A Quiz About Expletives

A Quiz About Expletives A Quiz About Expletives A Quiz About Expletives By Mark Nichol One easy solution for getting sentences off to a strong start is to make them more active by eliminating what is called an expletive, or a dummy subject, such as â€Å"There is† or â€Å"There are.† It is not necessary to eradicate all expletives from your writing, but minimize them by identifying the real subject of the sentence and reconstructing the sentence with that focus with the added benefit of a more concise statement. Each of the sentences below contains an expletive. Recast each sentence as necessary to omit it, then compare your revisions with mine (there’s usually more than one right way to excise an expletive) at the bottom of the page: 1. â€Å"There are several vicious cycles that facilitate the progression of alcohol abuse.† 2. â€Å"There are federal and state legislators who want to bring government into the picture.† 3. â€Å"All across the country, there are numerous private facilities that have figured out the breeding techniques.† 4. â€Å"At the same time, there are also motives and pressures toward normalcy.† 5. â€Å"Unless there is significant progress soon, we’ll have to cancel the program.† 6. â€Å"He wants to know if there is life on other planets.† 7. â€Å"At the other house, there is an outdoor patio.† 8. â€Å"I think there is a good chance that the proposal will be accepted.† 9. â€Å"I am concerned that there is a false impression about our objectives.† 10. â€Å"According to recent studies, there is a tendency for the syndrome to worsen over time.† 11. â€Å"But then there is John Smith, who has another take on the matter.† 12. â€Å"There is a considerable range of expertise among so-called experts.† 13. â€Å"Nevertheless, there are numerous private facilities that have figured out the techniques.† 14. â€Å"At the same time, there are also motives and pressures toward normalcy.† 15. â€Å"To make matters worse, there are several vicious cycles that facilitate the progression of alcohol abuse.† 16. â€Å"His understanding is that there are still countless such volumes in existence.† 17. â€Å"Ultimately, there are sensitive implications about the issue that remain.† 18. â€Å"He adds that there are numerous ethical concerns raised by this practice. 19. â€Å"Each year, there are more and more workshops, seminars, and conferences for practitioners in this field.† 20. â€Å"As I see it, there are two lines of logic that follow from this premise.† Answers 1. â€Å"Several vicious cycles facilitate the progression of alcohol abuse.† 2. â€Å"Some federal and state legislators are itching to bring government into the picture.† 3. â€Å"All across the country, numerous private facilities have figured out the breeding techniques.† 4. â€Å"At the same time, motives and pressures toward normalcy present themselves.† 5. â€Å"Unless significant progress occurs soon, we’ll have to cancel the program.† 6. â€Å"He wants to know whether life exists on other planets.† 7. â€Å"The other house has an outdoor patio.† 8. â€Å"The proposal has a good chance of being accepted.† 9. â€Å"I am concerned that they may have developed a false impression about our objectives.† 10. â€Å"According to recent studies, the syndrome tends to worsen over time.† 11. â€Å"But John Smith has another take on the matter.† 12. â€Å"So-called experts demonstrate a considerable range of expertise.† 13. â€Å"Nevertheless, numerous private facilities have figured out the techniques.† 14. â€Å"At the same time, motives and pressures toward normalcy present themselves.† 15. â€Å"To make matters worse, several vicious cycles facilitate the progression of alcohol abuse.† 16. â€Å"His understanding is that countless such volumes still exist.† 17. â€Å"Ultimately, sensitive implications about the issue remain.† 18. â€Å"He adds that this practice raises numerous ethical concerns.† 19. â€Å"Each year, practitioners in this field have the opportunity to attend an increasing number of workshops, seminars, and conferences.† 20. â€Å"As I see it, two lines of logic follow from this premise.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry†Telling a Good Poem from a Bad One25 Favorite Portmanteau Words