central United States.

The spring and summer months mean tornado season for many who live in the middle areas of

the country farther from the coasts. ^

 

L-6 Unnecessary Words

Editing Out Unnecessary Words. Edit the following sentences to eliminate any empty

words, wordiness, or redundancy. Answers to even-numbered items can be found at the

back of the book.

EXAMPLE

1. Tornado Alley is the nickname given to the area around northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas,

and Nebraska, where tornados tend to occur more often than in other parts of the country.

2. There has been a pattern over the last few years in the United States of seeing more than a

thousand tornados a year, the majority of which touch down in Tornado Alley.

3. It used to be the case that residents of Tornado Alley got little notice or warning in the event

that a storm was on its way.

4. When they saw a low cloud that was large in size, grayish-yellow in color, and shaped like a

funnel, they knew they had to race quickly to a storm shelter.

5. Gary England, chief meteorologist at Oklahoma City’s Channel 9 and the area’s most

famous TV weather personality, has dedicated his work and career to tracking tornados and

predicting their course.

6. He is a hero among the local residents living in that area.

7. Prior to the time when England persuaded Channel 9 to invest in Doppler radar, people had

less than a minute’s warning of a tornado; now, they have more than twenty.

8. At the time that a tornado hits, England and his team of meteorologists hunker down in the

station office around their multicolored radar screens, while the rest of Oklahoma City

watches them.

9. According to Oklahomans, you’re able to guess that a storm is apparently going to be very

bad when Gary England removes his jacket.

10. Some scientists believe that tornados at this point in time are more severe and are causing

more damage than in the past due to the existence of global warming.

Name: _____________________________________________________ Class/section: ________________________________