About This Quiz
Do you think you can ace a spelling, grammar and punctuation quiz? Let's get started to find out.
Why should you care if you know how to put together a sentence? Because, even though a great deal of communication takes place in a casual format, there are still times when the world expects you to be able to communicate according to the rules. Interestingly, communication in various forms uses rules that dictate how we spell, punctuate, and grammatize (OK, that's not really a word, but it sounds good, doesn't it?). Even more interesting is the fact that not all forms of communication use the same rules. For instance, written communication uses the rules of grammar, spelling and punctuation, but spoken communication uses only rules of grammar. Think about it, you can see spelling, grammar and punctuation, but you can only hear grammar (you can't hear spelling and punctuation). Confused? Don't be. But if you are, you might want to go back to school and review some of the basic rules of spelling, grammar and punctuation before taking this quiz.
If you think you can hang with out How Stuff Works editors, take this quiz to find out how much you actually know about the rules of English.
This sentence has a spelling error. The word grammar is misspelled.
This sentence has a grammar error: passive voice. The sentence should be "I ate my dinner."
This sentence has a grammar error: misplaced modifier. The sentence should read: She served steaks from the grill to her guests.
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The sentence has a punctuation error. It is missing an apostrophe. The sentence should read: That's John's bike.
This sentence has a spelling error. Whenever adding an "ing" to a word that ends in "e," drop the "e." The sentence should read: She was not looking forward to facing her parents.
This sentence has a grammar error. The sentence is missing the subject. Who is submitting the work? The sentence should read: She is submitting her work.
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The sentence has a grammar error: subject-verb agreement. The sentence should read: Each of the men in the room was a doctor.
This sentence has a spelling error. There is a difference between their, they're and there. The word "they're" is a contraction that combines the words "they" and "are," so it is used incorrectly in this sentence. The correct sentence should read: They changed their flight time to midnight.
The sentence has a punctuation error. It is missing an apostrophe in the contraction. The sentence should read: He's not funny.
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This sentence has a grammar error: pronouns. The sentence should read: My math teacher talks loudly, but she also talks fast.
This sentence has a punctuation error. Do not use an apostrophe to indicate a plural. The sentence should read: She had her choice of cars.
This sentence has a spelling error. Whenever adding an "s" to a word that ends in "x," first add an "e." The sentence should read: All of the boxes got wet.
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This sentence has a grammar error. The sentence is missing a noun. The word "this" should almost always be followed by a noun. The sentence should read: This color is not what they wanted.
The sentence has a punctuation error. Use an apostrophe after an s to indicate a plural. The sentence should read: That is the Jones' house.
This sentence has a spelling error. The letter "q" is almost always followed by the letter "u." The sentence should read: He treated her like a queen.
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This sentence has a spelling error. The sentence should read: We do not accept personal checks.
This sentence has a punctuation error. It is missing a hyphen. The sentence should read: She bought an eco-friendly car.
This sentence has a spelling error. The sentence should read: She left her magazine on the table.
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This sentence has a spelling error. Although the word "ocean" has a "sh" sound, it is not spelled with a "sh." The sentence should read: The Atlantic ocean is big and deep.
This sentence has a spelling error. Whenever a word ends in "y," change the "y" to an "i" before adding an "ed." The sentence should read: He carried the bags into the house.
This sentence has a spelling error. The word your is possessive. The sentence should read: I think you're a coward. The word "you're" is a contraction of the words "you" and "are."
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This sentence has a spelling error. The proper way to spell the word that means a result of is "effects." The sentence should read: The medication has bad side effects.
This sentence has a grammar error. You can only compare like items. England and America are different, so you would have to specify that the comparison is of the laws, not the countries. The sentence should read: The laws in England are more lenient than the laws in America.
This sentence has a grammar error. The word "good" reflects what you're doing, not how you're doing. The sentence should read: I told her I was doing well.
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This sentence has a punctuation error. Use commas to separate items in a list until you get to "and." (Some people put a comma before "and" as well. There are two schools of thought on that.) The sentence should read: The riders were boys, girls and teachers.
This sentence has a spelling error. The sentence should read: He will not eat vegetables.
This sentence has a spelling error. The sentence should read: She bought him a calendar for Christmas.
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This sentence has a punctuation error. The word "it's" is a contraction of the words "it" and "is." Therefore, the sentence currently reads: The dog wagged it is tail. the sentence should read: The dog wagged its tail.
This sentence has a grammar error. The sentence should read: The bald man though that his children were missing.
This sentence has a spelling error. The sentence should read: She received a bad grade on the test. Remember, in most cases, "i" before "e," except after "c."
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This sentence has a grammar error. The sentence should still make sense even if Burt is removed from it. The sentence should read: Burt and I both had a hangover.
This sentence has a grammar error: subject agreement. The word "person" is singular, but the word "their" is plural, so these words don't agree. The sentence should read: Each person must submit his or her own project.
This sentence has a spelling error. The sentence should read: She did not go to school on Wednesday.
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This sentence has a grammar error. The sentence should read: I don't eat meats that aren't organic.