. Sentence Structure: Punctuation, Dangling and Misplaced…

. Sentence Structure: Punctuation, Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers, and Distant Verbs Revise the sentences below to deal appropriately with misplaced or dangling modifiers, sentence fragments, comma splices, verbs that are postponed to the end of the sentence, and verbs that are too distant from their subject. 1. While reading the verdict out loud, the defendant listened attentively. 2. The attorney advised her client to settle the case, the client refused because he thought he could win at trial. 3. The defendant, in addition to having to pay compensatory damages for committing battery, may be required to pay punitive damages. 4. My client discussed your proposal to fill the sewer with her partners. 5. Once filled with gas, you can drive the car on the road trip. B. Verb Voice: Eliminating the Passive Voice Rewrite the sentences below so that they are written using the active voice. You may need to draw on your own knowledge or imagination to supply the subject of the active voice verb. 1. The attorney’s objection was overruled by the judge. 2. While Ms. Thompson was speeding on the highway, she was pulled over and given a ticket by a police officer. 3. Statements from witnesses were taken by police officers who arrived on the scene. 4. The liquidated damages clause was deemed to be reasonable and therefore enforceable. 5. In certain instances, settlement will have to be attempted to be reached by parties, before the judge will hear a motion by either party. C. Pronoun Case, Antecedents, and Gender-Neutral Language Revise the sentences below so that each pronoun has an identifiable antecedent and is gender neutral. 1. Every lawyer who wants his motion heard must check in with the clerk. 2. An attorney may find that his statements regarding a victim may diminish the respect he receives from jurors. 3. In the decision, it states that the witness saw the accused enter the house. 4. Gary and me tried to solve the riddle, but neither he nor me could figure it out. 5. The distributor may terminate the contract with the manufacturer, but he must first give the manufacturer thirty-days’ notice. D. Parallelism Each of the sentences below contains some kind of faulty parallelism. Revise and correct each sentence, using parallelism in your answer. 1. The defendant’s attorney was pompous, rude and lacked competence. 2. The prosecutor argued that aggravating circumstances included the defendant’s criminal record, lack of remorse and that the defendant acted with great cruelty when committing the crime. 3. To run for city council, a person must reside in the state for three years, be a U.S. citizen and not have committed a felony. 4. The court held that Johnson’s identification was not reliable because Johnson admitted he was looking at the assailant’s gun more than he focused on the assailant’s face. 5. When her coffee maker broke, the customer wanted to obtain a refund, exchange the item, or she wanted to speak to a manager. E. Avoiding Wordiness Rewrite the passage below using short sentences and omitting as many surplus words as you can. It is the contention of the plaintiff that on July 15, 2017, he was a licensee and a guest in defendant’s home. On said date and time, defendant carelessly and negligently owned and maintained said home, particularly the banister or railing of the staircase that went from the first floor to the second floor, and the railing was in a dangerous condition, because it was rusted and not adequately secured to the wall, and as such was unsafe for use by persons, including plaintiff, and that as a result, when plaintiff attempted to climb the stairs, the railing broke and plaintiff was caused to and did sustain injuries and was injured as herein set forth