Commonly Confused Words
The professor made an (allusion, illusion) to Tim Seibles's work.
Allusion
Mirth
Fun and laughter
True or False?
A colon can be used after a sentence fragment.
False, colons must always be used after complete sentences.
The undisciplined student refused to work, but tried harder when he was sent to student services.
Find the adjective.
undisciplined
She said "I love summer."
Where should we place a comma?
She said, "I love summer."
He (excepts, accepts) defeat well.
Accepts
Buckboard
A four-wheeled open carriage with the seat resting on a spring platform
I will be there as soon as I finish working that is a promise I will definitely keep.
Where should the semicolon be placed?
I will be there as soon as I finish working; that is a promise I will definitely keep.
What are the three tenses of a verb?
Present tense, Past tense, and future tense
My cat Rocky loves to eat catnip.
Where should we place commas?
My cat, Rocky, loves to eat catnip.
The Columbian drug lord was arrested for his (elicit, illicit) activities.
Illicit
Affected
influenced
Jacob went to buy furniture for his new apartment such as: chairs, tables, and a couch.
Is the sentence correct?
No, you do not have to use colons after phrases like "such as" or "for example".
What is an adverb?
Because I am always sleepy in the morning dad makes me a protein shake before school but I never have enough time to drink it.
Where should we place commas?
Because I am always sleepy in the morning, dad makes me a protein shake before school, but I never have enough time to drink it.
(Its, It's) a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
It's
Assure
inform positively and with certainty and confidence
My roommate gave me things I needed the most (; or :) companionship and quiet.
My roommate gave me things I needed the most: companionship and quiet.
The group of friends studied for their final exams.
Identify the verb.
Studied
I saw an eagle not a baby duck when I went for a walk.
Where should we place commas?
I saw an eagle, not a baby duck, when I went for a walk.
I have a headache so I'm going to (lay, lie) down for a while.
fleck
a small contrasting part of something
My favorite cake is made of: carrots, flour, butter, eggs, and cream cheese icing.
Was the colon used correctly?
No, you do not use colons after prepositions.
Judy ran across the bridge to meet up with her best friend.
Identify the part of speech of the italicized word.
Preposition
Jessica is an older woman has brown hair a blue skirt a cat named Rocky and lives in a purple house.
Where should we place commas?
Jessica is an older woman, has brown hair, a blue skirt, a cat named Rocky, and lives in a purple house.