Tag: punctuation
Questions Related to punctuation
Identify the parenthesis in the given sentence:
The owner of GES (Green Eco Solutions), Mr. Jacobs, traveled in a private jet to our event, which was held on the outskirts of the city. What a fine young gentleman he is!
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( )
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,
-
.
-
!
Parenthesis is a punctuation mark that is used to provide additional information, like while using an abbreviation or acronym, providing its full form in a parenthesis so that the reader knows what is spoken about. In the given sentence, the full form of the acronym GES is provided in parentheses ( ), hence option A is correct. The punctuation mark ',' is a comma which is used to indicate a pause in a sentence. The punctuation mark '.' is a full stop, used at the end of a sentence, or for abbreviations like 'Mr., eg.'. The mark '!' is an exclamation, used to express surprise or shock in a sentence, hence these punctuation marks are not parentheses and options B, C and D are incorrect.
Identify the sentence(s) that use parentheses correctly.
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My sister (and I) both were invited to their wedding.
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April (and her dog Sam) are always welcome to our home.
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The show will be aired at 8 p.m. (IST) on ABC news.
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After a week of shooting, the crew was tired of his mannerisms (or rather, lack of it).
The punctuation mark, parentheses ( ), is used to enclose additional or extra information in a sentence, without influencing that sentence grammatically (the single bracket is called parenthesis whereas in a pair, ( ) is called parentheses). If the words enclosed in the parentheses are omitted, then the sentence won't be affected grammatically. If you look at options C and D, you'll see that the information in the parentheses "IST" and "or rather, lack of it" is additional. IST is a time zone and time zones are usually enclosed in parentheses, and "or rather, lack of it" is an extra, when omitted the sentence is not affected and is still complete. Hence these sentences use parentheses correctly, and options C and D are correct. In option A, when the phrase "and I" is removed from the sentence, the resulting sentence sounds incomplete, as "both" can't refer to the sister alone. The same goes for option B, April is one person and "are" is used for plural nouns. Hence in these sentences the parentheses haven't been used correctly and options A and B are wrong.
Choose the correct function of a double dash:
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To separate a group of words from a sentence
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To separate parts of words (compound words)
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To represent a span or range of numbers
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To indicate a pause in a sentence
Double dash is used to separate a group of words from a sentence. Comma is used in case of option D. En dash (-) is used for option C. Thus option A is correct.
Identify the parenthesis in the following sentence:
Carry all these documents along with you for your admission: (1) mark sheet, (2) leaving certificate, (3) birth certificate, and (4) reference letter.
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:
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( )
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,
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.
Parenthesis is used to include additional information in a sentence. It's also used in numbered or lettered lists, the parenthesis encloses the numbers or letters. Like in the given sentence, it encloses the numbers this way (1), (2), (3), (4). Hence option A is correct. The punctuation mark ':' is a colon mark that precedes a list, to indicate that a list will follow. ',' is a comma that indicates a pause in a sentence or to separate parts of a sentence, like in the given sentence it separates the parts "mark sheet", "leaving certificate", "birth certificate" and "reference letter". '.' is a full stop which is used at the end of a sentence, the sentence ends at "letter", so the full stop follows it. Since none of these punctuation marks are parentheses, options A, C and D are incorrect.
Identify the incorrect punctuation in the sentence
Hurry up! The lady, Miss Karim-from the inspection team-, will be here any moment.
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!
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-
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-,
-
.
The double dash -- contains two em dashes, which are longer in length
than the hyphen. Depending on the context, they can replace the
parentheses, comma and colon. It's more informal, compared to the
parentheses. It adds emphasis to a group of words that it encloses,
hence separating it from the sentence. When the double dash is used to enclose additional information, the surrounding punctuation shall be omitted, hence the comma, which previously followed the parentheses shall be omitted. Since the comma has not been omitted, it is the error here and we have to choose option C. Exclamation marks '!' indicate surprise or a command that requires immediate action, here the phrase requires quick action, hence it's not an error and we do not choose option A. The double dash -- has replaced parenthesis, it encloses additional information, at the same time, brings emphasis to it. hence it's not an error and we don't have to choose option B. Full stops '.' are used at the end of a sentence like in the given one, hence it's not an error and we don't have to choose option D.
Identify the sentence(s) which uses parentheses correctly.
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His red (boots) got dirty in the mud.
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I forgot my bag (and phone) in the office.
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He dropped coffee all over my shirt (right before a meeting.)
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I won a prize (Rs. 2000) in the essay competition.
The punctuation mark, parentheses ( ), is used to enclose additional or
extra information in a sentence, without influencing that sentence
grammatically (the single bracket is called parenthesis whereas in a
pair, ( ) is called parentheses). If the words enclosed in the
parentheses are omitted, then the sentence won't be affected
grammatically. From the given options, if you look at B and D you'll see that the information in parentheses is additional, "and phone" is an extra information without which the sentence is still complete. Parentheses are used to enclose an amount of money, like Rs. 2000 to provide the extra information. Hence, these sentences have used parentheses correctly, options B and D are right. In A, when the word "boots" is omitted, the sentence sounds incomplete, because the question arises 'red what?'. In C, the full stop is included inside the parenthesis, but the closing punctuation mark (full stop) should be placed outside the closing parenthesis. (When a parenthetical sentence is complete on its own, then the full stop is included before the closing parenthesis as well as after the original sentence.) Hence options A and C are incorrect.
Choose the option that contains a double dash:
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The students, who are wearing sports shoes, will participate in the match.
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The students -- who are wearing sports shoes -- will participate in the match.
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The students (who are wearing sports shoes) will participate in the match.
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The students-who are wearing sports shoes, will participate in the match.
The double dash contains two em dashes, which are longer in length than the hyphen. Depending on the context, they can replace parentheses, comma and colon. It's more informal, compared to the parentheses. It adds emphasis to the group of words that it encloses, hence separating it from the sentence. From the options, the double dash - - is seen in option B, hence it's correct. Option A contains two commas, ", ," it does not contain a double dash, hence option A is incorrect. Option C contains parentheses ( ), not the double dash. Option D contains a single dash and a comma, which is grammatically incorrect because there should either be a double dash or two commas enclosing the phrase, hence options C and D are incorrect.
Add parenthesis where necessary:
Mr. Verma the vice president of the company gave a beautiful speech at the award function.
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(Mr. Verma) the vice president of the company gave a beautiful speech at the award function.
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Mr. Verma (the vice president of the company) gave a beautiful speech at the award function.
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Mr. Verma (the vice president) of the company gave a beautiful speech at the award function.
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Mr. Verma the vice president of the company (gave a beautiful speech) at the award function.
Parenthesis is used to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside. Its use indicates that writer considered the information less important. 'The vice president of the company' can be kept aside in the given sentence. Thus. option B is correct.
The TV screen made a crackling sound, it had been bought second hand from a small shop, and the image was blurry.
Choose the option that best corrects the sentence.
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The TV screen made a crackling sound - it had been bought second-hand from a small shop - and the image was blurry.
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The TV screen made a crackling sound; it had been bought secondhand from a small shop and the image was blurry.
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The TV screen made a crackling sound (it had been bought secondhand from a small shop) and the image was blurry.
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NO CHANGE
Parenthesis is used to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside. Its use indicates that writer considered the information less important. In the given sentence, commas can be replaced with parenthesis. Thus. option C is correct.
He prayed, the only thing he had ever prayed for, for a child to succeed him.
Choose the option that best corrects the sentence.
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NO CHANGE
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He prayed, the only thing he had ever prayed for - for a child to succeed him.
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He prayed (the only thing he had ever prayed for) for a child to succeed him.
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He prayed - the only thing he had ever prayed for; for a child to succeed him.
Parenthesis is used to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside. Its use indicates that writer considered the information less important. In the given sentence, commas can be replaced with parenthesis. Thus. option C is correct.