English 11 / Unit 10: Test Skills for Reading and Writing
10.5 Sentence Boundaries and Punctuation
Notes
These questions test whether a group of words is a complete sentence and which punctuation joins them.
- An independent clause can stand alone; a dependent clause cannot.
- Two independent clauses need a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a conjunction (FANBOYS). A comma alone is a comma splice.
- A colon must follow a complete independent clause. Do not put one between a verb and its object.
- Set off nonessential information with a pair of commas or dashes; do not set off essential information.
- Do not put a single comma between a subject and its verb.
- Worked example: "The museum opened in 1901, it houses 3,000 paintings" is a comma splice. Fix: "The museum opened in 1901; it houses 3,000 paintings."
Practice
"The bridge was built in 1932 ___ it still carries thousands of cars each day." Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to Standard English?
A semicolon joins two independent clauses correctly (the comma alone makes a splice).
"The author of the novel ___ lives in Oregon." Which choice completes the text correctly if "who is also a nurse" is nonessential information?
Nonessential information is set off by a pair of commas.
"The recipe calls for three ingredients ___ flour, butter, and sugar." Which choice completes the text correctly?
A colon after a complete clause introduces the list.
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