Copyediting

This sentence is correct: My Dad chose tomatoes and cucumbers.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Answer explanation

dad should be lowercase

Which sentence DOES NOT use then/than correctly?

• I have a larger drink than you.

• Play outside for a little while, then you can do homework.

• I like snickers better then skittles.

He ordered _____ worth of food.

• a hundred dollars

• $100

• one hundred dollars

• none of these

Which of these quotes are correctly punctuated?

• "Then the teacher explained, ‘I said to the boy, ‘Can’t you eat your greens?’ and he said, ‘No! My auntie won’t let me! She calls them ‘rabbit food!’’’’

• “Then the teacher explained, ‘I said to the boy, “Can’t you eat your greens?” and he said, “No! My auntie won’t let me! She calls them ‘rabbit food!’”’”

• ‘Then the teacher explained, “I said to the boy, ‘Can’t you eat your greens?’ and he said, ‘No! My auntie won’t let me! She calls them “rabbit food!”’”’

• none of these

Which is right?

• Between 1939-1945

• Between 1939–1945

• Between 1939 and 1945

• none of these

Which is right?

• Suitably-attired worker

• Family friendly guide

• Lovely-sounding chuckle

• None of these

Answer explanation

We don’t need the hyphen in ‘Suitably attired editor’ because ‘suitably’ is an adverb (whereas ‘family’ is a noun, and ‘lovely’ is an adjective), and it’s adverbs (to be specific, ‘adverbials of manner’) that are the types of -ly words that don’t need hyphens. This is because -ly adverbs are automatically understood to provide information about the word that directly follows, so they are ‘connected’ to it already – no need for a hyphen.

Which of these sentences are correct in terms of punctuation?

• 2020s been the sort of year I’d rather not repeat.

• 2020’s been the sort of year I’d rather not repeat.

• I suppose that when 2021 begins we’ll be properly into the 2020s.

• I suppose that when 2021 begins we’ll be properly into the 2020’s.

Which two are correct?

• Let’s go on to discuss editors’ craft skills.

• Let’s go onto discuss editors’ craft skills.

• I just can’t get into this new fad for knitted mouse mats.

• I just can’t get in to this new fad for knitted mouse mats.

In which of the following options does the subject and verb agree?

• Frank and his many children goes to the park

• Frank with his many children go to the park

• Frank with his many children goes to the park

If I want to talk about something plural that’s jointly owned by two people, which of the following are correct?

• My uncle and aunt’s horses

• My uncle’s and aunt’s horses

• Geoff and my DVDs are of the cosy crime genre

• Geoff’s and my DVDs are of the cosy crime genre