The goal of this exercise is to help you polish your writing style by applying Chapter 8's guidelines for constructing sentences.

The Exercise

1. Reduce the number of words in the sentences below:

1. The way in which we came to this decision was by consulting Dr. Martin, who had told us we could call on her, at the Biochemistry lab.
2. The plans for forest regeneration were, after careful review, presented to the Forest Commission in an effort to make absolutely certain that there was no chance the plans contained any errors.
3. In this program, forestry majors decide upon a course of action that would enhance their learning potential while at the same time providing them with the tools they need to succeed in the work world.
4. The results of this review has determined that students at Baker Medical School could potentially benefit from a new course that might make it easier to become acclimated to the rigors of medical school.

2. Rewrite the following sentences in a way that will keep the related words together:

1. The Head of the Department of Chemistry said that students need to be aware of various co-ops at the meeting last week.
2. The cyclotron, a delicate piece of equipment that must be handled with care, will not provide accurate readings of pH levels if it is disturbed while operating.
3. A survey of Lime Quarry in Centre County indicated that despite regulation to stop erosion (which has been in effect since 1983), there is still massive run-off and erosion occurring at the site.
4. The Adams Corporation has decided to discontinue the use of three pesticides, all of which have been found to cause cancer in laboratory rats, at its annual meeting.

3. Rewrite the following sentences to put the action in the verb.

1. It is because effective fertilization methods have failed that Martin Farms will be filing for bankruptcy.
2. The loss of tillable land in parts of the southwest was due to poor conservation efforts by local farmers.
3. The lab personnel manager made the recommendation that we wear protective gloves at all stages of blood testing.
4. The implementation of the new curriculum will mean that geology students will have to take Rock Formations before enrolling in Earth Crust Study.

4. Rewrite the following sentences in the active voice.

1. It was determined by the department head that the animal science program should spend more time preparing students for the work world.
2. Our funding for research on the systematics of vascular plants has been provided by the National Science Institute.
3. Data on the respiration patterns of the brown bat should be given to us by the Animal Physiology Study Group.
4. In the past few weeks, our research results have been investigated much more thoroughly by the journal interested in accepting our article for publication.