Dangling Modifiers
Walking to the Darlington Raceway, the roar of the engines could be heard from miles away.
Which of the following is the best way to revise this sentence for clarity?
A. The roar of the engines could be heard from miles away walking to the Darlington Raceway.
B. As the students walked to the Darlington Raceway, they could hear the roar of the engines from miles away.
C. Hearing the roar of the engines from miles away, the Darlington Raceway was being walked to.
B. As the students walked to the Darlington Raceway, they could hear the roar of the engines from miles away.
The student found a gold man’s watch in the Darlington Middle School hallway.
Which of the following is the best way to revise this sentence?
A. In the hallway, the student found a watch for a gold man.
B. The student found a man’s gold watch in the Darlington Middle School hallway.
C. A gold watch was found by a student in the man’s hallway.
B. The student found a man’s gold watch in the Darlington Middle School hallway.
Which sentence uses a comma correctly?
A. I usually eat a big lunch, on Saturday mornings.
B. I was dressed and ready, an hour before my ride to school arrived.
C. After a while, Lori grew tired and fell asleep.
C. After a while, Lori grew tired and fell asleep.
When a prepositional phrase starts a sentence, you use a comma to signal to the reader where the introduction ends and the main part of the sentence begins.
Which sentence is capitalized correctly?
A. We read the short story "The Landlady" before watching a video about Roald Dahl.
B. We read the short story "The Landlady" before watching a Video about Roald Dahl. C. We read the Short Story "The Landlady" before watching a Video about Roald Dahl.
A. We read the short story "The Landlady" before watching a video about Roald Dahl.
A student is writing a research paper focusing on how the American Red Cross was established. Which resource would be BEST for locating reliable information about the origin of the organization?
A. A recent newspaper editorial arguing that the Red Cross needs more funding.
B. A biography of Clara Barton that includes primary documents from the organization’s founding.
C. An online encyclopedia entry about the history of first aid and emergency medicine.
B. A biography of Clara Barton that includes primary documents from the organization’s founding.
A biography containing primary documents offers direct, factual evidence of the organization’s origin.
Which sentence is written correctly?
A. After finishing the math exam, the pencils were put away by the students.
B. Looking through the telescope, the stars appeared brighter than ever.
C. Having arrived late for practice, the team captain needed a written excuse.
C. Having arrived late for practice, the team captain needed a written excuse.
The researcher observed a small cell under the microscope that was glowing.
What is the best way to rewrite this sentence?
A. The researcher observed a small, glowing cell under the microscope.
B. Under the glowing microscope, the researcher observed a small cell.
C. A small cell was observed by the researcher that was glowing under the microscope.
A. The researcher observed a small, glowing cell under the microscope.
Which sentence uses a comma correctly?
A. The director was unhappy with the slow, unsatisfying results.
B. The team decided to reuse the old, unoriginal, costumes.
C. They reworded the play, with fresh, new ideas.
A. The director was unhappy with the slow, unsatisfying results.
Coordinate Adjectives
You must use a comma to separate two or more adjectives that describe the same noun if those adjectives are "equal" in importance.
-> Read about the "and" and "reverse" test.
Correct any punctuation and capitalization errors:
Benjamins favorite classes are history and spanish.
Benjamin's favorite classes are history and Spanish.
A student wants to know about the requirements for becoming a certified teacher in South Carolina. Which resource is the most authoritative?
A. An online forum where teachers discuss their favorite classroom management strategies.
B. A 2010 textbook about the general history of education in the United States.
C. The official website of the South Carolina Department of Education's certification office.
C. The official website of the South Carolina Department of Education's certification office.
The state's official department website is the primary authority for specific, up-to-date legal and professional requirements.
Correct this sentence by removing the dangling modifier.
To improve his results, the experiment was done again.
Answers may vary.
To improve his results, he/she performed the experiment again.
He/she performed the experiment again to improve his results.
He improved his results by doing the experiment again.
Which sentence about a dented car has a misplaced modifier?
A. The mechanic repaired the car with the dented bumper in the garage.
B. With the dented bumper, the car was repaired by the mechanic in the garage.
C. The mechanic repaired the car in the garage with the dented bumper.
C. The mechanic repaired the car in the garage with the dented bumper.
(This sentence implies the garage has a dented bumper rather than the car.)
Complete the standard order of adjectives.
_______, ______, Age, Shape, ______ , ______, Material, and Purpose/Qualifier
Word bank:
origin, color, value, size, opinion
Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, and Purpose/Qualifier
In which sentence are the historical events and time periods capitalized correctly?
A. During the middle ages, many knights fought in the crusades.
B. During the middle Ages, many knights fought in the crusades.
C. During the Middle Ages, many knights fought in the Crusades.
C. During the Middle Ages, many knights fought in the Crusades.
Specific historical eras (Middle Ages) and historical events (Crusades) are proper nouns and require capitalization.
A student is writing a research paper on the long-term economic impact of the 1930s Dust Bowl on agricultural practices in the Great Plains. Which resource would be the MOST reliable and authoritative for this paper?
A. A digital archive of letters written by families in Oklahoma during 1935 describing their daily struggles with dust storms.
B. A 2024 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Economic History with data tracking land value and farming shifts in the region from 1930 to 2010.
C. A popular documentary film produced in 1995 that features interviews with survivors of the Dust Bowl and reenactments of the era.
B. A 2024 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Economic History with data tracking land value and farming shifts in the region from 1930 to 2010.
- peer-reviewed, specific, and long-term (longitudinal data)