English Skills with Readings 9th Edition by John Langan, Zoe Albright

Exercise 5

4 Evaluating Paragraphs for Coherence

Answer the questions about coherence that follow each of the two paragraphs below.

1. ???Why I Bought a Handgun

1I bought a handgun to keep in my house for several reasons. 2Most important, I have had a frightening experience with an obscene phone caller. 3For several weeks, a man has called me once or twice a day, sometimes as late as three in the morning. 4As soon as I pick up the phone, he whispers something obscene or threatens me by saying, "I'll get you." 5I decided to buy a gun because crime is increasing in my neighborhood. 6One neighbor's house was burglarized while she was at work; the thieves not only stole her appliances but also threw paint around her living room and slashed her furniture. 7Not long after this incident, an elderly woman from the apartment house on the corner was mugged on her way to the supermarket. 8The man grabbed her purse and threw her to the ground, breaking her hip. 9Buying a gun was my response to listening to the nightly news. 10It seemed that every news story involved violence of some kind—rapes, murders, muggings, and robberies. 11I wondered if some of the victims in the stories would still be alive if they had been able to frighten the criminal off with a gun. 12As time passed, I became more convinced that I should keep a gun in the house.

a. The paragraph should use emphatic order. Write 1 before the reason that seems slightly less important than the other two, 2 before the second- most-important reason, and 3 before the most important reason.

_____Obscene phone caller

_____Crime increase in neighborhood

_____News stories about crime

b. Before which of the three reasons should the transitional words First of all be added? _____

c. Before which of the three reasons could the transition In addition be added? _____

d. Which words show emphasis in sentence 2? _____

e. In sentence 8, to whom does the pronoun her refer? _____

f. How often does the key word gun appear in the paragraph? _____

g. What is a synonym for burglarized in sentence 6? _____

2. ????Apartment Hunting

1Apartment hunting is a several-step process. 2Visit and carefully inspect the most promising apartments. 3Check each place for signs of unwanted guests such as roaches or mice. 4Make sure that light switches and appliances 1 work and that there are enough electrical outlets. 5Turn faucets on and off and flush the toilet to be sure that the plumbing works smoothly. 6Talk to the landlord for a bit to get a sense of him or her as a person. 7If a problem develops after you move in, you want to know that a decent and capable person will be there to handle the matter. 8Find out what's available that to matches your interests. 9Your town newspaper and local real estate offices can provide you with a list of apartments for rent. 10Family and friends may be able to give you leads. 11And your school may have a housing office that keeps a list of approved apartments for rent. 12Decide just what you need. 13If you can afford no more than $400 a month, you need to find a place that will cost no more than that. l4If you want a location that's close to work or school, you must take that factor into account. 15If you plan to cook, you

want a place with a workable kitchen. 16By taking these steps, you should be ready to select the apartment that is best for you.

a. The paragraph should use time order. Write 1 before the step that should come first, 2 before the intermediate step, and 3 before the final step.

_____Visit and carefully inspect the most promising apartments.

_____Decide just what you need.

_____Find out what's available that matches your interests.

b. Before which of three steps could the transitional words The first step is to be added? _____

c. Before which step could the transitional words After you have decided what you are looking for, the next step is to be added? _____

d. Before which step could the transitional words The final step be added? _____

e. To whom does the pronoun him or her in sentence 6 refer to?

_______

f. What is a synonym for landlord in sentence 7? _______

g. What is a synonym for apartment in sentence 13? _______

Step 1 of 2

on Evaluating Paragraphs for Coherence (156-158)

1.?“Why I Bought a Handgun”

??a.?3—Obscene phone caller

???2—Crime increase in neighborhood

???1—News stories about crime victims

??b. reason 1

??c. reason 2

??d. Most important

??e. an elderly woman

??f. five

??g. stole