NoRedInk Editing Skills 4

Question 1

Which sentence correctly uses a hyphen?

Accepted Answer

She is a well-known author.

Answer

Compound modifiers before a noun are hyphenated: 'well-known author'.

Question 2

Which version corrects the faulty pronoun reference: 'When Tom met Jake, he was nervous.'?

Accepted Answer

When Tom met Jake, Tom was nervous.

Answer

Replacing the ambiguous pronoun with a specific name clarifies who was nervous.

Question 3

Which word is the correct choice: 'They decided to (lay/lie) the documents on the table.'?

Accepted Answer

lay, because it takes a direct object ('documents')

Answer

'Lay' is a transitive verb that requires a direct object; 'lie' is intransitive.

Question 4

Which sentence demonstrates correct comma usage with an introductory clause?

Accepted Answer

After the game ended, the players shook hands.

Answer

A comma is placed after an introductory dependent clause before the main clause.

Question 5

Choose the correctly spelled word to complete: 'The judge ruled that the defendant was ___.'

Accepted Answer

innocent

Answer

'Innocent' is the correct spelling, derived from Latin 'innocens'.

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