Punctuation & Conventions
Identify the punctuation error in this sentence and correct it: “The students notebook was left on the bus.”
Change students to student’s
Classify this sentence as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex: “Lina paused, and Joelle kept scrolling while the others applauded.”
Compound-complex (two independent clauses joined + subordinate clause “while the others applauded")
Choose the correct pronoun: “Each student must turn in ____ paper.”
a. his or her
b. their
a. his or her
(formal singular agreement)
("Each" is a singular subject)
Choose the correct word:
“Their / There / They’re going to the Antarctica next month.”
They’re going to the Antarctic next month.
Choose the sentence that shows correct parallel structure:
a. She likes singing, to dance, and reading.
b. She likes singing, dancing, and reading.
B is correct
(singing, dancing, and reading are parallel in verb tense)
Which sentence correctly shows possession for a singular noun?
a. The authors book
b. The author’s book
c. The authors’ book
b. The author’s book
Combine the two sentences into one clear complex sentence. “Amir checked his pockets. His phone was missing.”
After Amir checked his pockets, he realized his phone was missing.
Fix the pronoun-antecedent agreement: “When a writer revises their draft, they should check for commas.”
When a writer revises his or her draft, he or she should check for commas.
Correct the capitalization error: “the panama canal opened in 1914.”
The Panama Canal opened in 1914.
Revise to make verbs parallel: “He wanted to learn guitar, was practicing daily, and that he would perform soon.”
He wanted to learn guitar, practiced daily, and planned to perform soon.
Explain when to use a semicolon instead of a comma with a coordinating conjunction.
Provide a brief example.
Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses without a conjunction or before a conjunctive adverbs; example: “I revised my essay; I improved the thesis.”
Identify the fragment or the run-on and revise: “Because he forgot his phone. Amir felt lost he used a paper map.”
Because he forgot his phone, Amir felt lost; he used a papermap.
or
Because he forgot his phone, Amir felt lost. He used a papermap.
Identify and correct the shift in person: “I want to finish the song, but you have to share it with everyone.” (Explain the problem)
Problem: mix of I and you
I want to finish the song, but I won’t share it with everyone.
Explain when to use a hyphen in compound adjectives and revise: “a well known artist”
A well-known artist
Hyphenate compound adjective before noun.
Identify and correct incorrect verb tense shift: “Beau writes the story and then he was editing it yesterday.”
Beau wrote the story and then he edited it yesterday.
Revise this sentence to correct punctuation with a nonrestrictive clause: "My teacher Ms. Ramos who is kind gave us extra time."
"My teacher, Ms. Ramos, who is kind, gave us extra time."
(Alternatively: "My teacher, Ms. Ramos, gave us extra time." if nonrestrictive clause reduced.)
Rewrite to avoid a misplaced modifier: "Driving to the gas station, the piece of paper with the address was shown by Grandpa."
"Driving to the gas station, Grandpa showed Amir the piece of paper with the address." (or "When they drove to the gas station, Grandpa showed Amir the piece of paper with the address.")
Revise the sentence to correct number agreement and clarity: "Neither the students nor the teacher were ready for their presentations."
"Neither the students nor the teacher was ready for his or her presentation."
Identify the misplaced or dangling participle and fix it: "Walking down the trail, the summit came into view."
"Walking down the trail, the summit came into view." → Dangling participle.
Fix: "While walking down the trail, we saw the summit come into view."
Fix the possessive nouns: "The students grades showed improvement after the benchmark."
The students' grades showed improvement after the benchmark.
Identify and correct the punctuation and capitalization errors in this student sentence: "in 1991 the treaty banned indefinitely mining drilling and exploration of minerals."
In 1991, the treaty banned indefinitely mining, drilling, and exploration of minerals.
or
In 1991, the treaty indefinitely banned mining, drilling, and mineral exploration.
Edit this sentence to correct an unintended comma splice: "The boys were down to one bottle of water, Jessie thought they would be fine."
"The boys were down to one bottle of water. Jessie thought they would be fine." or "The boys were down to one bottle of water, but Jessie thought they would be fine."
Explain and correct the pronoun reference in this sentence: "Joelle told Lina that she should be proud."
Ambiguous "she": clarify antecedent: "Joelle told Lina, 'You should be proud.'" or "Joelle told Lina that Lina should be proud."
Determine whether the underlined word is a gerund or participle and explain its function: "Fishing is a hobby." (Is "Fishing" acting as noun or adjective?)
"Fishing is a hobby." — "Fishing" is a gerund (noun).
Revise this sentence to improve clarity, parallelism, and verb tense: "After he had finished the hike, he learns the lesson and is grateful."
Example revision: "After he finished the hike, he learned the lesson and felt grateful." (all past tense, parallel verbs)