Download A Zombie Guide to Proofreading

A Zombie Guide to
Proofreading
Articles
Zombie at Starbucks attacked me.
After finding a noun, ask these questions:
Q: Is “zombie” a count or non-count noun?
A: One zombie. Two zombies. It is count.
Q: Is this a specific zombie or zombies in general?
A: It is a specific zombie the writer wants to talk
about.
Q: Is it known or unknown? Does the reader know
the zombie?
A: Unknown.
Q: How many zombies are there?
A: There is only 1.
A Zombie at Starbucks attacked me.
A. Fill in the blanks with the, a/an, or Ø.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
I saw two movies last week. _____ first one was a horror movie; _____ second was a comedy.
Usually, _____ zombies run fast when they are new.
_____ Russian president is not afraid of _____ zombies.
"What happened to you? Oh _____ zombie bit me."
"What happened to you? Oh _____ zombie by the window bit me."
He said he would come _____ minute that he finished hunting zombies.
B. Decide if the following are correct or incorrect. If they are incorrect, choose the correct article.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
I bought a new luggage last week.
The President is worried about Ø hunger.
A US government is worried about zombies.
Equipment that you are looking for has been destroyed by zombies.
We're looking for Ø new zombie hunter.
I need to study the hunting more carefully.
Noun Forms
Zombie is dangerous creature.
Q: Is the noun countable or uncountable?
A: Countable.
Q: Are you writing about a subject in general?
A: Yes, general.
Zombies are dangerous creatures.
Decide if the following sentences contain any noun form errors. If they do, fix them.
1. When I think about zombie, I feel a lot of fear.
2. There were at least one hundred dead, rotting, disgusting zombie around our home last
night.
3. Even in a world full of zombies, a zombie family is a strange sight.
4. The wife keeps their knife on the shelves.
5. Childs are sometimes scared of zombie.
6. The boys went fishing and caught 10 fish, three wild dogs, and chicken.
7. Women are just as good as man at hunting.
8. How many people have become zombies?
Subject verb Agreement
Every zombie here __ scary.
Q: Is there only a noun, or is there a subject
word?
A: Subject word.
Q: What is the subject word?
A: Every.
Neither the zombies nor their victim __
clean.
Q: Is there only a noun, or is there a subject word?
A: Subject word.
Q: What is the subject word?
A: Neither.
Q: Does it use neither…nor?
A: Yes.
Q: Is the noun after nor singular or plural?
A: Singular.
Every zombie here is scary.
Neither the zombies nor their victim is
clean.
A. Fill in the blank with the appropriate form of the verb (in parentheses).
1.
2.
3.
4.
Each of the zombies _____ me with their missing eyes, broken teeth, and rotting smell. (to disgust)
John, with his partners Jean-Luc and Anthony, often _____ zombies at night. (to hunt)
Neither the zombie mother nor her children _____ hungry. (to seem)
On the sidewalk _____ the heads of one hundred and thirty dead zombies. (to be)
B. Decide if the following sentences are correct or incorrect. If they are incorrect, fix them.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Our pet zombie Fido, together with our dogs, have chewed through the fence.
Neither of my two older brothers hunts zombies very well.
Five hundred twenty two dead zombies rests across the lawn of the White House.
Both hunters is lost.
Pronoun Reference
After the zombies left the group of
humans, the vampires attacked
them.
Q: What pronouns are there?
A: Them.
Q: How many nouns could it refer to?
A: 2 – zombies or vampires.
After the zombies left the group of
humans, the vampires attacked the
humans.
Each sentence below has a pronoun reference error. Find the error and fix it.
1. Adam told John that a zombie was hiding in his house.
2. Because they are always gossiping behind the counter instead of hunting zombies, the small space
outside the fence is always filled with zombies.
3. It says in the course syllabus that whining about the teacher using zombies as examples will cost
them twenty points at the end of the semester.
4. Mikyung told Soyoung that Anthony had assigned twenty more articles for homework, so she picked
up the thick research pack and began to read.
5. Mrs. Cthulu explained to her assistant Julie that she would need a cup of coffee to finish counting
the zombie heads her students had collected.
6. While terrifying, hungry zombies were holding the class hostage, the teacher announced that the
research papers were due early—on Friday, not Monday. This really distressed the poor students.
7. When fighting off a large mass of zombies, you must find the stamina, supplies, and good luck to win
and return home safely to a hot meal and a cold beer.
Sentence Fragments
(1) I am still scared. (2) Even
though the zombies are dead.
(3) Because I am alone.
Q: Is there a verb?
A: Yes, (1) am, (2) are, (3) am
Q: Is there a subject?
A: Yes, (1) I, (2) the zombies, (3) I
Q: Does the sentence use a word like
although, while, despite, because, etc.?
A: (1) No, (2) Yes, (3) Yes
Q: Is there a complete idea?
A: (2) No, (3) No
Even though the zombies are
dead, I am still scared because
I am alone.
Read each short passage that follows. Determine which part is the fragment
1. (A) Richie loves to walk his friends' dogs at Lake Eola Park. (B) For example, Kim's Labrador retriever
Murphy or Gary's bulldog Kembo. (C) Zombies, Richie has learned, gravitate toward guys with noisy
dogs.
2. (A) Joshua found the pressure from the gas in his stomach unbearable. (B) Although he didn't want to
be rude in the middle of his survival class. (C) An explosive fart erupted from his butt.
3. (A) While cleaning under his bed, Glen heard the vacuum cleaner suck up something hard and
metallic. (B) Glen wanted to know what the object was. (C) But he had no intention of digging
through a bag of teeth, eyes, and other rotting zombie parts.
Choose the option that fixes the fragment.
Moving the telescope closer to her eye. Brave Vanessa looked and was startled at the zombie horde
down the street.
1. Moving the telescope closer to her eye, brave Vanessa looked and was startled at the zombie
horde down the street.
2. Moving the telescope closer to her eye brave Vanessa looked and was startled at the zombie
horde down the street.
3. Brave Vanessa looked and was startled at the zombie horde down the street moving the telescope
closer to her eye.
Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
Zombies are scary, they are dangerous.
Zombies are scary they are dangerous.
Q: Does the sentence contain two independent
clauses?
A: Yes.
Q: Does the sentence contain two independent
clauses?
A: Yes.
Q: Are the clauses joined with a conjunction?
A: No.
Q: Are the clauses joined with a conjunction?
A: No.
Q: Are the clauses joined with a comma?
A: Yes.
Q: Are the clauses joined with a comma?
A: No.
You have a comma splice. Revise
You have a fused sentence. Revise.
Zombies are scary and dangerous.
Zombies are scary and dangerous.
Directions: Determine whether the items below are comma splices or fused sentences.
1. At the back of the classroom, Nina sat with her arms crossed, glaring at her teacher, Mr. Beane, her
body language indicated that English was her least favorite subject.
A. comma splice
B. fused sentence
2. During English class, Anthony kept flirting with Adam because his behavior was keeping John from
understanding the lecture, John whacked him over the head with her heavy dictionary.
A. comma splice
B. fused sentence
Directions: Find a fix the problem in the sentence below.
If Chris hopes to survive in his 8 a.m. English class, he needs to drink some caffeine even when he
has a test, his head hits the desk by 8:05, and snores soon escape his mouth.
Note: Many exercises in this booklet were taken from Grammar Bytes (www.chompchomp.com). This is
an excellent resource for English grammar study!