SAT Writing : Identifying Punctuation Errors
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Example Questions
Example Question #2 : Identifying Quotation Mark Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
"I don't understand this at all!", Jose yelled in frustration as he crumbled up his Chemistry homework. No error.
in frustration
Chemistry
all!", Jose
No error
crumbled up
all!", Jose
Jose's direct quote ends with an exclamation point, so the quote does not require a comma to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
Example Question #3 : Identifying Quotation Mark Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
"The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria were the three ships Columbus used on his voyage to America", Sarah proclaimed confidently. No error.
were
used
No error
America", Sarah
confidently
America", Sarah
Placing the comma outside of the end quotation marks in a direct quote is incorrect in American English. The comma should immediately follow "America" in the above sentence.
Example Question #4 : Identifying Quotation Mark Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
“Did you see where that dog went, and can you help me follow it,” she cried. No error
went,
where
it,"
cried.
No error
it,"
Because the sentence inside the quotation marks is a question, it must be punctuated with a question mark. This question mark should appear inside the quotation marks, as follows: “Did you see where that dog went, and can you help me follow it?”
Example Question #5 : Identifying Quotation Mark Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
“I’d love to go to the game with you,” his girlfriend said, “but first you’ll have to lend me money for the tickets.” No error
"but first
No error
said,
you,"
"I'd
No error
This sentence is perfectly punctuated. Because the sentence of speech is broken up in the middle with a dialogue tag, commas are used after “you” and after “said” to set off that dialogue tag. (If the spoken part was two sentences long, however, you would have to use a period after “said” and a capital B for “but,” since you would be starting a new sentence after the dialogue tag.)
Example Question #1 : Identifying Quotation Mark Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
I’ve told my coworkers over and over that they must “remember to wash their hands” after handling money, but they always seem to forget. No error
No error
they
"remember to wash their hands"
over and over
money,
"remember to wash their hands"
Quotation marks should only be used to set off direct speech from the rest of a sentence. In this case, the speaker is recalling what he or she usually tells his or her coworkers, and he or she is doing so using indirect speech. Indirect speech never requires quotation marks, so there should be no quotation marks in this sentence.
Example Question #2 : Identifying Quotation Mark Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Anna said to her mother, “I wish you’d saved your old wedding dress so I could wear it during my own ceremony.” No error
dress so
"I
ceremony."
mother,
No error
No error
This sentence is properly punctuated and contains no errors. Because the sentence is using direct speech—in other words, it’s recounting exactly what Anna said to her mother—quotation marks and a comma are necessary to offset the direct speech from the rest of the sentence.
Example Question #8 : Identifying Quotation Mark Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
“Can you tell me where the cupcake shop is?”, she asked the kindly old man, her stomach rumbling with hunger. No error
her stomach rumbling with hunger.
No error
Can
kindly
is?",
is?",
Because the sentence inside the quotation marks is a question and already contains a punctuation mark, the comma that appears immediately after the quotation marks is redundant. Only the question mark (properly placed inside the quotation marks) is necessary.
Example Question #671 : Sat Writing
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
After I heard the police say “they were looking for a man with a rose tattoo and a scar across his face,” I realized I had seen the suspect getting into a red car earlier today. No error
had seen
No error
say
“they were looking for a man with a rose tattoo and a scar across his face,”
getting into
“they were looking for a man with a rose tattoo and a scar across his face,”
Here, the quotation marks are unnecessary. The text inside the quotation marks is indirect speech—that is, it isn’t a direct quote from the police, but rather a paraphrase. Quotation marks are never used for indirect speech, only direct speech.
Example Question #672 : Sat Writing
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
“In order to make a perfect pie crust, you need to use plenty of shortening”, the baker told his family. No error
plenty of
shortening",
In order to
No error
crust,
shortening",
The convention in written English is to put the comma inside the quotation marks when separating a line of direct speech from its dialogue tag. In this sentence, the second comma should come between the word “shortening” and the quotation mark.
Example Question #673 : Sat Writing
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
“The mating ritual of the Andean flamingo is elaborate, intricate, and a little bit funny”, the biologist told his students. No error
the Andean flamingo
The mating ritual
funny",
intricate, and
No error
funny",
The convention in written English is to put the comma inside the quotation marks when separating a line of direct speech from its dialogue tag. In this sentence, the second comma should come between the word “funny” and the quotation mark.
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