NoRedInk Writing Mechanics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses 'affect' vs. 'effect'?
- The rain will effect our plans.
- Cold weather effects how plants grow.
- Stress can affect your sleep patterns. (Correct answer)
- Her speech had a positive affect on voters.
Correct answer: Stress can affect your sleep patterns.
'Affect' is a verb meaning to influence, which correctly describes how stress acts on sleep.
Question 2: Which of the following is a comma splice?
- She ran to the store, and she bought milk.
- He was tired, he went to bed early. (Correct answer)
- Although she was late, she finished the work.
- The dog barked, so we woke up.
Correct answer: He was tired, he went to bed early.
A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma and no coordinating conjunction.
Question 3: Which sentence correctly uses an apostrophe in a contraction?
- We would'nt miss the game.
- She did'nt finish her homework.
- They haven't seen the movie yet. (Correct answer)
- He could'nt find his keys.
Correct answer: They haven't seen the movie yet.
'Haven't' correctly places the apostrophe where the letter 'o' has been removed from 'have not.'
Question 4: Which word in the sentence 'my favorite author is maya angelou' must be capitalized?
- favorite
- author
- my
- maya angelou (Correct answer)
Correct answer: maya angelou
'Maya Angelou' is a specific person's name and therefore a proper noun requiring capitalization.
Question 5: Which sentence correctly uses 'then' vs. 'than'?
- She is smarter then her brother.
- First stir, than bake for 30 minutes.
- He would rather read then watch TV.
- The movie was better than I expected. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The movie was better than I expected.
'Than' is used for comparisons, correctly showing that the movie exceeded expectations.
Question 6: Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
- I love hiking; and camping.
- She studied hard; she passed the exam. (Correct answer)
- We need: eggs; milk; and butter.
- The rain stopped; but we stayed inside.
Correct answer: She studied hard; she passed the exam.
A semicolon correctly joins two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
Question 7: Which sentence is a correct run-on sentence fix?
- It was hot outside we went swimming.
- It was hot outside; we went swimming. (Correct answer)
- It was hot outside, we went swimming.
- It was hot outside and we went swimming so.
Correct answer: It was hot outside; we went swimming.
Using a semicolon between two independent clauses correctly fixes the run-on sentence.
NoRedInk Writing Mechanics 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'affect' vs. 'effect'?