Page 883 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

1 shift in voice 3 parallel structure errors

2 dangling modifiers

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The city sprawls out for miles, but no matter where I drive, I see
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the fragile-looking woman I called “the walking lady.” Crowded with

speeding cars, I see her in the summer, walking along a dangerous
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four-lane highway. Her fair skin is sheltered from the sun by a
flowered umbrella, but her wavy blonde hair was straggly and damp in

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the humid summer air. Her shoes are not the sturdy athletic shoes
that people wear for exercise, but flats that are worn, flimsy, and
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looking much too loose for her feet. In winter, I see her walking

the narrow downtown streets in the pouring rain, the biting wind, and
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the snow that falls. Wearing a thin coat, the same fragile shoes
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enclose her wide, flat feet. One spring day, sitting on a bench in
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the park, she walked right past me. Up close, her blonde hair looked

thin, her bare legs were mapped with blue veins, and swollen ankles
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also were a problem. She looked straight ahead as she walks, and a
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quiet dignity surrounded her like an eggshell enclosing a yolk. She
is still seen by me as she walks the city’s streets and highways, and

I always wonder how she lives, where she eats, and most of all, why

she endlessly walks.

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