College Writing Skills with Readings 8th Edition by John Langan

Exercise 12

In the spaces provided, add appropriate transitions to tie together the sentences and ideas in the following essay. Draw from the words given in the boxes above the paragraphs. Use each word only once.
Annoying People
President Richard Nixon used to keep an enemies list of all the people he didn't especially like. I'm ashamed to confess it, but I, too, have an enemies list-a mental one. On this list are all the people I would gladly live without, the ones who cause my blood pressure to rise to the boiling point. The top three places on the list go to people with annoying nervous habits, people who talk in movie theaters, and people who talk on cell phones while driving.
For example First of all Another However
______ , there are the people with annoying nervous habits.
______, there are the ones who make faces. When in deep thought, they twitch, squint, and frown, and they can be a real distraction when
I'm trying to concentrate during an exam. ______ type of nervous character makes useless designs. These people bend paper clips into abstract sculptures or string the clips into necklaces as they talk.
______, neither of these groups is as bad as the people who make noises. These individuals, when they are feeling uncomfortable, bite their fingernails or crack their knuckles. If they have a pencil in their hands, they tap it rhythmically against whatever surface is handy-a desk, a book, a head. Lacking a pencil to play with, they jingle the loose change or keys in their pockets. These people make me wish I were hard of hearing.
On the contrary Then As a result After Second
A ______ category of people I would gladly do away with is the ones who talk in movie theaters. These people are not content to sit back,
relax, and enjoy the film they have paid to see. ______, they feel compelled to comment loudly on everything from the hero's hairstyle to
the appropriateness of the background music. ______, no one hears a
word of any dialogue except theirs. ______ these people have been in the
theater for a while, their interest in the movie may fade. ______ they will start discussing other things, and the people around them will be treated to an instant replay of the latest family scandal or soap-opera episode. These stories may be entertaining, but they don't belong in a movie theater.
In addition But Last of all
______, there are the people who talk on the phone while they're driving. One of the things that irritates me about them is the way they seem to be showing off. They're saying, "Look at me! I'm so important
I have to make phone calls in my car." ______, such behavior is just plain dangerous. Instead of concentrating on adjusting carefully to everchanging traffic conditions, they're weaving all over the road or getting much too close to the car in front of them as they gossip with a friend, make an appointment with a doctor, or order a pizza.
So long as murder remains illegal, the nervous twitchers, movie talkers,
and cell-phone users of the world are safe from me. ______ if ever I am granted the power of life or death, these people had better think twice about annoying me. They might not have long to live.