WorksheetsComma Quiz
Total questions: 3
Worksheet time: 43mins
What is the purpose of using commas in a series?
To separate items in a series
To connect two independent clauses
To introduce a list
To add extra information that is not essential to the sentence
Which of the following examples correctly shows the use of commas in a series?
Lucy, Zachary and I are going to the store.
Lucy Zachary, and I are going to the store.
Lucy, Zachary, and I are going to the store.
Lucy Zachary and I are going to the store.
What type of words are 'barbecue, hammock, and canoe' in the example given?
Verbs
Adjectives
Nouns
Adverbs
What type of words are 'stop, look, and listen' in the example given?
Verbs
Adjectives
Nouns
Adverbs
What type of words are 'cold, gray, and calm' in the example given?
Verbs
Adjectives
Nouns
Adverbs
Which of the following is an example of participial phrases in a series?
We found seaweed in the water, on the sand, under the rocks, and even in our shoes.
Checking his shoelaces, fastening his helmet strap, and positioning his knee pads, Todd prepared for the skateboarding competition.
Clearing the table, washing the dishes, and putting everything away took almost an hour.
Barbecue, hammock, and canoe are words English got from Native Americans.
Which of the following is an example of prepositional phrases in a series?
We found seaweed in the water, on the sand, under the rocks, and even in our shoes.
Checking his shoelaces, fastening his helmet strap, and positioning his knee pads, Todd prepared for the skateboarding competition.
Clearing the table, washing the dishes, and putting everything away took almost an hour.
Barbecue, hammock, and canoe are words English got from Native Americans.
Which of the following is an example of gerund phrases in a series?
We found seaweed in the water, on the sand, under the rocks, and even in our shoes.
Checking his shoelaces, fastening his helmet strap, and positioning his knee pads, Todd prepared for the skateboarding competition.
Clearing the table, washing the dishes, and putting everything away took almost an hour.
Barbecue, hammock, and canoe are words English got from Native Americans.
When items in a series are joined by "and" or "or," how should they be separated?
With commas
With semicolons
No separation is needed
With periods
Which of the following is an example of clauses in a series correctly joined by "and" without commas?
We didn’t know where we were going, how we would get there, or when we would arrive.
The lights dimmed, the curtain rose, and the orchestra began to play.
I voted for Corey and Mona and Ethan in the student council officers election.
For your report you may want to read a book by Ralph Ellison, or a book by Richard Wright, or a book by Maya Angelou.
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "Carlos and Annie and I made a piñata filled it with small toys and hung it from a large tree."?
After "Annie"
After "piñata"
After "toys"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "I sanded the boards Ian primed them and Patrick painted them."?
After "boards"
After "Ian"
After "them" (first occurrence)
After "Patrick"
Where should commas be placed in the following sentence: "Last week I read the novel The Lucky Stone the short story 'Flowers for Algernon' and the poem 'Legacy II.' "?
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "Most flutes used by professional musicians are made of sterling silver fourteen-carat gold or platinum."?
After "silver"
After "musicians"
After "gold"
After "platinum"
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence? "We know what we will write about where we will find our sources and how we will organize our reports."
After "write about"
After "our sources"
After "reports"
No comma needed
Where should commas be placed in the following sentence? "Sylvia Porter wrote several books about how to earn money and how to spend it borrow it and save it."
After "earn money" and "borrow it"
After "money" and "spend it"
After "books" and "save it"
After "earn money" and "it"
Where should commas be placed in the following sentence? "Joe looked for the cat under the bed on the sofa in the bathtub and inside the empty cardboard box."
After "bed," "sofa," and "bathtub"
After "cat," "bed," and "sofa"
After "the cat" and "in the bathtub"
No commas needed
Where should commas be placed in the following sentence? "I want to visit Thailand Nepal China and Japan."
After "Thailand," "Nepal," and "China"
After "visit" and "Nepal"
After "Thailand" and "Japan"
No commas needed
When should you use commas before coordinating conjunctions?
Only when the sentence is long.
When they join two independent clauses.
When they join a dependent and an independent clause.
At the end of every sentence.
Which of the following is NOT one of the coordinating conjunctions listed under FANBOYS?
For
And
Because
Yet
What is the exception to the rule of using commas before coordinating conjunctions?
When the sentence contains a coordinating conjunction.
When the independent clauses are very short.
When the sentence is a question.
When the sentence contains a proper noun.
Which coordinating conjunction is almost always used with a comma when it joins two independent clauses?
And
Or
But
Nor
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "Human beings must study to become architects yet some animals build amazing structures by instinct."?
After "study"
After "architects"
After "yet"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "The male gardener bowerbird builds a complex structure and carefully decorates it to attract a mate."?
After "bowerbird"
After "structure"
After "and"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "This bird constructs a dome-shaped garden in a small tree and underneath the tree he lays a carpet of moss covered with brilliant tropical flowers."?
After "garden"
After "tree"
After "and"
No comma is needed
What is the purpose of using commas in interrupters?
To connect two independent clauses
To set off any words or phrases that are not essential and interrupt the flow of the sentence
To separate items in a list
To indicate the end of a sentence
Which of the following examples correctly uses commas to set off expressions that interrupt a sentence?
Mr. Agoya born and raised in Mexico moved to California at the age of twenty-four.
The application by the way were mailed three days ago.
The small turtle crossing the street slowly was in danger.
Joshua eventually overcame his acrophobia which is the abnormal fear of being in high places.
Which example shows the correct use of commas to set off nonessential phrases and clauses?
The small turtle crossing the street slowly was in danger.
Harvard college founded in 1636 is the oldest college in the United States.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who retired from professional basketball holds several NBA records.
Joshua eventually overcame his acrophobia which is the abnormal fear of being in high places.
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence? "Gloria Estefan a singer badly injured in a bus accident in 1990 made a remarkable comeback the following year."
After "Estefan"
After "1990"
After "accident"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence? "The accident which occurred on March 20 1990 shattered one of her vertebrae and almost severed her spinal cord."
After "accident"
After "March 20"
After "shattered"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence? "Less than a year later performing in public for the first time since the accident she sang on the American Music Awards telecast."
After "later"
After "public"
After "accident"
No comma is needed
Where should commas be placed in the following sentence? "On March 1 of 1991 launching a yearlong tour of Japan Europe and the U.S. she and the band gave a concert in Miami"
After "1991" and "Japan"
After "launching" and "Europe"
After "tour" and "U.S."
No commas are needed
Where should the comma be placed in the following sentence: "Estefan who was born in Cuba came to the United States when she was two years old."?
After "Estefan"
After "Cuba"
After "States"
No comma needed
Where should the comma be placed in the following sentence: "Her family fleeing the Cuban Revolution settled in Miami where she now lives with her husband and children."?
After "family"
After "Revolution"
After "Miami"
No comma needed
Where should the comma be placed in the following sentence: "Her comeback album contains twelve songs including the first one written by the singer after the accident."?
After "songs"
After "including"
After "first"
No comma needed
Where should the comma be placed in the following sentence: "Appropriately one song inspired by a fragment her husband wrote as Gloria was being taken to surgery is titled 'Coming Out of the Dark.'"?
After "Appropriately"
After "song"
After "fragment"
No comma needed
What is the purpose of using commas in the sentence "My best friend, Nancy, is studying ballet."?
To add emphasis to the name Nancy
To separate nonessential appositive phrases
To indicate the end of the sentence
To connect two independent clauses
Which of the following sentences correctly uses commas to set off words of direct address?
Mrs. Clarkson this package is yours.
Do you know Oliver when the bus will arrive?
I'd like to leave now Jeff.
Do you know, Oliver, when the bus will arrive?
How are commas used in the sentence "Sara, I think, volunteers at the shelter."?
To separate items in a series
To connect two independent clauses
To set off parenthetical expressions
To introduce a quotation
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "Tom Hanks the actor has appeared in many fine films."?
After "Hanks"
After "actor"
After "appeared"
No comma needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "The card game canasta is descended from mah-jongg an ancient Chinese game."?
After "canasta"
After "from"
After "mah-jongg"
After "ancient"
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "Jupiter the fifth planet from the sun is so large that all the other planets in the solar system could fit inside it."?
After "Jupiter"
After "planet"
After "sun"
After "large"
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "The main character in many Agatha Christie mystery novels is Hercule Poirot a Belgian detective."?
After "novels"
After "is"
After "Poirot"
After "detective"
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "The writing of Elizabeth Bowen an Irish novelist shows her keen and witty observations of life."?
After "Bowen"
After "novelist"
After "keen"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "Chuck Yeager an American pilot broke the sound barrier in 1947."?
After "Yeager"
After "American"
After "pilot"
After "1947"
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "Effie Tybrec a Sioux artist from South Dakota decorates plain sneakers with elaborate beadwork."?
After "Tybrec"
After "artist"
After "Dakota"
After "sneakers"
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "Charlemagne the king of Franks in the eighth and ninth centuries became emperor of the Holy Roman Empire."?
After "Charlemagne"
After "king"
After "centuries"
After "Empire"
Where should the comma be placed in the sentence: "Wear sturdy shoes girls; those hills are hard on the feet!"?
After "shoes"
After "girls"
After "hills"
No comma is needed
Choose the correct placement of the comma in the sentence: "It won't be long until your birthday Abby and then you can open presents."
After "long"
After "birthday"
After "Abby"
After "presents"
Identify where the comma should be inserted in the sentence: "On the other hand the blue car is less expensive than the white one."
After "On"
After "hand"
After "car"
No comma is needed
Where does the comma belong in the sentence: "Flying however will be a lot faster than driving on the trip."
After "Flying"
Before "however"
After "however"
Both B and C
Select the correct placement for the comma in the sentence: "Have you chosen a topic for your report yet Bailey?"
After "report"
After "yet"
After "Bailey"
Before "yet"
Determine where the comma should be placed in the sentence: "The review of course should come from all over the chapter."
After "The"
After "review"
After "course"
Both B and C
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "In my opinion we need to start working on the cooking for the big meal a lot earlier."?
After "opinion"
After "cooking"
After "meal"
No comma needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "All right boys and girls let's start cleaning up the classroom."?
After "right"
After "girls"
After "classroom"
No comma needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "After all we don’t want the other students to beat us in the race."?
After "all"
After "don’t"
After "students"
No comma needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "Motorcycles generally speaking are not the safest option for new and young drivers."?
After "Motorcycles"
After "generally"
After "speaking"
No comma needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "Coach Whitney do we really have to run all these laps today."?
After "Coach"
After "Whitney"
After "really"
No comma needed
When should you use a comma in a sentence?
After a question mark
Before any verb
After introductory words, phrases, and clauses
At the end of a sentence
Which of the following is an example of an introductory word?
However
Well, I think we should ask for help.
In the morning
Because of the rain
Identify an example of an introductory phrase.
Before the sun sets
In the darkening attic room, the girls searched for the box of old pictures.
If you can
Although it was raining
Choose an example of an introductory clause.
When March came, the huge ice chunks began to melt and break up.
The cat, which was black
To run faster
The book on the table
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "Issued in 1991 this stamp honoring inventor Jan Matzeliger is part of the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage Stamp series."?
After "1991"
After "stamp"
After "honoring"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "Since the Postal Service began issuing the series in 1978 the stamps have become popular collectors’ items."?
After "Since"
After "1978"
After "stamps"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "Originally picturing government officials U.S. stamps now feature a wide variety of people items and events."?
After "officials"
After "U.S."
After "people"
After "items"
Where should a comma be placed in the following sentence: "As stamps become more varied stamp collecting has become more popular."?
After "varied"
After "stamp"
After "collecting"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "Because stamps portray our country's culture they fascinate people."?
After "Because"
After "portray"
After "culture"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "In the United States alone more than 20 million people collect stamps."?
After "In"
After "alone"
After "States"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "To attract collectors the Postal Service produces limited numbers of special stamps."?
After "To"
After "attract"
After "collectors"
No comma is needed
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "To keep their collections from becoming too bulky many collectors concentrate on a single topic."?
After "To"
After "bulky"
After "collections"
After "too"
Where should a comma be placed in the sentence: "With their treasures safely stored in albums collectors enjoy examining their first stamps as well as their most recent ones."?
After "With"
After "albums"
After "safely"
No comma is needed
Where should you use commas in conventional situations according to the learning material?
Only in lists of items
In dates, addresses, and the salutation and closing of letters
Only in separating adjectives
Only in compound sentences
Which of the following examples correctly uses commas in conventional situations?
The Kentucky Derby is held in Louisville Kentucky on the first Saturday in May each year.
Dear Aunt Margaret Sincerely,
The United States officially observed MLK, Jr. Day for the first time on January 20, 1986.
January 20 1986 was the first observation of MLK Jr. Day.
Which of the sentences below, separates the items using commas correctly?
Mrs. Tallman told us to put away our iPads get out our books and turn to page 109.
Mrs. Tallman told us to put away, our iPads, get out, our books, and turn to page 109.
Mrs. Tallman told us to put away our iPads, get out our books, and turn to page 109.
