Adding/Deleting Words is a subcategory of Sentence, Clause, Phrase Manipulation in which sentences, clauses, and phrases are altered as a result of the addition or deletion of words (e.g., adding frequency words to sentences to make a true statement).
ACTIVITIES:
1. Add a frequency word to each sentence to make a true statement about yourself. Find a partner, and tell your partner about your habits.
EXAMPLE: I drink coffee at night.
I never drink coffee at night.
1. I talk to my neighbors.
2. I pay my rent on time.
3. I'm busy on Saturdays.
4. I receive letters from my friends.
5. I call my family in my country.
6. I travel in the summer.
7. I speak English at home with my family.
8. I eat meat for dinner.
Elbaum, S. (1996). Grammar in Context, Book 2, 2nd ed.
2. Omit the repeated elements in the joined structures in these sentences.
1. Jeff likes to get up early and to finish the cleaning on Saturdays.
2. By the time Matt finishes reading the Saturday paper, Jeff has washed the dishes and has vacuumed the living room.
3. Jeff cleans the kitchen and the living room every Saturday morning.
4. Jeff and Matt come from Kansas and from Wisconsin, respectively.
5. Matt vacuums the living room and dining room every Saturday morning.
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
3. Delete the agents in these sentences if it can be done without significant loss of information.
EXAMPLES: That symphony was written by a composer in the nineteenth century.
That symphony was written in the nineteenth century.
That symphony was written by an Armenian composer.
(Agent cannot be deleted.)
1. The Nazca Lines were constructed by an unknown civilization approximately 2,000 years ago.
2. The lesson was assigned by the teacher for next week.
3. This picture was painted by Picasso when Picasso was 12 years old.
4. My briefcase got taken by someone, but it was found and turned in to the Lost and Found Office by someone in my English class.
5. Many foreign students don't need scholarships because they are being supported by friends or relatives.
6. 1 would never guess that these poems were translated by children.
Thewlis, S. (1993). Grammar Dimensions, Book Three.
4. Rewrite the following sentences. When possible, eliminate the subject and verb in the adverbial clause, or change the verb to a participle. Make any changes necessary to accommodate the deletion. In some cases, you may have to use the subject in the subordinate clause as the subject of the main clause in your new sentence.
EXAMPLE: Once we are aware that the word phobos means 'fear' in Greek, we realize the word phobophobia means 'fear of fear.'
Once aware that the word phobos means "fear" in Greek, we realize the word phobophobia means "fear of fear."
1. Although they are adored by some people,
cats are feared intensely by others. (The extreme
fear of cats is called "ailurophobia.")
2. When an actor is on stage, he may have a phobic reaction called stage fright.
3. If a person is deathly afraid of heights, he is called an acrophobic.
4. If the word "pyrophobia' is analyzed, it is found to be derived from Greek and to mean 'fire fear' (fear of fire).
5. While a person with a fear of flying is traveling by plane, he may resort to alcohol to anesthetize himself.
Dunham, H. and Summers, C. (1986). English Integrated.
5. Expand each of the following headlines into the longest good sentence you can make by adding modifiers. You may change the tense of the verb.
1. WOMAN IS PRESIDENT.
2. PLAYERS ARE WINNERS.
3. INCUMBENT REMAINS GOVERNOR.
4. ELECTION IS LANDSLIDE.
5. CANDIDATE IS LIAR.
6. DANCER BECOMES CITIZEN.
7. MOVIE LOOKS LIKE HIT.
8. STAR BECOMES DIRECTOR.
9. EMPLOYEE IS THIEF.
Knepler, M. (1990). Grammar with a Purpose.
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