This page lists some grammar exercises I prepared for a technical writing class I taught at the University of Washington, but the points are helpful for people wanting to brush up on their grammar.
The Grammar Points are:
#1 It's versus Its
#2 Effect versus Affect
#3 Real versus Really
#4 Phrases and Clauses
#5 Combining Clauses into Sentences
#6 Punctuating Compound Sentences
#7 Punctuating Complex Sentences
#8 Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Elements
#9 That versus Which
#10 Since versus Because
#11 Percent versus Percentage
#12 Who versus Whom
#13 Take versus Bring
#14 Hyphens
#15 Quotation Marks
#16 Apostrophes
#17 Commas
Note: Answers are at the bottom of the page!
#1 It’s versus Its
Example: What is its color? It's green. It's been a long, long time.
These are among the most often confused words in the English language!
Remember:
* "It's" is a contraction of either it is or it has.
* "Its" is the possessive form of "it."
You don’t need to add an apostrophe; "its" is inherently possessive!
Choose it's or its in the following sentences.
1) ___________ is worth ___________ weight in gold.
2) ___________ been sunny only a few days recently.
3) The dog finally ate ___________ food.
4) I think that ___________ unlikely that your dog ate all your homework.
#2 Effect versus Affect
Example: What effect does this have on you? How does it affect you? He affected an injured pose to get our sympathy.
Remember:
*"Effect" is a noun meaning "an outward sign; something that inevitable follows an antecedent."
*"Affect" is a verb meaning "to influence or to feign (fake)."
Choose effect or affect in the following sentences.
1) The medicine had no ___________ on the child’s fever.
2) That medicine did not ___________ the child’s fever.
3) Roger didn’t believe that harming a single butterfly would ___________ the time line.
4) Roger didn’t believe that harming a single butterfly had any ___________ on the time line.
#3 Real versus Really
Example: These sociologists made a really important contribution to our understanding of some real problems in urban America.
Remember:
* "Real" is an adjective meaning "not artificial, fake, fraudulent, or illusory." A synonym is "genuine." Remember that adjectives describe nouns.
* "Really" is a adverb meaning "in reality, actually or truly." Remember that adverbs describe verbs, adjectives or other adverbs, but not nouns. "Really" tells you to what degree something is true. An example is saying something is a really important problem, as opposed to a somewhat important problem. If you can substitute "very," then you should use "really" and not "real."
Choose real or really in the following sentences.
1) The dog is ___________ cute.
2) The dog catches the frisbee ___________ easily.
3) The ___________ dog is by the couch, but the stuffed one under the table almost fooled me!
4) Roger didn’t think he’d ever find ___________ happiness.
5) Roger didn’t think that he would every be ___________ happy.
#4 Phrases and Clauses
Remember:
*A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a subject and verb. Phrases cannot stand alone as a sentence. For example: designing the bridge
*A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and functions as part of a sentence. There are two types of clauses:
** Dependent clauses. These cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Also called subordinate clauses because they depend upon another
element for their meaning. They are created by subordinating conjunctions
such as because, then, that, while, etc. For example: When our company
designed the bridge
** Independent clauses. These can stand alone as a simple sentence. For example: Our company designed the bridge.
Determine whether each of the following selections is a phrase, dependent clause, or independent clause.
1) The cute dog
2) The dog is cute.
3) When a dog is cute
4) Roger had a good day.
5) Roger’s good day
6) While Roger was having a good day
#5 Combining Clauses into Sentences
Remember:
There are four main types of sentences. These are the:
* Simple sentence. A sentence that has only one independent clause (may have a number of phrases). It relays only one piece of information. Example: I went to the site.
*Compound sentence. A sentence that has two or more independent clauses. It can relay two pieces of information that are of equal importance, but cannot show a close relationship between those pieces of information. Example: I went to the site, and I examined the soil composition.
* Complex sentence. A sentence that has an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. It can relay two pieces of information and show a relationship (temporal, cause and effect) between those two pieces. Example: I examined the soil composition when I went to the site.
* Compound/complex sentence. A sentence that has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Example: I examined the soil composition when I went to the site, and Mike entered the resulting data in his computer.
Determine whether each of the following sentences is simple, compound, complex, or compound/complex.
1) The dog is cute and drools a lot.
2) The dog is cute, although it drools a lot.
3) The dog, which is cute and can run quickly, drools a lot and it barks noisily.
4) The dog is cute and it can run quickly.
#6 Punctuating Compound Sentences
Independent clauses can be joined in compound sentences in three ways. You can:
*Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, for, nor, yet, so). Be careful of the words then and now; neither is a coordinating conjunction. Note that you need a comma before the conjunction unless, as one writer says, the clauses are "nicely balanced or brief." Example: I haven’t finished the report yet, and I don’t expect to finish until next Wednesday.
* Use a semicolon. This should be done only with clauses that are closely related and have similar length and level of importance. Example: I haven’t finished the report yet; I don’t expect to finish until next Wednesday.
* Use a conjunctive adverb (with a semicolon before and comma after). These include however, moreover, nevertheless, consequently, and as a result. Example: I haven’t finished the report yet; furthermore, I don’t expect to finish until next Wednesday.
Determine whether or not the following sentences are joined correctly.
1) The dog is cute, but it drools a lot.
2) The dog is cute; however the drool is disgusting.
3) The cute dog drools; but we can probably fix that problem.
4) The dog’s drooling is annoying; it is cute despite the drool.
#7 Punctuating Complex Sentences
The independent and dependent clauses can be joined in complex sentences in two ways. You can:
* Use a subordinating conjunction (although, after, because, since, if, where, than, as, unless, before, that, though, when, whereas, etc.). If the dependent clause is at the beginning of the sentence, you need to separate it with a comma. If it is at the end, you don’t always have to use a comma. Example: Although production was not as great as we expected, we met our quota.
* Use a relative pronoun (that, which, whichever, who, whom, whoever, whomever, whose, and of which). This creates a relative clause. Relative clauses can be either restrictive or nonrestrictive, which affects the punctuation. Example: The two people that I work for are the Plant Manager and the Production Manager.
In a complex sentence, place the most important idea
in the independent clause!
Determine whether or not the following sentences are joined correctly.
1) After the dog had eaten I took it to the vet.
2) Mary, who found out yesterday that she is unable to have children, likes dogs.
3) John’s dog, which is named John, Jr., is actually a female.
4) When John is bored, he takes the dog for a walk.
#8 Restrictive vs Nonrestrictive Elements
Clauses and phrases are also classified as restrictive and nonrestrictive. These can also be called essential and non-essential.
* A restrictive clause or phrase is essential to the meaning of the sentence. If you take a restrictive element out, the sentence no longer makes sense. Because these elements are essential to the sentence, they do not need to be (and cannot be) set off with commas. Example: All employees wishing to donate blood may take Thursday afternoon off.
* A nonrestrictive clause is not essential to the meaning of the sentence; it can be removed from the sentence without changing its basic meaning. Nonrestrictive clauses are usually set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma. If it is in the middle of the sentence, use two commas (one before and one after). Example: The employees, who were eager to help, donated blood and took the afternoon off.
Determine if following sentences have restrictive or nonrestrictive elements. Punctuate as needed.
1) A dog that is overweight is more likely to have health problems.
2) An overweight dog such as Fido next door is more likely to unhealthy
3) That dog a brown beagle is quite overweight.
4) Owners who don’t take care of their dogs should not be allowed to have pets.
5) The dog’s owner who was named Mary played with Fido in the park.
#9 That vs Which
Example: A dog that is overweight may have extensive health problems, which makes the dog unhappy.
* "That" is used with restrictive elements (i.e., the sentence doesn’t make sense without the added information). Example: The table that Sarah wants is green. (Note: You would not know which table without the "that" clause.)
* "Which" is usually used with non-restrictive elements (i.e., the sentence would still make sense if the information was removed). Example: The new dining room table, which Sarah bought last Thursday, is quite ugly. (Note: In this case, you already know which table—the new dining room table).
Determine whether the following sentences should use "that" or "which." Punctuate as needed.
1) The dog __________ we found yesterday belongs to Mary.
2) The lost dog __________ is named Fido belongs to Mary.
3) Companies __________ fund basic research must not expect immediate results.
4) Boeing __________ funds basic research as well as applied should not expect immediate results.
#10 Since vs Because
Example: Since Tuesday, we have been unable to go out because it has been snowing.
* "Since" means "from a definite past time until now." Use "since" to indicate passage of time. Example: The streets have been safer since January.
* "Because" means "for the reason that." Use "because" to imply causality, i.e., that one thing caused another. Example: The streets are safer because the new law passed.
Fill in the blank with "since" or "because."
1) The dog is not hungry _________ it is not feeling well.
2) The dog, who has not eaten _________ Tuesday, should go to the vet.
3) _________ it is raining, we will be unable to go to the park.
4) _________ the day it rained last week, we haven’t been able to go to the park.
#11 Percent vs Percentage
Example: Over 60 percent of the students went to the meeting, which was the highest percentage ever.
* "Percent" means "reckoned on the basis of a whole divided into 100 parts." It is used as part of a numerical expression. This has replaced the two-word term "per cent." Spell out percent in all cases except tables (when you use the symbol "%"). Example: According to the data, 23 percent of the elephants hate peanuts.
* "Percentage" means "a part of a whole." It is used as a general expression to indicate an overall size or trend. It is never used with numbers. Example: The percentage of peanut-hating elephants was much higher than expected.
Fill in the blank with "percent" or "percentage."
1) Almost 80 _________ of the dog’s day was spent playing.
2) The _________ of dogs who play all day is quite amazing.
3) We need to know what _________ of the population owns a dog.
4) It is possible that dog owners make up almost 40 _________ of the population.
#12 Who vs Whom
* "Who" serves as substitute for within a clause, usually used "in reference to persons." 2 "Who" is the subjective case form (that is, it represents the person doing the action). If you could substitute "he/she" or "they," use "who." Example: He fed the dog. Who fed the dog?
* "Whom" is used as the "object of a verb or a preceding proposition." 2 "Whom" is the objective case form (that is, the person is the "object" receiving the action). If you could substitute "him/her" or "them," use "whom." Example: The dog bit him. The dog bit whom?
Note 1: According to your handbook, "It is becoming common to use who for the objective case when it begins a clause or sentence." 1 This is okay for informal use, but not formal use; know your audience!
Note 2: We usually reserve who/whom for humans, but these terms can be used to represent animals referred to by name (e.g., Mary’s dog Martha, who is a terrier, can catch Frisbees. The neighbor’s dog, which is a terrier, can catch Frisbees.)
Fill in the blank with "who" or "whom."
1) John wanted to know to _________ he should give the box.
2) _________ did John give the box to last night?
3) _________ brought the box?
4) It was John _________ brought the box.
#13 Take vs Bring
* "Take" is used to discuss removing something from its current location. You take something away. Example: Take this plate of cookies to the party. OR Take the dog outside (speaker is in the house).
* "Bring" is used to discuss something you would like to come to your current location. You have someone bring you something you need. Example: Be sure and bring the plate back from the party. OR Bring the dog outside (speaker is already outside).
Remember: You take something away and you bring it back.
Fill in the blank with "take" or "bring."
1) Please _________ the garbage out.
2) Please _________ the garbage can to me.
3) I will _________ the box with me when I go to the car.
4) I will _________ the box back when I’m done.
#14 Hyphens
A hyphen is used to link and to separate words, as in the following cases:
* numbers twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated; fractions are hyphenated when they are spelled out
* two- and three-word "modifiers that express a single thought are hyphenated when they precede a noun (an out-of-date-car)" 1 but not when they follow the noun (the car is out of date)
* Hyphens may be used with prefixes, especially when the prefix ends with the same vowel that begins the word (re-elect, anti-inflationary). If the two letters are "i"s, the hyphen is almost always used. Check the dictionary for these.
* Use a hyphen as "part of a letter or number modifier (5-cent, A-frame)" 1
* "To avoid confusion, some words and modifiers should always be hyphenated. Re-cover does not mean the same thing as recover, for example" 1
Add hyphens as necessary.
1) Fido is a seven year old dog, but he still acts like a badly behaved puppy that is only six months old.
2) We were all very concerned about the H bomb, so we hid in the basement level bomb shelter.
3) He resent the fax because it didn’t go through the first time, even though he has a new digital fax machine.
4) Despite the fact his clearance is top level, the manager will not be able to refund your money because the receipt is from five years ago.
5) John plans to call his exbusiness partner to find out if she is interested in reentering the pet food business.
#15 Quotation Marks
"Quotation marks (" ") are used to enclose direct repetition of spoken or written words. They should not be used to emphasize. There are a variety of guidelines for using quotation marks. Note: the correct use of quotation marks is using a left and right quotation mark, which the Web does not do easily. The plain mark (") is actually the notation for inches.
* "Enclose in quotation marks anything that is quoted word for word (direct quotation) …."1 Do not use quotation marks for indirect quotes or paraphrases.
* For quotations longer than four typed lines, indent the quotation and single space it. You do not have to use quote marks for these.
* Use the apostrophe key to indicate quoted material within a quotation.
* "Use quotation marks to enclose the titles of reports, short stories, articles, essays, radio and television programs, short musical works, paintings and other works of art." 1 Italicize titles of books and periodicals.
* "Commas and periods go inside closing quote marks." 1
* "Semicolons and colons always go outside the closing quote marks." 1
* "All other punctuation [question marks, exclamation points, etc.] follow the logic of the context: if the punctuation is a part of the material quoted, it goes inside the quotation marks, if the punctuation is not part of the material quoted, it goes outside the quotation marks." 1
Fix the punctuation as necessary.
1) Mary exclaimed, "I have never seen such a huge dog"!
2) Mary told us that "we could never see her dog again."
3) I read the TV Guide article, titled The ‘X-Files’ conspiracy, which said, "The writers revealed some new information", but they tied up very few loose ends.
4) Did Mary say "The picnic will be in the downtown park?"
#16 Apostrophes
"The apostrophe (‘) is used to show possession, to mark the omission of letters …. Do not confuse the apostrophe used to show the plural with the apostrophe used to show possession." 1
* "An apostrophe is used with an s to from the possessive case of some nouns." 1 Note that the apostrophe goes before the s when the word is singular and after the s when the word is plural. Example: The dog’s collar is on the kitchen counter. OR The dogs’ collars are on the kitchen counter.
* "To show individual possession with coordinate nouns, each noun should take the possessive form." 1 Example: John’s and Mary’s dogs played together in the park. But, "with coordinate nouns, the last noun takes the possessive form to show joint possession." 1 Example: John and Mary’s dog played in the park by itself.
* Singular nouns ending in s may form the possessive either by an apostrophe alone or by ‘s. Whichever way you do it, however, be consistent." 1
Example: the looking glass’ frame, the looking glass’s frame
* "An apostrophe is used to mark the omission of letters in a word [contractions] or date." 1 Examples: I’d, won’t, ’72
* An apostrophe is not needed to form the plural of capitalized acronyms (HPDs, GREs, etc.). It should be used "to indicate the plural of numbers and letters only if confusion would result without one. Examples: 5s, 30s, two 100s, seven I’s." 1
Fix the punctuation as necessary.
1) Mary’s and Jane’s cousin, who has two boys, washed her sons dogs.
2) Jane’s daughter understudied all three roles and knew all the actresses lines.
3) When the job’s done, John will sign the Joneses forms.
4) Its a shame that Mary couldn’t get a job, even after she got two Ph.D.’s.
#17 Commas
"...The comma helps readers understand the writer’s meaning and prevents ambiguity." 1 Commas are used for a number of reasons, including:
* Linking independent clauses. As discussed earlier, commas can separate independent clauses when used before a conjunction (in compound sentences). Example: The dog is well behaved, but it will not win best of show.
* Enclosing elements. "Commas are used to enclose nonrestrictive clauses and parenthetical elements." 1 Other uses are with "yes" or "no," direct addresses and nonrestrictive appositives ("which identify another expression" 1). Example: Yes, it is true, Mary, that the local toy store, Tyco Toys, is having a sale.
* Introducing elements. "It is generally a good rule of thumb to put a comma after an introductory clause or phrase. Identifying where the introductory element ends helps indicate where the main part of the sentence begins. Always place a comma after a long introductory clause." 1 Example: Since the rain started Friday, we have not been able to play outside.
* Clarifying and contrasting. Use a comma to separate two contrasting thoughts or ideas." 1 Example: I asked for the hedge clippers, not the garden shears.
* Separating items in a series. "Although the comma before the last word in a series is sometimes omitted, it is generally clearer to include it." 1 Example: His chores are walking the dog, washing the car and the dog, and making the beds.
* Showing omission (informal). "A comma sometimes replaces a verb in certain elliptical constructions. Example: Some were punctual; others, late." 1
Add commas as necessary.
1) No don’t do that Billy!
2) Mary’s dog named Fido will take a bath go for a walk and eat his food.
3) Because of the need for improved traction snow tires are advised over the main passes Stevens and Snoqualmie.
4) In the beginning it looked like Mary won not John but it was actually John.
#1 Answers: 1) It's and its 2) it's (it has) 3) its 4) it's (it is)
#2 Answers: 1) effect 2) affect 3) affect 4) effect
#3 Answers: 1) really (cute is an adjective) 2) really (easily is an adverb) 3) real (dog is a noun) 4) real (happiness is a noun) 5) really (happy is an adjective)
#4 Answers: 1) phrase 2) independent clause 3) dependent clause 4) independent clause 5) phrase 6) dependent clause
#5 Answers: 1) simple 2) complex 3) compound/complex 4) compound
#6 Answers: 1) correct 2) incorrect, comma needed after however 3) incorrect, needs comma before but 4) correct
#7 Answers: 1) incorrect, comma needed after eaten 2) incorrect, most important information should be independent clause 3) correct 4) correct
#8 Answers: 1) restrictive 2) nonrestrictive, needs commas after dog and door 3) nonrestrictive, needs commas after dog and beagle 4) restrictive 5)nonrestrictive, needs commas after owner and Mary
#9 Answers: 1) that 2) which, comma needed after dog and Mary 3) that 4) which, needs comma after Boeing and applied
#10 Answers: 1) because 2) since 3) because 4) since
#11 Answers: 1) percent 2) percentage 3) percentage 4) percent
#12 Answers: 1) whom 2) whom is grammatically correct, but who can be acceptable, based on the audience 3) who 4) who
#13 Answers: 1) take, assumes speaker is inside 2) bring 3) take 4) bring
#14 Answers: 1) between seven, year, and old 2) between H and bomb, and between basement and level 3) between re and sent 4) no hyphens needed 5) between ex and business, between re and entering (optional) and between pet and food
#15 Answers: 1) exclamation point inside quotation marks 2) no quotation marks needed 3) quotation marks before The and after the comma following conspiracy, comma after us inside quotation marks 4) question mark outside quotation marks
#16 Answers: 1) Mary (no ‘s), sons’ (dogs belong to both boys) 2) actresses’ 3) Joneses’ 4) It’s, Ph.D.s
#17 Answers:
1) After no, after that ) 2)after dog, after Fido, after bath, after walk 3) after traction, after passes 4) after beginning is optional, after won, after the first John
Some information on this page from (1) your handbook, the Grammar English Web page and from Webster's New Ideal Dictionary. Also from the ENGR 231 main site grammar information.