Grammar Practice

Which of the following should be capitalized?

Move each term into the correct category.

Groups:

(a) Capitalize

,

(b) Do not capitalize

• titles without a name (like governor, mayor, president)

• compass directions (west, east, south, north)

• The pronoun "i"

• general, non-specific people, places, things, or ideas

• Days of the week
• words that show family relations (aunt, uncle, etc.) that are not used as part of a name

• The first word of a sentence
• articles (a, an, the) that do not come at the start of a title or sentence

• First word of a direct quotation

• Titles with a name (President Kennedy, Principal Henze, etc.)

• Names of people
• Names of places
• Countries

• seasons (spring, fall, winter, summer)

• Titles of stories, articles, books, movies, etc.

• Months of the year
• conjunctions (and, but, because, etc.) that don't come at the start of a title or sentence

How should you use a comma?

Move each answer choice to the correct category.

Groups:

(a) Correct use of a comma

,

(b) Incorrect use of a comma

,

(c) Missing Comma

• It was a beautiful, sunny day.

• She was reading a great book, and didn't want it to end.

• The coach blew the whistle, so I ran to the side of the court.

• She said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

• He said "Where are you going?"

• I love fruit but I don't like apples.

• I had coffee eggs and toast for breakfast.

• The roller coaster was thrilling, because it looped us upside down.

• I found a rare coin, it was in my backyard!

• In the beginning I wasn't sure if I was going to like it.

• After we went to the movies we got some ice cream.

• On my way to school, I spilled coffee on my shirt.

• On March 7, 2025, we started our spring break.

• I live in San Antonio, TX.

What is the BEST way to combine these 2 sentences?

This weekend, I played basketball at the park. Playing basketball is my favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

• This weekend, I played basketball at the park, and playing basketball is my favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

• This weekend, I played basketball at the park, it's my favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

• This weekend, I played basketball at the park, which is my favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

• This weekend, I played basketball at the park because playing basketball is my favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

What is the BEST way to combine the following sentences?

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the fourth time. It's my favorite book.

• I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, my favorite book, for the fourth time.

• I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the fourth time, and it's my favorite book.

• I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the fourth time, therefore it's my favorite book.

• I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the fourth time, it's my favorite book.

"The Chess Tournament"

1) Jordan sat across from her opponent, a seven-year-old boy named Kyle. (2) As the

competitors placed their chess pieces on the board. (3) Kyle asked Jordan how long she

had been playing the game. (4) Jordan felt a little embarrassed telling him she had been

playing chess for only six months.

What is the correct way to write sentences 2 and 3?

• A) As the competitors placed their chess pieces on the board, Kyle asked Jordan how long she had been playing the game.

• B) As the competitors placed their chess pieces on the board, Kyle asked Jordan. How long she had been playing the game.

• C) The competitors placed their chess pieces on the board, after that Kyle asked Jordan how long she had been playing the game.

• D) The competitors placed their chess pieces on the board. Then Kyle asking Jordan how long she had been playing the game.

Answer explanation

Sentence 2 is a fragment; it doesn't express a complete thought. To fix this error, connect it as a dependent clause to sentence 3, which completes the thought.

Because the dependent clause comes at the start of the sentence, you should place a comma after it.

5) Kyle opened the match by saying, "good luck, Jordan." (6) He then confidently

advanced one of his white pawns. (7) Jordan countered with a black pawn she then hit

the chess clock to signal the end of her move. (8) She tried to tell herself that playing in

this tournament was just like playing against her dad, but it didn't feel the same.

(9) Even though Kyle was just half her age, he is known to be an exceptional player.

What change needs to be made in sentence 5?

• A) Change opened to will open

• B) Insert a comma after match

• C) Change by saying to with saying

• D) Change good to Good

Answer explanation

"Good" should be capitalized because it is the first word in a direct quotation.

5) Kyle opened the match by saying, "good luck, Jordan." (6) He then confidently

advanced one of his white pawns. (7) Jordan countered with a black pawn she then hit

the chess clock to signal the end of her move. (8) She tried to tell herself that playing in

this tournament was just like playing against her dad, but it didn't feel the same.

(9) Even though Kyle was just half her age, he is known to be an exceptional player.

What change is needed in sentence 7?

• A) Change countered to countering

• B) Insert a semicolon after pawn

• C) Change hit to hits

• D) Change signal to signel

Answer explanation

Sentence 7 is a run-on. It contains 2 independent clause that have not been connected with proper punctuation or a conjunction. Placing a semicolon between the 2 independent clauses fixes this error.

(7) Jordan countered with a black pawn; she then hit the chess clock to signal the end of her move.

Select the correct response for sentence 9.

Even though Kyle was just half her age, he ______ to be an exceptional player.​ ​

• has been known
• would be known
• was known
• is known

Answer explanation

Verb tense (past, present, future, etc.) should stay consistent. The sentence and passage as a whole are written in past tense. Therefore, the past tense answer option, "was known", is the correct choice.

(1) Tectonic plates are giant slabs of rock underneath the Earth’s surface. (2) These plates move around in response to heat radiating up from our planets’ core. (3) Mountains form when major plates collide and push Earth’s crust upward. (4) Fifty million years ago, the Himalayan mountains of Asia began to form in this way. (5) Interestingly, this mountain chain, which includes Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, is still forming. (6) The Indian and Asian plates continues to hit each other, forcing rock upward. (7) For this reason, Mount Everest is getting taller in fact it grows about half an inch every year. (8) Today this mountain is almost 30,000 feet tall.

What change should be made in sentence 2?

• Change These to Them

• Change response to responce

• Change radiating to radiated

• Change planets' to planet's

Answer explanation

An apostrophe ( ' ) is added to a noun to show possession. When the noun is singular, the apostrophe is added at the end of the noun with an "s". When the noun is plural, an apostrophe is added after the "s" at the end of the noun.

"Our planet" is a singular noun; there is only one Earth. Therefore, the apostrophe should be added to the end with an "s" after it -- Our planet's.

(1) Tectonic plates are giant slabs of rock underneath the Earth’s surface. (2) These plates move around in response to heat radiating up from our planets’ core. (3) Mountains form when major plates colide and push Earth’s crust upward. (4) Fifty million years ago, the Himalayan mountains of Asia began to form in this way. (5) Interestingly, this mountain chain, which includes Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, is still forming. (6) The Indian and Asian plates continues to hit each other, forcing rock upward. (7) For this reason, Mount Everest is getting taller in fact it grows about half an inch every year. (8) Today this mountain is almost 30,000 feet tall.

What change should be made in sentence 3?

• Insert a comma after form

• Change colide to collide

• Change push to pushed

• Change Earth's to Earths

Answer explanation

TIP: If you're not sure whether a word has been misspelled, look it up in the dictionary. You won't find the incorrectly spelled word in the dictionary.

To double check, look up the new spelling of the word offered in the answer choice to verify it is correct.