Writing Mechanics Flashcards

Which sentence uses commas correctly with a list?

Answer: I need eggs, milk, and butter.

A serial (Oxford) comma is placed before 'and' in a list of three or more items.

Which word is spelled correctly?

Answer: achieve

The rule 'i before e except after c' applies here: achieve is spelled correctly.

Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?

Answer: She caught the bus running quickly.

In 'She caught the bus running quickly,' it seems the bus is running quickly due to the misplaced modifier.

Which punctuation correctly ends a polite request?

Answer: Could you please pass the salt?

A polite request ends with a question mark because it asks something of someone.

Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?

Answer: The dogs' bone was buried.

Dogs' is the correct possessive form for a plural noun ending in -s.

What is the correct capitalization in this sentence: 'my aunt visited washington d.c. in july.'?

Answer: My aunt visited Washington D.C. in July.

Proper nouns (Washington D.C.) and the first word of a sentence must be capitalized, as must month names.

Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?

Answer: She loves math; science is her favorite too.

A semicolon correctly joins two independent clauses that are closely related without a conjunction.