Semicolons/Apostrophes
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
After age sixty, many Americans find they must adjust to: misplacing important papers, forgetting people’s names, and gaining hard-to-lose pounds.
a. sixty, many
b. to: misplacing
c. names, and
b. to: misplacing
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that CORRECTS the error.
Picture books are important to a child in three ways: to stimulate imagination, encouraging learning, and they are enjoyable.
a. stimulating imagination, encouraging learning, and they are enjoyable
b. to stimulate imagination, to encourage learning, and they are enjoyable
c. they stimulate imagination, they encourage learning, and they are enjoyable
c. they stimulate imagination, they encourage learning, and they are enjoyable
Capitalization: If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
I know dad expects me to always tell the truth, but sometimes I’m tempted to tell him and my mom white lies to avoid being punished.
a. dad
b. truth
c. mom
d. No error
a. dad
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
I had my car’s emergency break checked already at the auto shop near the bakery where I buy muffins.
a. break
b. already
c. buy
d. No error
a. break
This should be spelled "brake."
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that CORRECTS the error.
Barking and growling, I put my dog in the back room before I opened the door to greet my guests.
a. My dog, barking and growling, I put in the back room
b. I put my dog, who was barking and growling, in the back room
c. I, barking and growling, put my dog in the back room
d. No change
b. I put my dog, who was barking and growling, in the back room
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
As Janice thumbed through the newspaper; Deeter prepared a hearty breakfast; meanwhile, the dog eagerly consumed the scraps of bacon that Deeter had dropped on the newly waxed floor.
a. newspaper; Deeter
b. breakfast; meanwhile
c. bacon that
d. No error
a. newspaper; Deeter
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that IDENTIFIES the error.
Students can go to the site, enter their passwords, and they can answer practice questions as often as they like.
a. can go
b. enter
c. they can answer
c. they can answer
Capitalization: If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
I am a member of the Reading and Writing Society, which is a Literary group that meets every Monday night to discuss books and our own writing projects.
a. Reading and Writing Society
b. Literary
c. Monday
d. No error
b. Literary
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
Please don't lose this set of instructions. I've written down exactly what you're suppose to do while I’m on vacation.
a. lose
b. written down
c. suppose to
d. No error
c. suppose to
This should be spelled "supposed to," which means expected to. "Suppose" means that you assume something to be true.
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that CORRECTS the error.
The celebrity was surrounded by cell phones stumbling out of a squad car.
a. to stumble out of a squad car
b. that stumbled out of a squad car
c. as he stumbled out of a squad car
d. No change
c. as he stumbled out of a squad car
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
Mike noticed that his goldfish was sick, so he gave it some medicine and the fish recovered fully. Now it’s swimming around its tank happily.
a. it
b. it’s
c. its
d. No error
d. No error
If an error exists, choose the one that is notated incorrectly.
David Finkel’s short article The Return, which appeared in the magazine The New Yorker, told the story of traumatized veterans who returned to civilian life from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
a. The Return
b. The New Yorker
c. Iraq and Afghanistan
a. The Return
Commas: If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
Five refugee families have arrived in our small town and their delight in our peaceful lives makes me happy that we decided to invite them.
a. have arrived
b. town and
c. happy that
d. No error
b. town and
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
Our class is supposed to choose research topics later this week, but I have all ready chosen mine.
a. choose
b. later
c. all ready
c. all ready
This should be spelled "already."
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that CORRECTS the error.
Steve’s mother-in-law only asked him to paint the porch windows, not the whole porch.
a. asked him to paint only the porch windows
b. asked only him to paint the porch windows
c. asked him to only paint the porch windows
d. No change
a. asked him to paint only the porch windows
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
The children at the preschool love their teachers, and the teachers always have the kid’s best interests at heart.
a. teachers
b. kid’s
c. interests
d. No error
b. kid’s
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that IDENTIFIES the error.
Marian Anderson said that life had taught her to obey her own rules, the importance of acting, and to sing her very best.
a. to obey
b. the importance of acting
c. to sing
d. No error
b. the importance of acting
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
The blue jays that like to eat bread off our porch, were chased away by our cat.
a. blue jays that
b. porch, were
c. away by
b. porch, were
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that CORRECTS the error.
Jessica and I brainstormed ideas for our research projects together, so my experiment was both similar and different from hers.
a. similar and different to
b. similar to and different from
c. similar and different to and from
d. No change
b. similar to and different from
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that CORRECTS the error.
I almost got nothing done yesterday; I did one small chore, but other than that I just sat around and watched movies all day.
a. almost got done nothing
b. got nothing almost done
c. got almost nothing done
d. No change
c. got almost nothing done
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
The poets remark about the longevity of things of beauty did not take into account the effects of such phenomena as acid rain.
a. poets
b. things
c. effects
d. No error
a. poets
If the sentence has an error in italics or quotation marks, identify the error.
"Sure, The Shining is a great movie," my brother admitted, "but it doesn’t hold a candle to Stephen King’s 1977 novel."
a. The Shining
b. admitted, "but
c. Stephen King’s
Commas: If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer option that IDENTIFIES the error.
Before leaving the consultant must send the client the final reports and detailed recommendations for further action.
a. leaving the
b. client the
c. reports and
d. No error
a. leaving the
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that CORRECTS the error.
New tank syndrome is when there is too much ammonia in the fish tank and not enough helpful bacteria to process and eliminate the ammonia.
a. The reason new tank syndrome happens is because
b. New tank syndrome is a condition in which
c. New tank syndrome, it is when
b. New tank syndrome is a condition in which
If any of the italicized segments has an error, select the answer choice that CORRECTS the error.
Convinced of his client’s innocence, every possible tactic was used to delay the trial.
a. a delay of the trial was sought by every possible tactic
b. the trial was delayed by every possible tactic
c. the lawyer used every possible tactic to delay the trial
d. No change
c. the lawyer used every possible tactic to delay the trial