Deck 29: Commas

Question 1

Which one of the following statements is not true?

A) Use commas to separate items in a series.
B) Use commas to set off introductory words from the rest of the sentence.
C) Use commas to separate direct objects from indirect objects.
D) Use commas before and after interrupters in a sentence.

Answer 1

Use commas to separate direct objects from indirect objects.

Question 2

Which one of the following sentences uses commas incorrectly?

A) The hot, spicy chicken was delicious.
B) We read, swam, and ate out on our vacation.
C) The man was convicted of the crime, but he was innocent.
D) I ordered some cloths, some shoes and some hair products online.

Answer 2

I ordered some cloths, some shoes and some hair products online.

Question 3

Which one of the following sentences uses commas incorrectly?

A) The parent disciplined the child but the child still behaved badly.
B) I took a short lunch, and now I can leave work early.
C) To get to our destination, we had to ride the bus and take a train.
D) The doctor, who loved working with children, was a great pediatrician.

Answer 3

The parent disciplined the child but the child still behaved badly.

Question 4

When should you use commas with phrases that start with who, whose, which, when, or where?

A) You should never use commas with those words.
B) You should always use commas with those words.
C) You should use commas with those words if they are not necessary for understanding the sentence.
D) You should use commas with those words if they are necessary for understanding the sentence.

Question 5

Which one of the following words is not a coordinating conjunction?

A) and
B) for
C) however
D) so

Question 6

What is the rule about using commas with coordinating conjunctions?

A) Use a comma with coordinating conjunctions if they connect two independent clauses.
B) Use a comma with coordinating conjunctions if they connect two dependent clauses.
C) Use a comma with coordinating conjunctions every time you see them.
D) Use a comma with coordinating conjunctions if your instructor prefers that.

Question 7

Which one of the following sentences is true?

A) Don't ever use commas and question marks in the same sentence.
B) Don't ever use commas and exclamation points in the same sentence.
C) Don't put a comma after a question mark or exclamation point in a direct quotation.
D) Both (a) and (b) are correct.

Question 8

Which one of the following sentences uses commas incorrectly?

A) I missed the bus, however, because the heel on my shoe broke.
B) "If you start to feel faint," said the coach "sit with your head between your knees."
C) Even though I love hot tea, it stains my teeth.
D) The china, which is very old, was a gift.

Question 9

Which one of the following sentences uses commas incorrectly?

A) If you carpool you can save on gas and help with the air quality.
B) Well, that was fun.
C) "Call me when the game is over," my mom said as we walked out the door.
D) Don't forget to bring a pencil, pen, and watch to the exam.

Question 10

Which one of the following sentences uses commas incorrectly?

A) He remembered his anniversary, but he forgot his wife's birthday.
B) Someone took the bag of cookies, that I was saving.
C) My uncle, who works for an oil company, lived in Egypt for a while.
D) At first, she was a little disappointed.

Question 11

List three rules about using commas.

Question 12

Add the missing commas to the following sentence.
After learning the trade from her dad who was a professional surfer she opened up her own surf shop and soon she was a huge success.

Question 13

Add the missing commas to the following sentence.
The swamp is filled with alligators toads and crawfish.

Question 14

Add the missing commas to the following sentence.
Then Tim said "Go see the old lady down the street."

Question 15

Add the missing commas to the following paragraph.

-year my family decided to camp in the Colorado mountains for our summer vacation. Since I had never been camping I was very excited. I spent weeks getting just the right campinggear clothes and supplies together. My father who had been camping many times as a boy borrowed an RV from a friend. Of course I planned on spending my nights under the stars or in my tent rather than in the RV but Mom probably would have stayed home if Dad hadn't gotten the RV. When we finally arrived and set up camp I was amazed at the beauty around me. Huge trees surrounded us and the air was crisp and clean. The river looked cool and inviting so I decided to take a drink. Just as I took my first swallow my father yelled "Wait! Don't drink the water." But it was too late. I found out in less than 24 hours why my father didn't want me to drink the water. Instead of hiking through the mountains I spent the rest of my vacation throwing up. I haven't gone camping since then.