English Grammar Test Punctuation Rules 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
- She loves hiking; and camping.
- The store was closed; we had to leave. (Correct answer)
- I need milk; bread and eggs.
- He ran fast; but still lost.
Correct answer: The store was closed; we had to leave.
A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
Question 2: Where should an apostrophe be placed in the word 'its' to show possession?
- it's
- its'
- its (Correct answer)
- i'ts
Correct answer: its
The possessive 'its' never takes an apostrophe; 'it's' is only a contraction of 'it is.'
Question 3: Which sentence uses the colon correctly?
- She packed: a hat and sunscreen.
- He said: that he was ready.
- The meeting covered three topics: budget, staffing, and timelines. (Correct answer)
- They: decided to leave early.
Correct answer: The meeting covered three topics: budget, staffing, and timelines.
A colon should follow a complete independent clause before introducing a list.
Question 4: How should a direct quotation be punctuated at the end when followed by a dialogue tag?
- "Come here," she said. (Correct answer)
- "Come here." she said.
- "Come here" she said.
- "Come here:" she said.
Correct answer: "Come here," she said.
A comma (not a period) separates a direct quotation from its dialogue tag when the tag follows.
Question 5: Which option correctly punctuates a list of three or more items using the Oxford comma?
- I bought apples, oranges and bananas.
- I bought apples, oranges, and bananas. (Correct answer)
- I bought apples oranges, and bananas.
- I bought, apples, oranges, and bananas.
Correct answer: I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
The Oxford comma is placed before the final 'and' in a series of three or more items.
Question 6: When using parentheses, where does the period go if the parenthetical is at the end of a sentence?
- Inside the parenthesis (like this.)
- Before the parenthesis. (like this)
- After the closing parenthesis (like this). (Correct answer)
- Either position is acceptable
Correct answer: After the closing parenthesis (like this).
The period follows the closing parenthesis when the parenthetical phrase is part of a larger sentence.
Question 7: Which sentence incorrectly uses a hyphen?
- She is a well-known author.
- The state-of-the-art lab opened Monday.
- He gave a long-winded speech.
- She felt happy-today. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: She felt happy-today.
Hyphens connect compound modifiers before nouns, not predicative adjectives or unrelated words.
English Grammar Test Punctuation Rules 2
Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?