No Harm Spilt

Revise the following sentences to make them more concise:

1. There were a lot of cars that were damaged by vandals last night.
2. High-quality footwear designed specifically for winter weather conditions greatly enhances the ambulatory navigation of icy surfaces.

Answers: 1. Vandals damaged many cars last night. 2. Good winter boots make walking on ice easier.

Choose the correct word:

1. Piranhas never feel (bad/badly) about their behaviour.
2. (Our’s/Ours) is the only dog on the block that has never chased a cat.
3. The (Jones’s/Joneses’) cat went missing.
4. The neighbours like the dog, but they loathe (him/his) howling at the moon.
5. Give my secretary or (I/myself/me) a call if you have any questions.
6. Give the job to (whoever/whomever) you think is the best candidate.
7. It is a great pleasure for the Prime Minister and (I/myself/me) to welcome you this evening.
8. If she (was/were) at the party, no one saw her.
9. If I (were/was) in better shape, I would take up mountain climbing.
10. We (couldn’t/could) hardly believe how hard he worked.
11. If you (would have/had) told me about the party sooner, I would have come.
12. (Its/It’s) a good thing you remembered to feed the cat.
13. Just between you and (I/me), Shakespeare isn’t a very good guide to modern usage.
14. Neither the secretaries nor the office manager (plan/plans) to attend the meeting.
15. Neither Susan nor I (is/am) planning to attend.
16. The original document, along with all subsequent copies, (was/were) lost.
17. MacDonald’s has added many new items to (its/their) menu.
18. Things didn’t quite turn out (like/as) she had predicted.
19. How will being sued and losing your job (affect/effect) you financially?
20. We bought the (friskiest/friskier) of the two puppies.
21. Your uncle has (lain/laid) on the sofa all day.
22. No one who has experienced an Edmonton (Winter/winter) fears global warming.
23. We should (of/have) known the cat would destroy the carpet.
24. Dad went to buy (Mom/mom) some good walking shoes, but he couldn’t find the (womens’/women’s) department.

Answers: 1. bad 2. Ours 3. Joneses’ 4. his 5. me 6. whoever 7. me 8. was 9. were 10. could 11. had 12. It’s 13. me 14. plans 15. am 16. was 17. its 18. as 19. affect 20. Friskier  21. Lain 22. Winter 23. Have  24. Mom/women’s