Punctuation Practice Work
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The document is a punctuation practice test consisting of two parts, where participants are instructed to correct punctuation errors in provided sentences. It includes 18 example sentences followed by their correct punctuation with explanations and another test with 14 sentences and their answers. The test aims to improve punctuation skills through correction and understanding of punctuation rules.
Punctuation Practice Work
- 6. Punctuation Practice Test INSTRUCTIONS: For questions 1-18 below, correct all punctuation errors by writing in the correct marks in their correct places. Some sentences only need basic punctuation, like apostrophes and periods; others require more complex forms, such as dashes (--), hyphens ( - ) , colons( : ), and ellipses (…).
- 7. 1. The paper was clear pertinent and well written 2. Harry and Donnas reception was just as frantic as their wedding 3. Siri won the race easily in fact she set a state record 4. I am recalling his story I believe as accurately as I can 5. The last year of the twentieth century is 2000 not 99 6. I expected a package this morning however I waited all day for it to arrive 7. Rainy days arent all that bad they provide the water crucial for all life 8. She witnessed a crime on her street she promptly locked her doors 9. We traveled to Rome Italy Athens Greece and Paris France 10. Shakespeare said it best Alls well that ends well
- 8. 11. He is not well-liked although he says he is everyones friend 12. Huzaifa he had always loved animals took in the stray kitten 13. Certainly you may borrow my book Dina 14. The 1950s singer Patty Paige sang the novelty song How Much is That Doggie in the Window 15. Nearly all Americans own a Bible but few including scholars of literature have read it 16. Hmmm its a tough decision but Ill take the red one 17. Tuesday July 25 1997 is my birthday 18. I do the laundry make dinner and pick up the kids I should receive a medal for all of these chores
- 12. 1. The paper was clear, pertinent, and well written. Place commas to divide items in a series; "well written" would be hyphenated only if it preceded the noun. 2. Harry and Donna's reception was just as frantic as their wedding. Use only one apostrophe when showing joint possession of a compound subject. 3. Siri won the race easily; in fact, she set a state record. She won the race easily -- in fact, she set a state record. Use the semicolon to join two independent clauses using a conjunctive adverb; "in fact" is an interrupter; a dash would also be acceptable because it leads into a surprise ending. 4. I am recalling his story, I believe, as accurately as I can. "I believe" is a nonessential interrupter, so use commas to separate this from the rest of the sentence. 5. The last year of the twentieth century was 2000, not '99. You must use an apostrophe to show the deletion of the "19" in the year 1999; use a comma to show negation of your previous thought.
- 13. 6. I expected a package this morning; however, I waited all day for it to arrive. Use the semicolon to connect two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb. 7. Rainy days aren't all that bad: they provide the water crucial for all life. (alt.) Rainy days aren't all that bad -- they provide the water crucial for all life. (alt.) Rainy days aren’t all that bad; they provide the water crucial for all life. The colon is used to connect an independent clause with an explanation that follows; a dash would also be acceptable here; use apostrophes to indicate the use of a contraction (which should not be used in formal writing). The use of a semi-colon to connect two related complete sentences is also acceptable. 8. She witnessed a crime on her street; she promptly locked her doors. (alt.) She witnessed a crime on her street -- she promptly locked her doors. The semicolon simply connects two statements together to show their closeness; a colon would be inappropriate because the second part does not explain the first part; a dash, however, would work because it progresses from a statement to an immediate, frantic action.
- 14. 9. We traveled to Rome, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Paris, France. Normally, you would use commas to separate these items in a list; however, we need a stronger comma to separate the cities/states from the other cities/states, so use the semicolon to represent a "super comma." 10. Shakespeare said it best: "All's well that ends well." Use the quotes to encompass Shakespeare's statement; use the colon to lead into the quote because you have just stated an independent clause; explanations follow colons, and this quote explains what Shakespeare said very directly; use the apostrophe to signify a contraction used in the quote. 11. He is not well-liked, although he says he is everyone's friend. Use a comma to separate the two independent clauses; use the apostrophe to indicate possession of a singular noun ("everyone"). 12. Huzaifa -- he had always loved animals -- took in the stray kitten. Use the dashes to indicate an abrupt change of thought, as in this example where the speaker changes his mind about the direction his sentence would take; the dashes also help to organize the subject with its verb. Commas and parenthesis also work, but they are not the strongest option.
- 15. 13. Certainly, you may borrow my book, Dina. Use a comma to separate introductory elements; use another to separate the recipient of the direct address ("Gary"). 14. Patty Paige sang the novelty song "How Much is That Doggie in the Window?" Place the song title within quotation marks since it is a minor title that can be compiled in an anthology; be sure to place the question mark inside the quotes, since the title asks a question; you do not need a comma to separate the word "song" from the song's title -- it is essential information. 15. Nearly all Americans own a Bible, but few, including scholars of literature, have read it. (alt.) Nearly all Americans own a Bible, but few (including scholars of literature) have read it. Use a comma to separate two independent clauses joined by a subordinating conjunction; further separate the phrase "including scholars of literature" with either commas or parentheses to clarify that this information is nonessential. 16. Hmmm ... it's a tough decision, but I'll take the red one. You can use an ellipses to indicate a thoughtful pause or the passing of silent time; use apostrophes to signify that two contractions are being used in this very informally written sentence; use a comma to separate two independent clauses used with a conjunction.
- 16. 17. Tuesday, July 25, 1997, is my birthday. Use commas to separate days from dates, dates from years, and years from the rest of the sentence; you would need to place at least two commas no matter what two parts of this complete date you used: Tuesday, July 25, is my birthday. July 25, 1997, is my birthday. 18. I do the laundry, make dinner, and pick up the kids -- I should receive a medal for all of these chores! (alt.) I do the laundry, make dinner, and pick up the kids; I should receive a medal for all of these chores! Use commas to separate items listed in a series; use the dash (or a semicolon) to connect the two clauses; a colon would not work in this sentence because the second part does not explain the first part (actually, if you look carefully, the first part explains the second part, but this is not the way we use a colon); you may use an exclamation point here because this person seems to be shouting -- keep in mind that this sentence is informally written, so you can get away with exclamations here.
- 19. Punctuation Practice Test #2 1. Alas, poor Bill 2. Do you recall in the last grammar exercise, how he fell from his horse 3. You may remember that he cracked his skull as he landed on the rocky ground 4. Shall we resume the story 5. I seized Bill's lifeless wrist and felt for a pulse 6. Nothing 7. How could he have died so easily, by merely falling from a horse
- 20. Punctuation Practice Test #2 8. What was I going to do 9. It was such a God-forsaken place 10. Help was at least a day's ride away 11. Suddenly I became aware of the large, icy drops of rain on the wind 12. There was nothing else I could do 13. I would have to make camp for the night 14. And what a very long and very cold night it was going to be
- 22. Answers Punctuation Practice Test #2 1. Alas, poor Bill! 2. Do you recall in the last grammar exercise, how he fell from his horse? 3. You may remember that he cracked his skull as he landed on the rocky ground. 4. Shall we resume the story? 5. I seized Bill's lifeless wrist and felt for a pulse.
- 23. 6. Nothing! 7. How could he have died so easily, by merely falling from a horse? 8. What was I going to do? 9. It was such a God-forsaken place! 10. Help was at least a day's ride away. 11. Suddenly I became aware of the large, icy drops of rain on the wind. 12. There was nothing else I could do. 13. I would have to make camp for the night. 14. And what a very long and very cold night it was going to be!