Guided Practice
Overview
This lesson provides structured practice with complex sentence structures and advanced punctuation. Work through each problem to strengthen your grammar skills.
Practice Problems
Question 1: Identify the dependent clause: "Although she studied all night, Maria still felt nervous about the exam."
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Answer: "Although she studied all night"
This clause begins with a subordinating conjunction (although) and cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
Question 2: Correct the comma splice: "The experiment failed we will try again tomorrow."
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Answer: "The experiment failed; we will try again tomorrow." OR "The experiment failed, so we will try again tomorrow."
Use a semicolon, period, or comma with coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses.
Question 3: Add necessary punctuation: "The museum which opened in 1920 houses over 10000 artifacts."
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Answer: "The museum, which opened in 1920, houses over 10,000 artifacts."
Use commas to set off the nonrestrictive clause and include a comma in the large number.
Question 4: Is this sentence correct? "Neither the students nor the teacher were prepared for the fire drill."
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Answer: Incorrect - should be "was prepared"
With "neither...nor," the verb agrees with the closer subject ("the teacher" is singular, so use "was").
Question 5: Combine using a semicolon: "The concert was sold out. Many fans were disappointed."
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Answer: "The concert was sold out; many fans were disappointed."
A semicolon joins closely related independent clauses without a conjunction.
Question 6: Add colons and/or semicolons as needed: "The recipe requires three ingredients flour sugar and eggs."
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Answer: "The recipe requires three ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs."
Use a colon to introduce a list after a complete sentence.
Question 7: Fix the dangling modifier: "Running to catch the bus, my backpack fell off my shoulder."
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Answer: "Running to catch the bus, I dropped my backpack off my shoulder." OR "As I was running to catch the bus, my backpack fell off my shoulder."
The modifier "running" must clearly refer to the person doing the action.
Question 8: Which is correct: "The data shows" or "The data show"?
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Answer: Both can be correct depending on context
Traditionally, "data" is plural (the data show), but modern usage accepts singular (the data shows). Be consistent within a document.
Question 9: Punctuate the appositive: "My sister Elena loves astronomy."
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Answer: It depends on whether you have one sister or multiple.
One sister: "My sister, Elena, loves astronomy." (Elena is extra info). Multiple sisters: "My sister Elena loves astronomy." (Elena identifies which sister).
Question 10: Create a complex sentence using "because" with: "The game was cancelled. It was raining heavily."
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Answer: "The game was cancelled because it was raining heavily." OR "Because it was raining heavily, the game was cancelled."
Note: When the dependent clause comes first, use a comma after it.