Punctuating Dialogue
Subject Verb Agreement
Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
Commas
Find the Error
100
This form of punctuation would be used to indicate the exact words a character is saying.
What are quotation marks.
100
Do the subject and verb agree? The tomatoes in this salad are brown and mushy.
YES - tomatoes (plural) is the subject, so you use "are" rather than "is." "salad" is not the subject since it is part of the prepositional phrase "in this salad."
100
Does the pronoun agree with the antecedent? Each of my brothers has their own television.
NO - because "each" is singular and "their is plural" - they don't agree.
100
Are the commas placed correctly? I enjoy biking, hiking, rowing, and camping.
Yes - separating items in a series.
100
What is wrong with this sentence? My friends got in there car and left for Hollywood, California.
"there" should be changed to "their."
200
This form of punctuation should follow the dialogue tag in this sentence: "I will be home soon," Mary said
What is a period.
200
Both of my friends are going to the dance.
YES - Both is the subject and it is always plural, so you must use "are" rather than "is."
200
Does the pronoun agree with the antecedent? Neither of my uncles has ever smoked in their life.
NO - because "neither" is always singular but "their" is plural.
200
Where should the comma be placed? My brother is six feet tall but he still can't play basketball well.
Put the comma before "but" My brother is six feet tall, but he still can't play basketball well.
200
What is wrong with this sentence? Many hopeful actors move to Hollywood, most leave disappointed.
It is a comma splice - you can't connect two complete sentences with just a comma. To fix - change comma to a period or semi-colon, or add a conjunction before the comma.
300
This form of punctuation should be used after the dialogue tag in this sentence. "Where are you going?" asked Mark
What is a period.
300
Do the subject and verb agree? Everyone who have ever been to a graduation knows how exciting it can be.
NO - everyone is singular, so "have" should be changed to "has."
300
Somebody in this room just cracked their knuckles.
NO - because "somebody" is singular, but "their" is plural.
300
Should there be a comma in this sentence? If so, where should it go? I like to swim; however I have a terrible fear of sharks and whales.
Put the comma after the word "however." I like to swim; however, I have a terrible fear of sharks and whales.
300
What is wrong with this sentence? John reviews his notes, reads his next day's assignments, and is studying for any upcoming tests.
lacks parallelism - change to "studies for any upcoming tests"
400
This form of punctuation should follow the dialogue tag in this sentence: "It isn't nice," my mother said "to hit your brother."
What is a comma.
400
Do the subject and verb agree? The house or the barn needs to be painted this year.
YES - You are talking about "The house or the barn," not both, so this subject is singular - you're tlaking about one or the other. So use "needs" because it's a singular verb. Ex: She needs help. They need help.
400
Does the pronoun agree with the antecedent? Some of the businesses in town have a day care center for the children of their employees.
Yes - the pronoun is "their" (plural) and the antecedent is "some" which could be singular or plural so yoiu have to look in the prepositional phrase at "businesses" which is plural. "Their" and "businesses" are both plural.
400
Should there be a comma? If so, where should it go? While I was doing my homework my friend stopped by to tell me that Ms. Molloy had been committed to an insane asylum!
Put the comma after the introductory material "While I was doing my homework."
400
What is wrong with this sentence? On her first day of vacation, Carrie did three things, she watched a funny movie, took a long nap, and ate at her favorite restaurant.
The comma after things should be a colon because it's introducing a list of things that Carrie did.
500
This form of punctuation should follow the dialogue tag in this sentence: "It isn't nice to hit your brother, " my mother said "You should be protecting him."
What is a period?
500
Do the subject and verb agree? Each of these sweaters itch.
NO - The subject "each" is always singular, so each "itches." Ex: She itches (because "she" is singular) Ex: They itch (because "they is plural) NOTE: "sweaters" is not the subject b/c it's part of a prepositional phrase.
500
Does the pronoun agree with its antecedent? Both of my brothers want to have his own room.
NO - because "both" is always plural, but "his" is singular.
500
Should there be a comma? If so, where should it go? I am exempt from final exams because my teacher likes me.
NO COMMAS needed. There is an independent clause ("I am exempt from final exams") followed by a dependent clause ("because my teacher likes me"), so no comma is needed.
500
What is wrong with this sentence? Ms. Castillo and Ms. Molloy's email addresses are easy to remember.
There should be an 's added to Castillo since they do not share an email address. They each have their own email address, so each name gets an 's.
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