CHAPTER 15 / ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR SKILLS 555
Answer Key 11: Diction Errors
18.She was sending mixed signals, so it was ambigu-
ouswhether she really wanted to go.
19.After our vacation, we decided to proceedwith the
plan.
20.They don’t seem to tolerate anyone who does not
abide by their principles.
21.I was trying to implythat I should be considered
for the new position.
22.I always felt reluctantto talk in class.
23.Deanne was not even fazedby the fire alarm.
24.The vitamins didn’t have as great an effectas I
thought they would.
25.She was the principalbenefactor of the new hospi-
tal ward.
26.The police officer was citedfor her efforts in the
hostage rescue.
27.She made an allusionto the fact that she was once
a beauty queen.
28.Even the most trivial news seems to affectthe stock
price immediately.
29.David felt ambivalentabout testifying against his
partner.
30.The moraleof the troops was at an all-time low
during the Christmas season.
31.That scarf really complementsyour outfit.
32.The meaning of that poem eludesme.
33.Her study of gorillas has been citedin several major
books.Concept Review 11
1.Although most of the manuscripts were signed by
their authors, some were written anonymously.
2.It was hard for the comic to eliciteven the slightest
laugh from the crowd.
3.She seems to have a hard time accepting
compliments.
4.We needed to adaptthe old engine to fit the new
go-cart.
5.I like all flavors of ice cream exceptmocha.
6.The eminentcongresswoman was re-elected easily.
7.While his activities were clearly immoral, they were
not illicit.
8.The committee decided to adoptthe new rules re-
garding membership.
9.She thought it wise to be discreetabout her previ-
ous relationship with the defendant.
10.The councilwill decide how to finance the new city
park.
11.Rather than cooperating with the rest of the team,
Richard is always trying to floutthe rules.
12.His knowledge of sports runs the gamutfrom table
tennis to arena football.
13.The jury should not inferguilt from the defendant’s
refusal to answer these questions.
14.We were amazed at how adepta juggler Carl was.
15.Rather than eliminate the department all at once,
they decided to phaseit out gradually.
16.Dogs barking can often signal imminentdanger.
17.Training a dog is easy, once you’ve got itsattention.
Worksheet 11
1.The reason we canceled the trip is that....(The
reasonis a thing.)
2.Most of the meeting was spent homing in on....
3.Matt was finally kicked off the starting squad for
flouting....
4.I tried to stay awake for the lecture, but I was so
uninterested....(Disinterestedmeansimpartial.)
5.Ms. Davis said that we should always try to....
6.Jennifer was very reluctantto speak....
7.The article mentioned the low voter turnout in
order to imply....
8.Even the ten-run deficit didn’t seem to fazethe
manager....
9.We decided that it was prudent to wait until the
debris was cleared before we proceeded.
10.Although the police initially had many solid leads,
the suspect eludedthem for several months.
11.It may be years before we understand how pollu-
tion from the new power plant might affectthe
regional environment.
12.The new online store’s musical offerings run the
gamutfrom arias to zydeco.
13.Heather was the principalauthor of the study....
14.We were thrilled to get such an eminentexpert....
15.All of the invited guests exceptAnthony arrived
promptly.
16.Mrs. Sullivan went on all period about the
allusions....
17.For nearly the entire semester, I felt so inhibited
that I never so much as raisedmy hand in class.
18.Since they did not have a plan for the project, they
decided to defertheir approval until later.
19.Try as they might, the hikers could not find the
antidote....
20.The acid solution was so potent that we had to di-
luteit with water before we could use it safely.
21.The symbols on the cave walls are ambiguous; sci-
entists have been debating their meaning for decades.
22.Despite the setbacks with the caterers, the Breedens
managed to give a splendidly elegantparty.(Elo-
quentmeanswell-spoken.)
23.As someone committed to fairness in education, she
could not accept the inequity....(Iniquityissin.)