Pattern 18

1. The skateboarders’ tricks thrilled me, all of them dangerous and exciting.

2. The lion tamer entered the cage, his demeanor serious and concentrated.

3. Their faces focused, the ice skaters entered the rink to finally live their dream performing in the Olympics.

4. The sounds of the airports–jets humming, people bustling about, the public address system spewing constant ignored announcements–suggest the excitement, frustration, and chaos of the place.

5. The guitarist’s hands moved over the strings, his right hand strumming, his left hand delicately switching chords.

Pattern 17

1. After many years of hard work the painter realized that he finally achieved what he’d always wanted.

2. What Grace did amused her sisters and brothers.

3. What runners lack in endurance, if they’re fast, they can usually manage.

4. That assignment became easier for me to understand after I thought about it.

5. How often she hiccupped shocked not only me but the rest of the class as well.

Pattern 16a

1. It’s not that going green doesn’t make sense–its just that some people forget to recycle.

2. Dennis said he could swim–not that he would go into the water.

3. With horror Sandra realized that Jerrell was a werewolf–not the royal prince of Transylvania whom he had been masquerading all night.

*

1. It is friendship–not romance–that keep happy couples together for a long time.

2. The Buddhist monk only wanted peace, not freedom.

3. An entire three-course dinner (not just milk and a sandwich) is the only thing that can cure this immense hunger.

*

1. The trip turned out to be a joy–not a downer like I had been anticipating.

2. My friend could wear casual clothes, but not heels.

3. No wobbling, Ashley gracefully balanced her drink and her sandwich.

4. The audience did not want the musicians to stop; they begged for an encore.

5. A preacher wants to save his members, not merely himself.

Pattern 16

1. The more Robert tried to please his fiancée, the less satisfied she grew.

2. The more a teenager tries to rebel, the less parents offer their trust.

3. Just as video games can be entertaining to teenagers, so can bingo be entertaining to the elderly.

4. The Jaguar’s beauty is not so much in its design as in its function.

5. Let’s buy cookies and, if not the ice cream, at least the birthday cake.

*

1. Robert forgot to bring the wine to the party, as well as the ice.

2. His father-in-law offered John neither a position with the brokerage firm nor a monthly allowance.

3. During the wedding ceremony the spectators smiled at their friends and relatives, as well as the flower girl, who proudly carried her basket.

Pattern 15a

2. I want to see El Capitan, Half Dome, and the falls when we go to Yosemite.

3. The brave Texans chanted “Remember the Alamo!” as they marched against the Mexican army.

4. Either for good or evil is a human being’s boundless power of choice.

5. In each of us, the dreamer and the doer live side by side.

Pattern 15

1. Not much of a princess was Cinderella, but then neither were her stepsisters.
2. In learning to help others a woman may find her career.
3. Only a big hunk of metal the Heisman Trophy may always be, yet it remains a goal of all college football players.
4. The Nobel Prize is one of the most coveted and prestigious awards in existence; however, few actually achieve such greatness.
5. In the future electronic cars might well become common.

Pattern 14

1. To the dancers without much experience, the new auditions provided more opportunities for success.

2. In the threshold of the barn’s open gate stood the farmer holding a loaded shotgun.

3. After they had taken their places on the field but before they could call off the performance, the marchers soon realized that it was much too muddy to perform their halftime show without treacherously slipping and sliding around.

4. In the old shed by the garden of kale, broccoli, and tomatoes, the Persian cat hid, lazily catching lizards between his paws.

5. With a clear practical application of the principles of integrity and honesty, a student told the teacher who cheated on the last test.

Pattern 13

1. Long-festering differences among rival cowboys were settled by rodeos, which began as rough-and-ready contests.

2. In all parts of the West, rodeos are now a multimillion-dollar business.

3. Black eyes, broken ribs, dislocated shoulders, and even worse injuries are a frequent result of rodeo events.

4. Naturally considered the classic rodeo event, saddle-bronc riding requires coordination, balance, and timing.

5. Every October, the inmates of the Huntsville prison organize a well-publicized, rough-and-tumble rodeo.

Pattern 12

1. Watered carefully, the African violets burst into bloom.

2. Beaten by the underdog team, the Braves, the Giants still won the World Series.

3. Hoping to catch her lying son red-handed, his mother read his blog.

4. Soothed reluctantly by her owner’s petting, the cat finally calmed down.

5. Stalking it’s prey mercilessly, the cheetah leaped from the lower branch to the top of the tree.

6. The crowd seemed out of control, raising their pitchforks in the air, shouting.

7. Sighing with relief as I step outside, the wispy fog soothes my spirit.

Pattern 11a

1. The new video game (I know it’s somewhat graphic!) is causing all of my friends to skip class.
2. My favorite question–“What’s in it for me?”–is actually quite a selfish thing to say.
3. My new iPad–it is incredibly fast and easy to use–seemed perfect for my needs.
4. My favorite movie (it dates back to the early 2000s, at least) is a must-watch.
5. Generally thought to be of Dutch origin, the tulip–I think it is the most beautiful type of flower–originally came from Central Asia.