Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
You Answered
  I quickly accepted the fact that I was, literally, in third-class quarters.
Sorry. Commas should not be used around elements, such as "literally," that are only mildly parenthetical.
Correct Answer
  Uncle Swen's dulcimers disappeared as soon as he put them up for sale, but he always kept one for himself.

Question 2
1 / 1 pts
At Weight Watchers, we believe that being fat is not hereditary ( , / ; ) it is a choice.
  ,
Correct!
  ;
Correct. Because there is no coordinating conjunction between the independent clauses, a semicolon is required.

Question 3
1 / 1 pts
I am not fond of opera. I must admit ( , / ; ) however, that I was greatly moved by Les MiserÃbles.
Correct!
  ,
Correct. When the word "however" appears in the middle of an independent clause, it is set off with a pair of commas.
   ;

Question 4
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
  I failed three tests, (mostly because of differential equations), but at midsemester I suddenly caught on and got an A.
Correct!
  The United States Coast Survey, which was established in 1807, was the first scientific agency in this country.
Correct. The "which" clause is nonrestrictive (not necessary for defining which group the writer means), so it should be set off with commas.

Question 5
1 / 1 pts
We’ve had trickle-down economics in the country for ten years now ( , / ; ) and most of us are not even damp.
—Molly Ivins
  ;
Correct!
  ,
Correct. The independent clauses are joined with the coordinating conjunction "and," so a comma, not a semicolon, is required.

Question 6
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
  On January 15 1996, our office moved to 29 Commonwealth Avenue, Mechanicsville, Virginia 23116.
Correct!
  One substitute for CFCs has environmentalists concerned because it contains chlorine, which is also damaging the ozone layer.
Correct. The "which" clause is nonrestrictive (not necessary for defining chlorine), so it should be set off with a comma.

Question 7
1 / 1 pts
The first requirement is honesty ( , / ; ) everything else follows.
  ,
Correct!
  ;
Correct. Because there is no coordinating conjunction between the independent clauses, a semicolon is required.

Question 8
1 / 1 pts
Most hospitals in the West offer Western methods of treatment ( , / ; ) hospitals in China provide both Western and Chinese medicine.
  ,
Correct!
  ;
Correct. Because there is no coordinating conjunction between the independent clauses, a semicolon is required.

Question 9
1 / 1 pts
When money speaks ( , / ; ) the truth keeps silent.
—Russian proverb
  ;
Correct!
  ,
Correct. A comma, not a semicolon, belongs after an introductory subordinate clause.

Question 10
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
  Historian Robert Kee looks to the past for the source of the political troubles in Ireland, "If blame is to be apportioned for today's situation in Northern Ireland, it should be laid not at the door of men of today but of history."
Correct!
  Historian Robert Kee looks to the past for the source of the political troubles in Ireland: "If blame is to be apportioned for today's situation in Northern Ireland, it should be laid not at the door of men of today but of history."
Correct. A colon should be used after an independent clause to introduce a quotation.

Question 11
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
Correct!
  On July 10, send shipments of chocolate to our distributors in the following cities: Albany, New Haven, Burlington, and Boston.
Correct. A colon should be used after an independent clause to direct attention to a list.
   On July 10, send shipments of chocolate to our distributors in the following cities; Albany, New Haven, Burlington, and Boston.

Question 12
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
  W. Somerset Maugham points out that perfection has a significant defect, "It is apt to be dull."
Correct!
  W. Somerset Maugham points out that perfection has a significant defect: "It is apt to be dull."
Correct. A colon should be used after an independent clause to introduce a quotation.

Question 13
1 / 1 pts
Don’t talk about yourself ( , / ; ) it will be done when you leave.
—Wilson Mizner
Correct!
  ;
Correct. Because there is no coordinating conjunction between the independent clauses, a semicolon is required.
   ,

Question 14
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
  The Marx Brothers made delightful, hilarious, movies.
Correct!
  Movies have often portrayed bootleggers as mean, cutthroat racketeers.
Correct. A comma is correctly used between the coordinate adjectives "mean" and "cutthroat."

Question 15
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
  Veterans exposed to Agent Orange went to court to demand justice; justice for their wives, who suffered with the veterans in their illnesses, and justice for their children, who suffered damaging illnesses of their own.
Correct!
  Veterans exposed to Agent Orange went to court to demand justice: justice for their wives, who suffered with the veterans in their illnesses, and justice for their children, who suffered damaging illnesses of their own.
Correct. A colon should be used after an independent clause to direct attention to an appositive.

Question 16
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
  Captain Edward Spurlock observed, that the vast majority of crimes in our city are committed by repeat offenders.
Correct!
  She wore a black silk cape, a rhinestone collar, satin gloves, and high tops.
Correct. Commas are correctly used between all items in the series; in addition, a comma is correctly not used between the cumulative adjectives "black" and "silk."

Question 17
1 / 1 pts
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, many believed that the conflict would be over in a month ( , / ; ) others had a dreadful premonition of the future.
Correct!
  ;
Correct. Because there is no coordinating conjunction between the independent clauses, a semicolon is required.
   ,

Question 18
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
  While Louise typed the names into the database, and printed out mailing labels, I folded and stapled all the flyers.
Correct!
  The speaker who impressed us the most was Katherine Simon, a young researcher we had never heard of.
Correct. The comma correctly sets off the nonrestrictive appositive "a young researcher," which describes a noun that has already been clearly defined.

Question 19
1 / 1 pts
We all assumed that the thief was Jean’s boyfriend ( , / ; ) even though we had seen him only from the back.
Correct!
  ,
Correct. The clause beginning with "even though" is subordinate, so a comma, not a semicolon, is required.
   ;

Question 20
1 / 1 pts
Click on the sentence that is punctuated correctly.
Correct!
  The man at the next table complained loudly, and the waiter stomped off in disgust.
Correct. The comma before the coordinating conjunction "and" is correct because the conjunction joins independent clauses.
   My youngest sister who plays left wing on the team now lives at the Sands, a beach house near Los Angeles.