ENG102: English Grammar and Spelling Competency
Complete this English Grammar and Spelling Competency Assessment by following the directions given
in each section.
ENGLISH COMPETENCY
Subject and Verb Agreement
Directions: Delete the incorrect word.
1. A number of us who attended the meeting (want, wants) to know more about the plans for the Dallas
2.
3.
4.
5.
business show.
The sales staff (seem, seems) to think that such conferences should be held four times a year.
The pilot and copilot of the plane (isn’t, aren’t) flying today.
The city council (entertain, entertains) differing views on the matter.
Banks that (give, gives) that type of service (don’t, doesn’t) get much business.
Choosing the Right Word
Directions: Delete the incorrect word.
6. The auditor is (confident, confidant) that profits this year will (accede, exceed) those of last year.
7. Active competition (between, among) the many companies in the industry has (already, all ready)
resulted in price decreases.
8. Mr. Dunlop, our legal (council, counsel, consul), will present our case before the judges.
9. As Mr. Edwards became more (adopt, adapt, adept) in his work, he won many (complements,
compliments) from his superiors.
10. Whenever a person (accedes, exceeds) the limits of good taste, I become angry.
Commas
Directions: Insert commas where they are needed in the following sentences.
11. Will you tell us Ms. Land whether this price includes the case?
12. Among the operations that call for both keying and calculating is the preparation of purchase orders
invoices payroll forms and so on.
13. Miss Hunt is a thoughtful conscientious worker.
14. I shall be glad to have Ellen Edwards one of my associates confer with you.
15. This new plan furthermore will call for changes.
The Semicolon and Colon
Directions: Insert colons or semicolons in the following sentences.
16. It is not work that is detrimental to people it is inactivity.
17. People in the past thought that advertising was mere publicity it was successful, so they believed, only
if it gained attention.
18. There has been a large demand for this item within recent weeks consequently, there will be a slight
delay in filling the order.
19. In his talk, the man said “Appearance counts greatly when a person is to be chosen from among a
number of people, because appearance affects the attitude of the person doing the choosing.”
20. Please address all packages in the following manner Mr. Herbert Taylor, 3302 Main Street, Baltimore,
MD 21206-5555.
The Quotation Mark and the Dash
Directions: Insert quotation marks or dashes in the following sentences.
21. Mr. Matares writes, These flowers are not suitable for that purpose.
22. Show the prospect how the use of this machine will save him money, said Helena.
23. There is a good deal of hokum in many political speeches.
24. In this week’s issue of Forbes, there is an article entitled Rising Interest Rates.
25. The courses listed on pages 29 and 30 namely, Accounting II, Business Law, and Organizational
Behavior are required.
The Question Mark and the Exclamation Point
Directions: Insert question marks or exclamation points in the following sentences.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Will you be able to come on December 24
“How can that statement be reconciled with the report” asked a member of the committee.
Was it Mr. Marks who stated, “These are the dates of the convention”
Stop littering
“What a fine piece of work you have done” exclaimed Mr. Kinoshitta.
Capitals
Directions: Use capital letters where appropriate in the following sentences.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
This is an eastman kodak copier.
Pattern no. 82B is the one I want.
The ouachita river runs through Arkansas.
The supreme court is in session.
sincerely yours
Numbers
Directions: Correct the number usage where appropriate in the following sentences.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
I have an appointment on December 1st.
These coats sell for $56.50, $67, and $79.75, respectively.
The sales tax on the glass of lemonade is 8 cents.
He lives at 1 Madison Avenue.
25 people are expected this evening.
SPELLING COMPETENCY
Directions: Indicate whether the following words are spelled properly by checking “correct” or “incorrect” in
the blank provided. If the word is spelled incorrectly, Write the correct spelling in the “correction” column.
Correct
1. acommodate
2. advantagous
3. controled
4. disapoint
5. embarass
6. familiar
7. fourty
8. grammer
9. indespensable
10. lisense
11. managment
12. nickle
13. ninty
14. ocassion
15. occurred
16. paralel
17. permisssable
18. priviledge
19. questionaire
20. seperate
Incorrect
Correction
Top Student Writing Mistakes
Here are some of the most common types of mistakes that student writers are making. Take a look at and correct
the errors below to brush up on your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Good writing habits will not only serve you
well in school, but written accuracy benefits professionals throughout their careers.
Watch you’re words! Spell-check may not sea words that are miss used because they are spelled rite!
My dog barks at the mailman but she’s too lazy to chase him.
An epic all-nighter!
While a Thanksgiving commercial played on the TV she was at the library trying to study for her final exams.
Jessica ended up having to walk all the way home due to the fact that she missed the last train leaving Central Station.
He bought back-to-school clothes, his mom bought a scarf.
My roommate, and his brother, went to see a movie.
It was unfortunately the end of winter vacation.
Students who study rarely get bad grades.
Michael study at the library every day.
John decides to go to bed, but then he drank too much coffee and could not fall asleep. He watches television for half
an hour, then he finally felt sleepy.
If you don't understand the meaning of the book, you shouldn't feel stupid. You won't always see everything the
author wants you to see.
Before Mary Grace physically and verbally assaulted Mrs. Turpin, she was a judgmental woman who created her own
ranking system of people and used it to justify her self-proclaimed superiority.
Ron Guidry was once one of the Yankee’s most electrifying pitchers.
Kathy is in charge of finance, she will always keep her office door locked.
If we had known about the ozone layer, you could have banned aerosol sprays long ago.
A central part of my life goals have been to go to law school.
Each of the puppies thrived in their new home.
They could see the eagles swooping and diving with binoculars