English Composition and Writing Flashcards

Which of the following sentences contains a comma splice?

Answer: She was tired, she finished the essay anyway.

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined only by a comma, without a coordinating conjunction or semicolon.

In the writing process, what distinguishes 'revision' from 'editing'?

Answer: Revision addresses content, structure, and argument; editing focuses on grammar and mechanics.

Revision involves reconsidering the essay's ideas, organization, and development, while editing corrects surface-level errors in grammar and mechanics.

Which pronoun case is correct in the sentence: 'The award was given to Marcus and ___.'?

Answer: me

After a preposition like 'to,' the objective case pronoun 'me' is required, not the subjective 'I.'

What is the rhetorical effect of using short, simple sentences in the middle of a complex argument?

Answer: It creates emphasis by providing a sharp contrast in rhythm

Short sentences amid complex prose create emphasis and rhythm, drawing the reader's attention to the key point.

A student paraphrases a source but does not include a citation. This is an example of:

Answer: Plagiarism, because the ideas still originate from another source

Paraphrased ideas still belong to the original author and must be cited to avoid plagiarism, even though the wording is changed.

Which of the following best defines 'audience awareness' in composition?

Answer: Adapting tone, diction, and content to the needs and expectations of the intended reader

Audience awareness means consciously shaping your writing — word choice, tone, examples, and detail level — to suit who will read it.

In APA style (7th edition), where does the year of publication appear in an in-text citation?

Answer: Immediately after the author's name, in parentheses

APA in-text citations follow the author-date format, placing the publication year in parentheses directly after the author's name.