JCM 103 Quizes

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: numbers, capitalization, titles

A. The court voted 8-1 in favor of the ban, with Justice Peterson being the lone dissenting vote. (correct) Rationale: Ratios and votes are always numerals, and separate the numerals with hyphens. Always capitalize a title when it comes right before a name.

The underlined word below is either an adjective or an adverb. Identify which. U.S. Rep. Glenda Tyson says she's looking seriously at running for governor in two years.

B. Adverb Rationale: The correct answer is B: "ADVERB." The word "seriously" modifies the verb "is looking," telling us how she's looking at running.

Which of the following sentences is correct?

B. "It is the same every day since we got here in January," said Lt. Howard Kelly, 25, who is on a 15-month tour in Afghanistan. Rationale: Usually, it's name + said, but there's an exception when the person speaking has a long title or description. Then it's awkward to put "said" at the end. It's better to put it at the beginning.

For a news story, which of the following sentences is correct, assuming Smith has been quoted already in the story?

B. "The holidays are just not that important, but I do look forward to a day when they can be important again," Smith said. (correct) Rationale: If this is not the first time Smith has been quoted in the story, then this quote is considered "second reference." And with second reference, you ONLY use the last name of the person quoted. Use no first names and no titles.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: times

B. 9 a.m. (correct) Rationale: Always use numerals for times. When it's the top of the hour, never write ":00" or "o'clock.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

B. A spokesperson for Secretary of State Linda Gautreaux, the Republican candidate for governor, said the first debate with her Democratic rival would be Sept. 18. (correct) Rationale: Capitalize a title if it comes directly before the name, and always capitalize political parties (Republican, Democrat). Abbreviate long months if they're followed by a date ("Sept. 18").

In the sentence below, are the underlined verbs passive or active? They were trying to pull him from the water at River Park.

A. Active voice Rationale: The correct answer is A: "ACTIVE VOICE." When the sentence takes a "subject > verb" form, you have active voice. In this sentence, "They" is the subject.

The underlined word below is either an adjective or an adverb. Identify which. Tyson said she is working to see if she has the support and if she can raise the money needed to mount a [statewide] race.

A. Adjective Rationale: The correct answer is A: "ADJECTIVE." The word "statewide" modifies the noun "race," telling us what kind of race this is.

What role does the bracketed word play in the sentence below? Officials at the conference honored [him], presenting him with $20,000 and a plaque.

A. Direct object (correct) Rationale: The pronoun "him" receives the action of the verb "honored."

Verbals are underlined in the sentence below. Identify what kind of verbals they are. Airlines are imposing new fees for [checking] luggage, [hauling] a pet or [sitting] in a choice aisle seat.

A. Gerunds Rationale: The correct answer is A: "GERUNDS." Each of these verbals acts like a thing (or noun). They are the things that the new fees are for. And each gerund is an object of the preposition "for": for checking, for hauling, and for sitting.

Clauses can be independent or dependent. A dependent clause can act like a noun, an adjective or an adverb. A clause is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of clause it is. [Oil prices rose to over $150 a barrel on Tuesday], and motorists are worried.

A. Independent clause Rationale: The clause "Oil prices rose to over $150 a barrel on Tuesday" is an independent clause because it could stand alone as a complete sentence.

Clauses can be independent or dependent. A dependent clause can act like a noun, an adjective or an adverb. A clause is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of clause it is. There will be fewer drivers on U.S. roads this Memorial Day weekend for the first time in five years, and [AAA is advising that motorists had better fill up soon] if they want to save money on gas.

A. Independent clause (correct) Rationale: The clause "AAA is advising that motorists had better fill up soon" is an independent clause because it could stand alone as its own sentence.

What role does the underlined word play in the sentence below? They gave [us] a hard time after we lost the game.

A. Indirect object Rationale: The noun "time" is the direct object, because "a hard time" is what they actually gave. "Us" is the indirect recipient of a hard time. And so "us" is an indirect object, taking the objective case of the pronoun.

The pronouns he, she, we, I, they, who and whoever are which case?

A. Nominative case Rationale: The correct answer is A: "NOMINATIVE CASE." These pronouns can serve as subjects or as predicate nominatives.

The sentence below contains underlined words. Choose whether the underlined words are a phrase or a clause. Many children who come to play in the water park end up staying [to try their hand] at painting, dancing or acting in a play.

A. Phrase Rationale: "To try their hand" is an infinitive phrase. "To try" is the infinitive, and "hand" is the object of the infinitive.

The sentence below contains underlined words. Choose whether the underlined words are a phrase or a clause. Free summer concerts are held at an amphitheater [on an island in] the park.

A. Phrase (correct) Rationale: The words "on an island" are a prepositional phrase. "On" is a preposition, and "island" is the object of the preposition.

What role does the bracketed word play in the sentence below? "Winning the Templeton Challenge is a lifelong [dream] for me," Lassiter said.

A. Predicate nominative Rationale: The correct answer is A: PREDICATE NOMINATIVE. The noun "dream" follows the linking verb "is," and it renames the gerund "Winning," which acts as the subject of the sentence. Predicate nominative always follow linking verbs.

A phrase is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what types of phrase it is. The meal, priced at only $5.99, also includes a choice of drink, an information brochure [with professional advice] on how to stay fit, and a free stepometer.

A. Prepositional phrase (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is A: PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE. "With professional advice" is a prepositional phrase that modifies the noun "brochure." "With" is the preposition, and "advice" is the object of the preposition.

Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly for the possessive case?

A. Several residents voiced concern about the quality of the teachers' lesson plans in Kannapolis' schools. Rationale: Plural nouns ending in "s" take only an apostrophe on the end, and proper nouns end in "s" take only an apostrophe as well.

Identify the type of conjunction in the sentence below. The coach insisted that his college team won't suffer because he will be out of town coaching the U.S. team for much of the summer.

A. Subordinating conjunction Rationale: The conjunction "because" begins a clause that can't stand by itself - it's a dependent clause. Subordinating conjunctions start dependent clauses, and they link the dependent clause to the main independent clause in the sentence.

Identify the type of conjunction in the sentence below. [Although] the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team has a few weeks off before training camp starts, there's little time for the team's coach to catch his breath.

A. Subordinating conjunction Rationale: The correct answer is A: "SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION." The conjunction "although" begins a clause that can't stand by itself -- it's a dependent clause. Here, the subordinating conjunction starts a dependent clause, and it links the dependent clause to the main independent clause in the sentence.

Choose the correct verb in the sentence below. All of the past episodes [are / is] available for download.

A. are Rationale: The correct answer is A: "ARE." The subject of this sentence is the indefinite pronoun "All," which always takes a plural verb.

Choose the correct verb in the sentence below. Everyone who comes to the show gets / get a free CD.

A. gets Rationale: The correct answer is A: "GETS." The subject of this sentence is the indefinite pronoun "Everyone," which always takes a singular verb.

Choose the correct verb in the sentence below. It's hard to believe that none of the students in the class has / have ever heard of the band The Talking Heads.

A. has Rationale: The correct answer is A: "HAS." The subject is the indefinite pronoun "none," which usually takes a singular verb because it means the same thing as "not one," as in "not one of the students."

Select the choice that gives the correct form of the pronoun in the sentence. It was (he / him) who won last year's film festival.

A. he Rationale: The correct answer is A: HE. The personal pronoun "he" follows directly after the linking verb "was," and it renames the subject "It." So, it's a predicate nominative, and it takes the nominative case.

Click on the correct choice from the underlined verbs in the sentence below. The committee of five Democrats and four Republicans [is / are] scheduled to vote on gun legislation Tuesday.

A. is Rationale: The correct answer is A: "IS." The subject in this sentence is "committee," which is a collective noun. Collective nouns always take singular verbs. Don't be misled by the prepositional phrase "of five Democrats and four Republicans."

Select the correct choice from the underlined verbs in the sentence below. The Councils of Music Recording Organizations [is / are] holding a convention in November.

A. is (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is A: "IS." The subject, "The Councils of Music Recording Organizations," is a proper noun, and it's singular. It sounds plural because of the word "Councils" but this is a single organization -- the capital letters are a clue for this.

Select the correct personal pronoun in the sentence below. Because the council voted to increase parking fees, [it / they] is not likely to vote for increased taxes.

A. it Rationale: The correct answer is A. The personal pronoun it/they refers to the collective noun council. In other words, the pronoun's antecedent is council. Collective nouns are singular, and so they take singular verbs and singular pronouns.

Identify the personal pronoun in the following sentence: She considered herself to be a proud Republican who would never support higher taxes.

A. she (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is A: "SHE."

Select the correct choice from the bracketed verbs in the sentence below. Some of the rocks [spill / spills] from the back of the truck, causing a mobile home behind it to veer into oncoming traffic.

A. spill (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is A. The indefinite pronoun "some" takes a plural verb when it refers to a plural noun, which is countable (and a singular verb when it refers to a singular noun). Here the noun is the plural "rocks," and so the correct verb is the plural "spill."

Select the correct relative pronoun in the sentence below. There was no doubt about Franklin's second hit, a high drive that / which landed three-quarters of the way up the stands in left field.

A. that Rationale: The correct answer is A: "THAT." The clause "that landed three-quarters of the way . . ." is essential information. It gives the reader important information about the high drive, helping to make it clear why "there was no doubt" Franklin's hit was a home run.

Find the adverb clause in this sentence. Children who are in grades 1 through 6 will earn a free book when they complete their "Summer Program Project" by reading eight books and turning in a completed journal sheet.

A. when they complete their "Summer Program Project" Rationale: Adverb clauses must have subjects and verbs -- here the subject is "they" and the verb is "complete." It's an adverb clause because it starts with a subordinating conjunction ("when"). Just like an adverb, the entire clause modifies the verb -- in this case, the verb "will earn."

Select the correct relative pronoun in the sentence below. The Tennessee pitching staff, which / that was burned for 27 runs, looked like it was ready for a day off.

A. which Rationale: The correct answer is A: "WHICH." The clause "which was burned for 31 runs" is extra information. If it were taken out, the reader wouldn't miss it much. In a nonessential clause like this, which is always set off with commas, use the relative pronoun "which."

Select the correct relative pronoun in the sentence below. The Tide, which / that had rallied in late innings to win the first two games of the series, wasn't finished.

A. which Rationale: The correct answer is A: "WHICH." The clause "which had rallied . . ." is extra information. If it were taken out, the reader wouldn't miss it much, and the sentence would still seem complete. In a nonessential clause like this one, which is always set off with commas, use the relative pronoun "which."

Choose the correct relative pronoun in the sentence below. "I try not to think about it," said Johnston, [who/whom] went hitless in all three games.

A. who Rationale: "Who" is the subject of the dependent clause "who went hitless in all three games." The verb in this clause is "went," and the only word that could be the subject of "went" is "who." Therefore it takes the nominative (subject) case.

Select the correct relative pronoun in the sentence below. The pitcher [who / that] started the game ran out of gas in the fifth inning.

A. who Rationale: The correct answer is "A: WHO." Always use the relative pronoun "who" when referring to a person. Never use the relative pronoun "that" when referring to a person.

Select the choice that gives the correct form of the pronoun in the sentence. We would like to know (who / whom) will take us to the game.

A. who Rationale: The correct choice is A: WHO. The words "who will take us to the game" is a separate clause, and every clause has to have a subject and verb. The verb of this clause is "will take," and every verb has to have a subject - in other words, someone has to be taking. In this sentence, that someone is "who." Who will take. The subject of the clause is "who," and so "who" takes the nominative case form.

Select the words in the sentence that make up a prepositional phrase The "pal lists" feature was added to YourRoom in January as a way to help users communicate with groups of friends.

A. with groups Rationale: The correct answer is A: "WITH GROUPS." The word "with" is a preposition, and "groups" is the object of the preposition.

The underlined word below is either an adjective or an adverb. Identify which. U.S. Rep. Glenda Tyson says she's looking [very] seriously at running for governor in two years

B. Adverb Rationale: The correct answer is B: "ADVERB." The word "very" modifies the adverb "seriously," telling us how seriously. (However, don't overuse intensifiers like "very." If you took "very" out of this sentence, you wouldn't miss it.)

The sentence below contains underlined words. Choose whether the underlined words are a phrase or a clause. Many children [who come to play in the park] end up staying to try their hand at painting, dancing or acting in a play.

B. Clause Rationale: "Who come to play in the park" is a dependent clause. "Who" is the subject of the clause, and "come" is the verb.

The sentence below contains underlined words. Choose whether the underlined words are a phrase or a clause. The river [that runs through downtown], once polluted with garbage, has been cleaned up.

B. Clause Rationale: The words "that runs through downtown" have to be a clause because they include a subject and verb. The subject is "that," and the verb is "runs."

Identify the type of conjunction in the sentence below. The coach said the experience would be valuable, but it could hurt recruiting for his college team.

B. Coordinating conjunction Rationale: The correct answer is B: "COORDINATING CONJUNCTION." The conjunction "but" links (or coordinates) two independent clauses. In other words, it links two clauses that stand on their own, each of which could be its own complete sentence.

Clauses can be independent or dependent. A dependent clause can act like a noun, an adjective or an adverb. A clause is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of clause it is. According to a national survey, the number of drivers across the nation this holiday will be about 41 million, [which is about 500,000 fewer drivers than last year.]

B. Dependent clause Rationale: The clause "which is about 500,000 fewer drivers than last year" is a dependent clause because it can't stand alone. The clause acts as an adjective by telling us more about "41 million."

What role does the underlined word play in the sentence below? [Whom] will they pick as a candidate?

B. Direct object Rationale: "Whom" is the direct object of the verb "will pick," and so it takes the objective case form. To figure out who/whom questions, first find the verb that who/whom goes with. If the verb already has a subject, then choose "whom," the objective case of the pronoun. If the verb doesn't have a subject, then who/whom is going to be the subject, and so you would choose "who." Here, "whom" receives the action of the verb "will pick." So it's an object and takes the objective case of the pronoun.

What is the mood of the bracketed verb in the sentence below? [Go] to BooksBazaar.com to enter your story in the competition.

B. Imperative Rationale: The correct answer is B: "IMPERATIVE." The verb gives a command. A clue here is that the subject "You" is only implied, and not actually stated in the sentence. (You go to . . .)

A phrase is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of phrase it is. [To honor the spirit of the Olympic Games,] customers can fasten the free stepometer around their waists and try to boost the amount of walking they do each day.

B. Infinitive phrase Rationale: "To honor the spirit of the Olympic Games" is an infinitive phrase that modifies the verb "can fasten." The phrase tells why people would fasten the stepometer on their waists. "To honor" is the infinitive, and "spirit" is the object of the infinitive.

Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly for the possessive case?

B. Langford and Johnson's case now depended on their star witness's testimony. Rationale: When more than one person own something, use the apostrophe only on the last word. And common nouns ending in "s" take an 's unless the word following it starts with "s." So it's the witness's testimony, but the witness' silence.

A verbal is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what kind of verbal it is. GlobalSkies is the latest airline to consider possible job cuts due to rising fuel costs. (Type: Multiple Choice)

B. Participle (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is B: "PARTICIPLE." You can tell that the word "rising" is a participle because it ends in -ing, and because it acts like an adjective, modifying the noun "costs."

In the sentence below, are the underlined verbs passive or active? The victim [was spotted] by rescuers in the river near Bear Creek Lodge.

B. Passive voice Rationale: The correct answer is B: "PASSIVE VOICE." Rescuers are the ones doing the spotting, but they are stuck in the prepositional phrase "by rescuers." To make the sentence active, move "rescuers" in front of the verb to make it the subject: "Rescuers spotted the victim in the river near Bear Creek Lodge."

In the sentence below, are the underlined verbs passive or active? Sampson [was hit] by a wild pitch, DeLorens hit a single to centerfield and Clarke hit a single that scored Sampson.

B. Passive voice Rationale: The correct answer is B: PASSIVE VOICE. The pitch did the hitting, but the "pitch" is stuck in the prepositional phrase "by the wild pitch." To make the sentence active, move "pitch" in front of the verb, so it can be the subject: "The wild pitch hit Sampson, . . ."

What's wrong with the following sentence? Customers who are not completely satisfied may return the DVD player for a full refund.

B. Take out the unnecessary word "completely" (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is B. The word "completely" is a needless intensifier, as are other adverbs such as "really," "very" and "totally." Take them out, and usually you won't miss them.

What's wrong with the following sentence? Gunshots rang out, and Gilbert was able to quickly leave the building through the back door.

B. There's a split infinitive Rationale: The correct answer is B. It's awkward to split an infinitive in the middle with an adverb. It would be better to write "able to leave the building quickly through the back door."

What's wrong with the verb(s) in the following sentences? Chase says Fuller is one of the most exciting players on the team. "She really energizes the players on the floor when she comes off the bench," she said.

B. Verb tenses should not change from one sentence to the next. Rationale: The correct answer is B: Generally, keep the attribution verb "said" in past tense when you're writing news stories and press releases. Don't switch back and forth between "says" and "said."

Select the choice that gives the correct form of the pronoun in the sentence. (Who / Whom) was the candidate talking about?

B. Whom Rationale: "Whom" is the object of the preposition "about." If you change the word order in the sentence, you can see this more clearly: "The candidate was talking about whom."

The underlined words are either adjectives or adverbs. Identify which. The band My Morning Jacket played Saturday, outdoors at the amphitheater.

B. adverbs Rationale: The correct answer is B. Adverbs tell us more about verbs. While many adverbs end in -ly (so called "adverbs of manner"), some adverbs tell us when and where something happened. "Saturday" tells us when the band played, and "outdoors" tells us where.

Select the correct adjective in the sentence below. Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth were both great hitters, but Aaron was the (best / better) base runner of the two.

B. better Rationale: The correct answer is B. Use the comparative degree (better, more, etc.) when comparing only two things; use the superlative (best, most, etc.) when comparing more than two.

Click on the correct choice from the underlined verbs in the sentence below. Typically, a family of beavers [build and maintain / builds and maintains] one or several dams in their territory.

B. builds and maintains (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is B: "BUILDS AND MAINTAINS." The subject in this sentence is "family," which is a collective noun. Collective nouns always take singular verbs. Don't be misled by the prepositional phrase "of beavers."

Select the word in the sentence below that is the object of a preposition. The pal lists feature was added to YourRoom in December as a way to help users communicate with groups of friends.

B. friends Rationale: The correct answer is B: FRIENDS. The word "friends" is the object of the preposition "of."

Select the correct choice from the underlined verbs in the sentence below. A team of University of Alabama researchers have / has found what they believe to be an Alabama cave shrimp in Muddy Cave near Farley Elementary School.

B. has Rationale: The subject in this sentence is "team," which is a collective noun. Collective nouns always take singular verbs. Don't be misled by the prepositional phrase "of University of Alabama researchers." This phrase just tells more about the subject (what kind of team).

Select the choice that gives the correct form of the pronoun in the sentence. They bought my brother and (I / me) the game "Rock Star" for Christmas.

B. me Rationale: The personal pronoun "me" is an indirect object in this sentence because it indirectly receives the action of the verb "bought." Therefore, the pronoun takes the objective case, "me." The "game" is the direct object -- it's the thing that was bought. The indirect object almost always comes between the verb and the direct object ("bought ME the game").

Select the choice that gives the correct form of the pronoun in the sentence. I didn't see anything about my uncle and (we / us) on the website.

B. us (correct) Rationale: The personal pronoun "us" is the object of the preposition "about" in the prepositional phrase "about my uncle and us." (The noun "uncle" is the other object of the preposition.) Therefore, the pronoun takes the objective case.

Select the correct relative pronoun in the sentence below. Playing with a torn tendon in his left thumb, that / which he suffered on May 1, he delivered the game of his life.

B. which Rationale: The correct answer is B: "WHICH." The clause "which he suffered on April 1" is extra rather than essential information. You could take it out, and the meaning of the sentence would not change. The commas around the clause are another clue that the clause should be a "which" clause and not a "that clause.

Find an adjective clause in this sentence. Instructors will ask children to list five characters who have captured their imaginations and to describe ways they are similar and different from themselves.

B. who have captured their imaginations Rationale: Adjective clauses must have subjects and verbs -- here the subject is "who" and the verb is "have captured." It's an adjective clause because it starts with a relative pronoun ("who"), and it modifies a noun -- in this case, "characters."

Choose the correct relative pronoun in the sentence below. Giles said she could date [whoever/whomever] she wanted.

B. whomever (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is B. WHOMEVER. The pronoun "whomever" is part of the noun clause "whomever she wanted." In this clause, the verb is "wanted" and the subject of "wanted" is "she." Because the verb already has a subject, the choice must be the objective case of the pronoun, "whomever." Switch the words in this clause around to see more clearly that "whomever" is the direct object in the clause: "she wanted whomever."

Clauses can be independent or dependent. A dependent clause can act like a noun, an adjective or an adverb. A clause is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of clause it is. There will be fewer drivers on U.S. roads this Memorial Day weekend for the first time in five years, and AAA is advising that motorists had better fill up soon [if they want to save money on gas].

C. Dependent Clause (adverb clause) Rationale: The correct answer is C: DEPENDENT CLAUSE (ADVERB CLAUSE). The clause "if they want to save money on gas" is an adverb clause that modifies the verb "fill." The clause tells why drivers had better fill up their tanks soon. Adverb clauses begin with a subordinating conjunction, which in this case is the word "if." The pronoun "they" is the subject of the clause, and "want" is the verb.

A phrase is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of phrase it is. There are many things people can do to stay fit. [Using the stairs] instead of an elevator is one simple idea.

C. Gerund phrase Rationale: "Using the stairs" is a gerund phrase that acts as the subject of the second sentence. It's the thing that is one simple idea. "Using" is the gerund, and "stairs" is the object of the gerund.

A verbal is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what kind of verbal it is. GlobalSkies Airlines says it will cut 700 flight attendant jobs as it reduces the number of flights to cope with high fuel costs.

C. Infinitive Rationale: The correct answer is C: "INFINITIVE." Infinitives take the form to + verb. Infinitives can act like nouns, adjectives or adverbs. In this sentence "to cope" acts like an adverb, telling us WHY GlobalSkies is reducing the number of flights.

What role does the bracketed word play in the sentence below? It was [they] who stole the car.

C. Predicate nominative Rationale: The pronoun "they" follows the linking verb "was," and it renames the subject "It." So "they" is a predicate nominative and takes the nominative case of the pronoun.

What role does the underlined word play in the sentence below? Can you tell me [who] drove your car that night?

C. Subject Rationale: To figure out who/whom questions, first find the verb that who/whom goes with. If the verb already has a subject, then choose "whom," the objective case. If the verb doesn't have a subject, then who/whom is going to be the subject, and so you would choose "who." Here, the verb "drove" has no subject other than "who/whom." So who/whom is the subject and takes the nominative case "who."

What role does the bracketed word play in the sentence below? In the second game, [Johnson] hit a backhand that gave him the win.

C. Subject (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C: SUBJECT. Johnson is doing the hitting and so must be a subject in the sentence.

What is the mood of the underlined verb in the sentence below? [Were] you to win, you would receive $3,500 and a Huston-Upland computer.

C. Subjunctive Rationale: The correct answer is C: "SUBJUNCTIVE." The verb suggests the writer is imagining or wishing for something, rather than making a factual (indicative) statement. Note the use of the verb "were."

The verb in the sentence below may be in passive voice. If the verb is passive, choose the sentence that makes the verb active. Eight new rollercoasters and spectacular nighttime parades will be introduced this summer by Thrill Mountain theme parks, adding to an already impressive array of thrill rides and family-friendly attractions.

C. Thrill Mountain theme parks will introduce eight new roller coasters and spectacular nighttime parades this summer, adding to an already impressive array of thrill rides and family-friendly attractions. Rationale: The correct answer is C: "Thrill Mountain theme parks" is doing the introducing, and so it's the subject and should be moved in front of the verb "will introduce."

Select the words in the sentence that make up a prepositional phrase On Tuesday, May 10, the social networking site YourRoom will introduce privacy updates that give users more control over the information they choose to share.

C. over the information Rationale: The correct answer is C: "OVER THE INFORMATION." The word "over" is a preposition, and "information" is the object of the preposition.

Identify the relative pronoun in the following sentence: She considered herself to be a proud Republican who would never support higher taxes.

C. who Rationale: The correct answer is C: "WHO." The pronouns who, whom, whoever, whomever, which and that are called relative pronouns because they help "relate" dependent clauses to independent clauses in sentences.

Identify the relative pronoun in the following sentence: She considered herself to be a proud Republican who would never support higher taxes.

C. who (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C: "WHO." The pronouns who, whom, whoever, whomever, which and that are called relative pronouns because they help "relate" dependent clauses to independent clauses in sentences.

What's wrong with the following sentence? Broughton said the Senate should be able to pass the budget bill easy before senators break for the holidays.

D. "Easy" should be "easily" Rationale: The correct answer is D. Don't drop the "-ly" from adverbs of manner. If you do, it take the form of an adjective.

Clauses can be independent or dependent. A dependent clause can act like a noun, an adjective or an adverb. A clause is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of clause it is. There will be fewer drivers on U.S. roads this Memorial Day weekend for the first time in five years, and AAA is advising [that motorists had better fill up soon] if they want to save money on gas.

D. Dependent clause (noun clause) (correct) Rationale: The clause "that motorists had better fill up soon" is a dependent clause because it can't stand alone as a complete sentence. It's a noun clause because the clause acts as a direct object of the verb "is advising." The whole clause is the thing that AAA advises.

What role does the bracketed word play in the sentence below? Johnson hasn't lost a [set] at the Templeton Tennis Challenge in three years.

D. Direct object Rationale: The word "set" receives the action directly from the verb "lost." A set is the thing he did not lose.

What's wrong with the following sentence? Ryerson's On the Bay offers you the most perfect dining experience you'll ever have.

D. It should say ". . . offers you a perfect dining experience." "Most perfect" is incorrect. Rationale: The correct answer is D. Words like "perfect" and "unique" have no degrees. You can't have something that's "more perfect" or "most unique." It's either perfect or not perfect, unique or not unique.

The verb in the sentence below may be in passive voice. If the verb is passive, choose the sentence that makes the verb active. "Underwater Adventure," a ride based on the animated feature film releasing in July, will be the featured attraction at Thrill Mountain Park 3D theaters.

D. It's already in active voice - no change is needed Rationale: The correct answer is D: The verb "will be" is already in active voice, and the subject "Underwater Adventure" already comes before the verb ("Underwater Adventure" will be . . .)

What role do the underlined words play in the sentence below? "Winning the Templeton Challenge is a dream come true for me," Lassiter said.

D. Object of the gerund (correct) Rationale: "Winning" is a gerund (it ends in -ing and acts like a noun), and the proper noun "Templeton Challenge" is the object of the gerund in the gerund phrase "Winning the Templeton Challenge."

What role does the bracketed word play in the sentence below? Reporters tried to ask [him], but the press conference was cut short.

D. Object of the infinitive Rationale: The correct answer is D: OBJECT OF THE INFINITIVE. "To ask" is an infinitive, and "to ask him" is the infinitive phrase. All infinitive phrases contain an object of the infinitive. Here, the word "him" is the object.

What role does the underlined word play in the sentence below? Bidwell, the Templeton Challenge champion, missed most of last year because of a chronic hip [injury].

D. Object of the preposition (correct) Rationale: The word "injury" is part of the prepositional phrase "of a chronic hip injury." The word "of" is the preposition, and "injury" is the object of the preposition.

A phrase is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of phrase it is. The meal, [priced at only $5.99], also includes a drink, an information brochure with professional advice on how to stay fit, and a free stepometer.

D. Participle phrase (correct) Rationale: "Priced at only $5.99" is a participle phrase that modifies the noun "meal." "Priced" is a past participle, and the rest of the phrase consists of the prepositional phrase "at only $5.99" (so there's a phrase within a phrase here).

A phrase is underlined in the sentence below. Identify what type of phrase it is. BigBurger's new "Action Meal" includes a salad [containing grilled chicken] with a balsamic dressing.

D. Participle phrase (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is D: PARTICIPLE PHRASE. "Containing grilled chicken" is a participle phrase that modifies the noun "salad" (participles act like adjectives). "Containing" is the participle, and "chicken" is the object of the participle.

What is the verb tense for the underlined verb in the sentence below? Operations will resume only after the FDA determines that the defendants have complied with all food-safety requirements.

D. Present perfect tense Rationale: The correct answer is D: "PRESENT PERFECT TENSE." The verb "have complied" includes the helping verb "have," which means it's in the present perfect tense.

Select the word in the sentence below that is the object of a preposition On Tuesday, May 10, the social networking site YourRoom will introduce privacy updates that give users more control over the information they choose to share.

D. Tuesday Rationale: The correct answer is D: TUESDAY. The word "Tuesday" is the object of the preposition "on."

Find the subordinating conjunction in the sentence below. Unlike many other recipes, this recipe does not require you to brown the chicken on the stovetop before you assemble the ingredients.

D. before Rationale: The correct answer is D. Subordinating conjunctions begin dependent adverb clauses, and the only word that does this is "before." (Remember that every clause must have a subject and verb. Here the subject-verb is "you assemble.")

Find the participle phrase in this sentence. Guise and Reynolds Books, one of the world's largest book retailers, today announced it will launch a 2011 summer reading program, called The Big Imagine.

D. called The Big Imagine Rationale: The word "called" is a past participle, and it modifies the noun program. Participles often follow right after the nouns they modify. "The Big Imagine" is the object of the participle.

Identify the indefinite pronoun in the following sentence: "This is something that will benefit the community, and I hope citizens will support it," Murphy said.

D. something Rationale: The correct answer is D: "SOMETHING." Words like something, each and everyone have vague, indefinite references, as opposed to personal pronouns like he, she, it, which refer to specific people.

This sentence contains both proper and common nouns. Identify the proper nouns. The U.S Department of Energy today released The Energy America Report, a document that suggests the possibility of using wind power to provide 20 percent of the United States' electricity by 2030.

E. Both US Department of Energy and The Energy America Report Rationale: The correct answer is E: "BOTH A AND D." The capital letters are a clue here: Proper nouns always start with capital letters.

This sentence contains both proper and common nouns. Identify the proper nouns. Storm clouds gathered Wednesday morning as Matthew Hudson sat on the 111-year-old Coaltown Road Bridge in southeast Foster County, carefully inspecting the 18 steel sections that keep the bridge from falling into the river below.

E. Matthew Hudson and Foster County Rationale: The correct answer is E. "BOTH B AND D." The capital letters are a clue here: Proper nouns always start with capital letters

What is the verb tense for the bracketed verb in the sentence below? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today [announced] the shut down of seafood operations at Garrison Foods, Inc. until they comply with food-safety laws.

Past tense

What is the verb tense for the bracketed verb in the sentence below? The complaint alleges that Garrisons Foods [had failed] to maintain hand washing and toilet facilities.

Perfect Past Tense

The verb in the sentence below may be in passive voice. If the verb is passive, choose the sentence that makes the verb active. Thrill Mountain Park's new virtual reality attraction has a futuristic theme, and riders will be taken through a portal into a hidden world of fantastical creatures.

Thrill Mountain Park's new virtual reality attraction will take riders through a portal into a hidden, futuristic world of fantastical creatures. (correct) Rationale: The second clause in this sentence has a passive form ("riders will be taken"). The sentence in option C has the active "subject>verb" form ("attraction will take"). In options A and B, the subject does not come before the verb.

Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?

A. "Some days, we don't have enough, and it's tough to face customers," Ernizova said. "A lady came in yesterday saying, 'You can't call this lunch.'" Rationale: When you have a quote within a quote - called a nested quote - you use single quote marks. And remember, the comma or period goes inside ALL the quote marks, as in this sentence

What's wrong with the verb(s) in the following sentences? Commissioner Helen Bostick said the FDA would pursue all companies that violate the law. "We simply can't allow companies to put the public's health at risk," Bostick says.

"Said" and "says" should not be different tenses Rationale: Generally, keep the attribution verb "said" in past tense when you're writing news stories and press releases. Don't switch back and forth between "says" and "said."

Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?

A. "We are not going to stop what we're working on to celebrate the Fourth of July," said Sgt. Bill Wyatt, 27, at a small U.S. outpost, some 40 miles south of Baghdad. Rationale: Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks, and you do need a comma at the end of the quote, before the attribution.

In which of the following sentences are hyphens used correctly?

A. A two-day meeting (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is A. Use a hyphen in a compound modifier (two adjectives) that comes directly before the noun it modifies. Don't use hyphens after adverbs, as in a "a thinly veiled excuse," or in the middle of a proper noun, as in "The College of Education faculty."

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. For more information about Frostland Ice Cream Parlor visit the company's website, at www.frostland.com.

A. Comma needed after "Parlor," but not after "website" (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is A. The prepositional phrase "For more information about Frostland Ice Cream Parlor" is more than three words, and it introduces the sentence. It therefore needs a comma after it. The prepositional phrase "at www.frostland.com" comes at the end of the sentence, and so it needs no comma before it. A comma there would stop the reader unnecessarily.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. As investigators try to find the source of a salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes more problems with the nation's food safety system have surfaced.

A. Comma needed between "tomatoes" and "more problems" (correct) Rationale: The sentence begins with an introductory adverb clause, and a comma always follows an introductory adverb clause. You can tell it's an adverb clause because it begins with a subordinating conjunction - "As."

Choose the option that correctly eliminates the redundancy in this phrase: Take into consideration

A. Consider (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A. CONSIDER." Don't turn perfectly good verbs into nouns. If you take something under consideration, you consider it.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: The top of the eighth lasted 35 minutes and seven seconds. Before recording a single out, five Rangers pitchers threw 34 pitches to seven Yankees batters and the Yankees turned a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 deficit into a definitively insurmountable 6-5 lead. There was a meeting Tuesday between council members and site developers over plans for a park on the north side of the river.

A. Dead construction Rationale: There was a meeting is a dead verb construction. The active verb "meet" has been turned into a listless phrase. Let's rewrite: Council members and site developers met Tuesday over plans for a park on the north side of the river.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: There will be an announcement by the mayor Thursday about plans for park development along the White Falls River.

A. Dead construction (correct) Rationale: There will be an announcement is a dead verb construction. The active verb announce has been turned into a listless phrase. Let's rewrite: The mayor will announce plans Thursday for park development along the White River.

Identify the problem in the sentence below: Mayor Susan Feeney, wearing a blue velvet dress with pearls, opened the convention with a speech on her plans for energy efficiency in Jacksonville.

A. Don't mention what she's wearing. (correct) Rationale: Feeney's choice of clothing for this event is irrelevant to the story, and the description is a distraction. Too often, descriptions of women's clothing and hairstyles enter into news stories. These descriptions are sexist because discussion of the clothing of male news sources is rarely given - why the double standard? (Also - if you chose "b. The sentence does not branch right," you were correct. It's just that this is not the most important problem in the sentence. If you take out the clothing description the sentence does branch right, and you solve two problems at once.)

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: numbers

A. Each of the three armadillos weighed less than 9 pounds. (correct) Rationale: Spell out countable amounts that are fewer than 10 (three armadillos), but always use numerals for units of measurement, even when less than 10 (9 pounds).

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

A. Financial officers from Leeson and Grimes Inc. testified to members of the U.S. Senate Tuesday. (correct) Rationale: Abbreviate "Inc." when it's part of the name of a company, but don't set it off with commas. Capitalize "Senate" when it refers to a specific senate -- that's what it does here.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

A. Gus Barrier, attorney general (correct) Rationale: Always lowercase and spell out titles when they come after the name.

In which situation below do you insert a comma?

A. In between a dependent adverb clause that starts a sentence and an independent clause that follows it. For example: "When I wake up in the morning, I always have to have a cup of coffee." Rationale: The correct answer is A. Always place a comma after an adverb clause that starts a sentence. "B" is incorrect because you generally don't insert a comma after a phrase that starts a sentence unless it is around five words or longer. "C" is incorrect because the two adjectives (black and iron) don't modify one another and need no punctuation between them.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: numbers, symbols, street names

A. Investigators found nearly $2 million in a box that was buried under a restaurant's parking lot on Ninth Avenue. (correct) Rationale: Don't use zeroes when writing numbers that are millions, billions, etc. Spell out "Avenue" because it has no street address.

In which of the following sentences are hyphens used correctly?

A. It's a 12- by 20-foot stage area. Rationale: This is a case of "suspended hyphenation." The word "foot" is missing after the numeral 12, but it is understood that it would be there. It's elliptical. This means a hyphen should follow 12 just as a hyphen follows 20.

Which of the choices below is NOT a way to correct the following sentence? Jones landed a job making personal appearances as Yoyo the Clown he eventually bought the rights to Yoyo's character.

A. Jones landed a job making personal appearances as Yoyo the Clown and he eventually bought the rights to Yoyo's character. (correct) Rationale: The sentence is a run-on, and so it needs some form of punctuation between the two independent clauses. The first choice adds the coordinating conjunction "and" between the clauses, but it leaves out the comma that should come before the conjunction. So that can't be right. Choices b and c use the semicolon correctly to link the clauses, and choice d makes each clause a complete sentence. That works too.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

A. Maj. Larry Boaz (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A." Always capitalize titles when they come directly before a name. Titles often get abbreviated before names, but not always. Military/police titles, like "major," "captain" and "general" do get abbreviated.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

A. The Mississippi Legislature is scheduled to vote on a proposal to fund a cleanup of the Noxubee and Pearl rivers. (correct) Rationale: Always capitalize "legislature" if it refers to a specific state legislature. Lowercase "river" if it refers to more than one river. However, you would capitalize "river" if the sentence were written this way: ". . . cleanup of the Noxubee River and the Pearl River."

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Students have a number of options, including bus rides, signing up for more online courses, or cutting down on the number of classes.

A. The sentence is not parallel. (correct) Rationale: In the list of options, signing and cutting are gerunds, but bus rides is a noun. All words in a list should take the same form. The sentence can be rewritten so the words are parallel: Students have a number of options, including riding the bus, signing up for more online courses, or cutting down on the number of classes.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

A. The trial took place on March 8 in Riverside, California. (correct) Rationale: The month "March" should never be abbreviated, even with a date. State names like "California" are always spelled out when they are in news stories. Set the state off with commas.

True or false? Periods and commas should be put inside quotation marks.

A. True Rationale: Commas and periods should always be put inside quote marks. So, if the preceding sentence were a quote with attribution, it would read: "Commas and periods should always be put inside quote marks," Jones said.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

A. Yancey's Oyster House is at the corner of Sandpiper and West Beach avenues, across from City Hall. (correct) Rationale: Lowercase "avenues" when referring to more than one avenue. Capitalize "City Hall" when referring to a specific city hall.

Choose the correct word from the underlined word pair in the sentence below. Tunstall had to choose among / between three equally unpleasant options: taking a pay cut and staying with his current team, risking free agency, or quitting the NFL.

A. among (correct) Rationale: Use the word among when you have more than two options. Use between when you have only two options.

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. In March the Women's Club held its biannual / biennial picnic on the grounds of the Capitol / Capital building, and three months later they began planning for the October picnic.

A. biannual / Capitol (correct) Rationale: Biannual means twice a year, and apparently the group is holding two picnics within the same year. Use Capitol and capitalize it when referring to a state's Capitol building.

The National Federations of Publishers has / have approximately 850 members, and more than 50 of those are from Alabama.

A. has (correct) Rationale: The National Federations of Publishers is a collective noun, and therefore it takes a singular verb. This is true even though the word Federations is plural.

The number of TV shows about crime situations has / have increased by 250% since 1960.

A. has (correct) Rationale: The phrase the number is singular and therefore takes the singular form of the verb. However, a number would be plural, and would take the plural verb form.

A series of careless blunders has / have led to universal criticism of the governor's first-term policies.

A. has (correct) Rationale: The subject in this sentence is series, which is a collective noun and takes the singular form of the verb. Don't get distracted by the prepositional phrase of careless blunders that follows the subject. The word blunders is just an object of the preposition of and has nothing to do with the verb choice.

Tucker said she does not know if 10,000 more votes is / are enough to ensure her victory in the primary.

A. is (correct) Rationale: In this sentence the 10,000 votes is treated as a single entity. The focus is on the votes as a single group rather than on each individual vote, and so a singular verb is needed.

Choose the correct word from the underlined words in the sentence below. She laid / lay / layed / lied her purse on the floorboard.

A. laid (correct) Rationale: The past tense of the verb lay (which means to set down) is laid. Don't confuse it with the past tense of lie (recline), which is lay. And there's no such word as "layed." In this course you are expected to know how to conjugate the verbs lie and lay, so you should memorize these.

The workers fixed the water fountain, but some of the water still lies / lie on the floor.

A. lies (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS A. "LIES." The indefinite pronoun some is the subject of this clause. Because the noun to which some refers -- water -- is not countable, the verb should take the singular form.

Choose the correct word from the underlined words in the sentence below. Hughes set / sits / sat the papers on the podium and walked out of the room.

A. set (correct) Rationale: Set means to put something down. The words sits and sat are used only to refer to the act of sitting down. In this course you are expected to know how to conjugate the verbs sit and set, so you should memorize these.

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. Despite her tortuous / torturous line of argument, I was reluctant / reticent to challenge her because she was my supervisor.

A. tortuous / reluctant (correct) Rationale: Tortuous means twisted or hard to follow, and that could definitely apply to an argument someone is making. Reluctant is a hesitance to act, and reticence means staying quiet. Though the result of this person's reluctance may be to stay quiet, the point is that the person is hesitant to act, or to challenge the supervisor. The person is reluctant, not reticent.

The Supreme Court, which / that / who dismissed a sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart, significantly tightened the rules for how a large group of people can join together to sue a company.

A. which (correct) Rationale: Use which or that rather than who when referring to a collective noun in this case, the Supreme Court. And use which rather than that when the clause is non-essential and is set off by commas, as is this one.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: times, capitalization

B. All Republican delegates will meet in Room 2 at noon. (correct) Rationale: Use "noon," not "12." Always capitalize political parties. Spell out and capitalize "Room," and room numbers are always numerals, even when less than 10.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. Though investigators insist tomatoes remain the leading problem, they are looking at other produce, but won't say what vegetables are being examined.

B. Comma between "produce" and "but" should be taken out. (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is B. Because there's no stated subject in the clause after the coordinating conjunction "but," a comma is not needed before it.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. Bobby, you have given me absolutely no reason to trust you and I am not getting on that boat with you and sailing off to wherever

B. Comma needed between "trust you" and "I am" (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is B. The conjunction "and," which falls between the words "trust you" and "I am" separates two independent clauses, and each of these clauses has a stated subject ("you" and "I"). So you must put a comma before the coordinating conjunction.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. The vicious winter storm left its victims cold scared and hungry. (from a news story)

B. Comma needed between the adjectives "cold" and "scared" (correct) Rationale: In writing for news, PR or advertising, put commas between single words in a series except before the last item. So there would be no comma before "and hungry." Also, no comma is needed between the words "vicious" and "winter." You can tell this because you would not put the word "and" between these adjectives (The "vicious and winter storm" sounds weird).

True or false? You should try not to change the words in a quote for a news story or press release, but if you find the sentence sounds better when you change the words, you can go ahead and do it.

B. False Rationale: NEVER change the words in a direct quote for a news story or press release. You can use a part of a quote, as long as you don't change the person's meaning.

True or false? Lengthy titles should be placed before the person's name, like this: "We're shutting down because of budget cuts," said director of the Roseville's Children's Museum of Science Sally Hightower.

B. False (correct) Rationale: Lengthy titles should be placed AFTER the person's name, separated by a comma. This makes it easier on the reader. So, the sentence should be written: "We're shutting down because of budget cuts," said Sally Hightower, director of the Roseville's Children's Museum of Science.

Writers should use dashes, colons and semicolons frequently.

B. False (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is B. Writers should be careful not to overuse dashes, colons and semicolons, as overuse weakens their effectiveness. Often it's best just to start a new sentence. Writers should vary the lengths of their sentences. Sometimes a lengthy, descriptive piece of prose works beautifully to convey the writer's meaning. Sometimes it doesn't.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: name, age

B. George Wang, 9 (correct) Rationale: Always use numerals for ages, even when less than 10. This is one of the exceptions to the "spell out when less than 10" rule. Also, put the age right after the name, separated by a comma. You don't need the word "age."

Which of the following would be most appropriate for a news story?

B. Gulf Shore police said a ruptured gas line forced them to block traffic at East Beach Boulevard and 3rd Street. Rationale: Quotes are not needed because there is nothing special about this content. The officer did not use colorful language or put it in a way that was special or unique. The content can be paraphrased.

Which of the choices below is the best way to correct the following sentence? Jones' business, combining animation, licensing of the clown's character, voice recordings and personal appearances, made millions, as Jones trained more than 200 "Yoyo Clowns" to represent him in local markets.

B. Jones' business - combining animation, licensing of the clown's character, voice recordings, and personal appearances - made millions, as Jones trained more than 100 "Yoyo Clowns" to represent him in local markets. Rationale: The series of phrases describing Jones' business needs to be set off by more than just commas, because commas already separate the phrases within the series. Adding two more commas just confuses. So, set the series off with dashes. Only dashes are used to set off a list when it falls in the middle of a sentence.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: months/dates, numbers

B. One hundred fifty two teachers packed into the auditorium for the November workshop. (correct) Rationale: Always spell out a number when it starts a sentence. (However, the sentence would be less awkward written as: "Around 150 teachers packed . . .") Also, spell out months when they have no dates.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

B. President Amy Williams (correct) Rationale: Always capitalize a title when it comes right before a name. Never abbreviate president or vice president.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

B. Rep. Coby Jefferson said today that he may not seek re-election. Jefferson has until Sept. 22 to declare his candidacy. (correct) Rationale: The title "representative" should be abbreviated when it comes right before a name. Only use the last name on second reference ("Jefferson"), and never use courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Miss).

Choose the option that correctly eliminates the redundancy in this phrase: Local residents

B. Residents Rationale: The word residents already implies that they live (reside) in the local area. Just say residents.

In which situation below do you insert a comma?

B. Right before a coordinating conjunction (like "and, but, or, yet") between two independent clauses, where the second clause states a subject. For example: "I like chocolate, but Stacy likes vanilla." (correct) Rationale: The correct choice is B: A comma should be placed right before a coordinating conjunction when the clause that follows has a stated subject, as the sentence does here (the subject is Stacy). "A" is wrong because commas are placed after adverb clauses, not before them. "D" is wrong because in news writing (and PR and ad writing) no comma is placed before the final item in a list.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Campgrounds across the country are reporting a boom in business, from tent campers to recreational vehicles, maybe this is due to the economy, or the long waits at the airport, or the high price of gas.

B. Run-on sentence (correct) Rationale: Yes, the sentence is a little too long, but more importantly, it runs two independent clauses together with no coordinating conjunction or semicolon between them. It's a comma splice. You could break this run-on into two sentences.

Which of the following is correct for broadcast news writing?

B. STATE UNIVERSITY COACH PHIL MACKEWITZ IS IN TROUBLE AGAIN WITH THE N-C-A-A. Rationale: Place hyphens between letters in a commonly known acronym (like the NCAA) because it is easier for the anchor or reporter to see and read. Also, write broadcast news in all caps.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

B. The Nov. 3 meeting will focus on ethics problems in state legislatures around the country. (correct) Rationale: Make "legislatures" lowercase when referring to more than one, and abbreviate long months with dates ("Nov. 3").

What's the problem with the following sentence? Teresa refuses to take her children on metro trains because she says they smell funny.

B. The antecedent for the pronoun "they" is unclear. (correct) Rationale: Likely, it's the trains that smell funny and not the children, but the sentence would need to be rewritten to make that clear. Right now, the pronoun they has an unclear antecedent. (Also, the other options are incorrect: The sentence is complete, and no comma is needed.)

Which of the following sentences is best?

B. The crowd was ready, the hamburgers were ready, the judges were ready — if only Childers' stomach were ready. (correct) Rationale: The best answer is B. A dash is needed here because the end of the sentence is unexpected. The stop is abrupt. A comma can't be used because it would be a comma splice (linking two independent clauses). Neither a semicolon nor a colon is the best solution because a dash works better with a surprise ending like this one.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

B. The headquarters for Remington Pickard Corp. is located on Upton Avenue. (correct) Rationale: Abbreviate "Corporation" when it's part of a company's name, and do not set it off with commas. Spell out "Avenue" when there is no street address.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Enrollments in online classes, which began expanding rapidly around five years ago according to statistics gathered last year by researchers at State University.

B. The sentence is a fragment. (correct) Rationale: " There is no main verb and no independent main clause. This is not a sentence. It's a fragment.

Meanwhile in Florida, 10,000 votes is / are being counted by hand.

B. are (correct) Rationale: In this sentence, the 10,000 votes are treated as individual votes rather than as a collective group, and so a plural verb is needed.

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. By mentioning her memories of the Great Depression, she implied / inferred that she was more than 70 years old.

B. implied Rationale: When you imply, you actively send a message, usually by saying something. Inferring is a passive act, involving listening and drawing conclusions.

Choose the correct word from the underlined words in the sentence below. The gun laid / lay / layed / lied in the middle of the road.

B. lay (correct) Rationale: The past tense of the verb lie (which means to recline) is lay. The thing reclining does not have to be a person or animal. It can be an inanimate object. Only use the words to lay if you mean to set down. Here, the gun is not being set down. It's just lying (reclining) there.

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. Police arrived to break up the noisy / noisome party, which was being held on the East Beach pier / peer. Residents had complained that the party was keeping them awake.

B. noisy / pier (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "B. NOISY / PIER." Use the word noisy to describe a source of loud noise. The word noisome usually describes a foul, even nauseating odor. And while you can hold a party on a pier, you party with your peers.

Choose the correct verb in the sentence below. Each of the senators plan / plans to speak for about five minutes at the news conference.

B. plans (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is B: "PLANS." The subject of this sentence is the indefinite pronoun "Each," which always takes a singular verb. "Of the senators" is just a prepositional phrase that modifies the subject "Each."

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. One principle / principal to follow when preparing for an interview with a perspective / prospective employer is to thoroughly research the organization.

B. principle / prospective (correct) Rationale: A principle is a rule or guideline. Here you're following a guideline, and so principle is the right word. Principal means first, or most important. Prospective means possible or potential. Here we're talking about a potential employer, and so prospective is the right word. A perspective is an approach or an angle one takes on a situation or issue.

Choose the correct relative pronoun in the sentence below. Smitts has respect for McAdam, who/whom he first met when the two played together on the Marlins five years ago.

B. whom Rationale: Find all the verbs in this sentence: has, met and played. Each of these verbs already has a subject: "Smitts has" and "he met" and "two played." So, there are no verbs for which "who/whom" can be a subject. Therefore, it must be an object and take the objective case "whom." If you switch the words around in the second clause, you'll see that "whom" is the direct object in the clause "he first met whom."

Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?

C. "Arizona has been looking at oil rigs for 50 years, and frankly, wind turbines look a little nicer," said Frank Jarmon, the Arizona land commissioner. "I think we're tops in wind power in the U.S." (correct) Rationale: Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks.

Which of the following sentences is correct?

C. "If I was home, I'd get together with my family and barbecue, and we'd have grilled burgers too, and my wife's potato salad," Hernandez said. Rationale: Attribution typically takes the form of last name + said. The verb comes after the person's name. Also, usually you should just stick with the verb said.

For a news story, which of the following sentences is correct, assuming Smith has already been quoted in the story?

C. "The holidays are just not that important, but I do look forward to a day when they can be important again," Smith said. (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C. Stick with the verb "said" for quote attributions. Other verbs can be problematic. If you say someone admitted something, you're implying they're guilty of something, and that's not your job. You're a media writer, not a judge and jury. If you say someone claimed something, you're suggesting there might be reason to doubt what they said. Again, that's not your job; your job is to report what you see and hear as accurately and objectively as you can.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: hypen, numbers

C. A 5-4 court ruling (correct) Rationale: Use numerals for votes, scores and ratios. Separate the figures with only a hyphen.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style (assume this is second reference in a hard news story):

C. A widow at the age of 92, Bowman said she could not remember the year she married John Bowman, a minister at a local Methodist church. (correct) Rationale: Only use the last name on second reference. Do not use courtesy titles, even for a 92-year-old minister's widow. If this were a "soft" feature story, it would be appropriate to use her first name, but use only last names in hard news stories.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. OK Glenn, here they are: Bandit, Milo, Coco and Lucky. It's just amazing that you agreed to keep them for a whole month! (line from a film script)

C. Add a comma between "Coco" and "and Lucky" (correct) Rationale: In script writing, you use the Oxford comma. In other words, you do insert a comma before the last item in a list of single words. This is different from writing for news, PR or advertising, where you would insert no comma.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. Add the pecans and two eggs, mix well and bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes.

C. Add a comma between "mix well" and "and bake" (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C. Whereas you do not insert a comma before the last item in a list of single items (in news, PR or ad writing), you DO add a comma before the last clause in a list of clauses (in any kind of writing

In which situation below do you NOT insert a comma?

C. Before the last word in a list of single words, in a news story. For example: "Ewing said her favorite flavors are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and peach." (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C. In news, PR and ad writing, you do NOT insert a comma before the final item in a list of single words. However, you would insert a comma right before the last item in a list of phrases or clauses, and you would also insert a comma after an adverb clause (as in "D" - "Until Baker began making her shots").

Which of the following sentences is correct?

C. Childers said he had hoped to break the hamburger-eating record, but he had one problem: His stomach wouldn't cooperate. (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C. A colon is best here because the first part of the sentence sets up the second. It sends the reader a clear signal to expect something.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. Forget it! Even if I did go with you my dad would probably call the freaking coast guard or something.

C. Comma needed between "with you" and "my dad" (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C. "Even if I did go with you" is an adverb clause that starts a sentence, and so a comma is needed after it. A comma placed anywhere else would slow the pace of the writing unnecessarily.

What is the correct term for the word underlined in the following sentence? Jones landed a job making personal appearances as Yoyo the Clown; moreover, he eventually bought the rights to Yoyo's character.

C. Conjunctive adverb Rationale: The words "moreover," "therefore," "however" and "nevertheless" are all conjunctive adverbs. Conjunctive adverbs can be used to link independent clauses, as long as a semicolon precedes it, and a comma follows it.

Choose the option that correctly eliminates the redundancy in this phrase: Few in number

C. Few Rationale: The word few already implies there's a number of something. Just say few.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

C. Gov. Spence Adams held a press conference today to discuss his education plans. Adams said he had no plans to raise taxes to pay for the program. (correct) Rationale: Always capitalize a title when it comes right before a name, and "governor" is one of the titles that gets abbreviated when coming before a name. Only use the last name (Adams) on second reference. Don't use courtesy titles like Mr., Mrs. or Dr.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: titles, abbreviations, names

C. Lt. Gov. Dinesh Chopra raised more than $3.5 million for his campaign. (correct) Rationale: "Gov." and "Lt. Gov." are two of the titles that get abbreviated before names (and capitalize all titles when they come before names). Don't use zeroes when writing numbers in the millions or higher.

Which of the following sentences is best?

C. Once children discover the joys of JumpUp learning programs, they never complain about reading again. Rationale: Avoid referring to a generic person as he or she; the easiest way to get around this problem is to use the plural form: in this case, children and they.

Identify the problem in the following: Latosha Hughes, sales director at the Holiday RV Center in Opelika, said trailers are being sold by the company.

C. Passive voice (correct) Rationale: Are being sold is a passive verb construction. Let's make the verb active: Latosha Hughes, sales director at the Holiday RV Center in Opelika, said the company is selling trailers. Generally, try to put the subject before the verb.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: This summer's vacation season has been labeled Staycation by the national media.

C. Passive voice (correct) Rationale: Has been labeled is a passive verb construction. Let's make the verb active: The national media have labeled this summer's vacation season as Staycation. Generally, put the subject before the verb.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Reservations made by campers are up by a rate of 15 percent over the 2007 rate.

C. Passive voice (correct) Rationale: Made by is a passive verb construction. Let's make the verb active: Campers are making reservations at a rate of 15 percent over the 2007 rate. Generally, put the subject before the verb.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

C. Secretary of Transportation Harriet Fowler (correct) Rationale: Capitalize titles when they come right before a name, and lowercase them when they come after the name or stand alone. Titles often get abbreviated before names, but not always. "Secretary" titles never get abbreviated.

Find the problem with the punctuation in the following sentence. Quenton is survived by a brother, Stanley Reynolds, of Glenns River, N.J., a sister, Nancy Festinger, of Oaktown, N.J., a son, Randy Quenton, of Scarsdale and two grandchildren.

C. Semicolons are needed between each item. (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C. When items in a series contain commas within them, the items should be separated by semicolons. The sentence should be punctuated this way: Quenton is survived by a brother, Stanley Reynolds, of Glenns River, N.J.; a sister, Nancy Festinger, of Oaktown, N.J.; a son, Randy Quenton, of Scarsdale; and two grandchildren.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. Health officials recommend that people wash their hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, before they handle food.

C. Take out the comma between "seconds" and "before" (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is C. The adverb clause "before they handle food" comes at the end of the sentence, and so no comma is needed between it and the main independent clause.

Identify the problem in the sentence below: Officials with the Bureau of Indian Affairs did their version of "smoking a peace pipe" Tuesday by ending a squabble within the Bureau over who controls programs related to Indian education.

C. Take out the reference to smoking a peace pipe. (correct) Rationale: Phrases like "smoking a peace pipe" and "going on the warpath" are demeaning stereotypes and have no business in your writing. Focus on the news (the decision about Indian education), and don't try to get cute by using trite references that debase ethnic groups.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: names/titles, hyphens

C. The House voted 314-116 to impose new standards for the amount of lead allowed in toys. Rationale: The word "House" from House of Representatives gets capitalized. Don't use the word "to" in vote totals - only use a hyphen.

In which of the following sentences are hyphens used correctly?

C. The judge handed her a five- to seven-year sentence. (correct) Rationale: This is a case of "suspended hyphenation." The word "year" is missing after the word "five," but it is understood that it would be there. It's elliptical. This means a hyphen should follow "five" just as a hyphen follows "seven."

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: months, dates, numbers

C. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21, in Room 2. (correct) Rationale: Abbreviate the long months with dates. Room numbers are always numerals, even when under 10. "Room" is capitalized.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: commas, abbreviations

C. The new e-Push phone, produced by LufftonComp Inc., will be only 2 inches long. (correct) Rationale: Abbreviate "Inc." and do not set it off with commas. Units of measurement are always numerals (unless they start a sentence.)

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: title, age

C. The senator's son was 5 years old. (correct) Rationale: Lowercase titles when they stand alone ("senator"), and always use numerals for ages, even when less than 10.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Soaring over $4 a gallon, online classes are filling up with commuting students seeking to lower their gas expenses.

C. The sentence has a dangling participle. (correct) Rationale: The participle phrase Soaring over $4 a gallon seems to modify online classes. But that can't be right. Gas, not classes, are $4 a gallon. You could rewrite the sentence like this: With gas prices soaring over $4 a gallon, commuting students are flocking to online classes to lower their expenses.

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. Either Gutenberg's printing press affected / effected European society, or European culture had an effect / affect on his decision to invent the press. Probably both happened.

C. affected / effect (correct) Rationale: Affect is the verb, and effect is the noun. Something affects something else, but it has an effect.

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. If you walk a little further / farther up the hill, you'll see a historical / historic marker.

C. farther / historical Rationale: Use farther for actual physical distance (the clue here is that it includes the word far). Further is used in more abstract, conceptual situations (she thought about it further). If something is historical, it's related to history, but it's historic only if it actually happened in history (like a historic presidential election).

Choose the correct word from the underlined words in the sentence below. The mayor raised / rised / rose from his seat, gripped his cane, and launched into a passionate speech on the virtues of low taxes.

C. rose (correct) Rationale: Rose is the past tense of the verb to rise, which is what the mayor is doing. He's rising from his chair. Raise means to lift something. He could raise his cane, but he could not "raise" out of his chair. In this course you are expected to know how to conjugate the verbs rise and raise, so you should memorize these.

Choose the correct word from the underlined words in the sentence below. Just set / sat / sit down over there while I cook dinner.

C. sit (correct) Rationale: Sit means to take a seat. Set means to put something down.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: symbols, ages

D. Around 40 percent of the players in the league are 9 or younger. (correct) Rationale: Spell out the word "percent." Both percents and ages are always numerals.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: money, numbers

D. "I wouldn't pay 5 cents for a ride that only goes 5 mph," she said. Rationale: Use numerals for all money amounts, even when less than 10. Units of measurement (like mph) are always numerals, even when less than 10.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

D. "Students will have more opportunities than ever before," said Jing Wei Lin, associate dean for undergraduate studies. (correct) Rationale: Lowercase titles when they come after the name. Also, remember that the attribution word "said" goes before the name and the title follows the name WHEN the title is long.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: money/amounts

D. $8.6 million (correct) Rationale: Do not use zeroes for amounts in the millions and higher, and spell out the word "million." Put the "$" in front of the number.

Which of the following sentences is correct?

D. Childers said he had hoped to break the hamburger-eating record, but he had several problems: an upset stomach, a broken tooth and some stiff competition. (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is D. A colon is best here because the first part of the sentence sets up the second. It sends the reader a clear signal to expect something. Also, the words following the colon do not form a complete sentence, and so you don't capitalize the first word after the colon. Only complete sentences are capitalized after a colon.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. National Ice Cream Month 2008 has come and gone yet wonderful memories of warm summer days and tasty ice cream linger.

D. Comma needed between "gone" and "yet" (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is D. The word "yet" is a coordinating conjunction and separates two independent clauses, each of which has stated subjects ("National Ice Cream Month 2008" and "memories"). So you must place a comma right before "yet."

In scriptwriting, which type of punctuation indicates a character is being interrupted?

D. Dash Rationale: A dash at the end of a character's line suggests another character or some event is about to interrupt. However, use ellipses if the character is just trailing off and ending her line on her own.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: The idea that U.S. consumers, who love gas-guzzling cars, name-brand clothes and pricey restaurants, will start saving money is ridiculous.

D. Doesn't branch right Rationale: The subject (idea) and the verb (is) in this clause are on opposite ends of the sentence, and this makes it tough on the reader. Bring your subject and verb closer together. This sentence could be rewritten as two sentences: U.S. consumers, love gas-guzzling cars, name-brand clothes and pricey restaurants. So, the idea that they will start saving money is ridiculous.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Mayor Raymond Phillips said youths on summer break who have too much time on their hands and who have no respect for other people's property are to blame for the vandalism.

D. Doesn't branch right (correct) Rationale: The subject (youths) and the verb (are) in this clause are on opposite ends of the sentence, and this makes it tough on the reader. Bring your subject and verb closer together. This sentence could be rewritten as two sentences: Mayor Raymond Phillips said youths on summer break are likely to blame for the vandalism. He said the culprits have too much time on their hands and no respect for other people's property.

Identify the problem in the sentence below: State Rep. Yancey Macintosh, who is paralyzed from the waist down, voiced his opposition to the redistricting plan.

D. His paralysis does not need to be mentioned. (correct) Rationale: Macintosh's paralysis is not relevant to his opinion about a state redistricting plan. Only mention a person's disability when the disability is clearly relevant to the story.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

D. In October, Gen. Robert Barbarich visited his childhood home in Trenton, New Jersey. (correct) Rationale: Spell out months if they have no date. Abbreviate military titles when they come directly before a name (and capitalize all titles before a name). Spell out all state names when they are in news stories.

Which of the choices below is the best way to correct the following sentence? Jones invented Yoyo's distinctive features the bright purple hair, the green top hat, the enormous yellow gloves and the polka-dotted umbrella.

D. Jones invented Yoyo's distinctive features: the bright purple hair, the green top hat, the enormous yellow gloves and the polka-dotted umbrella (correct) Rationale: The series of clown features needs to be set off with some form of punctuation, and because the first part of the sentence signals the reader to expect a series, a colon is best. A semicolon isn't appropriate because it's used to separate two independent clauses. A comma is not enough of a stop. A dash comes closest, but it's not ideal because it works best when the stop is abrupt and somewhat surprising. That's not the case here because the reader knows to expect details about the clown's features.

Identify the problem in the sentence below: Soon, the average American worker may be spending around 10 percent of his paycheck for gas.

D. Make plural: Worker should be workers, and his should be their. Rationale: Never use the pronoun he, him or his to refer to an individual from a general group of people that could include males and females. One possible way to fix this is to use the phrase his or her. But that's awkward. It's better to change singulars to plurals: Soon, American workers may be spending around 10 percent of their paychecks for gas.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: The new shoe brand meets NewAction Footwear's design standards for taking a very environmentally friendly approach to shoe innovation.

D. Needless intensifiers Rationale: Take out the word very, and you don't miss anything, even in a promotion like this. In fact, the words environmentally friendly sound more convincing without it.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. The ad campaign dramatizes the ice cream lover's journey to a Frostland Ice Cream Parlor and poses challenges that test her passion for Frostland's ice cream.

D. No other comma needed (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is D. Because the subject in the second independent clause is not stated outright (it's only implied), you don't need a comma before it. (This is a lengthy sentence, so you could make an argument that a comma should be placed after "Parlor," for the sake of readability. Just know it's not technically correct.)

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: months, dates, lower vs. uppercase

D. On Oct. 8 the health department tested the water in lakes Mason and Pinecrest. (correct) Rationale: Abbreviate long months with dates, and always use numerals for dates. Lowercase the word "lakes" because it refers to more than one lake.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

D. Secretary of Labor Hugh Iberson is scheduled to address the Democratic convention on Aug. 26. (correct) Rationale: Always spell out "secretary." Always capitalize political parties ("Democratic"). Abbreviate long months like August when they come directly before a date.

Read the sentence below and decide if there is a comma problem. If you decide there is a problem, choose where the comma should be added or where the comma should be taken out. Before Friday all the state's grocery stores will notify customers about the meat recall.

D. Sentence is correct as is. (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is D. The phrase "Before Friday" has fewer than three words, and so it doesn't need a comma after it.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: times, numbers, hyphens

D. The four-hour game lasted until midnight, with the Marlins winning 8-7. (correct) Rationale: Write "midnight," not 12 p.m. Write scores and ratios in numerals, and use hyphens between the numerals.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

D. The mayor lived at 1653 Cedar Knoll Drive. (correct) Rationale: The title "mayor" should be lowercase because it stands alone - it's not right before a name. The words "Drive" and "Road" are always spelled out, whether or not there's a street number.

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: time, money

D. The movie starts at midnight and costs $1. (correct) Rationale: Use the word midnight, not 12 p.m. Write money amounts as a numeral preceded by a dollar sign ($1).

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

D. The president said . . . (correct) Rationale: Always lowercase a title when it stands alone or comes after a name. Never abbreviate "president."

Pick the choice with the correct AP style:

D. The route follows Gull Boulevard for a mile and then cuts left on Ocean Drive, which dead-ends into Palm Street. (correct) Rationale: Only abbreviate a street name (like Boulevard) when it is with a street address. Never abbreviate "Drive."

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Hendrickson nearly ate 100 hot dogs in two minutes

D. The sentence has a misplaced modifier. (correct) Rationale: The modifier nearly should be placed directly before 100 hotdogs. With nearly placed right before the verb ate, the writer seems to be saying Hendrickson was doing something that was almost like eating, but he wasn't quite eating. This is not what the writer intends. The word nearly applies to the number of hotdogs, not to the act of eating.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Brunson asked Mackay why the board had only looked at three construction plans.

D. The sentence has a misplaced modifier. (correct) Rationale: The modifier only should be placed directly before three construction plans. With only placed right before the verb looked, Brunson seems to be wondering why Mackay only looked at the plans. (Why didn't Mackay print the plans or write a report about the plans or play with the plans?) That's not what the writer intends.

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Many are seeking to severely cut commuting costs by studying online.

D. The sentence has a split infinitive. Rationale: Don't put an adverb between the "to" and the verb form in an infinitive. This is called a split infinitive, and it's grammatically incorrect. In this sentence the adverb severely should be placed elsewhere: Many are seeking to cut commuting costs severely by studying online. (Or you can just take severely out of the sentence. It doesn't add much.)

What's wrong with the following sentence? Liberty Island was closed after the Sept. 11 attacks, the statue's base was reopened on Aug. 3, 2004.

D. There should be a coordinating conjunction (like "and") after the comma and before "the statue's base was . . ." (correct) Rationale: The sentence has a comma splice. That's when two independent clauses are separated by only a comma. The sentence should be written: " . . . the Sept. 11 attacks, and the statue's base . . ."

Identify the problem in the following sentence: Lead singer Chris Martin said that the band would cancel the rest of the tour after this concert.

D. There's another problem not listed in these choices. (correct) Rationale: So what's the problem? It's the needless use of the relative pronoun "that," which begins the last clause. Let's rewrite the sentence without it: Lead singer Chris Martin said the band would cancel the rest of the tour after this concert.

Identify the problem in the sentences below: According to a recent survey, 40 percent of Americans are concerned about potential health risks from genetically engineered foods. Results showed that 43 percent of Black Americans, 42 percent of Hispanic Americans, 37 percent of Asian-Americans, and 38 percent of White Americans expressed concern.

D. There's no need to give percentage breakdowns by ethnic group. Rationale: Only break down references by ethnic group if these differences are relevant to the purpose of the story. For example, reporting an ethnic breakdown for a survey about immigration policy could be justified. But it's hard to argue that we need to know whether Asian-Americans differ from blacks over the issue of genetically engineered foods. Bottom line - don't divide people up into groups just because you can. As an aside, the terms black and Hispanic are correct for media writing, according to AP style (which you'll get into in the next section of the course).

Pick the choice with the correct AP style: spelling out, money, amounts

D. Twelve pounds of shrimp costs $62. (correct) Rationale: Always spell out a numeral if it starts a sentence, even if it's 10 or higher. Put the numeral directly after the "$" and don't use a decimal and zeroes for even dollar amounts ($62).

In which of the following sentences are hyphens used correctly?

D. a, b and c (correct) Rationale: The correct answer is D. Hyphens are used with single-digit votes and court rulings, with single-digit sports scores, and with ratios.

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. The cast was comprised of / composed of a wide diversity of actors and actresses, but the final production came together well, with the various acting roles complementing / complimenting one another.

D. composed of / complementing (correct) Rationale: Never use the words comprised of - only comprised. A whole comprises its parts. So, it would be OK to write: The cast comprised a wide variety of actors and actresses. And complement means to go well together; a compliment is a nice thing to say.

Choose the correct words from the underlined word pairs in the sentence below. They could not be convinced / persuaded to emigrate / immigrate from their country.

D. persuaded / emigrate (correct) Rationale: You persuade someone to do something. You convince someone of an idea. To emigrate is to leave one's country (which is definitely doing something). To immigrate is to come into another country to live.

Choose the option that correctly eliminates the redundancy in this phrase: Held a meeting

E. Met Rationale: Don't turn perfectly good verbs into nouns. If you held a meeting, then you met.

What is the verb tense of the underlined verb in the sentence below? Operations [will resume] only after the FDA determines that the defendants have complied with all food-safety requirements.

Future Tense

A verb is in brackets in the sentence below. What type of verb is it? Two men and a woman suspected of robbing banks in Haysville [were] captured this week.

Helping verb

A verb is in brackets in the sentence below. What type of verb is it? Authorities said no money [was] inside the car.

Linking verb

A verb is in brackets in the sentence below. What type of verb is it? The FBI [launched] a public hunt for the "Haysville Bandits" last week.

Main verb

Which of the following should be in quotes?

The movie "Get Smart", The book "Look Homeward Angel", The TV show "House" H. a, b and c Rationale: Only single works get quote marks. Works that are compilations - in other words, works that compile single works, like individual articles - do not get quote marks. So, books and TV shows, and even video games get quote marks, but magazines and newspapers do not.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: Mackay said any of the school construction plans fit / fits within the school district's budget.

fits (correct) Rationale: The subject is the indefinite pronoun any, which takes a singular verb. Of the school construction plans is just a prepositional phrase. Find the subject of the verb and don't be distracted by phrases and clauses that fall in between.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: Both the handouts and the video is / are expected to be available in September.

are (correct) Rationale: In sentences with compound subjects - where subjects are separated with the coordinating conjunction and - the verb is always plural.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: Despite an earlier statement, none of the environmental organizations have agreed/has agreed to join forces in protest.

have agreed (correct) Rationale: The indefinite pronoun none almost always takes a singular verb. However, when the nouns to which none refer join together in some way, you need a plural verb. In the sentence above, a single organization can't join forces - it takes more than one, and so the verb must be plural.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: Mackay said none of the school construction plans fit / fits within the school district's budget.

fits Rationale: The subject is the indefinite pronoun none, which usually takes a singular verb, as it means "no single one." Of the school construction plans is just a prepositional phrase. Find the subject of the verb and don't be distracted by phrases and clauses that fall in between.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: The curriculum, including handouts on "the science of basketball," a video starring former NBA players, and contests for students to design their own basketball, is / are expected to revolutionize the way science is taught.

is Rationale: The subject of the sentence is curriculum, and so the verb is singular. To find out whether the verb should be singular or plural, you have to find the verb's subject. Don't get confused by clauses and phrases that fall in between the subject and the verb.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: The video, as well as the handouts, is / are expected to be available in September.

is Rationale: There is only one subject in this sentence - video. And so the verb must be singular to match the subject. The words as well as the handouts is just an incidental phrase. Similar phrases include in addition to, as well as, together with and along with.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: Neither the handouts nor the video is / are expected to be available to schools until September.

is (correct) Rationale: In sentences with correlative conjunctions - either/or and neither/nor - the subject closest to the verb determines whether the verb is singular or plural. In this sentence the subject video is closest to the verb, and so the verb is singular.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: None of the area's beaches is / are expected to open by Labor Day.

is (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A. IS." The subject of the sentence is the indefinite pronoun none. None usually takes a singular verb because it means the same as "no single one."

Select the correct verb form. The prosecuting attorney (lied/lay/laid/layed) out her case to the jury, putting special emphasis on the nanny's testimony.

laid Rationale: The correct answer is C: The verb here means "set down," and so the correct choice is "laid," the past tense of "lay." The prosecutor is "setting down" her case. STUDY THE TABLE with lie/lay conjugations at the bottom of the Verb Tense page.

Select the correct verb form. Hughes said the gun (lay/laid/lain/lied) on top of the dresser when Smith entered the room.

lay Rationale: The correct answer is A: The verb here means "reclined," and so the correct choice is "lay," the past tense of the verb "lie." This seems strange -- we don't usually think of inanimate objects like guns "reclining." But it's no different than saying a cat reclined or lay on the dresser. And no one is setting the gun down, so laid can't be the correct choice. STUDY THE TABLE with lie/lay conjugations at the bottom of the Verb Tense page.

Choose the correct word in this sentence: Each of Tyson County's three beaches remain / remains / remaining off limits to swimmers because of health warnings.

remains (correct) Rationale: The subject is the indefinite pronoun each, which takes a singular verb.

Select the correct verb form. Rainey said she (sat/set/setted) the luggage on a chair in the baggage claim area.

set Rationale: The correct answer is B. The verb here means "set down" and not "sit." Rainey "set" the luggage down on the chair, which is the past tense of the verb "set." "Sat" is not correct, because it's the past tense of "sit." STUDY THE TABLE with set/sat conjugations at the bottom of the Verb Tense page.

Select the choice that gives the correct form of the pronoun in the sentence. Hughes was five years older than (she / her), but they graduated from law school the same year.

she Rationale: The word "is" is missing but understood ("elliptical") in the first clause. If the word "is" were inserted, the clause would read <i>Hughes was five years older than she is, but they . . .</i> With this word inserted, you can see why the choice is the nominative case <i>she</i>. Watch for this situation when you have a comparative adjective + <i>than</i> (older than he, faster than we, smarter than I, etc.)

Choose the correct word in this sentence: The committee of local business owners, law enforcement officials and local educators vote/votes/voting today on the proposition.

votes Rationale: The subject of the sentence is committee, and so the verb is singular. To find out whether the verb should be singular or plural, you have to find the verb's subject. Don't get confused by phrases and clauses that fall between the subject and the verb.

Choose the correct word in this sentence A few of the state's standards for water quality was / were violated this past summer, as high levels of fecal bacteria were found in the water.

were (correct) Rationale: The indefinite pronoun few is the subject of the sentence, and few takes a plural verb.