Editing for Word Order:
The Disappearance of Dinosaurs

This exercise asks you to analyze and edit word order errors. If there is an error of this type, revise the sentence, putting the words in the correct order. If there is no error of this type, write No change.

Examples:

i. Sally quickly put on the sweater red and white that her mother had given her for her birthday.
Answer: Sally quickly put on the red and white sweater that her mother had given her for her birthday

ii. Last night, I tried to call you, but I even couldn't find enough coins in my pocket for the pay phone.
Answer: Last night, I tried to call you, but I couldn't even find enough coins in my pocket for the pay phone.

iii. Gary stood in the rain, shivering, rubbing his arms, and jumping up and down to generate heat.
No change

First read the paragraph first for overall meaning.

To open a dictionary in a new window, click a link: [Newbury House Online Dictionary] [Dictionary.com] [Merriam-Webster Dictionary]

1 Dinosaurs belong to a group of giant reptiles that became extinct about 65 million years ago. 2 These creatures existed for more than 175 million
years, and dinosaur fossils on every continent except Antarctica have been found. 3 The brachiosaurus was the largest whose weight is estimated at 50 to 70 tons. 4 Scientists could not for many years agree on the cause of extinction; many believed that the massive size of the creatures was responsible for their disappearance. 5 However, this theory was discarded because fossil remains have revealed that not all dinosaurs were big. 6 As scientists discovered more about the Earth's history, they learned that many other forms of life came also to a sudden end about the same time that the dinosaurs died off. 7 Heavy metal concentrations at certain levels of sedimentary rock provide the basis for the recent most explanation of the extinction of dinosaurs. 8 According to this theory, if a meteorite had hit the Earth with a diameter of six miles, it would have formed a giant crater, and then it would have disintegrated. 9 But first, it would have created a dust cloud that might have blocked for months the sun. 10 Plants would have died without the sun's energy, and animals too would have died. 11 Lack of sunlight would have brought also unusually cold weather that might have killed any of the remaining animals. 12 Today, biologists believe that a disaster of this kind is the most plausible explanation for the disappearance sudden of dinosaurs.

Source: Improving the Grammar of Written English, The Editing Process, Benson and Byrd

Now analyze each sentence for word order errors. If there is an error of this type, revise the sentence, putting the words in the correct order. If there is no error of this type, write No change. There are ten (10) word order errors. There are no other error types, so do not make any other changes. When you are finished, click Answer to reveal the correct answer for each item.

 

1. Dinosaurs belong to a group of giant reptiles that became extinct about 65 million years ago.


2. These creatures existed for more than 175 million years, and dinosaur fossils on every continent except Antarctica have been found.


3. The brachiosaurus was the largest whose weight is estimated at 50 to 70 tons.


4. Scientists could not for many years agree on the cause of extinction; many believed that the massive size of the creatures was responsible for their disappearance.


5. However, this theory was discarded because fossil remains have revealed that not all dinosaurs were big.


6. As scientists discovered more about the Earth's history, they learned that many other forms of life came also to a sudden end about the same time that the dinosaurs died off.


7. Heavy metal concentrations at certain levels of sedimentary rock provide the basis for the recent most explanation of the extinction of dinosaurs.


8. According to this theory, if a meteorite had hit the Earth with a diameter of six miles, it would have formed a giant crater, and then it would have disintegrated.


9. But first, it would have created a dust cloud that might have blocked for months the sun.


10. Plants would have died without the sun's energy, and animals too would have died.


11. Lack of sunlight would have brought also unusually cold weather that might have killed any of the remaining animals.


12. Today, biologists believe that a disaster of this kind is the most plausible explanation for the disappearance sudden of dinosaurs.


Edit for Word Order: Rosetta Stone

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