AST Punctuation and Sentence Structure 1 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which sentence uses a comma correctly?

She went to the store, and she bought milk. (Correct answer)
She went, to the store and she bought milk.
She, went to the store and bought milk.
She went to the store and, bought milk.

Correct answer: She went to the store, and she bought milk.

A comma is used before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or) joining two independent clauses.

When a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) joins two independent clauses (each having a subject and verb), a comma precedes the conjunction. 'She went to the store' and 'she bought milk' are both independent clauses, so a comma before 'and' is correct.

Question 2: Which of the following is a sentence fragment?

The dog barked loudly.
Running through the park in the rain. (Correct answer)
She finished her homework before dinner.
They arrived at the station early.

Correct answer: Running through the park in the rain.

A fragment lacks a subject or verb. 'Running through the park in the rain' has no independent subject-verb pair.

A sentence fragment is missing a subject, a verb, or does not express a complete thought. 'Running through the park in the rain' is a participial phrase without a subject or main verb. A complete sentence might read: 'She was running through the park in the rain.'

Question 3: What punctuation mark correctly joins two independent clauses without a conjunction?

Comma
Colon
Semicolon (Correct answer)
Dash

Correct answer: Semicolon

A semicolon connects two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction.

A semicolon (;) links two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning, without needing a conjunction. Example: 'She studied hard; she passed the exam.' Using only a comma here would create a comma splice. Using a period is also correct but creates two separate sentences.

Question 4: Which sentence contains a run-on error?

He studied hard; he passed the exam.
She ran quickly, so she caught the bus.
It was raining we stayed inside. (Correct answer)
Although tired, he finished the race.

Correct answer: It was raining we stayed inside.

'It was raining we stayed inside' fuses two independent clauses without punctuation or a conjunction.

A run-on sentence incorrectly joins two independent clauses without proper punctuation. 'It was raining we stayed inside' has two complete thoughts ('It was raining' and 'we stayed inside') fused together. Corrections: 'It was raining; we stayed inside.' or 'It was raining, so we stayed inside.'

Question 5: In the sentence 'My brother, who lives in Denver, is a doctor,' the commas set off a:

Restrictive clause
Nonrestrictive clause (Correct answer)
Adverbial phrase
Participial phrase

Correct answer: Nonrestrictive clause

Nonrestrictive (nonessential) clauses add extra information and are set off by commas.

A nonrestrictive (nonessential) clause adds information that is not essential to identifying the noun. It can be removed without changing the core meaning: 'My brother is a doctor' still makes sense. Nonrestrictive clauses are set off by commas. Restrictive clauses are essential and use no commas.

Question 6: Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?

The dog wagged it's tail.
Its going to rain tomorrow.
The students' projects were excellent. (Correct answer)
The book's are on the shelf.

Correct answer: The students' projects were excellent.

'Students'' shows correct plural possessive. 'Its' (possessive) never uses an apostrophe.

For plural nouns already ending in 's', add only an apostrophe to show possession: students' projects. 'It's' (with apostrophe) = it is; 'its' (no apostrophe) = possessive pronoun. 'Book's' used as a plural (not possessive) is incorrect; the plural of book is simply books.

AST Punctuation and Sentence Structure 1

Which sentence uses a comma correctly?