Question 1

Which of the following is not a primary use for a colon?

Accepted Answer

A colon is not typically used to introduce indirect quotes; it is more commonly used for direct quotes, lists, explanations, or to emphasize a following idea. Indirect quotes usually do not require a colon as they are integrated into the structure of the sentence.

Question 2

___________ are used primarily to enclose the exact words someone spoke or wrote.

Accepted Answer

Quotation marks are used to enclose the exact words someone spoke or wrote, indicating direct speech or a quotation.

Question 3

Which of the following should not be capitalized?

Accepted Answer

Prepositions and coordinating conjunctions in the middle of a title are generally not capitalized unless they are the first or last word of the title. This is in accordance with most style guides, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual of Style.

Question 4

Identify which revision of the following sentences has no punctuation or mechanics errors: John asked Where have you been? You left over forty-five minutes ago.

Accepted Answer

Option C correctly uses a comma after "asked" and places the direct quotation within quotation marks. It also correctly capitalizes the first word of the direct quotation, uses a question mark appropriately, maintains proper capitalization after the question mark since it's part of the same sentence, and correctly hyphenates "forty-five."

Question 5

Identify which revision of the following sentence has no punctuation or mechanics errors: We need the following tools: a saw, a drill, and a standard screwdriver.

Accepted Answer

The original sentence correctly uses a colon to introduce a list and commas to separate items in the list, including the Oxford comma before "and."

Question 6

Identify which revision of the following sentence has no punctuation or mechanics errors:
The student's who studied made excellent grades on their tests, the one's who did not study were not pleased with their scores.

Accepted Answer

Option A correctly uses a semicolon to join two independent clauses and corrects the misuse of apostrophes in "student's" and "one's."

Question 7

Identify which revision of the following sentence has no punctuation or mechanics errors: Peters point is that there's no way to determine if she's receiving enough benefits.

Accepted Answer

Option A is correct because it properly uses an apostrophe in "Peter's" to show possession, indicating that the point belongs to Peter. The other options contain punctuation errors or unnecessary punctuation.

Question 8

Identify which revision of the following sentence has no punctuation or mechanics errors: Since the weather's not cooperating tonights game has been canceled.

Accepted Answer

Option B correctly uses a comma to separate the dependent clause from the main clause and correctly places the apostrophe in "tonight's" to show possession.

Question 9

Identify which revision of the following sentence has no punctuation or mechanics errors: mr. campbell is such a know it all, jan complained.

Accepted Answer

Option C is correct because it properly capitalizes "Mr.," uses hyphens in "know-it-all," and places the comma outside the quotation marks, which is the correct punctuation for reported speech.

Question 10

Which of the following is not a contraction.

Accepted Answer

"Its" is a possessive pronoun, not a contraction. "Won't," "you're," and "who's" are contractions for "will not," "you are," and "who is/has," respectively.

Question 11

Which of the following do not use italics.

Accepted Answer

Short poems are typically not italicized but are instead placed in quotation marks. Italics are commonly used for longer works like periodicals, movies, and books.

Question 12

Contractions are used to show possession.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Contractions are used to show possession....

Question 13

Although semicolons are most often used to divide main clauses, they can also be used to separate items in a series that have commas within them.

Accepted Answer

Semicolons can be used to separate items in a series when those items themselves contain commas, to avoid confusion and improve readability.

Question 14

The dash is a versatile punctuation mark that can help writers in several ways: to set off a series that begins a sentence, to indicate an abrupt break in thought within a sentence, or to emphasize a word or word group at the end of a sentence.

Accepted Answer

The dash is indeed a versatile punctuation mark used for various purposes in writing, including setting off series, indicating breaks in thought, and emphasizing parts of sentences.

Question 15

When enclosing nonessential information in a sentence, commas and parentheses are often interchangeable.

Accepted Answer

Commas and parentheses can both be used to set off nonessential information, but they can affect the tone and emphasis differently.

Question 16

Apostrophes have two main functions: to mark the omission of letters in contractions and to show ownership.

Accepted Answer

Apostrophes are used both to indicate where letters have been left out of contractions (e.g., "can't" for "cannot") and to denote possession (e.g., "John's book" to indicate the book belongs to John).

Question 17

Hyphens should be used only at the end of a line of text to divide a word between syllables. Hyphens have no other use in a sentence.

Accepted Answer

Hyphens are used for various purposes, including connecting compound words (e.g., well-being), compound adjectives (e.g., high-speed chase), and avoiding ambiguity (e.g., re-sign vs. resign).

Question 18

When using numbers in a sentence, you should always use numerals instead of words.

Accepted Answer

The choice between using numerals and words for numbers in a sentence depends on the style guide being followed and the context. Generally, smaller numbers (one through ten) are spelled out, while larger numbers are represented with numerals, especially in more formal or technical writing. However, rules can vary.

Question 19

Underlining and italicizing can be used either for emphasis or for certain types of titles.

Accepted Answer

Underlining and italicizing are both used to give emphasis to text or to denote titles of certain works, such as books, films, and scholarly articles, depending on the style guide being followed.

Question 20

Semicolons have less power than a period to end a main clause.

Accepted Answer

Semicolons and periods both have the power to end a main clause, but a semicolon is used to link closely related independent clauses, while a period signifies a stronger separation between sentences.

Quiz 16: Other Punctuation and Mechanics