameter. Often credited with invention of the telescope, Galileo actually built his own telescope after hearing of the invention of a very rudimentary-telescope in Holland. With his instrument, he discovered four of Jupiter's moons, proved the existance of sunspots, explored the surface of the moon, described the phases of Venus, and maped the Milky Way. Near the end of his life, Galileo angered the Roman Catholic heirarchy because of his defence of Copernicus's heliocentric theory, which placed the sun in the center of the universe. In 1633, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his beliefs, but that sentence was quickly commuted to house arrest. His final works were smugled to Holland for publication. While still under arrest, he died in 1642.



4		*Rewrite the following paragraph to correct problems with spelling and hyphenation.* The Ramayana is an Indian epic that recontes the story of Rama, a herioc figure who represents an encarnation of the god Vishnu, one of the three members of the Hindu trinety. Schalars beleive that the Ramayana was writen about 2,300 years ago. A prince, Rama is removed from his throne by his enemies and goes into exile with his bride, Sita. Soon, however, Sita is abduckted by the demon king figure known as Ravana. After many trails and much troble, Rama meets up with an army of monkies and bears, who help him rescue Sita. Eventually, Rama reganes his riteful place on the throne. Though not a religous work in the strickest sense, the Ramayana does illustrate important virteus such as corage, leadership, and sposal loyalty. To this day, dramatizations of this epic can be seen thruout India and other parts of Asia.



5		*Rewrite the following paragraph to correct problems with spelling and hyphenation.* One of the most fascinating characters in 20th century European history, Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin was a monk who exerted an inordinate amont of power over the court of the last Russian monarche, Czar Nicholas II. Rasputin, noted for his purported abilities at faith heeling, became even more famos for his political corruption and debauchary. He got into the good graces of Czarina Alexandra by succeding in temporarily stopping the bleeding of Crown Prince Alexis, who sufferred from hemophilia. So strong was Rasputin's power over the czarina that he was able to get several of his followers apointed to high state offices. At the same time, his sexual excapades—especially his hosting of orgees—scandalized the nobility. Nonetheless, Rasputin sought more and more power. On one ocasion during World War I, while the czar was visiting his troupes on the front, Rasputin conspired with the czarina—of all people—to make piece with the enemy behind the czar's back. This plot proved to be to much for the Russian nobles, who aranged to have the "Mad Monk" asasinated.

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