Editing Practice (Page 193)
Problem sentences:
Sentence 1 is stringy.
Sentences 2 and 7 are comma splices.
Sentences 5, 6 and 15, 16 are choppy.
Sentences 10 and 11 are fragments.
Sentences 8 and 14 have problems with parallelism.
Sample corrected paragraph. Answers will vary.
The United States counts its population every ten years, and each census reveals that the racial
and ethnic mix is changing dramatically. Therefore, by the year 2050, the "average" person in the United States will not be
descended from Europeans; instead, the majority of U.S. residents will trace their ancestry to Africa, Asia, the Hispanic
world, the Pacific Islands, or the Middle East. Once the United States was a microcosm of European nationalities; however,
today it is a microcosm of the world. The United States is no longer considered a "melting pot" society by many of its residents.
Instead, many people prefer the term "salad bowl." They use this term to describe U.S. society, which will soon be predominantly
nonwhite. "Melting pot" implies that the different ethnic groups blend together into a homogeneous mixture; on the other hand,
"salad bowl" implies that nationalities, like the ingredients in a mixed green salad, retain their cultural identities.
Earlier generations of immigrants believed they had to learn English quickly not only to survive
but also to succeed. Now, many immigrant groups do not feel the same need because there are many places in the United States
where you can work, shop, get medical care, marry, divorce, and die without knowing English such as Chinatown in San Francisco
and New York and Vietnamese and Mexican neighborhoods in Los Angeles. In addition, many immigrant groups want their children
to know their own culture. Many Hispanics, for instance, want their children to learn both English and Spanish in school,
so they are fighting for the right to bilingual education in communities where they are in the majority.
