Revise each of the following sentences twice, once as a periodic sentence and once as a cumulative sentence.
1.) Obviously not understanding reporters, the politician did not know their names, did not answer their questions, and did not read their stories.
(periodic) Because he did not know their names, answer their question and did not read their stories, it was obvious that he did not understand the reporters.
(cumulative)
The politician did not understand the reporter; he did not know their names, answer their questions or read their stories.
2.) Able to think only of my mother's surgery the next morning, I could not even eat my dinner, much less get any sleep, nor could I do my homework.
(periodic)
I could not eat my dinner, get any sleep nor do my homework because all I could think about was my mother's surgery tomorrow.
(cumulative)
Because I was only able to think about my mother's surgery the next morning, I could not eat my dinner, get any sleep or do my homework.
I agree.
To revise the given sentences as periodic and cumulative sentences, you can use the following approaches:
1.
Original Sentence: Obviously not understanding reporters, the politician did not know their names, did not answer their questions, and did not read their stories.
Periodic Sentence: Because he did not know their names, answer their question and did not read their stories, it was obvious that he did not understand the reporters.
Cumulative Sentence: The politician did not understand the reporter; he did not know their names, answer their questions or read their stories.
Explanation:
- In the periodic sentence revision, the subordinate clause "Because he did not know their names, answer their question and did not read their stories" is placed at the beginning to emphasize the reasons leading to the politician's lack of understanding.
- In the cumulative sentence revision, the original sentence is slightly rearranged while maintaining the list of the politician's actions in the same order.
2.
Original Sentence: Able to think only of my mother's surgery the next morning, I could not even eat my dinner, much less get any sleep, nor could I do my homework.
Periodic Sentence: I could not eat my dinner, get any sleep nor do my homework because all I could think about was my mother's surgery tomorrow.
Cumulative Sentence: Because I was only able to think about my mother's surgery the next morning, I could not eat my dinner, get any sleep or do my homework.
Explanation:
- In the periodic sentence revision, the dependent clause "because all I could think about was my mother's surgery tomorrow" is placed at the beginning to provide a clear reason for the actions that follow.
- In the cumulative sentence revision, the original sentence is reorganized to emphasize the cause-effect relationship between thinking about the surgery and the subsequent inability to perform various tasks.