RLA Sentence Structure and Punctuation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
- She studied hard; and passed the exam.
- She studied hard; she passed the exam. (Correct answer)
- She studied hard; because she wanted to pass.
- She; studied hard and passed.
Correct answer: She studied hard; she passed the exam.
A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
Question 2: Identify the dangling modifier in: 'Walking down the street, the rain began to fall.'
- 'Walking down the street' correctly modifies 'the rain'.
- There is no dangling modifier.
- 'Walking down the street' has no clear subject to modify. (Correct answer)
- 'the rain began to fall' is the dangling modifier.
Correct answer: 'Walking down the street' has no clear subject to modify.
The participial phrase 'Walking down the street' has no logical subject since rain cannot walk.
Question 3: Which option correctly punctuates a list using the Oxford comma?
- I bought apples, oranges and bananas.
- I bought apples, oranges, and bananas. (Correct answer)
- I bought apples; oranges; and bananas.
- I bought apples oranges, and bananas.
Correct answer: I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
The Oxford comma is placed before 'and' in a series of three or more items.
Question 4: What is the grammatical error in: 'Running to the store, my keys were lost.'
- Misplaced modifier
- Comma splice
- Dangling modifier (Correct answer)
- Faulty parallelism
Correct answer: Dangling modifier
The participial phrase 'Running to the store' illogically modifies 'my keys,' which cannot run.
Question 5: Which sentence uses a colon correctly?
- The ingredients are: flour, sugar, and eggs.
- She needs: to study more.
- He brought everything: his books, notes, and pencils. (Correct answer)
- They went: to the park.
Correct answer: He brought everything: his books, notes, and pencils.
A colon after a complete clause correctly introduces a list or explanation.
Question 6: Which sentence is a correct compound-complex sentence?
- She sang and danced.
- Because she practiced, she improved, and she won the competition. (Correct answer)
- She practiced every day.
- She practiced, she improved.
Correct answer: Because she practiced, she improved, and she won the competition.
A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause.
Question 7: What punctuation is needed in: 'Its a beautiful day isnt it'
- It's a beautiful day, isn't it? (Correct answer)
- Its a beautiful day, isnt it.
- It's a beautiful day isn't it?
- Its' a beautiful day isn't it?
Correct answer: It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
'It's' needs an apostrophe for the contraction, a comma before the tag question, and a question mark at the end.
RLA Sentence Structure and Punctuation 2
Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?