IEO Punctuation & Capitalization 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence uses commas correctly?
- I bought apples oranges, and bananas.
- I bought, apples, oranges, and bananas.
- I bought apples, oranges, and bananas. (Correct answer)
- I bought apples, oranges and, bananas.
Correct answer: I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
Items in a series are separated by commas — 'apples, oranges, and bananas' is the correct Oxford comma usage.
Question 2: When should a colon be used?
- Before a subordinate clause
- After a greeting in an informal letter
- To introduce a list or explanation that follows a complete clause (Correct answer)
- To connect two adjectives
Correct answer: To introduce a list or explanation that follows a complete clause
A colon is used after a complete independent clause to introduce a list, explanation, or quotation.
Question 3: Which word should be capitalized in the sentence: 'my favorite subject is english'?
- My and subject
- My, English, and favorite
- My and English (Correct answer)
- Only the first word
Correct answer: My and English
Both 'My' (first word of the sentence) and 'English' (a proper noun — a language name) must be capitalized.
Question 4: What punctuation mark is used to show possession?
- Hyphen (-)
- Apostrophe (') (Correct answer)
- Semicolon (;)
- Ellipsis (...)
Correct answer: Apostrophe (')
An apostrophe followed by 's' (or just an apostrophe after a plural 's') shows possession — e.g., 'the dog's collar.'
Question 5: Which sentence uses quotation marks correctly?
- She said "I will be late."
- She said, "I will be late." (Correct answer)
- She said "I will be late".
- She said, I will be late.
Correct answer: She said, "I will be late."
When introducing a direct quote with a reporting verb, place a comma before the opening quotation mark.
Question 6: A hyphen is used to:
- Separate two independent clauses
- Show a long pause in speech
- Join words in a compound modifier before a noun (Correct answer)
- End a question
Correct answer: Join words in a compound modifier before a noun
A hyphen joins compound modifiers placed before a noun — e.g., 'well-known author' or 'five-year-old child.'
IEO Punctuation & Capitalization 1
Which sentence uses commas correctly?