CSR English Grammar, Punctuation & Vocabulary 2

Question 1

In the sentence 'The witness, who testified yesterday, recanted her statement,' the commas set off a clause that is:

Accepted Answer

Nonrestrictive and parenthetical

Answer

The clause 'who testified yesterday' is nonrestrictive because removing it does not change the essential meaning of the sentence.

Question 2

Which sentence uses the subjunctive mood correctly?

Accepted Answer

The judge insisted that the witness be sworn in.

Answer

After verbs of demand, recommendation, or insistence, the subjunctive 'be' is required rather than 'is' or 'was'.

Question 3

Select the correct use of the semicolon:

Accepted Answer

The deposition was lengthy; the transcript ran 400 pages.

Answer

A semicolon correctly joins two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Question 4

The word 'tortuous' most nearly means:

Accepted Answer

Full of twists and turns; winding

Answer

'Tortuous' means winding or indirect; it should not be confused with 'torturous,' which means causing agony.

Question 5

In transcript formatting, a parenthetical direction such as '(Whereupon, the document was marked as Exhibit 1.)' ends with:

Accepted Answer

A period inside the closing parenthesis

Answer

In legal transcripts, parenthetical stage directions that form complete sentences place the period inside the closing parenthesis.

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