punctuation

Which of the following sentences uses the correct end punctuation for its intended meaning?

• What a fantastic game that was.

• What a fantastic game that was!

• What a fantastic game that was?

• What a fantastic game that was,

Answer explanation

An exclamatory sentence expresses strong emotion and should end with an exclamation point. A period is for statements, a question mark for questions, and a comma is not end punctuation.

Read the sentence: Have you finished your homework for science class? What is the function of the question mark at the end?

• It shows the sentence is a command (imperative).

• It shows the sentence is a statement (declarative).

• It shows the sentence is asking a question (interrogative).

• It shows the sentence expresses strong feeling (exclamatory).

Answer explanation

A question mark is used at the end of an interrogative sentence, which is a sentence that asks a direct question. The other options describe the functions of different punctuation marks.

Read the sentence: I can't believe you just said that. Considering the surprised and slightly angry tone this sentence implies, which end punctuation is most appropriate?

• A period (.)

• A question mark (?)

• An exclamation point (!)

• A semicolon (;)

Answer explanation

An exclamation point is the best choice to convey the strong emotion of surprise or anger implied by the sentence's tone. A period would make it a flat statement, and a question mark is incorrect as it's not a question.

Three of these sentences use apostrophes correctly. Which sentence has an error in apostrophe usage?

• The dog wagged its tail excitedly.

• Who's going to the party on Friday?

• All of the student's projects were impressive.

• It's a beautiful day for a walk in the park.

Answer explanation

The phrase 'All of the student's projects' implies multiple students, so the possessive noun should be plural: 'students''. 'Student's' is singular possessive. 'Its' is possessive, 'Who's' is a contraction for 'who is,' and 'It's' is a contraction for 'it is,' all used correctly.

Complete the sentence with the correct word: The players left _____ jerseys in the locker room.

• they're

• their

• there

• they'res

Answer explanation

'Their' is a possessive pronoun showing that the jerseys belong to the players. 'They're' is a contraction for 'they are,' and 'there' indicates a place. 'They'res' is not a word.

Which option correctly rewrites the phrase 'the decision of the judges' using a possessive apostrophe?

• the judge's decision

• the judges's decision

• the judges' decision

• the judges decision'

Answer explanation

Since 'judges' is a plural noun ending in 's,' the possessive is formed by adding only an apostrophe after the 's'. 'Judge's' would be for a single judge.

Which part of this sentence contains a punctuation error in the dialogue? 'I'm not sure,' said Mark 'if we should go outside.'

• The comma after 'sure'

• The quotation marks around 'I'm not sure,'

• The lack of a comma after 'Mark'

• The period at the end of the sentence

Answer explanation

When a dialogue tag like 'said Mark' interrupts a single sentence of dialogue, it should be followed by a comma before the dialogue resumes. The correct sentence is: ''I'm not sure,' said Mark, 'if we should go outside.''

Which sentence correctly punctuates the direct quote?

• My mom asked, "Did you clean your room"?

• My mom asked "Did you clean your room?"

• My mom asked, "did you clean your room?"

• My mom asked, "Did you clean your room?"

Answer explanation

A direct quote is introduced with a comma, begins with a capital letter, and the end punctuation (like a question mark) goes inside the closing quotation mark.

Which sentence correctly integrates a line of dialogue into a narrative description?

• "Let's go to the movies" suggested Maya, "it's my treat."

• "Let's go to the movies," suggested Maya, "It's my treat."

• "Let's go to the movies," suggested Maya. "It's my treat."

• "Let's go to the movies," suggested Maya, "it's my treat."

Answer explanation

When a dialogue tag interrupts a sentence, a comma is used after the tag, and the second part of the quote does not start with a capital letter because it's a continuation of the same sentence.

Choose the correct punctuation to fill in the blank: The concert was sold out ___ we decided to watch a movie at home instead.

• : (colon)

• , (comma)

• ; (semicolon)

• . (period)

Answer explanation

A semicolon is used to connect two closely related independent clauses. A comma alone would create a comma splice, and a colon is used to introduce a list or explanation.