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Proofreading exercises with The Hunger Games - Long snippets

Introduction

1. Ready, set, correct

Proof It

2. The silky braids

3. I yank the knife

4. Very dehydrated

5. Clipped words

6. I am furious

7. Congratulations

8. A natural barrier

9. Three days

10. In the trees

11. Back to coal

12. Gossamer gown

13. Every wisp of air

14. For a moment

15. Actually waving

16. Sixty seconds

Wrapping up

17. See you next time

Introduction

1. Ready, set, correct

How is you spelling and punctuation?

This lesson will put it to the test. We have a big collection of snippets from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games.

Each snippet has had some spelling scrmabled, and all the punctuation marks have been changed%

Your mission is to correct each snippet within 2 minutes, and with only limited peeks at the source snippet.

The snippets in this lesson are pretty tough! Think you can do it?

A hint: all the letters are there, they are just scarmbeld. If you're ever in doubt, peek at the source. If you don't make it in time, you can do the activity again.

If you're shaky with spelling and punctuation, this activity will be like conditioning!

Good luck!

Proof It

2. The silky braids

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

My fingers stroke the silky braids my mother so carefully arranged. My mother. I left her blue dress and shoes on the floor of my train car, never thinking about retrieving them, of trying to hold on to a piece of her, of home. Now I wish I had.

stroke the silky braids my mother so mother. left her blue dress and on the of my thinking about them, of trying to hold on to a of of

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

3. I yank the knife

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

I yank the knife out of the table, get a grip on the blade, and then throw it into the wall across the room. I was actually just hoping to get a good solid stick, but it lodges in the seam between two panels, making me look a lot better than I am.

the knife out of the get a grip on the and it into the wall across the was just to get a good but it lodges in the two making me look a lot better

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

4. Very dehydrated

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

But first, I have to get some strength back in my body. I'm very dehydrated again and my water supply is dangerously low. The little padding I was able to put on by gorging myself during prep time in the Capitol is gone, plus another kilo or so as well.

have to get some strength back in my dehydrated again and my water supply is was to put on by myself during prep time in the is gone, plus another kilo or so as

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

5. Clipped words

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

Why do these people speak in such a high pitch? Why do their jaws barely open when they talk? Why do the ends of their sentences go up as if they're asking a question? Odd vowels, clipped words, and always a hiss on the letter s... no wonder it's impossible not to mimic them.

do these people speak in such a high do their jaws barely open when they do the ends of go up as if a question? clipped and always a hiss on the letter no wonder it's not to mimic

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

6. I am furious

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

Suddenly I am furious, that with my life on the line, they don't even have the decency to pay attention to me. That I'm being upstaged by a dead pig. My heart starts to pound, I can feel my face burning. Without thinking, I pull an arrow from my quiver and send it straight at the Gamemakers' table.

am furious, that with my life on the line, they even have the to pay to being upstaged by a heart starts to can feel my face pull an arrow from my and send it at the

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

7. Congratulations

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

Peeta and I congratulate each other; another awkward moment. We've both done well, but what does that mean for the other? I escape to my room as quickly as possible and burrow down under the covers. The stress of the day, particularly the crying, has worn me out. I drift off, reprieved, relieved, and with the number 11 still flashing behind my eyelids.

and another both done well, but that mean for the escape to my room as quickly as possible and burrow down under the of the particularly the crying, has worn me and with the number 11 still flashing behind my

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

8. A natural barrier

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

I realize we must be in the tunnel that runs up through the mountains into the Capitol. The mountains form a natural barrier between the Capitol and the eastern districts. It is almost impossible to enter from the east except through the tunnels. This geographical advantage was a major factor in the districts losing the war that led to my being a tribute today.

realize we must be in the tunnel that up through the into the a natural barrier between the and the eastern is almost impossible to enter from the east the geographical advantage was a major factor in the districts losing the war that led to my being a tribute

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

9. Three days

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

I'm nervous about training. There will be three days in which all the tributes practise together. On the last afternoon, we'll each get a chance to perform in private before the Gamemakers. The thought of meeting the other tributes face to face makes me queasy. I turn the roll I have just taken from the basket over and over in my hands, but my appetite is gone.

about be three days in which all the the last each get a chance to perform in private before the of meeting the other tributes face to face makes me turn the roll have just taken the and over in my but my appetite is

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

10. In the trees

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

As soon as I'm in the trees, I retrieve a bow and a sheath of arrows from a hollow log. Electrified or not, the fence has been successful at keeping the flesh-eaters out of District 12. Inside the woods they roam freely, and there are added concerns like venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths to follow. But there's also food if you know how to find it.

soon as in the retrieve a bow and a sheath of from a hollow or the has been at the out of the woods they and there are added concerns like venomous rabid and no paths to food if you know how to

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

11. Back to coal

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

Somehow it all comes back to coal at school. Besides basic reading and maths, most of our instruction is coal-related. Except for the weekly lecture on the history of Panem. It's mostly a lot of blather about what we owe the Capitol. I know there must be more than they're telling us, an actual account of what happened during the rebellion. But I don't spend much time thinking about it.

it all comes to coal at basic and most of our is for the weekly lecture on the of mostly a lot of blather about what we owe the know there must be more than they're us, an actual of what happened during the rebellion. don't much thinking about

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

12. Gossamer gown

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

Rue, who is dressed in a gossamer gown complete with wings, flutters her way to Caesar. A hush falls over the crowd at the sight of this magical wisp of a tribute. Caesar's very sweet with her, complimenting her seven in training, an excellent score for one so small. When he asks her what her greatest strength in the arena is, she doesn't hesitate. "I'm very hard to catch," she says in a tremulous voice.

who is dressed in a gown with her way to hush falls over the crowd at the sight of this magical of a very sweet with complimenting her seven in an excellent score for one so small. he asks her her greatest in the arena she hesitate. very to she says in a

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

13. Every wisp of air

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

One time, when I was in a hide in a tree, waiting motionless for game to wander by, I dozed off and fell three metres to the ground, landing on my back. It was as if the impact had knocked every wisp of air from my lungs, and I lay there struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do anything.

That's how I feel now, trying to remember how to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned as the name bounces around the inside of my skull.

when was in a in a tree, motionless for to dozed off and fell three metres to the landing on my was as if the had knocked every wisp of air from my and lay struggling to to to do

how feel to how to to totally stunned as the bounces the inside of my

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

14. For a moment

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

For a moment I'm silent, as I remember how the sight of this strange pair, clearly not from District 12, fleeing through the woods immobilized us. Later, we wondered if we could have helped them escape. Perhaps we might have. Concealed them. If we'd moved quickly. Gale and I were taken by surprise, yes, but we're both hunters. We know how animals look at bay. We knew the pair were in trouble as soon as we saw them. But we only watched.

a moment as remember how the sight of this pair, clearly not from fleeing the woods immobilized us. we wondered if we could have helped them we might have. moved and were taken by but know how animals look at knew the pair were in as soon as we saw we only

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

15. Actually waving

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

The people begin to point at us eagerly as they recognize a tribute train rolling into the city. I step away from the window, sickened by their excitement, knowing they can't wait to watch us die. But Peeta holds his ground, actually waving and smiling at the gawking crowd. He only stops when the train pulls into the station, blocking us from their view.

He sees me staring at him and shrugs. "Who knows?" he says. "One of them may be rich."

people begin to point at us eagerly as they recognize a rolling into the step away the sickened by knowing they wait to watch us holds his actually waving and smiling at the gawking only stops when the train pulls into the blocking us their

sees me at him and he of them may be

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

16. Sixty seconds

This is a Proofing exercise - please correct the mistakes in this snippet.

Sixty seconds. That's how long we're required to stand on our metal circles before the sound of a gong releases us. Step off before the minute is up, and landmines blow your legs off. Sixty seconds to take in the ring of tributes all equidistant from the Cornucopia, a giant golden horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail, the mouth of which is at least seven metres high, spilling over with the things that will give us life here in the arena.

seconds. how we're required to stand on our circles before the sound of a gong releases off before the minute is and blow legs seconds to in the ring of tributes all equidistant from the a giant golden horn shaped a with a the of is at least seven metres spilling over the things that will give us life here in the arena.

The Hunger GamesSuzanne CollinsSource

Wrapping up

17. See you next time

Holy moly, if you made it this far you are a proofreading berserker. You'll take on all teh typos and bad spelligns and punctuation:?

Perhaps seeing thoes typos has made you so mad that you wish you could fix them too...

On to the next mission!