Writing Conventions Flashcards

Which sentence correctly uses a conjunctive adverb?

Answer: She was tired; however, she kept working.

A conjunctive adverb like 'however' must be preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma when joining two independent clauses.

Which sentence uses capitalization correctly?

Answer: We studied the Civil War in history class.

'Civil War' is a proper noun referring to a specific historical event and is capitalized; 'history class' is a common noun and is not.

Which sentence corrects the error in pronoun-antecedent agreement?

Answer: Both A and B are acceptable in formal writing.

Modern usage accepts both 'their' (singular they) and 'his or her' as correct for gender-neutral indefinite pronouns in formal writing.

Which sentence uses the passive voice correctly in a context where it is appropriate?

Answer: The budget was approved by the committee.

The passive voice is correctly formed with 'was' + past participle ('approved') and an optional 'by' phrase indicating the agent.

Which sentence uses 'affect' and 'effect' correctly?

Answer: The weather will affect our plans for the picnic.

'Affect' is typically a verb meaning to influence, while 'effect' is typically a noun meaning result.

Which sentence uses quotation marks correctly?

Answer: She said, "I will finish the report by Monday."

In American English, periods and commas are placed inside closing quotation marks, and a comma follows the dialogue tag before the opening quotation mark.

Which sentence is written in the most formal, standard written English?

Answer: The data show that sales have gone up.

'Data' is the plural of 'datum,' so it takes a plural verb ('show'), and 'gone' is the correct past participle of 'go.'