English test

A sentence fragment is:

A phrase or dependent clause that is not a complete sentence.

Your classmate wants to use brackets, but can't remember how. What should you tell him?

Use them to clarify the meaning of a quote.

Does this sentence demonstrate standard use of an apostrophe to show possession? We went to the childrens' section of the library to find some picture books for my nephews.

No, because a plural that doesn't end in an S (such as "children") should be followed by an apostrophe + an S.

In the following sentence, choose whether the quotation marks are used and placed correctly and why. The Arabic phrase that I use all the time is yalla, habibi, which means, "come on, friends"!

No, because the exclamation point at the end should come inside the quotation marks; it is a part of the saying, not a part of the sentence as a whole.

In the following sentence, choose whether the semicolon is used correctly or not. Although they kept playing games; I had to leave and say goodnight.

No, it should be a comma because "Although they kept playing games" is not a complete idea.

What is the correct end punctuation for the following sentence? When I got the photos developed, I couldn't help but wonder where my daughter's eyes were

A period because this is an indirect question.

Which punctuation mark should be used after "hull" in the following sentence? The mechanism was recovered from the ship's hull this location suggests the mechanism was highly protected and valued.

A semicolon should be used after "hull."

Which of the options below would most effectively revise the following sentence fragment? Other symptoms to watch for would include changes in her mood. Such as sadness or irritability.

Other symptoms to watch for would include changes in her mood, such as sadness or irritability.

Identify where the semicolon(s) should be used in the sentence below: Sea tulips come in a variety of colors, including white, pink, yellow, orange, and purple, note that the coloration of sea tulips depends upon their association with a symbiotic sponge that covers their surface.

A semicolon should replace the comma after "purple."

Which of the following options would most effectively revise the following run-on sentence? My son ordered his usual: dragon fruit, chicken tikka masala, and beef with saffron, he headed to the restaurant's game room.

My son ordered his usual: dragon fruit, chicken tikka masala, and beef with saffron. Then, he headed to the restaurant's game room.

Identify where the semicolon(s) should be used in the sentence below. You may spot this phenomenon in ocean waters near Sydney, Australia, Vancouver, Canada, and Acapulco, Mexico.

Semicolons should replace the commas after "Australia" and "Canada."

Identify the comma error in the following sentence by selecting the correct response: In addition to running in marathons on four continents, Debbie also has participated in rowing, hiking, and climbing events.

The sentence is correct as is.

Identify where the comma or commas should appear in the sentence below: The premise that smoking may cause cancer which seems obvious in modern times has only been accepted by the majority of American people for a couple of generations.

There should be commas after "cancer" and "times."

Is the following a run-on sentence? Why or why not? I thought I was a pretty savvy traveler, however, that was before I met some of my colleagues.

This is a run-on sentence because the first comma needs to be a semicolon.

Is the following a sentence fragment, a run-on sentence, or a correct sentence? Even though the dog was small enough to fit in her pants pocket.

This is a sentence fragment because it is a dependent clause.

In the following sentence, choose whether the colon is used correctly or not. Lydia is definitely my best friend: she has a wicked sense of humor, she makes me chocolate cookies, and she knows all my secrets.

Yes, it is correct because it introduces a list.

Determine if the parentheses have been used correctly in the following sentence. She has long believed (and I have never contradicted her) that malaria really is caused by "bad air."

Yes, this is a brief aside that can go inside parentheses.

What is the difference between "its" and "it's"?

"Its" is possessive, and "it's" is short for "it is."

Which punctuation mark should be used after "purposes" in the following sentence? The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient analogue computer likely used for several purposes predicting astronomical positions, anticipating eclipses, and calculating Olympiads.

A colon should be used after "purposes."

Which of the following are examples of commonly confused words?

All of the above

How do you know that the term "high-velocity fan" requires a hyphen?

Because "velocity fan" doesn't make sense on its own.

Which sentence below correctly uses parentheses for a citation?

In a study comparing different soil types, researchers discovered that vegetables grew better with higher levels of potassium and sodium in the soil (Graham 151).

What does a dash do?

It works like a colon—it adds to the information that comes before, with emphasis.

Evaluate the following sentences for fragments. Which option is best? Low self-esteem, depression, bullying. These are four issues adolescent girls may face.

Low self-esteem, depression, and bullying are four issues adolescent girls may face.

Which sentence demonstrates the standard use of an apostrophe in a contraction?

The Barkers are moving to the coast. They're having a yard sale.

Identify where the colon(s) should be used in the sentence below. There are three methods of attracting earthworms from the ground worm charming, worm grunting, and worm fiddling.

The colon should be used after "ground."

Identify where the colon(s) should be used in the sentence below. I participate in an exceedingly dangerous sport I am a snake charmer.

The colon should be used after "sport."

Identify where the comma or commas should appear in the sentence below: Therefore all persons taking part in the classes beginning in 2017 need to have proof of insurance to stay on the rosters.

There should be a comma after "Therefore."

In the following sentence, choose whether the semicolon and the comma are correct. The loss; therefore, was hard to take.

They should both be commas because therefore is a transition word.

Which of these examples is a sentence fragment?

Which, they were lucky to have her come help.

Choose the correct end punctuation for this sentence: "She loved everything in print: books, magazines, newspapers, etc"

etc."

Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks in this sentence, and explain your choice. ________never a mistake to try your hardest, but ________ still painful when you fail.

t's, it's because both blanks need the contraction for "it is."

Which punctuation mark lets you ethically leave out the part of a quotation that you don't need?

the ellipsis

Which sentence demonstrates standard use of an apostrophe to show possession?

MaeBelle's sister is coming to town on Tuesday to meet with the preacher.

Would you use a hyphen or dash in the space in the following sentence? Why? This mechanism's high__temperature performance is significantly worse than during normal temperatures.

A hyphen because high and temperature act as a single unit.

Which of these examples is a sentence fragment?

Because of the rain and snow

Which of these three examples is a sentence fragment?

Because, even though I knew I was safe, it still felt like I couldn't breathe.

Evaluate the following sentences for fragments. Which option is best? Many girls don't seek help. Which is a big part of the problem.

Many girls don't seek help, which is a big part of the problem.

Which of these sentences needs a semicolon (;) in the blank space?

He rarely eats dinner____he tends to be too impatient to sit still.

What's the best way, if any, to revise this sentence? Even after all that time, I still had to fight the emotion in my voice; I told her, "Can't we make it work this time?".

Remove the period, since the question mark is the only end punctuation needed.

Which of the following options would most effectively revise the following run-on sentence? The Jumeirah Beachcomber is my favorite restaurant in Dubai, it sits right on the beach, next to the iconic Burj al-Arab—the world's only seven-star hotel—built right out in the Arabian Gulf.

The Jumeirah Beachcomber is my favorite restaurant in Dubai; it sits right on the beach, next to the iconic Burj al-Arab—the world's only seven-star hotel—built right out in the Arabian Gulf.

In which sentence below are the brackets used correctly?

The newspaper quoted her as being "much to [sic] tired to help."

Identify where the comma or commas should appear in the sentence below: You and the kids need to put all of the beach towels in the car and get going before the sun sets.

The sentence is correct as is.

Is the following a run-on sentence? Why or why not? In the long run, we will have to choose which path to take, we won't have time to hike everywhere.

This is a run-on sentence because the second comma needs to be semicolon

Is the following a sentence fragment, a run-on sentence, or a complete sentence? Whereas his mother, Jocelyn, held the title of Indiana Corn Princess for three years when she was a teen.

This is a sentence fragment because it is a dependent clause and does not convey a complete idea.

Is the following a run-on sentence? Why, or why not? Jake had to make a rest stop, and Elaine had to return home to retrieve her cell phone, but we still got to the doctor's office on time and had the prescription refilled.

This is not a run-on sentence because commas and coordinating conjunctions are joining the independent clauses.

You should add colons (:) to your essays to accomplish which of the following?

To introduce material that explains or summarizes the part of the sentence before it.

Your classmate Cynthia wants to include some quoted material in her paper, but she wants to cut the quote's length down by removing the middle of one sentence. What should you tell her to help her solve her problem?

Use ellipses to cut out the parts you don't want. Since the words will be removed from the middle of a sentence, use three dots.

Which of the following options would most effectively revise the following run-on sentence? Walking my bike across the street is safer and it only takes a few seconds longer than riding.

Walking my bike across the street is safer, and it only takes a few seconds longer than riding.

In this sentence, decide whether or not the brackets are used correctly, and why. The scholar said that "despite enormous effort, [he] couldn't replicate the study."

Yes, because they are clarifying a quote and making it work in that sentence.