Punctuation Quiz

1. Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

1. The dog wagged it's tail.
2. The dog wagged its tail.
3. The dog wagged its' tail.
4. The dogs' wagged its tail.

2. Where should a comma go? 'After dinner we went for a walk'

1. After 'After'
2. After 'dinner'
3. After 'went'
4. No comma needed

3. Which is the correct use of a semicolon?

1. I like tea and; coffee.
2. I like tea; and coffee.
3. I like tea; I enjoy coffee too.
4. I like; tea and coffee.

4. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

1. She said 'I'm tired.'
2. She said 'I'm tired'.
3. She said, 'I'm tired'.
4. She said, "I'm tired."

5. What does a colon (:) typically introduce?

1. A contradiction
2. A list or explanation
3. A pause between clauses
4. A question

6. Which uses an Oxford comma?

1. I bought apples oranges, and bananas.
2. I bought apples, oranges and bananas.
3. I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
4. I bought, apples, oranges, and bananas.

7. Which sentence correctly uses a question mark?

1. Are you ready?
2. I asked whether he knew the answer?
3. I wonder if she is coming?
4. She asked if I was ready?

8. What is the purpose of parentheses ()?

1. To add extra, non-essential information
2. To connect two sentences
3. To introduce a list
4. To show strong emotion

9. Which apostrophe use shows possession for a plural noun?

1. The boy's jackets
2. The boys jackets'
3. The boys' jackets
4. The boys's jackets

10. When is an exclamation mark appropriate?

1. At the end of every sentence for emphasis
2. In formal business writing
3. To show strong emotion or a command
4. Whenever you want to be polite

11. Which sentence has a correctly placed hyphen?

1. A well known author
2. A well known-author
3. A well-known author
4. A-well known author

12. What punctuation ends an imperative sentence like 'Close the door'?

1. Exclamation mark only
2. Full stop or exclamation mark
3. Question mark
4. Semicolon

13. Which is the correct contraction for 'they are'?

1. Their
2. There
3. They're
4. Theyre

14. How should a dash (—) be used?

1. Between syllables of a word
2. To add emphasis or an aside — like this
3. To join compound words
4. To show a range of numbers

15. Which sentence uses ellipsis (...) correctly?

1. ...I was going to say it.
2. I was going to say it...
3. I was going to say... never mind.
4. I was... going... to... say... it.

16. In 'Let's eat, Grandma!' vs 'Let's eat Grandma!' — what difference does the comma make?

1. No real difference
2. One addresses Grandma, one implies eating her
3. One is correct, one is wrong
4. One is polite, one is rude

17. Which sentence correctly uses 'who's' vs 'whose'?

1. Who's bag is on the table?
2. Who's bag is this?
3. Whose bag is this?
4. Whose coming to the party?

18. What does '[sic]' mean when used in a quotation?

1. The author disagrees
2. The error appeared in the original
3. The text continues
4. There is more text omitted

19. Which sentence needs no additional punctuation?

1. However I disagree with you.
2. I disagree however.
3. I disagree, however, with your view.
4. I disagree, however.

20. A full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark are all examples of what?

1. Internal punctuation
2. Linking punctuation
3. Separating punctuation
4. Terminal punctuation