Study Plan & Quiz: Grammar Essentials Review (College Composition I)

Which punctuation mark, if any, should be used after "word" in the following sentence? The recovery operation can be described in one word brutal.

A colon should be used after "word."

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

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

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.

Choose the correct end punctuation for this sentence: "Haltingly, Lizbeth asked Kamila if she would go to prom with her"

her."

A sentence fragment is: 1) A part of a longer sentence. 2) A phrase or dependent clause that is not a complete sentence. 3) A shorter sentence following a really long one, used for sentence variety. 4) A complete sentence that's really short.

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

Identify where, if at all, the semicolon(s) should be used in the sentence below: The sea tulip's name comes from the organism's appearance it looks like a knobby "bulb" or flower attached to a long stalk.

A semicolon should be used between "appearance" and "it."

Priya has written this passage. How, if at all, should she change this passage? Weary to my core and shuffling upstairs from my parents' basement,I tried not to think. Almost forty and living with my parents while my husband tried to find a job in this post-crash economy.

She should change the second sentence because it is a fragment. She might write: Almost forty and living with my parents while my husband tried to find a job in this post-crash economy, I sometimes despaired.

Which statement uses quotation marks correctly? 1) Her question "—Why can't I have a credit card?—" made me laugh. 2) We have only the "freshest" apples for sale. 3) I loved the newspaper article titled 'Ways to Make Friends with Your Neighbors'. 4) "Well," he said, "I can give it a try."

4) "Well," he said, "I can give it a try."

Your friend Layla wants to include some quoted material in her paper, but the passage is too long for her needs. What should you tell her to help solve her problem?

Use ellipses to cut out the parts you don't want. Use four dots if the ellipsis follows a complete sentence.

Which statement below is punctuated correctly? 1) Did you really mean to say "I've never had better food than this"? 2) The article said, "The president was quoted as saying he "refuses to give up after all of this hard work."" 3) They should be used to spelling ",Kyrgyzstan," by now. 4) "But no matter how hard I try", he said, "I can't seem to remember it".

1) Did you really mean to say "I've never had better food than this"?

Which sentence below correctly uses parentheses for a citation? 1) Despite the disagreement between scientists, one study in particular has proved the ineffectiveness of the flu vaccine for children over age 3 (Poldark) 11. 2) Despite the disagreement between scientists, one study in particular has proved the ineffectiveness of the flu vaccine for children over age 3 (Poldark 11.). 3) Research proves that the occurrences of cyclones have been increasing over the last fifty years (Jenkins and Malone 51). 4) Research proves that the occurrences of cyclones have been increasing over the last fifty years (Jenkins and Malone 51.)

3) Research proves that the occurrences of cyclones have been increasing over the last fifty years (Jenkins and Malone 51).

Which general rule about commas is true and can help you place them correctly in a sentence?

Insert a comma wherever you have elements that need to be separated.

What can we learn from this sentence? I could see that the teacher was getting excited hearing the summaries of her students' research.

The teacher has multiple students.

In this sentence, are the brackets used correctly? My best friend from high school [whose name is Enrique] is still my friend today.

No, because that phrase should be enclosed in parentheses.

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

the ellipsis

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 comma(s) should appear in the sentence below: Still even after all of the hatred he receives at visiting arenas Lebron James remains one of the most popular athletes in the world.

There should be commas after "Still" and "arenas."

Identify where the comma(s) 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. Responses

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

Your classmate Mohamed wrote this passage. What is the best suggestion for how he should revise this draft? When he was five-years-old, Mozart wrote his first concerto, a piece that he performed at age six to great acclaim. Other composers and musical artists were consumed with jealousy—as the movie Amadeus portrays—because, as one contemporary wrote, "he truly seems touched by God, while the rest of us must scrounge the crumbs of his talent."

There should not be hyphens in five-years-old.

In this sentence, are the brackets used correctly? The scholar said that "despite enormous effort, [she] couldn't replicate the study."

Yes, because the brackets are clarifying a quote and making the sentence work better.

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 and the material before the list is a full sentence that could stand on its own.

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

etc."

Does this sentence demonstrate the 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.

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

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

Which sentence uses parentheses correctly? 1) Jenny is always interested in opportunities to do charity (although she only likes charities that support animals.) 2) In over fifty clinical trials, people with poor sleep habits reported higher levels of depression (Cooper et al., 2009). 3) In the U.S. alone, as many as (fifteen!) people a day are killed by bees. 4) Most researchers now believe that Merlin the wizard is actually a combination of three real, historical men; (This theory cannot be proven, though).

2) In over fifty clinical trials, people with poor sleep habits reported higher levels of depression (Cooper et al., 2009).

Which of the following sentences uses the serial comma correctly? 1) She got up to give her Oscar acceptance speech and surprised everyone by starting off with, "I'd like to thank my brothers Tom Hanks, and, God." 2) She got up to give her Oscar acceptance speech and surprised everyone by starting off with, "I'd like to thank my brothers Tom Hanks, and God." 3) She got up to give her Oscar acceptance speech and surprised everyone by starting off with, "I'd like to thank my brothers, Tom Hanks, and God." 4) She got up to give her Oscar acceptance speech and surprised everyone by starting off with, "I'd like to thank my brothers Tom Hanks and God."

3) She got up to give her Oscar acceptance speech and surprised everyone by starting off with, "I'd like to thank my brothers, Tom Hanks, and God."

Which of the following is a run-on sentence? 1) I've noticed a pattern, though; this lack of focus tends to happen late at night. 2) Many times, stopping to get a snack, grab a drink of water, or play a quick game on my phone can get me back to work. 3) Sometimes, my brain just can't focus, it's a good idea to take a break and listen to music. 4) I definitely work harder after taking a break, and I think this is something everyone should think about doing if they get stuck too.

3) Sometimes, my brain just can't focus, it's a good idea to take a break and listen to music.

Which sentence demonstrates the standard use of an apostrophe in a contraction? 1) The Barkers are moving to the coast. Their' having a yard sale. 2) The Barkers are moving to the coast. Theyr'e having a yard sale. 3) The Barkers are moving to the coast. They're having a yard sale. 4) The Barkers are moving to the coast. Theyre' having a yard sale.

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

Which sentence demonstrates the standard use of an apostrophe in a contraction? 1) Aunt Jayashree can't go to your yard sale. It's just too hot, and thats too risky for her. 2) Aunt Jayashree can't go to your yard sale. Its just too hot, and thats too risky for her. 3) Aunt Jayashree can't go to your yard sale. Its just too hot, and that's too risky for her. 4) Aunt Jayashree can't go to your yard sale. It's just too hot, and that's too risky for her.

4) Aunt Jayashree can't go to your yard sale. It's just too hot, and that's too risky for her.

Identify the comma error in the following sentence by selecting the correct response: After August 4 2017, the Cleveland Indians will be on the road for almost two weeks, playing series in Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Seattle, Washington.

A comma should be after "August 4."

Why would you use a hyphen or dash in the space in the following sentence? We have put a lot of work into ensuring our facility is accessible to all of our wheelchair__bound patrons.

A hyphen because wheelchair and bound act as a single unit.

Which of the options below would most effectively revise the following run-on sentence? As college aptitude tests become more challenging and expensive, children from poor families become even more disadvantaged and despairing they just don't have the educational or financial resources to compete.

As college aptitude tests become more challenging and expensive, children from poor families become even more disadvantaged and despairing. They just don't have the educational or financial resources to compete.

Which statement below uses quotation marks correctly? Responses 1) How many times did you hear him say, "Put your shoes away"? 2) The only thing she had to say was, "I've never loved you." 3) There was a huge storm last night, complained Jacques. 4) Bianca said she "hated the cold and loved the summer."

Bianca said she "hated the cold and loved the summer."

Which sentence uses commas correctly in relation to a descriptive phrase? 1) Snowball my sister's puppy, is the cutest dog I've ever seen. 2) Brown, the principal at my school, wears a suit and tie every day. 3) The boy, who painted this picture, is in my class at school. 4) My aunt who is a nurse gave me a ride to school the other day.

Brown, the principal at my school, wears a suit and tie every day. The boy, who painted this picture, is in my class at school.

In this sentence, are the brackets used correctly? I went to high school with the guy who is now my dog's vet [we played on the basketball team together].

No, because that phrase should be enclosed in parentheses.

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.

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.

Your classmate Ayana wrote this passage. Are there changes needed? He realized that the long-time residents of this small town did not care about what he did; living in another country had changed more than his speaking habits. He silently cataloged their qualities that drove him crazy: they had no ambition, they complained about the poor residents of their town, and they took nothing seriously.

She needs to change the commas after "ambition" and "town" to semicolons to add clarity and separate items in a series.

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.

Is this sentence a fragment, a run-on, or correct? If incorrect, how should it be corrected? School is difficult because I am able to spend as much time as I would like studying outside of class.

The sentence is correct as is.

Is the correct in its use of commas? Rachael Ray, a cooking TV show host, always surprises her viewers with her hilarious sayings, and occasionally with her strong opinions about cooking, her family, and her dog.

The sentence uses serial commas, and a comma needs to be added to separate "her hilarious sayings" and "her strong opinions about cooking."

Which of the options below would most effectively revise the following sentences? Muslim-Americans have been a part of the U.S. population for a long time. And Muslim-American women are on average more educated than the average American woman.

These sentences are correct as is.

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.