Punctuation Quiz Key


Name ____ Date____


Read each sentence below carefully. If the sentence is punctuated correctly write YES in the blank after the sentence. If it is not punctuated correctly, write NO.



  1. Yes Will you please pass in your papers.
  2. No Have a nice lunch!
  3. Yes The teacher asked, "Why are you always late?"
  4. No Oh no, my books are missing.
  5. No Bob wanted to go to school but his mother needed him to stay home.
  6. No All students, who have work experience, will get to go on the trip.
  7. No This house is falling apart, consequently it will be torn down next week.
  8. Yes Since we all agree, we should begin at once.
  9. Yes People tend to gain weight when they stop smoking.
  10. No Jack is a loveable guy, he has lots of friends.
Explanations

1. Even though this looks like a question, it is, in fact a polite request. As a polite request the sentence may end in a period.

2. This is a simple statement which should end in a period.

4. It should be clear that this sentence expresses surprise; therefore, it should end in an exclamation point (!).

5. This is two independent clause joined together using a coordinating conjunction. A comma must be placed after the word 'school' and before the conjunction 'but' for this sentence to be correct.

6. The clause 'who have work experience' is a restrictive clause and should not be set off by commas. The sentence should read, 'All students who have work experience will get to go on the trip.

7. Consequently is a conjunctive adverb and should be preceded with a semicolon and followed with a comma. This sentence should read, 'This house is falling apart; consequently, it will be torn down next week.'

8. This sentence has one dependent clause (Since we all agree) and one independent clause (we should begin at once). Anytime a sentence begins with a dependent clause a comma is required at the end of the dependent clause and before the subject of the independent clause.

10. This is commonly known as a comma splice. To fix this either use a semicolon instead of a comma, or use a coordinating conjunction after the comma.

Worksheet provided by John's ESL Community
http://www.johnsesl.com