JCM 103
Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?
"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."
Which of the following sentences is correct?
"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.
Which of the following sentences is correct?
"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.
Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?
"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.'"
For a news story, which of the following sentences is correct, assuming Smith has already been quoted in the story?
"The holidays are just not that important, but I do look forward to a day when they can be important again," Smith said.
For a news story, which of the following sentences is correct, assuming Smith has been quoted already in the story?
"The holidays are just not that important, but I do look forward to a day when they can be important again," Smith said.
Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?
"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.
Health officials recommend that people wash their hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, before they handle food.
Take out the comma between "seconds" and "before"
Reservations made by campers are up by a rate of 15 percent over the 2007 rate.
Passive voice (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "C. PASSIVE VOICE." 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.
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.
Take out the reference to smoking a peace pipe
In which situation below do you NOT insert a comma?
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."
This summer's vacation season has been labeled Staycation by the national media.
Passive voice (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS C. PASSIVE VOICE. 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.
Hendrickson nearly ate 100 hot dogs in two minutes
The sentence has a misplaced modifier. (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "D. THE SENTENCE HAS A MISPLACED MODIFIER." 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.
Brunson asked Mackay why the board had only looked at three construction plans.
The sentence has a misplaced modifier. (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "D. THE SENTENCE HAS A MISPLACED MODIFIER." 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.
Many are seeking to severely cut commuting costs by studying online.
The sentence has a split infinitive. (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "D. THE SENTENCE HAS A SPLIT INFINITIVE." 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.)
Enrollments in online classes, which began expanding rapidly around five years ago according to statistics gathered last year by researchers at State University.
The sentence is a fragment.
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
among
Meanwhile in Florida, 10,000 votes is / are being counted by hand.
are
Which of the following sentences is correct?
Childers said he had hoped to break the hamburger-eating record, but he had one problem: His stomach wouldn't cooperate.
Which of the following sentences is correct?
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.
Is there a comma problem? Though investigators insist tomatoes remain the leading problem, they are looking at other produce, but won't say what vegetables are being examined.
Comma between "produce" and "but" should be taken out.
Both the handouts and the video is / are expected to be available in September.
are (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "B. ARE." In sentences with compound subjects - where subjects are separated with the coordinating conjunction and - the verb is always plural.
For more information about Frostland Ice Cream Parlor visit the company's website, at www.frostland.com.
Comma needed after "Parlor," but not after "website"
National Ice Cream Month 2008 has come and gone yet wonderful memories of warm summer days and tasty ice cream linger.
Comma needed between "gone" and "yet"
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.
Comma needed between "tomatoes" and "more problems"
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
Comma needed between "trust you" and "I am"
Forget it! Even if I did go with you my dad would probably call the freaking coast guard or something.
Comma needed between "with you" and "my dad"
comma problems? The vicious winter storm left its victims cold scared and hungry. (from a news story)
Comma needed between the adjectives "cold" and "scared"
Jones landed a job making personal appearances as Yoyo the Clown; moreover, he eventually bought the rights to Yoyo's character.
Conjunctive adverb
Choose the option that correctly eliminates the redundancy in this phrase: Take into consideration
Consider
Where should a comma go? Before Friday all the state's grocery stores will notify customers about the meat recall.
Correct as is
In scriptwriting, which type of punctuation indicates a character is being interrupted?
Dash
There was a meeting Tuesday between council members and site developers over plans for a park on the north side of the river.
Dead construction (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A. DEAD CONSTRUCTION." 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.
There will be an announcement by the mayor Thursday about plans for park development along the White Falls River.
Dead construction (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A. DEAD CONSTRUCTION." 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.
In which of the following sentences are hyphens used correctly?
A two-day meeting
Which of the following should be in quotes?
A. The movie "Get Smart" B. The book "Look Homeward Angel" C. The TV show "House"
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: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS A. "WHICH." 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.
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)
Add a comma between "Coco" and "and Lucky"
Add the pecans and two eggs, mix well and bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes.
Add a comma between "mix well" and "and bake"
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.
Doesn't branch right (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "D. DOESN'T BRANCH RIGHT." 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.
The idea that U.S. consumers, who love gas-guzzling cars, name-brand clothes and pricey restaurants, will start saving money is ridiculous.
Doesn't branch right (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS D. DOESN T BRANCH RIGHT. 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.
Mayor Susan Feeney, wearing a blue velvet dress with pearls, opened the convention with a speech on her plans for energy efficiency in Jacksonville.
Don't mention what she's wearing
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.
FALSE
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.
FALSE
Writers should use dashes, colons and semicolons frequently
FALSE
Choose the option that correctly eliminates the redundancy in this phrase: Few in number
Few (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "C. FEW." The word few already implies there's a number of something. Just say few.
Which of the following would be most appropriate for a news story?
Gulf Shore police said a ruptured gas line forced them to block traffic at East Beach Boulevard and 3rd Street.
State Rep. Yancey Macintosh, who is paralyzed from the waist down, voiced his opposition to the redistricting plan.
His paralysis does not need to be mentioned.
In which situation do you enter a comma?
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."
In which of the following sentences are hyphens used correctly?
It's a 12- by 20-foot stage area.
Jones invented Yoyo's distinctive features the bright purple hair, the green top hat, the enormous yellow gloves and the polka-dotted umbrella.
Jones invented Yoyo's distinctive features: the bright purple hair, the green top hat, the enormous yellow gloves and the polka-dotted umbrella
Jones landed a job making personal appearances as Yoyo the Clown he eventually bought the rights to Yoyo's character.
Jones landed a job making personal appearances as Yoyo the Clown and he eventually bought the rights to Yoyo's character.
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.
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.
Choose the option that correctly eliminates the redundancy in this phrase: Held a meeting
Met
The new shoe brand meets NewAction Footwear's design standards for taking a very environmentally friendly approach to shoe innovation.
Needless intensifiers (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "D. NEEDLESS INTENSIFIERS." 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.
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.
No comma needed
Latosha Hughes, sales director at the Holiday RV Center in Opelika, said trailers are being sold by the company.
Passive voice (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "C. PASSIVE VOICE." 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.
Which of the following sentences is best?
Once children discover the joys of JumpUp learning programs, they never complain about reading again.
True or false? Periods and commas should be put inside quotation marks.
TRUE
In which situation below do you insert a comma?
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."
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.
Run-on sentence
Which of the following is correct for broadcast news writing?
STATE UNIVERSITY COACH PHIL MACKEWITZ IS IN TROUBLE AGAIN WITH THE N-C-A-A
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.
Semicolons are needed between each item.
Teresa refuses to take her children on metro trains because she says they smell funny.
The antecedent for the pronoun "they" is unclear.
Which of the following sentences is best?
The crowd was ready, the hamburgers were ready, the judges were ready — if only Childers' stomach were ready.
In which of the following sentences are hyphens used correctly?
The judge handed her a five- to seven-year sentence.
Soaring over $4 a gallon, online classes are filling up with commuting students seeking to lower their gas expenses.
The sentence has a dangling participle. (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "C. THE SENTENCE HAS A DANGLING PARTICIPLE." 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.
Students have a number of options, including bus rides, signing up for more online courses, or cutting down on the number of classes.
The sentence is not parallel. (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A. THE SENTENCE IS NOT PARALLEL." 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.
Liberty Island was closed after the Sept. 11 attacks, the statue's base was reopened on Aug. 3, 2004.
There should be a coordinating conjunction (like "and") after the comma and before "the statue's base was . . ."
Lead singer Chris Martin said that the band would cancel the rest of the tour after this concert.
There's another problem not listed in these choices. (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "D: THERE'S ANOTHER PROBLEM NOT LISTED IN THESE CHOICES". 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.
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.
There's no need to give percentage breakdowns by ethnic group
In which of the following sentences are hyphens used correctly?
a 3-2 vote a 5-4 victory by the UA softball team a 2-1 ratio
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.
affected / effect
Despite an earlier statement, none of the environmental organizations have agreed / has agreed to join forces in protest.
have agreed (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A. HAVE AGREED." 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.
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.
biannual / Capitol
By mentioning her memories of the Great Depression, she implied / inferred that she was more than 70 years old.
implied
If you walk a little further / farther up the hill, you'll see a historical / historic marker.
farther / historical
Mackay said any of the school construction plans fit / fits within the school district's budget.
fits (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "B. FITS." 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.
Mackay said none of the school construction plans fit / fits within the school district's budget.
fits (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "B. FITS." 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.
A series of careless blunders has / have led to universal criticism of the governor's first-term policies.
has
The number of TV shows about crime situations has / have increased by 250% since 1960.
has
The National Federations of Publishers has / have approximately 850 members, and more than 50 of those are from Alabama.
has (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS A. "HAS." 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.
Neither the handouts nor the video is / are expected to be available to schools until September.
is
Tucker said she does not know if 10,000 more votes is / are enough to ensure her victory in the primary.
is
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 (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A. IS." 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.
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."
The video, as well as the handouts, is / are expected to be available in September.
is (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "A. IS." 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.
She laid / lay / layed / lied her purse on the floorboard.
laid
The workers fixed the water fountain, but some of the water still lies / lie on the floor.
lies
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.
noisy / pier
They could not be convinced / persuaded to emigrate / immigrate from their country.
persuaded / emigrate
One principle / principal to follow when preparing for an interview with a perspective / prospective employer is to thoroughly research the organization.
principle / prospective
Each of Tyson County's three beaches remain / remains / remaining off limits to swimmers because of health warnings.
remains (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "B. REMAINS." The subject is the indefinite pronoun each, which takes a singular verb.
Choose the option that correctly eliminates the redundancy in this phrase: Local residents
residents
The mayor raised / rised / rose from his seat, gripped his cane, and launched into a passionate speech on the virtues of low taxes.
rose
Hughes set / sits / sat the papers on the podium and walked out of the room.
set
Just set / sat / sit down over there while I cook dinner.
sit
Despite her tortuous / torturous line of argument, I was reluctant / reticent to challenge her because she was my supervisor.
tortuous / reluctant
The committee of local business owners, law enforcement officials and local educators vote / votes / voting today on the proposition.
votes (correct) Rationale: THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "B. VOTES." 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.
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 CORRECT ANSWER IS "B. WERE." The indefinite pronoun few is the subject of the sentence, and few takes a plural verb.
