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University of Phoenix Faculty Material
Grammar and Punctuation—Diagnostic Test—Answer Key
Read the following sentences and correct any errors in the space provided below. If the sentence
is grammatically correct as written, write a “C” beside the sentence.
1. Tossing and turning in bed, the clock struck midnight.
Since a clock is not able to toss and turn, the sentence is mired with a dangling modifier. A
possible answer would be “Tossing and turning in bed, I heard the clock strike midnight.”
2. The weather reporter predicted snow and that it only last the morning.
The problem here is parallelism. A possible answer would be “The weather reporter predicted
snow, which would only last the morning.
3. In it’s recent report, the finance committee were critical of the initial stock option.
Two things are wrong here. First, the pronoun should be possessive rather than a contraction.
Second, the subject does not agree with its verb. A possible answer would be “In its recent
report, the finance committee was critical of the initial stock option.”
4. The magazine staff are composed almost entirely of newly graduated college students.
Here, staff is singular so the verb needs to reflect that. A possible answer would be “The
magazine staff is composed almost entirely of newly graduate college students.”
5. Gazing upon the mystical cards, the cynical man’s future was predicted by the tarot reader.
Here is a problem with a dangling modifier since the man’s future would not be gazing at the
cards. A possible answer would be “Gazing upon the mystical cards, the tarot reader predicted
the cynical man’s future.”
6. Anyone can learn how to juggle if they want to.
The problem here is pronoun-antecedent agreement. A possible answer would be “Anyone can
learn how to juggle if he or she wants to.”
7. The team discussed what needed to be improved, the team wanted to win the state
championship.
The problem here is a comma splice since there are two independent clauses joined by only a
comma. A possible answer would be “The team discussed what needed to be improved because
the team wanted to win the state championship.”
8. His wife asked him to be quiet she was reading and didn’t want to be disturbed.
The problem here is a run-on, or fused, sentence. A possible solution would be “His wife asked
him to be quiet because she was reading and didn’t want to be disturbed.”
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9. The management classes are interesting, enjoyable, and to the student’s advantage.
The error here deals with parallelism of the three things describing the classes. A possible
answer would be “The management classes are interesting, enjoyable, and advantageous to the
student.
10. Dave uploaded the new software to the network server and, he submitted all the warranty
paperwork.
Although a comma and coordinating conjunction are here, they are in the wrong order. The
suggested answer is “Dave uploaded the new software to the network server, and he submitted
all the warranty paperwork.”
11. Although Carel had never visited Paducah, Kentucky he knew on which river it was located.
The sentence is bedeviled with a comma error. A possible correction is “Although Carel had
never visited Paducah, Kentucky, he knew on which river it was located.”
12. Susan camped at the base of the mountain, however, she did not hike to the peak.
The error here is with the punctuation before “however.” Since an independent sentence is on
both sides, the punctuation before should be a semicolon. “Susan camped at the base of the
mountain; however, she did not hike to the peak.”
13. Because the misprint in the newspaper showed the computers on sale for only a dollar; the
manufacturer lost a lot of money.
Since the clause at the beginning is dependent, then the punctuation should be a comma rather
than a semicolon. A possible answer would be “Because the misprint in the newspaper showed
the computers on sale for only a dollar, the manufacturer lost a lot of money.”
14. Either Mr. Jacobs or Ms. Hill forgot to set their cell phone to vibrate.
Since the subject is not both the people but only one of them, the pronoun should fit. A possible
solution is “Either Mr. Jacobs or Ms. Hill forgot to set his or her cell phone to vibrate.”
15. Did you say that Jared and him will be promoted?
Since the pronoun is part of the subject of a dependent clause, it should be in subjective
(nominative) form. A possible answer is “Did you say that Jared and he will be promoted?”
16. A hockey team is relatively small. They don’t have as many players as a football team.
Above is a problem with pronoun-antecedent agreement since “team” is a collective noun. A
possible answer is “A hockey team is relatively small. It doesn’t have as many players as a
football team.”
17. Managers in several offices around the globe has to be consulted.
Since the subject here is “managers,” then the verb needs to agree. A possible answer is
“Managers in several offices around the globe have to be consulted.”
18. Our financial department did not approve of him investing in highly speculative deals.
Since the object of the preposition “of” is the noun phrase “investing in highly speculative deals,”
then the pronoun should be possessive. “Our financial department did not approve of his
investing in highly speculative deals.”
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19. The apartment we saw yesterday was the best of the two.
Since only two things are being compared, the comparative should be used rather than
superlative. A possible answer is “The apartment we saw yesterday was the better of the two.”
20. Due to the fact that dogs are color blind, Joe ceased and desisted in teaching his dog to fetch
the blue slippers.
The sentence above has some unnecessary words. A possible answer is “Since dogs are color
blind, Joe stopped teaching his dog to fetch the blue slippers.”
21. Our costs for outsourcing our customer service are exorbitant, and may become higher if we
don’t limit the use of direct mailings.
The sentence has a compound predicate so a comma is not necessary. A possible answer is
“Our costs for outsourcing our customer service are exorbitant and may become higher if we
don’t limit the use of direct mailings.
22. The hiring committee puts little weight on grade point averages, hence, focus the resume on
your work experience.
Since there are two independent clauses (the latter being an imperative), a semicolon should
precede “hence” and the comma should not be there. A possible answer is “The hiring committee
puts little weight on grade point averages; hence, focus the resume on your work experience.”
23. The school, that has the best resources, will attract the most students.
Since only the schools with the best resources attract the most students, then the dependent
clause is essential and should not be set off with commas. A possible answer is “The school that
has the best resources will attract the most students.”
24. “The city cannot afford”, the mayor said “to supplement the cost of Internet access”.
In the sentence above, the commas and period should be inside the quotation marks. Also, a
comma should follow “said.” “The city cannot afford,” the mayor said, “to supplement the cost of
Internet access.”
25. After the crew members arrived, they should of started signing the log books.
The problem is one of word choice. “Of” sounds like the right word, but it is not correct. The
answer would be “After the crew members arrived, they should have started signing the log
books.”
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