Writing Skills Flashcards

Which sentence uses a semicolon correctly?

Answer: She studied hard; she passed the test.

A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Identify the error in this sentence: 'Neither the coach nor the players was prepared for the rain.'

Answer: Verb should be 'were' to agree with 'players'

With 'neither/nor,' the verb agrees with the noun closest to it—'players' is plural, so 'were' is correct.

Which revision best improves sentence clarity: 'The report that the manager who was hired last year wrote was confusing.'

Answer: The report written by the newly hired manager was confusing.

Reducing embedded clauses into participial phrases eliminates excessive nesting and improves readability.

Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'The committee could not reach _______ decision.'

Answer: a

Use 'a' before words that begin with a consonant sound; 'decision' starts with a /d/ sound.

What is the main problem with this sentence: 'Running to catch the bus, my backpack fell off.'

Answer: Dangling modifier

The participial phrase 'Running to catch the bus' must logically modify the sentence's subject, but 'my backpack' cannot run.

Which transition best signals a contrast between two ideas?

Answer: Nevertheless

'Nevertheless' introduces a contrasting or opposing idea, signaling that the following point contradicts what was just said.

In which sentence is the apostrophe used correctly?

Answer: The dog wagged its tail.

'Its' (no apostrophe) is the possessive pronoun; 'it's' (with apostrophe) is a contraction of 'it is.'