punctuation

The tour guide told us when the bus would depart and asked if everyone _____ ready.

• was.

• was?

• was!

• was;

Answer explanation

This sentence contains an indirect question, which reports a question but is part of a declarative statement. Therefore, it should end with a period, not a question mark.

Complete the sentence with the correct possessive form: The teacher graded all the _____ projects.

• students'

• student's

• students's

• studentses

Answer explanation

To make a plural noun that ends in 's' possessive, you add an apostrophe after the 's'. The distractor 'studentses' is a common phonetic error but is not a real word.

She is a _____ author, known throughout the city.

• well-known

• well known

• well, known

• wellknown

Answer explanation

When a compound adjective (like 'well-known') comes before the noun it modifies ('author'), it should be hyphenated. The single word 'wellknown' is not standard English.

True or False: In the sentence, "The reason for his absence was clear: he had missed the bus," the colon is used correctly to introduce an explanation.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

This is a correct use of a colon. A colon can be used after an independent clause to introduce an explanation, elaboration, or consequence that is directly related to the first clause.

True or False: According to American English conventions, the following sentence is punctuated correctly: Her final words on the matter were, "I disagree".

• True

• False

Answer explanation

In American English, periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation mark. The sentence should be punctuated as: "I disagree."

Identify the sentence with an error in the use of an apostrophe.

• Whose going to the party with you?

• It's a beautiful day outside.

• The dog wagged its tail happily.

• The old clock stopped; its’ pendulum was stuck.

Answer explanation

The sentence requires the contraction for 'who is', which is 'who's'. 'Whose' is a possessive pronoun, while 'its'' is never correct; the possessive form of 'it' is 'its'.

Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon to connect two related independent clauses?

• The concert was amazing; the band played all of their hit songs.

• I need to buy milk; eggs, and bread.

• Because the weather was bad; the game was canceled.

• The cat slept on the warm rug; and purred loudly.

Answer explanation

A semicolon is used to connect two closely related independent clauses. The other options are incorrect because a semicolon should not introduce a list or connect a dependent clause or a phrase.

Per common American usage, which phrase is punctuated correctly?

• Dr. Smith

• Dr Smith

• 4 pm

• U.S.A.

Answer explanation

Standard American convention uses periods for titles like 'Dr.' and for time abbreviations like 'p.m.'. Acronyms for countries like USA are now commonly written without periods.

Complete the interrupted dialogue correctly: "I think," she said, _____.

• , "we should go."

• "we should go."

• . "We should go."

• " We should go."

Answer explanation

When a speaker tag interrupts a single sentence of dialogue, it is followed by a comma, and the second part of the quote begins with a lowercase letter. A period after the tag would incorrectly create a new sentence.

From the set of options, pick the sentence that incorrectly uses its end punctuation.

• I wonder if it will rain tomorrow?

• What time does the movie start?

• You're coming to the game, aren't you?

• She asked, "Are we there yet?"

Answer explanation

The sentence 'I wonder if it will rain tomorrow' is a declarative statement expressing curiosity (an indirect question), not a direct question, so it should end with a period. The tag question 'aren't you?' correctly uses a question mark.