ENG 9: Clause Punctuation Review

Questions

Answers are hidden — practise the set to check yourself.

1. 1Which is NOT a correct way to join two independent clauses?
   AA comma alone

   BA comma + FANBOYS

   CA semicolon

   DA semicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma
2. 2What does FANBOYS stand for?
   AFirst, And, Never, Because, Or, Yes, So

   BFor, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

   CFor, All, Nor, But, Of, Yet, Stop

   DFast, And, No, But, Only, Yet, Soon
3. 3When joining two independent clauses with a FANBOYS word, where does the comma go?
   AAfter the FANBOYS word

   BThere is no comma

   CBefore the FANBOYS word

   DIn the middle of the clause
4. 4When can you use a semicolon to join two clauses?
   AWith any two clauses, related or not

   BOnly when using a FANBOYS word

   COnly at the end of a paragraph

   DWhen they are two closely related independent clauses
5. 5“Tik-Tok is cool; however, Vine is still the best.” What punctuation pattern is this?
   ASemicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma

   BComma + FANBOYS

   CJust a semicolon alone

   DJust a comma alone
6. 6Independent clause, then dependent clause (dependent comes second) — punctuation needed?
   AAlways a comma

   BNone — no comma needed

   CAlways a semicolon

   DAlways a colon
7. 7Dependent clause, then independent clause (dependent comes first) — punctuation needed?
   ANo punctuation

   BA semicolon

   CA comma

   DA colon
8. 8“When my cousin's kids get home from school, they like to play Mario Kart.” Why the comma?
   A“When” always needs a comma, anywhere in a sentence

   BIt's an optional style choice

   COnly because the sentence is long

   DThe dependent clause comes first
9. 9Conjunctive adverbs like “however, otherwise, nevertheless” typically show:
   AContrast

   BTime

   CResult

   DComparison
10. 10Conjunctive adverbs like “therefore, consequently, thus” typically show:
    AContrast

    BResult

    CTime

    DA specific example
11. 11Conjunctive adverbs like “meanwhile, then, thereafter” typically show:
    AResult

    BContrast

    CTime

    DComparison
12. 12“I like tea however I drink coffee.” What's actually wrong with this sentence?
    ANothing is wrong with it

    BIt has too many words

    CIt only needs a period at the very end

    DIt's missing a semicolon before “however” and a comma after it
13. 13Can a semicolon correctly join an independent clause and a dependent clause?
    ANo — only two independent clauses

    BYes, always

    COnly on special occasions

    DOnly when using FANBOYS
14. 14Using just a comma (with no FANBOYS word) to join two independent clauses is called:
    AA correct, standard technique

    BA comma splice

    CA semicolon

    DA conjunctive adverb
15. 15“He looked carefully in the underbrush, but he failed to notice the eyes.” What joins these two clauses?
    AA semicolon

    BA colon

    CComma + FANBOYS (but)

    DA conjunctive adverb
16. 16“Jack worked overtime to pay off his debts; at least, that was his explanation.” Why does this need a semicolon?
    AThe sentence is too long for a comma

    BIt's a direct quotation

    CIt contains a FANBOYS word

    DTwo closely related independent clauses
17. 17Fix this run-on: “Tybalt drew his sword he was ready to fight.” What's one correct fix?
    AAdd a semicolon between the two clauses

    BLeave it exactly as written

    CAdd a question mark at the end

    DDelete the word “he”
18. 18“I finished reading The Nation, and then I went to bed.” What punctuation pattern joins these clauses?
    ASemicolon alone

    BComma + FANBOYS (and)

    CSemicolon + conjunctive adverb

    DColon