Test: Punctuation - Class 4 MCQ

The sun having set, they returned home.

The three holy books are: the Gita, the Bible and the Koran.

This is Priya's grammar book.

• First, we need to understand that capitalization rules in English grammar require the first word of a sentence or any interjections, such as 'Oh', to start with a capital letter. In the sentence provided, 'oh' is an interjection and should therefore be capitalized.
• The word 'mom' does not necessarily need to be capitalized in this context. It would only need to be capitalized if it were used as a proper noun, i.e., if it were the person's given name or if it were used at the beginning of the sentence. In this sentence, 'mom' is being used as a common noun, hence, it doesn't require capitalization.
• The words 'understand' and 'me' do not need to be capitalized. Capital letters are not used for verbs like 'understand' or pronouns like 'me' unless they start a sentence.

Therefore, the word that needs a capital letter in the given sentence is 'oh'.

• Understanding Capitalization:
  Capitalization is an important feature of English grammar. It is used to highlight specific words to give them importance or emphasis. In English, we always capitalize the first word of a sentence.
• Application of Rule:
  In the sentence "Did sis want to go with us?", the word "did" is the first word of the sentence. According to the rules of English grammar, the first word of a sentence should always be capitalized.
• Correct use:
  Therefore, the correct form of the sentence should be "Did sis want to go with us?". Here, "Did" is capitalized as it is the first word of the sentence.

The correct answer is D: "George Washington was born on February 22,1732." The comma is used to separate the day and the year in a date.
Incorrect use of commas:

• In options A, B, and C, the commas are incorrectly placed.
• In A: "George Washington, was born on February 22 1732," the comma is not needed after "George Washington" because it does not follow any grammatical rules for comma usage.
• In B: "George Washington was born on, February 22 1732," the comma is incorrectly placed after "on".
• In C: "George Washington was born on, February 22,1732," there are two mistakes. The first is the same as in option B, and the second is the missing space after the comma between the day and year of the date.

Overall, the correct punctuation and placement of the comma is important for clear and concise writing.

Let's break down the reasons:

• Rule of Introductory Phrases:
  An introductory phrase is a word or group of words that sets the stage for the main part of the sentence. In this case, "Sorry" is an introductory word. It's customary to use a comma after introductory words, phrases, or clauses. Therefore, a comma should follow "Sorry".
• Incorrect Placement of Commas:
  Option A and D use a comma to separate the verb "have" from its object "enough room". This is incorrect because commas should not separate a verb from its object.
• Incorrect Use of Period:
  Option C uses a period after "Sorry we". This is incorrect because the period separates the sentence into two incomplete thoughts. The first part "Sorry we" is not a complete sentence, and neither is "do not have enough room".

Therefore, the correct answer is B: "Sorry, we do not have enough room" because it correctly uses a comma after the introductory word "Sorry" and does not incorrectly separate other parts of the sentence.

Here's why:

• In English punctuation, commas are used to separate non-essential information or clauses in a sentence. These are often parts of the sentence that can be removed without changing the sentence's basic meaning.
• In the sentence "Abhishek, my teacher, is wearing a grey shirt", the phrase "my teacher" is a non-essential clause. It provides additional information about Abhishek but does not alter the basic meaning of the sentence. Therefore, it should be set off with commas on both sides.
• Option B: "Abhishek my teacher, is wearing a grey shirt" is incorrect because it only uses one comma after the non-essential clause. This interrupts the flow of the sentence and can confuse the reader.
• Option C: "Abhishek, my teacher is wearing a grey shirt" is incorrect because it only uses one comma before the non-essential clause. This makes the sentence read as if "Abhishek" and "my teacher is wearing a grey shirt" are two separate statements, which is not the intended meaning.
• Option D: "Abhishek my teacher is wearing, a grey shirt" is incorrect because it places a comma in the middle of the main clause "is wearing a grey shirt". This disrupts the flow of the sentence and can confuse the reader.

The correct punctuation to use in the sentence "Reading makes a full man speaking a ready man writing an exact man." is the semi-colon (;). Let's break down why this is the correct choice:
Usage of semi-colon:

• The semi-colon is used to separate items of equal grammatical rank. In this case, we have three separate but related clauses: "Reading makes a full man", "speaking a ready man", and "writing an exact man". Each of these clauses could stand as a complete sentence on its own, but they are closely related in meaning and therefore are best served by being connected with a semi-colon.
• The semi-colon also indicates a pause that is longer than a comma but shorter than a full stop. This makes it the perfect choice for separating these related but distinct thoughts.

Why other punctuations are not suitable:

• A comma (,) would be incorrect because it would create a run-on sentence, which is a grammatical error. Commas are used to separate clauses, but in this case, the clauses are too independent to be connected with just a comma.
• An apostrophe (') is used to indicate possession or contraction, neither of which is relevant in this sentence.
• A full stop (.) would break the sentence into separate sentences, which would disconnect the related thoughts more than is necessary.

So, the sentence should be: "Reading makes a full man; speaking a ready man; writing an exact man."

Quotation Marks

• Quotation marks are used to frame a direct quote or a piece of dialogue.
• They are used to indicate the exact words that someone else has said.
• In the given sentence, "Shakespeare says:- Sweet are the uses of adversity.", the phrase "Sweet are the uses of adversity" is a direct quote from Shakespeare. Therefore, the correct punctuation to use would be quotation marks to show that these are Shakespeare's exact words.

Semi-Colon

• A semi-colon is used to separate two independent but closely related clauses. Since there are no two independent clauses in the sentence, option A isn't suitable.

Comma

• Commas are used to separate items in a list, to set off introductory elements, to separate independent clauses, and to set off parenthetical elements. None of these situations are present in this sentence, so option C is incorrect.

Exclamation Mark

• An exclamation mark is used to indicate a sudden outcry or add emphasis. The sentence does not appear to need either, so option D is incorrect.

• Capitalization Rule:
  The first word of a sentence always starts with a capital letter. The rule applies regardless of the nature of the word, whether it's a pronoun, noun, verb, adjective, adverb, or any other part of speech.
• Application of the Rule:
  In the provided sentence, "My father will return next week", the word that needs a capital letter is 'my' (Option A).
  This is because 'my' is the first word of the sentence. According to the rules of English grammar, the first word of a sentence should always be capitalized.
  Options B, C, and D ('will', 'next', 'week' respectively) are not the first words of the sentence and do not fall under any other capitalization rules (such as proper nouns, titles, etc.). Therefore, they do not need to be capitalized.

The words that need capitalization are 'grandmother' and 'florida'. Here's why:

• Grandmother: The term 'grandmother' should be capitalized when used as a proper noun. In this case, 'grandmother' is used in place of a name, thus it should be capitalized.
• Florida: The names of places, like cities, countries, or states, are proper nouns and should always be capitalized. 'Florida' is a state, therefore it needs to be capitalized.

To summarize, both 'Florida' and 'Grandmother' are considered proper nouns in this context, and proper nouns need to be capitalized in English grammar.

• Option A: 'today'
  This word does not require capitalization in this context. It's used as a common noun referring to the current day, which does not require capitalization unless it starts a sentence.
• Option B: 'mother'
  In this context, 'mother' should be capitalized as it is used as a proper noun. When used in this way, it becomes a title and should start with a capital letter. Therefore, the correct answer is 'mother' (Option B).
• Option C: 'and'
  'And' is a conjunction and does not require capitalization unless it starts a sentence.
• Option D: 'will'
  'Will' is a modal verb in this sentence and does not need a capital letter unless it starts a sentence.

The correct answer is 'We are moving to Spokane, Washington.' Here's why:

• Use of Commas in Geographical Names: When writing geographical names that include both a city and state, a comma should be used to separate the city and state.
• Incorrect Placement of Commas: The options A, B, and D place the comma in incorrect positions. In option A, the comma is placed after 'to' which interrupts the flow of the sentence. In option B, the comma is placed after 'We' which is incorrect as it splits the subject from the verb, disrupting the sentence structure. Similarly, in option D, the comma is placed after 'moving' which is incorrect as it unnecessarily splits the verb phrase.
• Correct Placement of Commas: In option C, the comma is appropriately placed after 'Spokane', correctly separating the city and state as per the rules of punctuation in geographical names.

Therefore, the correct punctuation for the sentence is: 'We are moving to Spokane, Washington.'

Understanding Punctuation:
Punctuation plays a significant role in written English. It helps to structure sentences and add clarity, preventing misunderstanding. One of the most common punctuation marks we use is the comma. It is used to separate parts of a sentence that are grammatically distinct or to indicate a pause.
Comma Usage in Direct Speech:
In English grammar, when a quote or direct speech is introduced by a clause, a comma is usually placed at the end of the clause, before the quotation mark. This helps to separate the spoken words from the rest of the sentence and makes it clear where the direct speech begins.
Correct Answer:
In the given sentence, the correct placement of the comma is: "I am tired," he muttered. Here, the comma is placed after the direct speech and before the closing quotation mark. This follows the standard English punctuation rules for direct speech.
Incorrect Options:
The other options provided are incorrect due to inappropriate comma placement.

• Option A: "I am, tired" he muttered. – This is incorrect because the comma separates the subject 'I am' from its complement 'tired', which is not grammatically correct nor necessary.
• Option C: "I, am tired" he muttered. – This is incorrect because the comma separates the subject 'I' from its verb 'am', which disrupts the sentence structure.
• Option D: "I am tired" he, muttered. – This is incorrect because the comma separates the subject 'he' from its verb 'muttered', which also disrupts the sentence structure.