Colons vs. Semicolons
Contractions
Dash
Than/Then
Affect/Effect
Their, There, They're
Transitions
100

It’s the beginning of February, and as they do every year, thousands of people line H Street, the heart of Chinatown in Washington, DC. The crowd has gathered to celebrate Lunar New Year. The street is a sea of red. Red is the traditional Chinese color of luck and happiness.

A) red, B) red; in addition, red is C) red; in other words, red is D) red, the color; that is

100

As the parade winds its way through Chinatown, the music crescendos, and the lion dance reaches it’s climax with the “plucking of the greens.”

A) NO CHANGE B) its C) there D) their

100

Buildings are draped with festive, red, banners, and garlands. 

A) NO CHANGE B) draped, with festive red banners, C) draped with festive red banners— D) draped with festive red banners

100

. Even worse, then the squandering of this useful resource is the fact that compost in landfills cannot break down due to the lack of necessary air and moisture.

A) NO CHANGE B) worse than C) worse then D) worse, than

100

Over the past generation, people in many parts of the United States have become accustomed to dividing their household waste products into different categories for recycling. Regardless, paper may go in one container, glass and aluminum in another, regular garbage in a third.

A) NO CHANGE B) However, C) Furthermore, D) For example,

200

Court reporters for years have been the record keepers of the court, taking scrupulous notes during hearings; depositions, and other legal proceedings.

A) NO CHANGE B) hearings; depositions; C) hearings, depositions, D) hearings, depositions;

200

During their early years, the movement also focused on the value of spending lots of time with friends and family during long meals.

A) NO CHANGE B) there C) its D) it’s

200

To perform their jobs successfully in this dynamic environment, workers in many fields—from social services to manufacturing, must continually acquire relevant knowledge and update key skills. This practice of continued education, also known as professional development, benefits not only employees but also their employers.

A) NO CHANGE B) fields C) fields, D) fields;

200

Many people think of NASA’s programs as trivial. In truth, the agency has a widespread positive effect on society by serving as a catalyst for innovation and scientific understanding...

A) NO CHANGE B) affect on C) effect to D) affects on

200

However, given the clear benefits of composting and the environmental costs of not composting, all municipalities should encourage their residents either to create their own compost piles for use in backyard gardens or to dispose of compostable materials in bins for collection.

11 A) NO CHANGE B) nor C) but D) and

300

Because digital systems record indiscriminately; they cannot discern important parts of the proceedings from other noises in the courtroom. 3

A) NO CHANGE B) indiscriminately, they C) indiscriminately. They D) indiscriminately, therefore they

300

Italy’s Tower of Pisa has been leaning southward since the initial stages of it’s construction over 800 years ago.

A) NO CHANGE B) stage’s of its’ C) stage’s of it’s D) stages of its

300

Burland began a years-long process of drilling out small amounts of soil from under the tower that took several years to complete and then monitoring the tower’s resulting movement.

A) NO CHANGE B) —taking several years to complete— C) that took him several years to complete D) DELETE the underlined portion.

300

By virtue of there medical training, PAs can perform many of the jobs traditionally done by doctors, including treating chronic and acute conditions, performing minor surgeries, and prescribing some medications.

A) NO CHANGE B) they’re C) their D) his or her

300

The shape that fire assumes on Earth is a result of gravitational influence and the movement of molecules. In the microgravity environment of space, moreover, combustion and the resulting fire behave in fundamentally different ways than they do on Earth—differences that have important implications for researchers.

A) NO CHANGE B) however, C) accordingly, D) subsequently,

400

But by initiating and collaborating on projects such as the Apollo Moon missions, the space shuttle program, the Hubble Space Telescope, and unmanned planetary exploration, NASA has continually challenged its scientists and engineers to do things that were previously thought impossible.

A) NO CHANGE B) Telescope; and C) Telescope and; D) Telescope and,

400

Such efforts have yielded diminishing returns, as even the complete relaunch of DC Comics’ superhero’s, line in 2011 has failed to arrest the steep two-decade decline of comic book sales.

A) NO CHANGE B) Comic’s superhero’s C) Comics superhero’s D) Comics’ superhero

400

Because a traditionalist response to the crisis—amping up medical-college enrollments and expanding physician training programs—is too slow and costly to address the near-term problem, alternatives are being explored.

A) NO CHANGE B) bolstering C) arousing D) revving up

400

2 Both by merit and from necessity, PAs are likely to greet more patience than ever before.

A) NO CHANGE B) patience, than C) patients then D) patients than

400

With world population topping seven billion, humanity is in need of some perspective. Therefore, we should continue to support NASA not only for practical reasons but also because it is a necessary vehicle for increasing our awareness of how we can fulfill our responsibilities to the planet and each other.

A) NO CHANGE B) Instead, C) For example, D) However,

500

In addition to super villains, the new, soon-to-be-iconic characters of the age: Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk among them—had to cope with mundane, real-life problems, including paying the rent, dealing with family squabbles, and facing anger, loneliness, and ostracism.

A) NO CHANGE B) age; C) age, D) age—

500

In the past, such research was limited by the weight and bulk of the fossils as well as its preciousness and fragility

A) NO CHANGE B) it’s C) their D) there

500

It is not difficult to understand why a cash-strapped, understaffed publication might feel pressure to cut teams of investigative reporter’s—their work is expensive and time-consuming.

A) NO CHANGE B) reporters: C) reporters, D) reporter’s;

500

Based on scientific evidence, organic food offers neither significant nutritional nor safety benefits for consumers. Proponents of organic food, of course, are quick to add that their are numerous other reasons to buy organic...

A) NO CHANGE B) there are C) there is D) their is

500

In 1986, McDonald’s caused a stir in Italy when it opened a restaurant next to Rome’s historic Spanish Steps. Young, on-the-go eaters were thrilled; specifically, those who prized regional foods and Italy’s convivial culture built on cooking and long meals feared that the restaurant signaled the death of a way of life.

A) NO CHANGE B) for example, C) however, D) in fact,