Complete each sentence with the correct singular or plural form of one of the words listed in Exercise 4. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
For many years,_____ were considered poisonous.

The biography of Joseph Conrad that appears on this page is followed by five sentences. Rewrite each sentence, filling in the blank with an appropriate word. Use the directions in parentheses as a guide. You will need to consult the biography in order to fill in some of the blanks properly.
One of the great modern masters of English prose, Joseph Conrad did not learn the language until he was twenty years old. He was born in Russia in 1857 of Polish parents, both of whom died when he was young. He was cared for by an uncle until he joined the French merchant marine at the age of sixteen. He spent the next four years sailing on French ships to ports throughout South America and the Caribbean. At the age of twenty, he joined the English merchant marine and for sixteen years traveled to the South Seas. In 1890 he captained a boat traveling up the Congo River in Africa, an experience that inspired Heart of Darkness. Conrad ended his seafaring career in 1894, married, and retired to southern England. The Conrads moved about, living in two or three houses not far from London. There, in the various country homes he and his family rented, he wrote sixteen books, including Lord Jim, Nostromo, and the novella The Secret Sharer.
Conrad’s life at sea and in foreign ports provided the background for much of his writing. People assumed, because of these tales of foreign places, that Conrad was committed to foreign affairs. The truth was simply that Conrad was concerned with the human condition. He chose his characters out of experience and concern for their situations, not out of an allegiance to some other flag. Lord Jim is Conrad’s best-known novel. In this work, a man spends his life trying to make up for an act of cowardice he committed as a young officer during a shipwreck in the East. Conrad’s novel studies the man’s emotions, the idea of personal honor, and the issue of cowardice. In most of Conrad’s writings, his outlook on life is gloomy. Heart of Darkness is no exception as Conrad explores the sinister depths to which humans will sink.
Conrad had a(n) ________ childhood, for both his parents died when he was young. (Add an adjective.)

For each verb below, write two sentences. First, use the verb as a transitive verb. Then use it as an intransitive verb.
gather

For each sentence write the compound construction with its conjunction. If a sentence contains no compound construction, write no compound.
SAMPLE Kim added fudge and marshmallows to her sundae. ANSWERS fudge and marshmallows
The mutual fund company invests in both stocks and bonds.

Write the comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives. (Reminder: Do not add -er or -est to adjectives that form the comparative and superlative forms by means of more and most.) Then choose five of them and write sentences using the com-parative and superlative forms of the adjective.
much

Write the comparative and superlative forms of the following adverbs. Reminders: Do not add -er or -est to adverbs that form the comparative and superlative forms by means of more and most. Also, do not drop the -ly on adverbs that end in -ly. Often, dropping the -ly turns an adverb into an adjective. (For example, suddenly is an adverb; sudden is an adjective.)
far