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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The boy's teacher had forgotten to correct their homework; she had spent the entire night planning the new geography lesson. No error
Be watchful of possessive plural nouns: here, the correct apostrophe will be at the end of the word: "boys'" is correct because the subject is plural.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The Scottish highland cow is infamous for it’s prodigious methane production. No error
Here, the wrong form of “its/it’s” is used. With the apostrophe, "it's" means “it is.” The possessive form of "it" is "its." The corrected sentence reads: "The Scottish highland cow is infamous for its prodigious methane production."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
There was outrage in the elementary school; the childrens’ recess was shortened by a full ten minutes. No error.
Because “children” is an irregularly formed plural, the normal apostrophe rules do not apply. The apostrophe goes before the "s": "There was outrage in the elementary school; the children’s recess was shortened by a full ten minutes."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The football teams near defeat instigated riots through the streets of the city. No error
This sentence has an apostrophe mistake. Since "football teams defeat" has a possesive in it, it needs an "'s" ending. The corrected sentence reads, "The football team's near defeat instigated riots through the streets of the city."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Magazine advertisement’s from the 1950s frequently portrayed women cooking, cleaning, and playing with children. No error
The error in the sentence is “advertisement’s,” which should be written as “advertisements.” An apostrophe should be used to show possession (e.g. "Bob’s cat") or when combining two words in a contraction (ex. "it is" can be written as "it’s"). This sentence is referring to magazine advertisements from the 1950s, but the “women cooking, cleaning, and playing” in the magazine advertisements do not belong to the magazine advertisements.
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Distance was never an obstacle to the Gambardella's; no matter where they were, they made sure to stay in touch with each other. No error
It is clear from the excerpt that "Gambardella's" is a plural surname. It is not possessive and should not contain an apostrophe. The rest of the sentence is correct as written.
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Is vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry your favorite flavor of ice cream, or do you prefer another flavor. No error
The issue here has to do with punctuation. This sentence needs to end with a question mark because it is a question. The corrected sentence reads, "Is vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry your favorite flavor of ice cream, or do you prefer another flavor?"
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
How did Bosco the chihuahua get her name. The story begins with an act of heroism, a great surprise, and a feast of tamales. No error
"How did Bosco the chihuahua get her name?" is a rhetorical question and must be punctuated with a question mark. The rest of the sentence is correct as written.
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"Help me lift this", she whispered, knowing the request would be her last if she were overheard. No error
Punctuation always goes inside the quotation marks in American English.
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Liam told his study group that "he needed to take a break from studying," so the group's members all decided to get sandwiches before beginning to take notes on the textbook's next chapter. No error
This sentence incorrectly uses quotation marks to set off an indirect quotation from the sentence when no quotation marks are needed. If the sentence said "Liam told his study group, 'I need to take a break from studying,'" then quotation marks would be necessary. However, because the sentence is indirectly telling us what Liam said, and not giving us his exact words, no quotation marks are needed. Removing the quotation marks around "he needed to take a break from studying" would correct the sentence's error.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Everyone on the team agreed that the best option was to forfeit the game; without their best player; the team didn't have a chance of winning. No error
A comma should be used instead of a semicolon to separate the introductory phrase "without their best player" from the rest of the second independent clause "the team didn't have a chance of winning."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Knitting may appear complex, but even its most complicated patterns can be created from a combination of just two stitches; knit stitches and purl stitches. No error
This sentence's error lies in the incorrect way in which it uses a semicolon to introduce a list. "Knit stitches and purl stitches" are the "two stitches" that the sentence introduces earlier, so a colon is the most appropriate punctuation mark to use in this instance. The corrected sentence reads, "Knitting may appear complex, but even its most complicated patterns can be created from a combination of just two stitches: knit stitches and purl stitches."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Joe was feeling particularly happy on Tuesday; so he decided to treat himself to a cup of coffee and a slice of pie. No error.
This is an incorrect use of a semi-colon. If you use a semi-colon, you should not follow it with a conjunction. In this case, it sounds best to keep the conjunction “so” and switch the semi-colon to a comma: "Joe was feeling particularly happy on Tuesday, so he decided to treat himself to a cup of coffee and a slice of pie."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The community members voiced various complaints; such as their distrust of the new energy company buying up local property. No error
This sentence misuses a semi-colon. These should be used to separate two independent clauses, so either side should be able to stand on its own as a sentence. Here, the latter half of the sentence is not an independent clause and cannot stand on its own, so you should use a comma instead: "The community members voiced various complaints, such as their distrust of the new energy company buying up local property."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The sidewalk is covered in black ice; soyou should becareful when you walk outside. No error.
Semicolons should be used to separate two independent clauses that are not connected by a conjunction. "So" is a conjunction here, so a semicolon is not appropriate. Use a comma instead: "The sidewalk is covered in black ice, so you should be careful when you walk outside."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Frances took a moment to collect herself; before pressing the button and sealing the pneumatic door forever. No error
This sentence misuses a semicolon, which is generally used to separate two independent clauses. In this adverbial phrase, no punctuation is needed. The corrected sentence reads,"Frances took a moment to collect herself before pressing the button and sealing the pneumatic door forever."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
That book over there belongs to Eileen; so we should return it to her before she needs to study for the massive English test next week. No error
A semicolon is meant to connect two thoughts that are both independent clauses. However, the second clause here is dependent and is connected by the word "so." In this situation, a comma would be appropriate to link that subordinate clause to the first independent clause. So, the corrected sentence would read, "That book over there belongs to Eileen**,** so we should help return it to her before she needs to study for the massive English test next week."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Resting under the shade of the elm tree, Troy felt relaxed; but he knew it would soon be time to go home. No error.
The semicolon is used to combine two related sentences without a conjunction. This one should be replaced with a comma because the second part of the sentence would not be a complete sentence on its own. So, the correct answer is "relaxed ;" because this part of the sentence contains an error.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Abigail’s favorite pastime was hiking; and she often hiked with friends in the mountains near her house. No error
The option with an error is “hiking; and she.” Semicolons can be used to separate two phrases that could each stand as their own sentence but are related to each other in topic. The problem with “hiking; and she” is that the semicolon is being used to separate two ideas that are related, but the material that follows the semicolon is a fragment and cannot stand as a sentence on its own. This problem could easily be corrected by removing the “and” so the entire passage reads, “Abigail’s favorite pastime was hiking; she often hiked with friends in the mountains near her house.”
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The boy's teacher had forgotten to correct their homework; she had spent the entire night planning the new geography lesson. No error
Be watchful of possessive plural nouns: here, the correct apostrophe will be at the end of the word: "boys'" is correct because the subject is plural.
Compare your answer with the correct one above