Comma Exercise

Each of the following sentences needs either a comma or a semicolon. Put in the necessary punctuation.
1. Riding a bicycle is excellent exercise I ride mine every day.
2. I am not interested in a trip to Asia this year however, I would like to go to Europe.
3. Not all highly educated people enjoy traveling, but many world travelers are particularly well educated.
4. Jack worked overtime to pay off his education debts at least, that was his explanation for his long hours.
5. Katherine has given up smoking about five times but she cannot seem to break the habit.
6. His work may be almost totally forgotten but he would certainly be surprised to see how much current
scholarship simply echoes his ideas.
7. Our dog seems to have a built-in alarm clock he wakes us up at exactly the same time every morning.
8. The passengers on the plane were initially alarmed by the loss of altitude but the pilot and the crew kept them
calm.
9. I realized at once that something was wrong I was not, however, the only person who was concerned.
10. I had to complete the assignment by Friday otherwise, I would have failed the course.
11. Ralph decided to be a chemist but he changed his mind after taking Chem. 121.
12. I finished reading The Nation and then I went to bed.
13. We always go to the mountains in the fall they are at their prettiest at that time of year.
14. Tim went to the candy store quite often the clerk even knew his name.
15. Criticism of capitalist expansionism does not surface in most discussions of the worldwide ecological crisis
indeed, proposed solutions rarely deviate from a basic message of further technological "progress."
16. The president has pledged to cut taxes repeatedly and the public has responded enthusiastically.
17. The office was closed consequently, I could not pay my bill.
The following sentences have essential and nonessential words, phrases, and clauses in them. Put in the
necessary punctuation. Some sentences are correct as is. Write a C if you think the sentence is correct.
1. The girl who teaches swimming at the neighborhood pool has a great deal of patience.
2. The girl who enjoyed teaching swimming decided to major in physical education at college.
3. The high school course that was most valuable to me was typing.
4. Maria wearing an original dress of her own design was the center of attention.
5. Dogsled mushing which has been his favorite sport for years requires a lot of effort.
6. Dauphin Island located off the coast of Alabama is a favorite spot for fishermen.
7. He saw his favorite movie Star Wars eight times.
8. Two of her friends Kate and Beth are planning to share an apartment with her next summer.
9. Citizen Kane considered by many critics to be the greatest American film ever made won only one Academy
Award.
10. The officer who made the arrest had been investigated previously for excessive use of force.
Are the essential and nonessential elements in the following sentences punctuated correctly? If they are
correct, write a C on the line to the left. If they are incorrect, put an X on the line. Do you know why the
punctuation is correct or incorrect?
_____ 1. The woman who did not attend the meeting said that she had to study for her chemistry exam.
_____ 2. He did not however intend to return the money he borrowed.
_____ 3. West Point cadets, who break the honor code, are expelled.
_____ 4. She was as a matter of fact chiefly interested in becoming a Hollywood celebrity.
_____ 5. Raul's wife, Conchita, is president of the local Red Cross.
_____ 6. The German writer, Hermann Hesse, is a favorite with American college students.
_____ 7. The courthouse which was renovated recently was built in 1878.
_____ 8. Saul having forgotten to save his work lost all of his revisions when his computer crashed.
_____ 9. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, wrote his handbook of spiritual exercises in the
sixteenth century.
_____ 10. The book, that your sister gave you for your birthday, won a National Book Award.

Comma Exercise

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Comma Exercise

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Comma Exercise

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Each of the following sentences needs either a comma or a semicolon. Put in the necessary punctuation.

1. Riding a bicycle is excellent exercise I ride mine every day.

12. I finished reading The Nation and then I went to bed.

7. He saw his favorite movie Star Wars eight times.

_____ 2. He did not however intend to return the money he borrowed.

_____ 5. Raul's wife, Conchita, is president of the local Red Cross.

You might also like