Grammarly Certified Advanced Grammar and Language Specialist Style and Writing Conventions 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which style convention does Grammarly most often enforce for American English formal writing?
- Oxford (serial) comma is optional in all lists
- Oxford (serial) comma is recommended before the final item in a series (Correct answer)
- Oxford comma is never used in American English
- Oxford comma is required only in British English
Correct answer: Oxford (serial) comma is recommended before the final item in a series
American formal writing style guidelines generally recommend the Oxford comma to prevent ambiguity in lists.
Question 2: When should numbers be spelled out in formal writing?
- Always spell out numbers above 100
- Spell out numbers one through nine; use numerals for 10 and above (Correct answer)
- Always use numerals for clarity
- Spell out numbers only when they begin a sentence
Correct answer: Spell out numbers one through nine; use numerals for 10 and above
Most style guides recommend spelling out one through nine and using numerals for 10 and above in standard prose.
Question 3: Which is the correct capitalization for a job title in: 'The [president] called the meeting'?
- President (always capitalize titles)
- president (lowercase when not directly before a name) (Correct answer)
- PRESIDENT (use all caps for senior titles)
- President (capitalize when referring to a real person)
Correct answer: president (lowercase when not directly before a name)
Job titles are capitalized only when used directly before a person's name as a formal title, not when used generically.
Question 4: In formal American English, how should a bulleted list item ending in a complete sentence be punctuated?
- No punctuation at the end
- End with a period (Correct answer)
- End with a semicolon
- End with a colon
Correct answer: End with a period
When bullet points contain complete sentences, they should end with a period just like regular sentences.
Question 5: Which correctly uses 'i.e.' versus 'e.g.'?
- Use i.e. to give an example; use e.g. to clarify or specify.
- Use e.g. to give examples; use i.e. to mean 'that is' or clarify. (Correct answer)
- Both i.e. and e.g. mean 'for example' and are interchangeable.
- Use i.e. in American English and e.g. in British English.
Correct answer: Use e.g. to give examples; use i.e. to mean 'that is' or clarify.
'E.g.' (exempli gratia) introduces examples, while 'i.e.' (id est) means 'that is' and provides clarification.
Question 6: How should a direct quotation of 40 or more words be formatted in formal writing?
- Put it in italics within the paragraph.
- Use a block quotation indented from both margins without quotation marks. (Correct answer)
- Enclose it in double quotation marks and increase font size.
- Summarize it instead, as long quotes are always discouraged.
Correct answer: Use a block quotation indented from both margins without quotation marks.
Long direct quotations (40+ words per APA, 100+ words per MLA) are formatted as indented block quotes without quotation marks.
Grammarly Certified Advanced Grammar and Language Specialist Style and Writing Conventions 1
Which style convention does Grammarly most often enforce for American English formal writing?