Grammar Exercise
Answers are in red. When entries have more than one correct answer, a possible
answer is supplied.
The original clause or phrase is highlighted in each sentence.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
The goose bit the mailman on the leg.
Punctuating
Sentences
With five gallons of gas.
Your
answer:
2. Possible Answer: I would never start on the trip with five gallons of
gas in my tank. [A phrase cannot stand alone.]
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
Because the store was closed.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
For the seventh time.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
The rainbow stretched across the sky from the ice cream truck to the
house down the lane.
5. No Change
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
In the stairwell between the sixth and seventh floors of the building
Punctuating
Since I started taking college classes.
1. No Change
3. Possible Answer: Because the store was closed last night, we had to
return this morning. [A subordinate clause cannot stand alone.]
4. Possible Answer: My friends can’t believe I want to return to Disney
World for the seventh time. [A phrase cannot stand alone.]
6. Possible Answer: I found a woman’s purse in the stairwell between the
sixth and seventh floors of the building. [A string of phrases cannot stand
alone.]
Sentences
Your
answer:
7. Possible Answer: Since I started taking college classes, I don’t have as
much leisure time as I used to. [A subordinate clause cannot stand alone.]
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
She drove the car right into the garage.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
When the garage door was closed.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
Friday nights at the diner were always busy, I prefer the activity.
8. No Change
9. Possible Answer: Your belongings were much safer when the garage
door was closed. [A subordinate clause cannot stand alone.]
10. Possible Answer: Friday nights at the diner were always busy; I
prefer the activity. [Comma splices need to be rewritten. Here, a
semicolon is used to separate the main clauses.]
Directions:
Select a, b, or c as your answer.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
The goose bit the mailman on the leg.
Punctuating
Sentences
With five gallons of gas.
Your
answer:
2.
a. I would never start on the trip with five gallons of gas.
b. No change
c. With five gallons of gas,
1.
a. No change
b. The mailman was bitten by the goose.
c. On the leg the goose bit the mailman.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
Because the store was closed.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
For the seventh time.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
The rainbow stretched across the sky from the ice cream truck to the
house down the lane.
5.
a. No change
b. The rainbow stretched from the truck to the house.
c. Across the sky from the truck to the house the rainbow stretched.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
Between the sixth and seventh floors of the building in the stairwell over
in the corner.
6.
a. No change
b. I found a package between the sixth and seventh floors of the building
in the stairwell over in the corner.
c. Between the sixth and seventh floors of the building, in the stairwell,
over in the corner.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
Since I started taking college classes.
Punctuating
She drove the car right into the garage.
3.
a. Because the store was closed,
b. Because the store was closed, we had to come back.
c. No change
4.
a. No change
b. For the seventh time,
c. No one can believe that we won for the seventh time.
7.
a. Since I started taking college classes,
b. No change
c. Since I started taking college classes, I don’t have as much free time.
Sentences
Your
answer:
8.
a. She drove the car right, in to the garage.
b. No change
c. She drove the car, right into the garage.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
When the garage door was closed.
Punctuating
Sentences
Your
answer:
Friday nights at the diner were always busy, I prefer the activity.
9.
a. My car was safer when the garage door was closed.
b. When, the garage door was closed.
c. No change
10.
a. No change
b. Friday nights at the diner were always busy; I prefer the activity.
c. Friday nights at the diner were always busy I prefer the activity.
answers
1A 2a 3b
4c 5c 6b
7c 8b 9a 10b
Phrases
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/phrases/phrases.htm
http://www.leasttern.com/Grammar/PhrasesClauses.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_verbals.html
Clauses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clause
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/clause.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/clauses.htm
Independent clauses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_clause
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_clause.html
http://grammar.uoregon.edu/clauses/independent.html
Dependent Clauses
http://grammar.uoregon.edu/clauses/dependent.html
http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaDependant_Clauses_and_Phrases.htm
Comma Splices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma_splice
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/csfsro.html
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/SentComSplice.html
http://www.grammartips.homestead.com/splice.html
Fragments
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/fragmentcauses.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_frag.html
Semicolons & Colons
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/colons.htm
http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~olson/pms/semicolon.html
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/semicolon.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_commacomp.html
Run-On, Comma Splice, Fragment Self-check Quiz
http://www.uvsc.edu/owl/tests/run_frag.html