Choosing the Appropriate Punctuation Punctuation in English: . : a period ends a complete sentence ! : an exclamation point indicates excitement or emphasis, end of sentence ? : question mark indicates a question, end of sentence , : a comma indicates a pause in a sentence, followed by a conjunction or used after a prepositional phrase ; : a semicolon separates two complete clauses which are closely related in order to vary sentence length and indicate a logical connection : : a colon, indicates a list and means “as follows” Insert the correct punctuation where an empty space is indicated: * My aunt collected various items for her garage sale____ books, an old guitar, some dishes, picture frames and some furniture. * The forest fires have destroyed almost two thousand hectares____ the firefighters are fatigued and in need of reinforcements. * The family arrived in time to see the sun descend into a brilliant sunset____ and we were simultaneously met with an onslaught of mosquitoes. * What kind of ingredients should I add to my smoothie mix____ * The fair was a resounding success____ * Until we met____ we didn’t know if we would get along in person. * I have never read that particular book____ * There are only three things that need to be considered when deciding where to go on vacation___ where is it safe, how much do you want to spend, and how much time should you go away for? * The military successfully established a base in Kandahar____ it was not won, however, without intense fighting beforehand. * I have always wanted to go to summer camp____ Answers in order of sequence: : ; , ? ! , . : ; ! Choosing the Correct Word In the following sentences, circle the correct word when multiple options are given: * Whenever the thunder and lightning start, their/there/they’re dog begins to howl. * Your/you’re welcome to eat as much as you want while you are here. * Whether it’s/its Monday or Tuesday makes no different to me. * My husband doesn’t make as much money as I/me. * The general effect/affect of the economic downturn is an increase of unemployment. * I’m going to go to/too the doctor tomorrow. * Since the show wasn’t opening until the following evening, we decided to peak/peek/pique through the fence for a sneak preview. * Their truck is the one that/who broke down on the side of the highway. * My sister claims the aliens took her to there/they’re/their spacecraft. * Who’s/whose car crashed into that pole? * I read the story about the janitor who/whom eventually became hired as a principal. * Our house is better then/than the one next to it. Answers in order of sequence: their, you’re, it’s, I, effect, to, peek, that, their, whose, who, than Subject-Verb Agreement Choose the correct verb to agree with the subject: * When a storm is about to break out, the trees seem to stand/stands very still. * The truck drivers often stops/stop at this particular gas station for coffee and food. * My cat often prowl/prowls around the house at night. * America displays/display its flag proudly outside the White House. * There is/are many people who want see the opening of Star Wars this weekend. * The twins will comes/come to the party late, since they have a swim meet until 3pm. Answers in sequence: stand, stop, prowls, displays, are, comes Sentence Fragments In the following pairs of statements, select the one that is NOT a sentence fragment: * 1. She still loved him. In spite of everything. * 2. She still loved him, in spite of everything. * 1. They weren’t gone very long before the raccoon got into the house again. * 2. They weren’t gone very long. Before the raccoon got into the house again. * 1. Once a star. Always a star. * 2. Once a star, always a star. * 1. Given her love of ice cream, it was no surprise that she chose it over cake. * 2. Given her love of ice cream. It was no surprise that she chose it over cake. * 1. Waking up at dawn, is hard to do. * 2. Waking up at dawn is hard to do. Answers in sequence: 2., 1., 2., 1., 2. Conjunctions These common conjunctions make clear connections, and link parts of a sentence logically. And But Therefore However Neither/ nor Either/ or Yet Because In the following sentences, place the best option of conjunction where indicated to show the appropriate logical connection: * I have never tried sushi before, _____ would be willing to try it! * We can either give her the clothes for Christmas, ____ the Lego set. * Many rules apply to immigrants coming to Canada, _____ the most important rule is to follow Canadian law. * We hope to travel to India this summer ______ we want to see where my Grandfather was born. * _______ option gives us the ability to buy a new house, _____ do we care to rent. * We’ve run out of money, ________ we will fly home early from Costa Rica. * The pool hasn’t been cleaned in a month, _______ the party is tomorrow! * The basics of chemistry is the periodic table of elements, _______ our teacher still hasn’t taught us about the elements even though we are 2 months into the semester! Answers in order of sequence: but, or, however, because, neither/nor, therefore, and, yet