Year-End Quiz 2015
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Year-End Quiz 2015
To close out 2015 we have put together a comprehensive pop quiz based on the year’s GrammarBook.com grammar posts. The quiz comprises twenty-five sentences that may—or may not—need fixing. Think you can fix the ones that need help?
You’ll find our answers directly below the quiz. Each answer includes, for your convenience, the title and date of the article that raised the topic.
This quiz is not for dilettantes. Good luck, and we hope to see you back here after the holidays.
Jumbo Pop Quiz: 2015 in Twenty-five Questions
1. I have an affinity for pizza.
2. People that like a couple drinks before dinner are my idea of good company.
3. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
4. We dined with people from Chicago, Illinois, Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California.
5. There are three different pools on the property.
6. Do you have any future plans you can tell us about?
7. It was a hazel doormouse with golden-brown fur and large black eyes.
8. Fifty dollars are too much to pay for a toaster.
9. The differences between us and them are miniscule, so take your pick.
10. Toby has gotten himself into trouble this time.
11. The dry soil has drank up every last raindrop.
12. The hotel is in close proximity to the corporate, financial, and fashionable heart of the city.
13. In Big Sur the view from our balcony was simply incredulous.
14. Erik was born on June 5, 1975 in Oslo, Norway.
15. Hanging around with fantastic writers rubs off on you after awhile.
16. Choose the more likely sentence:
A) Ruben compared Giorgio’s spaghetti to dog food.
B) Ruben compared Giorgio’s spaghetti with dog food.
17. Here is what I want from the store: Onions, potatoes, and broccoli.
18. The challenge so enervated her that she rushed out and sprinted two miles.
19. These two crooks just wanted to steal each others’ money.
20. Storm clouds creeped unnoticed over the distant mountains.
21. Luckily, the guide found them and lead them to safety.
22. She loved three men equally, so choosing a husband was a difficult dilemma.
23. McCloy knew he’d lied to Anita, but his alibi was, “I didn’t want to hurt her.”
24. The conflict centers around the atrocities of war.
25. I am writing in regards to employment opportunities at your firm.
Jumbo Pop Quiz Answers
An asterisk (*) indicates that there are more correct answers than one.
1. I have a fondness for pizza.* (Words in Flux, 1-13)
2. People that like a couple of drinks before dinner are my idea of good company. (Nice Publication—Until You Read It, 1-27)
3. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. CORRECT (Media Watch, 2-17)
4. We dined with people from Chicago, Illinois; Brooklyn, New York; and San Diego, California. (The Man Who Hated Semicolons, 3-31)
5. There are three pools on the property. (Media Watch, 5-5)
6. Do you have any plans you can tell us about? (A Twenty-first Century Usage Guide, 5-12)
7. It was a hazel dormouse with golden-brown fur and large black eyes. (A Twenty-first Century Usage Guide, 5-12)
8. Fifty dollars is too much to pay for a toaster. (What Kind of Rule Is Usually?, 5-19)
9. The differences between us and them are minuscule, so take your pick. (Spell Check, 5-26)
10. Toby has gotten himself into trouble this time. CORRECT (Misbegotten Views on Gotten, 6-30)
11. The dry soil has drunk up every last raindrop.
(Irregular Verbs Can Be a Regular Pain, 7-7)
12. The hotel is close to the corporate, financial, and fashionable heart of the city.* (Don’t Put It in Writing, 7-14)
13. In Big Sur the view from our balcony was simply incredible. (Grammar, Vocabulary Go Hand in Hand, 7-28)
14. Erik was born on June 5, 1975, in Oslo, Norway. (Media Watch, 8-4)
15. Hanging around with fantastic writers rubs off on you after a while. (Media Watch, 8-4)
16. A) Ruben compared Giorgio’s spaghetti to dog food. (Compare To vs. Compare With, 8-18)
17. Here is what I want from the store: onions, potatoes, and broccoli. (Colons and Capitals, 8-25)
18. The challenge so energized her that she rushed out and sprinted two miles. (You Can Look It Up, 9-15)
19. These two crooks just wanted to steal each other’s money. (Each Other vs. One Another, 9-29)
20. Storm clouds crept unnoticed over the distant mountains. (Why Irregular Verbs Are Strong, 10-6)
21. Luckily, the guide found them and led them to safety. (Why Irregular Verbs Are Strong, 10-6)
22. She loved three men equally, so choosing a husband was a difficult predicament.* (Slipshod Extension, 10-13)
23. McCloy knew he’d lied to Anita, but his excuse was, “I didn’t want to hurt her.”* (Slipshod Extension, 10-13)
24. The conflict centers on the atrocities of war.* (When Idioms Become Monsters, 10-20)
25. I am writing in regard to employment opportunities at your firm. (Give the Gift of Pedantry, 12-1)
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
My question is about #13 on the year-end quiz.
13. In Big Sur the view from our balcony was simply incredible.
I understand the reason for using “incredible” instead of “incredulous”, but why is there not a comma after Sur? It’s an introductory phrase stating where the people were to have such an incredible view. I would think that a comma is necessary.
Please explain why or why not.
Editors today are not requiring commas after short prepositional phrases. For instance, The New Yorker would never put a comma there.