All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect use of the colon; revise the sentences as necessary: 1. The three types of rock are: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. 2. That’s the key: What to do about rust. 3. Try the following steps: Rinse, lather, and repeat. 4. Smith said: “That’s the way I look … Read more
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for large numbers according to The Chicago Manual of Style; revise the style of the number as necessary: 1. This city of 3,000,000 has come a long way since its humble beginnings. 2. The database amounts to about fifty million documents and about 150 billion … Read more
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for styling dates according to The Chicago Manual of Style; revise the style of the number as necessary: 1. I’ll expect you on the 25th, then. 2. The study was concluded on 8/22/13. 3. Registration will close on March 31st, 2013. 4. On November 5, … Read more
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for question marks according to The Chicago Manual of Style; revise the sentence as necessary: 1. Am I to blame? he asked himself. 2. “Were you in the war?,” I asked. 3. I wondered whether she would ever speak to me again? 4. Would you … Read more
All but one of the following sentences includes a dangling modifier. Revise as necessary: 1. Running consistently every day, the workouts steadily became easier. 2. Studying for her degree, there were times when she felt like giving up. 3. Rolling down the hill, my eyes widened as the truck came into view. 4. The Grand … Read more
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for suspensive hyphenation; revise the style of the number as necessary: 1. Read these tips for space and time-efficient gardening. 2. The issue touches on the tension between middle- and upper-class values. 3. You’re either over- or underwhelmed. 4. This ferry is for Norway-and-Sweden-bound passengers. … Read more
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for parenthesis; revise placement and capitalization as necessary: 1. I had the same experience last year (my story differs only in the details.) 2. Steven Spielberg’s (Schindler’s List, Munich) latest film is a lighthearted one. 3. He pitched for the team for five seasons (1994–1998). … Read more
In each sentence, choose the correct word from the pair of similar terms. (If both words possibly can be correct, choose the more plausible one.) 1. He was __________ about whether the change was a good idea. a) ambivalent b) ambiguous 2. Her score on the test was _______________. a) exceptionable b) exceptional 3. His … Read more
All but one of the following sentences incorrectly sacrifices logic for the sake of consistency of verb tenses; revise verb tense forms as necessary. 1. Working with such close friends as these three were could have been problematic. 2. My visit to Yellowstone National Park was the most enjoyable vacation I’ve ever had. 3. She … Read more
Correct any capitalization errors in the following sentences. 1. Faith Hope is Executive Director at the Charity Foundation. 2. John Doe is the Roberta Roe Professor of Anthropology at Oxford. 3. Former Vice President Al Gore is an author and an environmental activist. 4. The evening’s highlight was a talk by Economist Adam Smith. 5. … Read more
A common stylistic fault is wordiness, using more words than necessary to express a simple thought. The following sentences contain often-heard expressions that contribute to a boring writing style. Edit the sentences to express them in fewer words. 1. As I finished reading the letter, I came to the realization that I had misinterpreted all … Read more