Question

advanced paragraph correction 3
directions: read the passage below. then answer questions about errors in the passage.
edward murphy was a member of an air force team that performed complicated experiments during the 1) 1940s his work required much preparation and perfect execution. murphy has become renowned for 2) “murphys’ law,” which states that “if anything can go 3) wrong it will.” this 4) somewhat funny observation has spawned a plethora of 5) corrollaries, such as hofstadter’s law: “it always takes longer than you expect, even when you take hofstadter’s law into account.” 6) these smart comments on the perceived perversity of daily life have been published in 7) several books. some of the volumes are general in 8) scope; some pertain to technical careers in aerospace or professional areas such as medicine or law.

1. a. 1940’s, his b. 1940s. his c. 1940s! his d. 1940’s – his e. correct as is
2. a. “murphy’s law,” b. murphy’s law,” c. “murphy’s law”, d. “murphys law,” e. correct as is
3. a. wrong, it will”. b. wrong it, will.” c. wrong, it will.” d. wrong it will,” e. correct as is
4. a. hilarious b. lofty c. comical d. laughable e. tenuous
5. a. corollaries b. corolaries c. corollarries d. corroleries e. correct as is
6. a. witty musings b. complex phrases c. detrimental utterances d. sophisticated sayings e. harmless annotations
7. a. several books, but some b. several books: some c. several books, some d. correct as is
8. a. scope some b. scope. some c. scope & some d. scope, while others

Explanation:

1. The correct way to refer to the decade is "1940s" and a period should be used to end the sentence before starting a new thought. So "1940s. His" is correct.
2. The possessive of Murphy for the law should be "Murphy's Law," with an apostrophe - s for singular possessive.
3. A comma is needed before the independent clause "it will" within the quote. So "wrong, it will." is correct.
4. "hilarious" is a synonym for "somewhat funny" and is a more vivid word choice.
5. "corollaries" is the correct spelling.
6. "witty musings" is a good replacement for "smart comments" as it conveys a similar idea of clever and light - hearted thoughts.
7. The original is correct. The semicolon is used appropriately to separate two related independent clauses.
8. The original is correct. The semicolon separates two related independent clauses about the scope of the volumes.

Answer:

1. B. 1940s. His
2. A. “Murphy's Law,”
3. C. wrong, it will.”
4. A. hilarious
5. A. corollaries
6. A. witty musings
7. D. Correct as is
8. D. Correct as is