Grammar & Punctuation

Which sentence uses a capital letter correctly?

• Awe went to london in july
• BWe went to London in July✓
• Cwe Went to london In july
• DWE went to London in July

Answer: Sentences start with a capital, and proper nouns (London, July) always take capitals.

Which word is a noun in this sentence: 'The dog ran quickly.'?

• Aran
• Bquickly
• Cdog✓
• Dthe

Answer: A noun names a person, place or thing. 'Dog' is the noun; 'ran' is a verb and 'quickly' an adverb.

Which word is an adjective: 'She wore a bright red coat.'?

• Awore
• Bcoat
• Cbright✓
• Dshe

Answer: An adjective describes a noun. 'Bright' (and 'red') describe the coat.

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

• AWhere are you going
• BWhere are you going?✓
• CWhere are you going.
• Dwhere are you going?

Answer: A question ends with a question mark and begins with a capital letter.

Choose the correct word: 'Their / There / They're going to be late.'

• ATheir
• BThere
• CThey're✓
• DThier

Answer: 'They're' is short for 'they are' — 'they are going to be late.'

Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly for possession?

• AThe dogs bowl is empty
• BThe dog's bowl is empty✓
• CThe dogs' bowl is empty (one dog)
• DThe dogs bowl's empty

Answer: For one dog owning the bowl, the apostrophe goes before the s: the dog's bowl.

Which of these is a correctly used semicolon?

• AI was tired; so I slept.
• BI was tired; I went to bed early.✓
• CI was; tired and hungry.
• DI was tired; and hungry.

Answer: A semicolon joins two complete, related sentences (clauses): 'I was tired; I went to bed early.'

What is the past tense of 'run'?

• Arunned
• Bran✓
• Crunning
• Druns

Answer: 'Run' is an irregular verb; its simple past tense is 'ran'.

Which sentence is written in the passive voice?

• AThe cat chased the mouse.
• BThe mouse was chased by the cat.✓
• CThe cat is chasing the mouse.
• DChase the mouse, cat!

Answer: In the passive voice the subject receives the action: 'The mouse was chased…'

Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'You should have ___ your homework.'

• Adid
• Bdone✓
• Cdoing
• Ddoes

Answer: After 'have', the past participle 'done' is needed: 'should have done.'

Which sentence is a complete sentence?

• ARunning down the hill
• BThe dog barked loudly.✓
• CBecause it was raining
• DA very tall tree

Answer: A complete sentence has a subject and a verb and makes sense alone: 'The dog barked loudly.'

Which is the correct use of a comma in a list?

• AI bought apples bananas and pears.
• BI bought apples, bananas and pears.✓
• CI, bought apples bananas, and pears.
• DI bought, apples bananas and pears.

Answer: Commas separate items in a list: 'apples, bananas and pears.'