Grammar and Style Guide Exercise
Dr. Jack Davis
Consult William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, Elements of Style or the Chicago Manual
of Style for the standard use of English. (Do not follow journalistic or MLA rules
when writing in history courses.)
1. Which is the correct form when introducing a quotation after the preposition
"that"?
a. Bertram Wyatt-Brown argues that, "southern mothers played the dominant role in
infant care."
b. Bertram Wyatt-Brown argues that "southern mothers played the dominant role in
infant care."
2. Which is the correct placement of the period with quotation marks?
a. The author contends that the protesters demonstrated for social "respectability".
b. The author contends that the protesters demonstrated for social "respectability."
3. Which is the correct American English spelling?
a. Changing to organic fertilizers represented a move towards sustaining the health of
the land.
b. Changing to organic fertilizers represented a move toward sustaining the health of
the land.
4. Which is the correct singular possessive form?
a. Professor Davis' class will meet in the lecture hall.
b. Professor Davises class will meet in the lecture hall.
c. Professor Davis's class will meet in the lecture hall.
5. Which is the correct possessive pronoun?
a. The local chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta International Honor Society was forced to
cancel it's meeting for lack of honorees.
b. The local chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta International Honor Society was forced to
cancel its meeting for lack of honorees.
6. To hyphenate or not to hyphenate, that is the question.
a. She owned a two-story house.
b. She owned a two story house.
c. Either of the above
7. Which is the correct pronoun case?
a. The NAACP learned that their efforts succeeded.
b. The NAACP learned that its efforts succeeded.
8. Which is the correct noun and verb agreement?
a. The group of students, loaded down with books and pencils, were mostly female.
b. The group of students, loaded down with books and pencils, was mostly female.
9. Which is correct?
a. Defeated in their pursuit of the cat, the exhausted dogs were laying on the ground.
b. Defeated in their pursuit of the cat, the exhausted dogs were lying on the ground.
10. Choose the correct comma usage with the coordinating conjunction.
a. The man with the long nose and oblong head was short, and the woman with the
short nose and square head was tall.
b. The man with the long nose and oblong head was short and the woman with the
short nose and square head was tall.
11. Which is the correct comma usage in the series?
a. Grab your coat, gloves, and books.
b. Grab your coat, gloves and books.
12. Which is the correct form?
a. They were moving toward a solution.
b. He was moving towards a solution.
c. Both are correct.
13. Which is the correct punctuation with the parenthetical phrase?
a. The Florida Legislative Investigative Committee, popularly known as the Johns
Committee was notorious for accusing Miami Jews and supporters of desegregation of
being communist subversives.
b. The Florida Legislative Investigative Committee, popularly known as the Johns
Committee, was notorious for accusing Miami Jews and supporters of desegregation
of being communist subversives.
c. The Florida Legislative Investigative Committee popularly known as the Johns
Committee was notorious for accusing Miami Jews and supporters of desegregation of
being communist subversives.
14. Which sentence has the properly placed grammatical subject?
a. While skiing down the slope, her nose turned cold.
b. The mother of five children, all of whom play sports, her mini van is constantly on
the go.
c. Sleek and retro, the new Ford Mustang drew many looks.
15. Which sentence uses the correct form of the dash?
a. The pack of dogs - friendly hounds among them - roamed freely and inquisitively
about the neighborhood.
b. The pack of dogs --friendly hounds among them-- roamed freely and inquisitively
about the neighborhood.
c. The pack of dogs--friendly hounds among them--roamed freely and inquisitively
about the neighborhood.
16. To capitalize or not to capitalize, that is the question.
a. The Federal Government collects taxes.
b. The federal government collects taxes.
17. To capitalize or not to capitalize, that is the question.
a. The American South will rise again.
b. Had the American south ever languished?
c. either of the above
18. Which is the correctly punctuated sentence?
a. The storm came upon us quickly. However, we were prepared.
b. The storm came upon us quickly, however, we were prepared.
19. Which sentence is grammatically correct?
a. He had a yard that was the envy of the neighborhood.
b. He had a yard which was the envy of the neighborhood.
20. Which sentence represents the correct usage of language?
a. The architecture of Florence pays tribute to both the engineering and artistic genius
of mankind.
b. The architecture of Florence pays tribute to both the engineering and artistic genius
of humankind.