4. Punctuation and Mechanics

Which of the following sentences correctly uses an apostrophe?

Identify the sentence with a comma splice.

Which of the following sentences uses a semicolon correctly?

Which sentence uses a semicolon correctly?

Which sentence contains an unnecessary comma?

In which sentence is the colon used appropriately?

Which sentence uses an ellipsis correctly to indicate omitted text?

Which is punctuated properly?

Which sentence uses quotation marks accurately?

In which sentence is the apostrophe used correctly?

Please imagine a conversation between a boyfriend and girlfriend as the girl finds out he’s been hiding a secret from her.

Write the conversation entirely in dialog, formatted properly.

The conversation must be at least 12 paragraphs, following proper formatting and grammar (e.g., a new paragraph started whenever a new person speaks).

Use quotation marks, commas, and closing punctuation properly throughout.

For these essay questions, you may want to write this in another text editor, like Word or Notepad, and then paste it below. (If you are worried that your login might time out, while you write your essay question responses, make notes of your answers above, just in case.)

Write the opening of your new novel. It can be about anything you like, but you need to set the stage for whatever will come later in the book.

Introduce the setting and milieu the characters will live in. Use varying sentence lengths, with longer sentences to help link a series of related ideas, which may be as fanciful as you like, whether it’s set in the past, present, or future. Be dramatic!

Did you notice the varying sentence lengths in the paragraph above? Save the short sentences for ideas that need special emphasis.

Make sure that the punctuation is written properly, including spelling, capitalization, and grammar. It must be at least 100 words long (or longer).

It’s a breakthrough! Your small company has created something exciting — but they need someone to write a traditional press release to send out to media organizations. With your excellent writing background, you’ve been chosen to write it. Your goal is to write a typical press release about the breakthrough.

If it seems legitimate, you’ll be able to bring in additional investors offering you the millions you’ll need to offer your discover to the world. If it sounds unprofessional, you’ll be out of luck, and the world will never know what you have to offer.

In the lead paragraph, summarize the most important information, answering the who, what, where, and when. In the brief paragraphs that follow, offer context to the breakthrough or discovery. Use a quotation from one of the discoverers or other experts, to add credibility and context — explaining why this discovery is important. Press releases are typically organized with the information ordered from the most to the least important.

Imagine any details, quotations, or other details you need. Make sure you use proper punctuation, capitalization, grammar, etc., with the final press release being 100 words or more. Keep it formal, objective, concise, and as clear as possible.

For this essay question, the topic is YOU.

Please introduce yourself, offering some basics about you, in an opening paragraph.

In a second paragraph, describe the things that people notice or remember about you. What makes you unique?

Then, describe at least five different likes and dislikes that you have. What do you enjoy? What kinds of things do you avoid?

Make sure your writing is properly written, using appropriate grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.