Getting Started Exercise (GSX)

A run-on sentence, or comma splice, is two or more sentences fused together incorrectly. The following sentences are all run-ons or comma splices except for which one?

*Real or not, these reports about the Jersey Devil are frequently made.* One theory about the Jersey Devil is told by a woman her name is Jane Leeds. In the year 1735, Mrs. Leeds discovered she was pregnant it would be her 13th child. One theory states that the Jersey Devil is a mixed animal, it is said to be a cross-breed. *Explanation:* The second choice needs a period, semicolon, or comma and conjunction between woman and her. The third choice needs the same between pregnant and it. The last choice has the same problem; it uses a comma to join sentences, which is incorrect and known as a comma splice.

From apostrophes to semicolons. Which sentence uses a semicolon properly?

*The war lasted an impressive 100 hours; over 100,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed.* This example comes from Johnson; "As soon as I knew I was dreaming, I woke up." He was dressed in business attire; white shirt, narrow black necktie, dark suit, and raincoat. Taylor recounts Short's life in depth; from her rocky upbringing to becoming a Hollywood star. *Explanation:* Each side of the semicolon must be a complete thought, or independent clause; this is only true of the first choice.

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Under Assignments, you can discover that the Works Cited Exercise (WCX) is worth how many points?

20 25 *30* 35 *Explanation:* The Assignments page in Canvas displays due dates and point values of assignments.

If you save a paper for class, save it as what kind of file?

Anything you like PowerPoint (*.pptx) *Word Document (*.doc or *.docx)* Word Macro-Enabled Document (*.docm)

1. To contact me during class, which is true?

*Email is your best bet.* Canvas is your best bet. Carrier pigeon is preferred. Voicemail is your only option. *Explanation:* I check email regularly, so if you send me an email you should generally get a response within 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays).

2. Based on the class policies, which statement is true?

*If you do not complete the final, then you will not be able to pass the class.* Plagiarism is fine as long as it is an honest mistake. You can fail to complete one paper and still pass the class. If you are failing the class, I will be sure to notify your parent or spouse. *Explanation:* If you missed this one, be sure to review the class policies.

4. You must format all subject lines with three pieces of information. Which is an example of an appropriate subject line?

*John King_ENG102_Intro Email* John King's Email Intro for Class (102) John_ENG102_Email Intro Assignment John W. King, English 102, 11 June 2009 *Explanation:* Only the first option includes name (first and last), class, and specific topic or assignment, in the appropriate order.

Regarding due dates, which is true?

Due dates are flexible. *No assignments are due on weekends.* Assignments cannot be turned in prior to the due date. Work must submitted by midnight on the due date, or else it won't be accepted. *Explanation:* No assignments are due on weekends, though it might be a good time to work on them. Due dates are firm. You may turn work in early (though not too early). The last item is a bit tricky: assignments must be submitted by 11:59 PM (not midnight, but close). Don't delay. Your computer's clock could be a few minutes behind, and that's not good.

Which sentence uses capitalization correctly throughout?

It is known as the Devil's triangle and covers roughly 1,140,000 square miles. *She also debunks the claim of a recent biography written by Maynard Solomon.* She does not mention the joint efforts of the Phoenix Police department and the FBI. Paglia writes about the disappearance of Earhart in the pacific ocean after a troubled flight in 1937. *Explanation:* In the first choice, Triangle should be capitalized. In the third choice, Department should be capitalized. In the final choice, Pacific Ocean should be capitalized. Only the second choice capitalizes correctly.

When using quotation marks, where does the punctuation go? Choose the sentence that gets it right.

Keats writes "Beauty is truth, truth beauty". Keats writes, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty". *Keats writes: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty."* Keats writes; "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." *Explanation:* You may introduce a quote with a comma or a colon, but not a semicolon. The end punctuation goes before the end quotes, not after.

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence and should be avoided; it lacks an independent clause (complete subject and verb). Which of the following is an example of a fragment?

Keyes provides a useful timeline of the history of the money pit. *Details on how the pit was discovered.* To this day, nobody knows. O'Connor disagrees. *Explanation:* "The pit was discovered" would be a complete sentence, but "Details on how," placed in front, makes the clause unable to stand alone. More is needed: "Details on how the pit was discovered are provided by Clarke." Now, the entire italicized portion becomes the subject, and the verb is are provided.

One more time. However, this time you need to determine which sentence misuses semicolons.

People have always searched for the truth; it is difficult to rely solely on faith. The Mafia and the CIA still needed a scapegoat; clearly, that scapegoat was Oswald. *It appeared to Jeff that Sally had read his mind; simply knew how much he loved spaghetti.* Debris included small, lightweight beams; hard, brown rocks; and strands of something like hair. *Explanation:* The third item does not include a complete thought to the right of the semicolon. If there were a she before "simply knew, etc." then this would work. The last choice is an appropriate use of semicolons: separating complex items in a series.

Which of the following demonstrates a correct use of apostrophes?

She was born in the 1950's. This job is strictly for the bird's. The childrens' party lasted for hours. *The two friends' letters continued back and forth.* *Explanation:* Avoid apostrophes in decades (unless the decade is possessive). The second item does not contain a possessive. The third does, but it's irregular: children's is the plural possessive form. Only the last item is correct: two friends, therefore a plural possessive with the apostrophe coming after the s.

According to MLA (Modern Language Association) format, dates should be formatted in which of the following ways?

To this day it is unclear who ended the life of James Hoffa on the afternoon of 30 Jul. 1975. *To this day it is unclear who ended the life of James Hoffa on the afternoon of 30 July 1975.* To this day it is unclear who ended the life of James Hoffa on the afternoon of July 30 1975. To this day it is unclear who ended the life of James Hoffa on the afternoon of July 30th, 1975. *Explanation:* This is the universal format. The US format is also acceptable and could be formed by adding a comma after the day in the third choice, or by removing the th from the day in the fifth choice. However, only universal format should be used in bibliographies. Note that months are generally abbreviated except for May, June, and July.

Here is another one. This time, which sentence is missing an apostrophe?

We debated the origins of the circle and its use. Smithers and Jones's dispute over the findings continues. John Fitzgerald Kennedy is the most celebrated of all the Kennedys. *The end of the 1980s witnessed Germanys return to democracy.* *Explanation:* Germany's is possessive, hence needs an apostrophe. The first choice contains a possessive, but its is an irregular form that does not require an apostrophe. The second choice also contains a possessive, and the apostrophe is correctly handled. The third choice does not contain possessives and does not need apostrophes.

5. When you format a paper, the left and right margin should each be how wide?

Whatever is set as default in Word *1 in.* 1.25 in. 1.5 in.

Which sentence spells and uses words correctly?

When he inferred someone had laid down on the job, she implied he meant her. When he implied someone did lay down on the job, she inferred he meant her. *When he implied someone was lying down on the job, she inferred he meant her.* When he inferred someone was laying down on the job, she implied he meant her. *Explanation:* Imply means to suggest, whereas infer means to suppose. Also make sure you know the difference between laying and lying, etc. It could come in handy.

The Classification Prospectus should be submitted:

as a Word attachment. as a post to the discussion board. *as an email message with no attachment.* any way you like.

3. Participation is important in this class. If you miss two due dates,

don't worry. They're just due dates, right? you must do extra work in order to make up for it. you will be given a warning but not withdrawn at this point. *you might be withdrawn permanently from class for lack of attendance.* *Explanation:* As noted in the syllabus, you might be withdrawn after missing two due dates. If you do miss a due date, be sure to email me right away to let me know that you are still attending class.

Use a comma with a conjunction to join independent clauses. Which of the following sentences is an example of this?

The UFO, and balloon theories contradict each other and compete for attention. The UFO theory to some researchers seems surprising, but nonetheless believable. The balloon theory, but not the UFO theory has been touted by government officials. *The UFO theory seems improbable but possible, but the balloon theory is easy to credit.* *Explanation:* The first choice has a compound subject and verb, but it does not have two independent clauses (separate subject-plus-verb constructions). The second choice has a compound adjective but again is not a compound sentence. The third choice has a compound subject but only one verb. Compound subjects, compound verbs, and compound adjectives do not require commas (so the commas in all of these are incorrect). Only compound sentences (sentences with two or more independent clauses) require commas, and the last choice is an example of this.

Subjects and verbs must agree in number: The bird flies; the birds fly. For that matter: The fly flies; the flies fly. Which of the following sentences demonstrates correct subject/verb agreement?

The expert who speaks about the case continue to investigate. The experts who are speaking about the case continues to investigate. *The first expert and the last expert speaking about the case continue to investigate.* The last expert who speaks about the case, but not the first, continue to investigate. *Explanation:* The compound subject takes a plural verb (continue). The first choice has a singular subject that requires a singular verb (speaks/continues); so does the last. The second choice has a plural subject, requiring a plural verb (continue).

Let us turn to titles. Some are italicized; some go in quotes. But which is which? Each of the following sentences is correct except which?

The film Jaws caused many people to develop an irrational phobia of sharks. Maureen Kozicka also wrote a book called The Mystery of the Min Min Light. *A Newsweek article titled "Cries from the Heart," using Cobain's journals, shows his struggles.* Donnelly reveals in his book, Atlantis, the Antediluvian World, that the cultures of the Central and South America have much in common with that of Egyptian. *Explanation:* Newsweek should be italicized.

Avoid comma abuse: using commas where they do not belong or leaving them out where they do. The following sentences all show comma abuse except which one?

The second group under investigation, included four associates of Hoffa and Provenzano. The first investigation, and the one that came after it both failed to close the case for good. Investigations continued after Sheeran's confession, because he had told conflicting stories. *Hoffa waited at a restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, for Giacalone and Provenzano.* *Explanation:* The last choice uses commas on either side of an interrupter or break in the main flow of the sentence, in this case the name of the state in which Bloomfield Township is located. All the other commas above are misused. It could be argued that the comma in the first choice, though incorrect, does serve to create a sense of suspense; however, a dash or even an ellipsis would work much better.

Now let's consider dashes. They are sometimes confused with hyphens (-), but their purpose is different, and so is their appearance. Which of the following sentences construes dashes properly?

The witnesses-all twenty-three of them-agreed on the general shape of the vehicle. *The witnesses--all twenty-three of them--agreed on the general shape of the vehicle.* The witnesses -- all twenty-three of them -- agreed on the general shape of the vehicle. The witnesses----all twenty-three of them----agreed on the general shape of the vehicle. *Explanation:* A dash is formed by typing two successive hyphens without spaces. In Word, as soon as you get to the next space in the sentence, the program will convert the hyphens into a solid dash, but only if they are typed without spaces.