punctuation

Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?

• What an amazing concert that was!

• What an amazing concert that was.

• What an amazing concert that was?

• What an amazing concert that was,

Answer explanation

This sentence expresses strong emotion (excitement), so it should end with an exclamation mark to show it is an exclamatory sentence. A period would make it a simple statement, and a question mark is incorrect as it is not asking a question.

In the sentence, "Did you finish your homework for science class?", what is the function of the question mark?

• To show a strong feeling or exclamation.

• To indicate that the sentence is asking a question.

• To mark the end of a simple statement.

• To separate items in a list.

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 an exclamation mark, a period, and a comma.

Read the sentence: "You ate the last cookie" Depending on the speaker's tone, different end punctuation could be used. Which option best punctuates the sentence to show surprise and disbelief?

• You ate the last cookie.

• You ate the last cookie?

• You ate the last cookie!

• You ate the last cookie;

Answer explanation

While a question mark could imply a question, an exclamation mark best conveys a tone of strong surprise or disbelief. A period makes it a neutral statement, and a semicolon is used to connect related independent clauses.

Which of the following sentences uses an apostrophe incorrectly?

• The dog wagged its tail excitedly.

• It's going to be a sunny day tomorrow.

• All of the players' uniforms were brand new.

• My two sister's rooms are always messy.

Answer explanation

When a plural noun ending in 's' (like 'sisters') is possessive, the apostrophe should come after the 's'. The correct form is 'sisters''. 'Its' is possessive, 'It's' is a contraction for 'it is', and 'players'' is the correct possessive for multiple players.

Complete the sentence with the correct word: The team celebrated _____ big win with a pizza party.

• it's

• its'

• its

• it is

Answer explanation

The word 'its' is a possessive pronoun that shows ownership (the win belongs to the team). 'It's' is a contraction for 'it is', which would not make sense in the sentence. 'Its'' is not a real word.

How would you correctly rewrite the phrase 'the decision of the judges' using a possessive apostrophe?

• the judge's decision

• the judges decision

• the judges's decision

• the judges' decision

Answer explanation

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

Identify the error in the following line of dialogue: "I can't believe we won", whispered Alex.

• The comma should be a period.

• The comma should be placed outside the quotation marks.

• The word 'whispered' should be capitalized.

• There should be an exclamation mark instead of a comma.

Answer explanation

In American English, commas and periods that are part of the main sentence but follow a quote go inside the closing quotation mark. The correct punctuation is: "I can't believe we won," whispered Alex.

Which sentence correctly punctuates the direct quote?

• My mom always says, "Do your best."

• My mom always says "Do your best."

• My mom always says, "Do your best".

• My mom always says "Do your best".

Answer explanation

A direct quote is typically introduced with a comma, and the end punctuation (in this case, a period) goes inside the closing quotation mark. The other options have incorrect comma placement or end mark placement.

Which sentence best integrates the line of dialogue into the surrounding narrative?

• As she grabbed her backpack, Maya announced "I'm ready for the trip!"

• As she grabbed her backpack, Maya announced, "I'm ready for the trip!"

• As she grabbed her backpack, Maya announced, "I'm ready for the trip"!

• As she grabbed her backpack, Maya announced: "I'm ready for the trip!"

Answer explanation

A comma is used to introduce the dialogue after a speech tag like 'announced'. The exclamation mark, which is part of the original quote, stays inside the closing quotation mark. No other end punctuation is needed.

Choose the correct punctuation to complete the sentence: The storm was getting worse _____ we decided to head home early.

• ;

• :

• ,

• .

Answer explanation

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