Handout from 04/08/09 - FOLLOW UP

A) Passage B from the handout
Detect cases of lack of parallelism and correct those:
Some people today are “survivalists.” These people, because they fear some great disaster in the near future (like economic collapse or nuclear war), are preparing for a catastrophe. Hoarding food, stockpiling weapons, and the achievement of self-sufficiency are some of the activities of survivalists. In Arkansas, for example, one group has built a mountain fortress to defend its supplies and staying safe. Arkansas, the group feels, is the best place to be for several reasons: it is an unlikely target for nuclear attack; it offers plentiful supplies of food and water; a good climate. Some Americans feel that the attitude of survivalists is selfish and greed. These people say that such a philosophy turns society into a “dog-eat-dog” race for life. Other people believe that after a nuclear war, the world, with radiation and where there would be disease, wouldn’t be worth living in.

B)Trite Expressions

In the following exercise, find the trite expression in each sentence, and try to think of a way to rephrase it.

1. Sadder but wiser, Ellen repaid the borrowed money.
2. She had learned her lesson the hard way.
3. From that day forward she would save for the finer things in life.
4. At that point, her money had disappeared at the drop of a hat.
5. The whole situation was rotten to the core.
6. Roger spotted the mistake as quick as a wink.
7. Instead of blushing, she turned as white as snow.
8. Her little brother was as destructive as a bull in a china shop.
9. His awful reputation spread like wildfire.
10. It was high time he went to commune with nature and to do his own thing.
11. Frank was fed up with the rat race.
12. At the crack of dawn he left, lost in thought about Mother Nature.
13. He was not afraid of living alone in the wilderness because he was as brave as a lion.
14. Frank was not only courageous, but he was also as sly as a fox.
15. Furthermore, he could run like a deer and swim like a fish.
16. Unfortunately, he also drank like a fish!
17. The combination of drinking, swimming, and more drinking sent poor Frank to a watery grave.
18. That, in a nutshell, is the sad but true story of the late, great Frank Faintheart.
19. History tells us that such men are often gone but not forgotten.
20. If you hurry, we can get this show on the road.