Punctuation & Capitalization Flashcards

Choose the sentence with correct apostrophe usage:

Answer: The children's toys are scattered.

'Children' is already plural without an 's,' so possession is shown by adding apostrophe + s: children's.

Which sentence uses parentheses correctly?

Answer: The capital of France (Paris) is a beautiful city.

Parentheses are used to add supplementary or clarifying information — 'Paris' clarifies 'the capital of France.'

In which sentence are question marks used correctly?

Answer: Did you finish your homework?

A question mark is used after a direct question — 'Did you finish your homework?' is a direct question.

Which of the following properly capitalizes a proper noun?

Answer: We visited a national park in Colorado.

'Colorado' is a proper noun (a state name) and must be capitalized; 'national park' is a common noun and is not capitalized.

What is the correct punctuation for a compound sentence?

Answer: She loves music, and she plays the piano daily.

Two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (and) require a comma before the conjunction.

Which sentence uses a semicolon incorrectly?

Answer: He ran quickly; because he was late.

A semicolon should not be placed before a subordinating conjunction like 'because' — use a comma or no punctuation instead.