WEEK 8 QUIZ

(2.62/8.75 puntos)
This quiz is on punctuation. Type the corrections in each of these
sentences after listening to the videos and/or reading the transcripts in
week 8. Your answers will contribute to the calculation of your overall
mark for the course.
Check the top of the page for your mark when you have finished.
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submit your answers.
You do not need to use round brackets or dashes in your answers.
Please note that the marking software is looking for an exact match
between your answer and the correct answer. If you have included any
extra spaces or symbols, the system cannot mark the answer correct.
Please proofread your answers before submitting the quiz in order to
avoid this issue.
You will have only one attempt at this quiz.
_________________________________________________________
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Sentence 1: His grasp of the world of economics, found him writing for
the financial pages.
His grasp, of the world of economics found him writing
His grasp, of the world

for the financial pages. - incorrecto

His grasp of the world of economics found him writing for the financial
pages.
EXPLANATION

His grasp of the world of economics found him writing for the financial
pages. (Dont separate a subject from its verb with a comma, unless
you have a comma pair. For example, We, that is to say our team,
won the trophy.)
Sentence 2: The lecturer asked if we had done our reading?
The lecturer asked if we had done our reading. The lecturer asked if we

Correcto
The lecturer asked if we had done our reading.
EXPLANATION

The lecturer asked if we had done our reading. (Dont use a question
mark unless you ask a question. The original sentence is a
statement.)
Sentence 3: Road works may affect your journey particularly at
weekends.
Road works, may affect your journey particularly at
Road works, may affect

weekends. - incorrecto
Road works may affect your journey, particularly at weekends.
EXPLANATION

Road works may affect your journey, particularly at weekends. (You

need a comma to separate the closing phrase from the main part of
the sentence.)
Sentence 4: Check before you travel look for publicity at stations.
Check before you travel look, for publicity at stations. Check before you trave

incorrecto
Check before you travel; look for publicity at stations. o Check before
you travel. Look for publicity at stations.
EXPLANATION

Check before you travel; look for publicity at stations. (You have two
sentences closely connected. The original sentence was a fused or
run-on sentence. Use a semicolon or, perhaps, a period or full stop to
separate the two sentences.)
Sentence 5: The Pet Shop Boys have loads of fans including me.
The Pet Shop Boys have loads of fans including me. The Pet Shop Boys have

incorrecto
The Pet Shop Boys have loads of fans, including me.
EXPLANATION

The Pet Shop Boys have loads of fans, including me. (You need a
comma to separate the closing phrase from the main part of the
sentence.)
Sentence 6: We suspect however that those names are pseudonyms.

We suspect, however, that those names are

We suspect, however, t

pseudonyms. - Correcto
We suspect, however, that those names are pseudonyms.
EXPLANATION

We suspect, however, that those names are pseudonyms. (You need a

comma pair around 'however' because it is an 'aside'.)
Sentence 7: Curly Larry and Moe were actors who were three of the
Four Stooges.
Curly Larry and Mo; were actors who were three of the
Curly Larry and Mo; we

Four Stooges. - incorrecto

Curly, Larry, and Moe were actors who were three of the Four Stooges.
EXPLANATION

Curly, Larry, and Moe were actors who were three of the Four
Stooges. (You need a comma to separate the three names in this list.
We use the serial or Oxford comma. Thats why there is a comma
after 'Larry'.)
Sentence 8: The food arrived however it looked inedible.
The food arrived, however it looked inedible. The food arrived, howe

incorrecto
The food arrived; however, it looked inedible. o The food arrived.
However, it looked inedible.
EXPLANATION

The food arrived; however, it looked inedible. (This is much the same
structure as sentence 4.)
Sentence 9: Though usually happy people get sad sometimes.
Though, usually happy people get sad sometimes. Though, usually happy

incorrecto
Though usually happy, people get sad sometimes.
EXPLANATION

Though usually happy, people get sad sometimes. (You need a

comma after 'happy' to prevent over-reading.)
Sentence 10: Coincidentally several visitors arrived at the door.
Coincidentally, several visitors arrived at the door. Coincidentally, several

Correcto
Coincidentally, several visitors arrived at the door.
EXPLANATION

Coincidentally, several visitors arrived at the door. (You need a

comma after the introductory sentence element.)
OCULTAR RESPUESTA
Usted ha realizado 1 de 1 intentos de envo

Diagnostic test

END OF COURSE DIAGNOSTIC TEST

(3/20 puntos)
1. My husband the mayor has meetings all day.
My husband, the mayor, has meetings all day. My husband, the mayor,

Correcto
My husband, the mayor, has meetings all day. o My husband (the
mayor), has meetings all day. oMy husbandthe mayorhas meetings
all day.
EXPLANATION

The phrase the mayor offers extra, grammatically non-essential

information and has to be set apart from the rest of the sentence. You
could use parentheses (round brackets) or em dashes, but a comma
pair will suffice.
2. The witch was not at all wicked she was very nice.
The witch was not at all wicked. she was very nice. The witch was not at all

Correcto
The witch was not at all wicked; she was very nice. o The witch was
not at all wicked. She was very nice.
EXPLANATION

This sentence (called a run-on sentence) comprises two independent

clauses running into each other. You need to separate them, either by
putting a full stop after wicked and capitalising she or by putting a

semicolon after wicked. A semicolon is best, because the two clauses

are closely related in meaning.
3. We watched, a film after lunch.
We are watc a film after lunch. - incorrecto
We are watc a film after

We watched a film after lunch.

EXPLANATION

This sentence is simple and complete. It requires no break in its

structure, so remove the comma between the verb watched and its
object a film.
4. The four students talked between themselves while waiting for the
teacher.
The four students are talked between themselves while
The four students are ta

waiting for the teacher. - incorrecto

The four students talked among themselves while waiting for the
teacher.
EXPLANATION

Between is used when establishing a relationship between two

things; among is used when three or more things are involved. While
'amongst' is still listed in many dictionaries, the word is considered
archaic and should be avoided (refer to table in week 1).
5. Always carry cash, you never know when you'll need it.

Always carry cash, you never know when you'll need it.
Always carry cash, you n

- incorrecto
Always carry cash; you never know when you'll need it. o Always carry
cash. You never know when you'll need it.
EXPLANATION

Again, this sentence comprises two independent clauses. This time,

they are joined or fused by a comma, creating a comma splice. You
could either put a full stop after cash and capitalise you or put a
semicolon after cash. The semicolon is best, because the two clauses
are closely related in meaning.
6. Her work is more perfect than mine.
Her work is more perfect than mine. - incorrecto
Her work is more perfec

Her work is more thoughtful than mine. o Her work is more advanced
than mine. o Her work is better developed than mine.
EXPLANATION

Do not worry if your answer has been marked incorrectly or does not
match our suggestion; many re-writes are suitable for improving this
sentence. Perfect is an absolute adjective, and some grammarians
say that it should not be marked for degree. Instead, use another
modifier to describe the relationship between her work and mine,
such as more thoughtful, more advanced, or better developed.
7. Barack Obama is known for his oratorical style, political savvy, and
being married to Michelle Obama.

Barack Obama known his oratorical style, political savvy

Barack Obama known

and being married to Michelle Obama. - incorrecto

Barack Obama is known for his oratorical style, political savvy, and
marriage to Michelle Obama.
EXPLANATION

Items in a list should be grammatically parallel, meaning that each

item appears in the same form as the others. In this sentence, being
married (a verb phrase) should be changed to marriage (a noun
phrase), so that the last item matches the grammatical form of the
previous two noun phrases, oratorical style and political savvy.
8. These countries governments should be working together.
These countries governments would be should working
These countries governm

together. - incorrecto
These countries' governments should be working together.
EXPLANATION

The apostrophe should be placed after the s in countries, because

the word countries is a plural noun in the possessive case (i.e., the
governments of these countries).
9. The retail industry is suffering. Partly because of cheaper online
alternatives.
The retail industry is suffering. Partly because of
The retail industry is suf

cheaper online alternatives. - incorrecto

The retail industry is suffering, partly because of cheaper online
alternatives.

EXPLANATION

Only the first sentence is grammatically complete (an independent

clause), because it contains a finite verb (the verb phrase is
suffering agrees with the subject the retail industry and shows
present tense). The second clause is mistakenly punctuated as a
complete sentence even though its a dependent clause (it does not
include a finite verb). To fix this problem, replace the full stop with a
comma, joining the dependent clause to the independent clause.
10. Having climbed for hours, the summit was reached at last.
Having climbed for hours, the summit was reached at
Having climbed for hour

last. - incorrecto
Having climbed for hours, we at last reached the summit.
EXPLANATION

The problem in this sentence is that the opening phrase, having

climbed for hours, describes an action, but the phrase that follows it
doesnt indicate any doer (or doers) of the action. Who climbed for
hours and reached the summit? This grammatical problem is called a
dangling or unattached modifier. Replace the sentence with Having
climbed for hours, we (or they) at last reached the summit. To do so,
you will also need to rearrange the second clause so that it uses
active voice.

11. She always felt inferior than other writers.

She always felt inferior more than other writers. She always felt inferior m

incorrecto
She always felt inferior to other writers.
EXPLANATION

The adjective inferior takes the preposition to not than. Note that
British and Australian speakers of English occasionally use different
prepositions from American speakers of English. This, however, is not
one of those cases.
12. My favourite author spoke to my friend and I about creativity.
My favourite author spoke about creativity to my friend
My favourite author spo

and I . - incorrecto
My favourite author spoke to my friend and me about creativity. o My
favorite author spoke to my friend and me about creativity.
EXPLANATION

My friend and I are, in fact, the objects of the verb spoke in this
sentence. So, replace I (subjective or nominative case) with me
(objective or accusative case) to fix it.
13. Three causes of tiredness are: staying up late, waking up early, and
not drinking enough coffee.
Three causes of tiredness are: staying up late, waking
Three causes of tirednes

up early and not drinking enough coffee. - incorrecto

Three causes of tiredness are staying up late, waking up early, and not
drinking enough coffee.

EXPLANATION

The problem here is a common one: the misused colon. Unless you
are introducing a dot-point (vertical, bullet-point) list, you should
avoid placing a colon between a verb (in this case, are) and its
object/s (staying up late, waking up early, and not drinking enough
coffee). Remove it.
14. Their studying the lesson material before taking they're final exams.
Their are studying the lesson of material before taking
Their are studying the le

they're final exams. - incorrecto

They're studying the lesson material before taking their final exams.
EXPLANATION

Their and theyre (along with there) all sound the same
(homophones) and are often confused in writing, even though they
have different meanings and uses. Remember that theyre is a
contraction of they are and their is a possessive determiner. To
correct this sentence, swap their and theyre.
15. The editor found to many errors in the grammar goblin's essay.
The editor are found to many errors in the grammar
The editor are found to

goblin's essay. - incorrecto

The editor found too many errors in the grammar goblin's essay.
EXPLANATION

To and too are also homophones (words that sound the same)
commonly confused in writing. Remember that too is an adverb. In
this sentence, too modifies the adjective many. Replace to with
too.
16. Annie felt mislead by the new policy.
Annie felt very mislead by the new policy. - incorrecto
Annie felt very mislead b

Annie felt misled by the new policy.

EXPLANATION

You need misled here to form the past tense of mislead.

17. One principal of effective writing is using strong, active verbs.
One principal of effective writing is using strong and
One principal of effectiv

active verbs. - incorrecto

One principle of effective writing is using strong, active verbs.
EXPLANATION

This is another problem caused by homophones (words that sound

the same). You need principle here.
18. Studying had a good affect on Gertrude's grammar grades.
Studying has good affect on Gertrude's grammar
Studying has good affe

grades. - incorrecto
Studying had a good effect on Gertrude's grammar grades.
EXPLANATION

The word you need here is the noun effect, which means a result or
consequence. An easy way to remind yourself that effect is usually a
noun is to think of a sound effect or side effect.
19. There are many strategies that you can learn to improve your
writing.
Are many strategies that you can learn to improve your
Are many strategies that

writing. - incorrecto
You can learn many strategies to improve your writing.
EXPLANATION

There are is an expletive subject that takes up space without

contributing any meaning. Make the sentence leaner and stronger by
eliminating the empty subject and using can learn as the main verb
phrase.
20. The course was taken by many students from different backgrounds.
The course was taken by many students from different
The course was taken by

backgrounds. - Correcto
Many students from different backgrounds took the course. o The
course was taken by many students from different backgrounds.
EXPLANATION

This sentence uses passive voice. While not technically wrong, the
sentence can be made shorter and more direct by changing its
structure to active voice.