Urban Waste Management and English Grammar Exercises

Letter to the Editor: Urban Waste Crisis

Read the letter to the editor. In the blanks, write the correct pronoun or correct form of the verb in parentheses. Use the form correct for formal English.

Many parts of our once-beautiful city are starting to look like mini-garbage dumps. You will recall that legislation requiring recycling within the city limits was passed last year, and the mayor and other local politicians encourage us to recycle, but in my apartment complex, there are no bins for recycling. The result is that people take no responsibility for their own actions, and everyone tosses their trash and recyclables—glass, plastic bottles, cans, etc.—right in with the food that is being thrown away. The manager of the complex and the owner of the building have not bought any new containers for items that are supposed to be recycled. So, what else can residents do but mix their trash together? The owner is responsible for breaking the law here, not us! Meanwhile, trash cans in the downtown area are overflowing with garbage, and vacant lots all around the city are littered with soda cans, broken glass, and paper. The owner and publisher of your newspaper, Stanford Black, has always been a supporter of a clean environment. I urge your paper to take leadership in solving this problem.

Grammar Exercise: Modal Verbs

Circle the correct word or phrase to complete each sentence.

1. That must be the answer to the mystery. All evidence points to it.
2. Ellen might be here later, but I don't know for sure.
3. A monk might have made the trip, but the evidence isn't conclusive.
4. It couldn't have been Newfoundland, which is too far north.
5. We should find out what really happened later today.
6. You ought not to have trouble solving the problem.
7. They had to have been home.
8. She 's got to be the one who took it.
9. They must have been away last week.
10. There must be a key around here somewhere.

Identifying Noun and Adjective Modifiers

Read the sentences and circle all head nouns that have noun or adjective modifiers before them. Underline adjective modifiers once and noun modifiers twice.

1. They love its strange-looking creatures and awesome special effects.
2. They admire its serious but heartwarming treatment of the age-old conflict between exploiters and those they exploit.
3. Children sometimes do not meet their parents' career expectations of them.
4. "Focal dystonia" is an abnormal muscle function caused by extreme concentration.
5. I stand at the top of a steep, icy slope, plotting my every move down the course.