Accurate punctuation

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Apuntes de la lección Diapositivas Preguntas de práctica

Apuntes de la lección

Sentence boundaries

Every sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
A comma splice joins two main clauses with only a comma ("It was late, we went home"). Fix it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a conjunction ("It was late, so we went home").

Repair the comma splice

Commas

Commas separate list items and may mark introductory adverbials where they aid clarity. A short introduction such as “Today we leave” may not require a comma.
Enclose supplementary information with paired commas: “My brother, who is ten, plays chess.” A defining clause identifies its noun and is not set off in the same way: “The brother who lives nearby plays chess.”
A comma before a coordinating conjunction often helps separate two independent clauses; short unambiguous clauses may not need it. Never place a comma between a subject and its verb merely because you pause there.

Apostrophes

Contraction: shows missing letters ("don't", "it's" = it is).
Possession: singular owner adds 's ("the dog's bone"); plural ending in s adds only an apostrophe ("the girls' coats"); irregular plurals add 's ("the children's toys").
Possessive “its” has no apostrophe; “it’s” means “it is” or “it has”. Ordinary plurals take no apostrophe: “apples”, not “apple’s”.

Apostrophes change meaning

Direct speech

Use inverted commas around the spoken words, with punctuation inside, and start a new line for a new speaker: "Come here," she said.

Other punctuation

A colon can introduce a list or explanation after a complete clause. A semicolon can link related independent clauses or separate complex list items. Paired dashes and brackets can enclose an aside. An ellipsis may mark trailing speech, hesitation or omitted quoted material.

Use a complete opening clause

Diapositivas

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Preguntas de práctica

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1.Which punctuation usually closes a neutral declarative sentence?
Easy
- Aa full stop
- Ba comma
- Ca colon
- Da dash
2.Which mark normally closes a direct question?
Easy
- Aa full stop
- Ba comma
- Can apostrophe
- Da question mark
3.Which sentence uses commas correctly in a list?
Easy
- AWe bought apples pears, and plums.
- BWe, bought apples, pears.
- CWe bought apples, pears and plums.
- DWe bought, apples pears and plums.
4.What does the apostrophe show in 'don't'?
Easy
- Aa question
- Bmissing letters
- Cpossession
- Da plural
5.What does the apostrophe show in 'the dog's bone'?
Easy
- Apossession
- Ba contraction
- Ca plural
- Dspeech
6.Which sentence correctly shows that the coats belong to several girls?
Easy
- AThe girl's coats were wet (many girls).
- BThe girls coat's were wet.
- CThe girls's coats were wet.
- DThe girls' coats were wet.
7.Which is correct?
Easy
- AThe childrens toys were tidy.
- BThe children toys were tidy.
- CThe children's toys were tidy.
- DThe childrens' toys were tidy.
8.Which is a comma splice?
Easy
- AIt was cold; we put on coats.
- BIt was cold, we put on coats.
- CIt was cold, so we put on coats.
- DIt was cold. We put on coats.

Más preguntas

9.How can a comma splice be fixed?
Easy
- Awith a full stop, a semicolon or a conjunction
- Badding more commas
- Cdeleting the verb
- Dadding an apostrophe
10.Which sentence has correct speech punctuation?
Easy
- A"Come here" she said.
- B"Come here", she said.
- CCome here, she said.
- D"Come here," she said.
11.Which advice about a comma after an introductory adverbial is most accurate?
Easy
- AA comma can never follow an introductory phrase.
- BOnly an introductory person’s name can take a comma.
- CUse one when it helps mark the introduction clearly; a short unambiguous adverbial may not need one.
- DEvery introductory word must always have a comma.
12.Which uses a colon correctly?
Medium
- AYou will need three things; a pen, a ruler.
- BYou will need three things: a pen, a ruler and a rubber.
- CYou will need: three things a pen.
- DYou: will need three.
13.Which uses a semicolon correctly?
Medium
- AIt was raining; we stayed in.
- BIt was; raining we stayed in.
- CIt was raining; and we stayed in.
- DIt; was raining.
14.Which correctly encloses “who is ten” as supplementary information?
Medium
- AMy brother who, is ten plays chess.
- BMy brother who is ten, plays chess.
- CMy, brother who is ten plays chess.
- DMy brother, who is ten, plays chess.
15.Which is the correct possessive?
Medium
- Athe boss office's
- Bthe boss office (showing possession)
- Cthe boss's office
- Dthe bosses office
16.Which sentence needs an apostrophe?
Medium
- AMany dogs lived there.
- BThe dogs bowl was empty (one dog).
- CThe dogs barked loudly.
- DDogs bark.
17.Which shows correct use of 'it's'?
Medium
- AIt's raining, so take an umbrella.
- BThe cat licked it's paw.
- CIts a lovely day.
- DThe tree lost it's leaves.
18.In “I thought I could trust you...”, what might the ellipsis suggest?
Medium
- Aa list
- Ba question
- Cpossession
- Dtrailing off or suspense
19.Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Medium
- A"Where are you going"? asked Dad.
- BWhere are you going? asked Dad.
- C"Where are you going?" asked Dad.
- D"Where are you going." asked Dad.
20.Which correctly sets off both the opening clause and the supplementary clause “which had been open all day”?
Medium
- AWhen we arrived the shop, which had been open all day was closing.
- BWhen we arrived, the shop, which had been open all day, was closing.
- CWhen we arrived the shop which had been open all day was closing.
- DWhen we arrived, the shop which had been open, all day was closing.
21.Which is a correct use of a dash?
Medium
- AThe result — a shock to everyone — was announced.
- BThe result—a shock—to everyone was announced.
- CThe result a shock to everyone — was.
- DThe — result.
22.Which sentence has a comma splice?
Medium
- AI like tea, but my sister prefers coffee.
- BI like tea; my sister prefers coffee.
- CI like tea. My sister prefers coffee.
- DI like tea, my sister prefers coffee.
23.'The cats' bowls' shows:
Easy
- Aa contraction
- Ba question
- Cplural possession
- Dsingular possession
24.Which needs capital letters?
Easy
- Ano words
- Bproper nouns like London
- Call nouns
- Dall verbs
25.Which is the correct plural?
Medium
- Aapples
- Bapple's
- Capples'
- Dapple s
26.Which version is punctuated best?
Medium
- AAlthough it was late we, kept working.
- BAlthough, it was late we kept working.
- CAlthough it was late we kept, working.
- DAlthough it was late, we kept working.
27.A sentence starts with a capital letter.
Easy
True or false?
28.'Its' meaning belonging to it has no apostrophe.
Easy
True or false?
29.Ordinary plurals such as “apples” need an apostrophe.
Easy
True or false?
30.A comma splice joins two main clauses with only a comma.
Easy
True or false?
31.A colon can introduce a list.
Medium
True or false?
32.Which are correct uses of an apostrophe?
Medium
- Adon't
- Bthe dog's bone
- Cthe girls' coats
- Dapple's for sale
- Eit's (its) tail
33.Which changes can repair “It was cold, we put on coats” as two linked statements?
Medium
- AReplace the comma with a full stop and capitalise “we”.
- BReplace the comma with a semicolon.
- CAdd “so” after the comma.
- DAdd another comma after “we”.
- EReplace the comma with a question mark while keeping both clauses as statements.
34.Correct the punctuation: 'its raining so the childrens game was cancelled the teacher said we can play tomorrow'
Medium

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