Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar Flashcards

Which sentence correctly uses an em dash?

Answer: She finished the project—ahead of schedule.

An em dash (—) appears without spaces in US English to show emphasis or a break in thought.

Choose the correctly spelled word.

Answer: mischievous

'Mischievous' has three syllables: mis-chie-vous, with no extra 'i' before the 'ous'.

Which sentence correctly uses 'fewer' vs. 'less'?

Answer: There are fewer cars on the road in the morning.

'Fewer' is used with countable nouns like 'cars'; 'less' is used with uncountable nouns.

Identify the sentence with correct parallel structure.

Answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and reading.

Parallel structure requires the same grammatical form for all items in a list; all gerunds (-ing) is correct.

Which sentence uses 'lay' and 'lie' correctly?

Answer: Please lay the book on the table.

'Lay' requires a direct object — 'lay the book' means to place the book somewhere.

Which punctuation mark is used to indicate a list within a sentence that already contains commas?

Answer: Semicolon

Semicolons separate items in a list when those items themselves contain commas, preventing confusion.

Choose the sentence with correct capitalization.

Answer: We visited the South last summer.

'South' is capitalized when referring to a specific geographic region, but seasons like 'summer' are not capitalized.