Tag: punctuation

Questions Related to punctuation

Find the error in the quoted lines, if any:
"there was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
 the earth, and every common sight,
 to me did seem
 apparelled in celestial light ..." -William Wordsworth

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. The commas aren't necessary.

  2. The capital letters are missing at the beginning of each line.

  3. The ellipses is incorrectly placed.

  4. None of the above

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:
According to general rule, the first letter of each beginning word in a line of poetry is capitalized. This is how poetry is distinguished from other art forms traditionally.
Thus, according to rules, the correct answer is Option B. The remaining options are incorrect.

Punctuate the given sentence, where necessary:
Didn't i tell you that i was going to leave for USA tomorrow?

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. NO CHANGE

  2. Didn't i tell you that I was going to leave for USA tomorrow?

  3. Didn't i tell you, that, i was going to leave for USA tomorrow?

  4. Didn't I tell you that I was going to leave for USA tomorrow?

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

According to general rule, the first word in every sentence should begin with a capital letter. The letter 'I', when referring to yourself should also be capitalized in every sentence. 
When an independent clause is followed by a dependent clause the use of comma should be avoided. 
Thus, according to the rules, the correct answer is Option D. The remaining options are incorrect.

Punctuate the given sentence, where necessary:
if i go to work today, i can ask for a leave tomorrow.

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. NO CHANGE

  2. If I go to work today, I can ask for a leave tomorrow.

  3. IF I GO TO WORK TODAY, I CAN ASK FOR A LEAVE TOMORROW.

  4. If i go to work today, i can ask for a leave tomorrow.

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:
According to general rule, the first word in every sentence should begin with a capital letter. The letter 'I', when referring to yourself should also be capitalized in every sentence. 
When a dependent clause is followed by an independent clause, a comma is required.
Thus, according to the rules, the correct answer is Option B. The remaining options are incorrect.
Option C - Using all capital letters in a sentence indicates high volume or expression of anger, so it should be avoided.


Punctuate the following sentence:
do they have faith in god.

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. Do they Have faith in God$?$

  2. Do they have faith in God$!$

  3. Do they have faith in God$?$

  4. Do they have faith in god$?$

Show answer
Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Option A - As 'have' is not a proper noun, 'h' should not be capitalised. Thus option A is incorrect.

Option B - The sentence starts with 'do' and hence we can understand that the sentence is an interrogatory sentence. As the given sentence is an interrogatory sentence and not an exclamatory sentence, we can't use an exclamation mark here. Hence, option B is incorrect.
Option D - 'God' is a proper noun and hence, 'G' should be capitalised. Thus option D is incorrect.
Option C - As the given sentence is an interrogatory sentence, the sentence ends with a question mark, and 'G' is capitalised as 'God' is a proper noun. Hence, option C is the correct answer.
'Do they have faith in God?'

Select the sentence with correct punctuation marks.
girls school is near the post office in ambala.

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. Girl's school is near the post office in Ambala.

  2. Girls school is near the Post Office in Ambala.

  3. Girls school is near the Post Office in ambala.

  4. Girl's school is near the Post Office in Ambala.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Option B - The school is of the girl's, hence we should use an apostrophe and an 's' here. As 'Post' and 'Office' are not proper nouns, we can't capitalise their first letters. Hence, option B is incorrect.

Option C - The school is of the girl's, hence we should use an apostrophe and an 's' here. As 'Post' and 'Office' are not proper nouns, we can't capitalise their first letters. Also, 'Ambala' is a proper noun and hence 'A' should be capitalised. Thus option C is incorrect.
Option D - As 'Post' and 'Office' are not proper nouns, we can't capitalise their first letters. Hence, option D is incorrect.
Option A - To show possession, we use 'Girl's school' and since 'Ambala' is a proper noun, 'A' should be capitalised. Hence, option A is the correct answer.
'Girl's shool is near the post office in Ambala.'

Select the sentence with correct punctuation marks.
oh dear did I really hurt you.

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. Oh$!$ dear, did I really hurt you.

  2. Oh dear$!$ Did I really hurt you?

  3. Oh dear did I really hurt you$!$

  4. Oh, dear$!$ did I really hurt you$!$

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Option A - As 'Oh dear!' is an expression, we can't separate 'oh' and 'dear'. Also, a new sentence after the exclamation mark begins with a capital letter and an interrogative sentence should always end with a question mark. Hence, option A is incorrect.

Option C - As the given sentence is an interrogative sentence, we can't use an exclamation mark. 'Oh dear!' is an exclamatory sentence as it is used to declare. Hence, option C is incorrect.
Option D - 'Oh dear!' is an expression and the words 'oh' and 'dear' are not separated by a comma. 'Did I really hurt you!' is not an exclamatory sentence, it is an interrogative sentence. Hence, option D is incorrect.
Option B - The given sentence has an exclamatory sentence 'Oh dear!' which is punctuated properly with an exclamation mark. 'Did I really hurt you?' is a question and thus it ends with a question mark. Hence, option B is the correct answer.
'Oh dear! Did I really hurt you?'

Select the sentence with correct punctuation marks.
john keats poems are masterpieces in English literature.

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. John Keat's poems are masterpieces in English literature?

  2. John Keats poems are masterpieces in English literature$!$

  3. John Keats poem are masterpieces in English Literature.

  4. John Keat's poems are masterpieces in English Literature.

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Option A - The given sentence is a general statement and not an interrogatory sentence, thus we can't use a question mark here. 'Literature' is a subject and thus 'L' has to be capitalised. Hence, option A is incorrect.

Option B - The given sentence is a general statement and not an exclamatory sentence, thus we can't use an exclamation mark here. 'Literature' is a subject and thus 'L' has to be capitalised. Also, 'poems' are 'John Keat's' possession and so we should use an apostrophe and an 's' here. Hence, option B is incorrect.
Option C - 'Poems' are 'John Keat's' possession and so we should use an apostrophe and an 's' here. Hence, option C is incorrect.
Option D - To show possession of poems, 'John Keat' has been punctuated by an apostrophe and an 's'. 'English Literature' is a subject and hence both the words' first letter have been capitalised. As the sentence is a general statement, it ends with a full stop. Hence, option D is the correct answer.
'Joh Keat's poems are masterpieces in English Literature.'

Select the sentence with correct punctuation marks.
I found mitas lost bag.

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. I found Mita's lost bag.

  2. I Found Mita's Lost Bag.

  3. I found Mitas lost bag!

  4. I found Mita's lost bag?

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Option B - All the words in the given sentence are not proper nouns and hence only 'Mita's' should have a capital 'M'. Thus option B is incorrect.

Option C - 'Mitas' is incorrect, as to show someone's possession we use an apostrophe and an 'S'. For example, 'Rahul's office is neat and clean.' Also, the sentence is a simple sentence and not an exclamatory sentence. Hence, option C is incorrect.
Option D - The given sentence is not a question and hence we can't use a question mark here. Thus option D is incorrect.
Option A - 'Mita's' is used appropriately to show the ownership of her 'lost bag'. Also, the sentence ends with a full stop. Hence, option A is the correct answer,
'I found Mita's lost bag.'

Choose the sentence with correct punctuation marks among the options given.
My sister kamini studies in merry hearts public school.

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. My sister, Kamini, studies in Merry hearts public school.

  2. my sister, kamini, studies in Merry Hearts Public School.

  3. My sister, Kamini, studies in Merry Hearts Public School.

  4. My Sister, Kamini, Studies in Merry hearts public School.

Show answer
Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Option C is the correct answer because it has all the necessary punctuations. The sentence starts with a capitalized word, 'My' and the proper noun 'Kamini' is also capitalized; there is a pair of commas before and after 'Kamini' to express the fact that the name of the sister is not exactly necessary to complete the meaning of the sentence; and the name of the school is also capitalized because it is the name of an institution.

Option A is incorrect as the name of the school is not correctly capitalized.
Option B is incorrect because the first word and the proper noun in the sentence are not capitalized.
Option D is incorrect because the words 'sister' and 'studies' are incorrectly capitalized even when they are not proper nouns and the name of the school is not correctly capitalized despite the fact that it is a proper noun.




Choose the sentence with correct punctuation marks among the options given.
Hari my brother is about to reach mumbai.

introduction to punctuation punctuation english

  1. hari my brother, is about to reach Mumbai!

  2. Hari, my brother, is about to reach Mumbai. 

  3. Hari, my brother is about to reach mumbai.

  4. Hari, my Brother is about to reach Mumbai:

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:

We use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause. In the given sentence, the fact that Hari is the narrator's brother is not really essential to complete the meaning of the sentence. That is the reason why 'my brother' has been separated by a pair of commas. The sentence also promptly ends with a full stop and the proper nouns are correctly capitalized. Hence option B is the sentence with the correct punctuations.

Option A is incorrect because of the incorrect usage of the exclamation mark as we usually use it to indicate an exclamative clause or expression in informal writing. Also the proper noun 'Hari' is not capitalized correctly and the sentence is lacking a comma after the proper noun.
Option C is incorrect because 'Mumbai' is not capitalized and there should be a comma after 'my brother' to indicate a short pause.
Option D is incorrect as the word 'brother' is unnecessarily capitalized, the sentence is lacking a comma after 'my brother' and the sentence is ending with a colon which is generally used between two main clauses in cases where the second clause explains or follows from the first.