Year-End Quiz 2016
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Year-End Quiz 2016
To say goodbye to 2016 we have put together a comprehensive pop quiz based on the year’s GrammarBook.com grammar posts. The quiz comprises twenty-three sentences that may—or may not—need fixing plus two multiple-choice questions. 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. Good luck!
Jumbo Pop Quiz: 2016 in Twenty-five Questions
1. The author stood behind the lecturn and checked his notes.
2. Her shoes were so wore out the heel fell off.
3. I wonder what Sam is making for dinner?
4. Jack’s and mine house is now completely furnished.
5. He was forced to use a tricky parking manuever in order to get into the tight space.
6. Julie loves to sing at the café’s open mic night.
7. James is trying to decide between three college majors; accounting, finance, or economics.
8. The two sisters can wear each others clothes.
9. Have any issues arose regarding changing your flight?
10. A couple dollars more could make a big difference.
11. You would think she may be used to the cold weather by now.
12. Choose the correct definition for the word obfuscate:
A) complain
B) clarify
C) confuse
D) mumble
13. She fainted in the womens’ restroom.
14. Evidentally you did not study for the test.
15. I hope the restaurant we chose is alright with you and your wife.
16. The baby has already outgrew her birthday dress.
17. Since the company was purchased, the website has underwent a complete makeover.
18. We plan to watch Clemson verse Alabama in the college football championship game next week.
19. The officer pointed out the no parking sign on that side of the street.
20. During the blizzard, the Chicago bound passengers were stranded at the airport.
21. Choose the correct definition for the word gratuitous:
A) wide-eyed
B) generous
C) costly
D) unnecessary
22. Orthoepy is the study of proper pronunciation.
23. We are having dinner with the Joneses’ tonight.
24. The glasses’s frames were bent.
25. After the accident, he was unable to lay flat on his back.
Jumbo Pop Quiz Answers
1. The author stood behind the lectern and checked his notes. (Words in Flux 2-17)
2. Her shoes were so worn out the heel fell off. (No Shortcuts with Irregular Verbs 2-23)
3. I wonder what Sam is making for dinner. (No Question About It 3-8)
4. Jack’s and my house is now completely furnished. (Pronoun Puzzlers 3-15)
5. He was forced to use a tricky parking maneuver in order to get into the tight space. (Spell Well, and Excel 3-22)
6. Julie loves to sing at the café’s open microphone [or mike] night. (When Branding Undermines Spelling 4-4)
7. James is trying to decide between three college majors: accounting, finance, or economics. (Punctuation or Chaos 4-13)
8. The two sisters can wear each other’s clothes. (Punctuation or Chaos 4-13)
9. Have any issues arisen regarding changing your flight? (Irregular Verbs: Handle with Care 5-17)
10. A couple of dollars more could make a big difference. (A Couple of Things, and a Couple More 5-25)
11. You would think she might be used to the cold weather by now. (Might You Mean May? 5-31)
12. C) confuse (Test Your Vocabulary 6-14)
13. She fainted in the women’s restroom. (Confessions of a Guerrilla Grammarian 6-29)
14. Evidently [or Evidently,] you did not study for the test. (Spell Check 7-13)
15. I hope the restaurant we chose is all right with you and your wife. (A Sportswriter Cries “Foul!” 7-26)
16. The baby has already outgrown her birthday dress. (More Fun With Irregular Verbs 8-8)
17. Since the company was purchased, the website has undergone a complete makeover. (More Fun with Irregular Verbs 8-8)
18. We plan to watch Clemson versus [or vs.] Alabama in the college football championship game next week. (Nothing Poetic About This Verse 8-23)
19. The officer pointed out the no-parking sign on that side of the street. (Hyphens: We Miss Them When They’re Gone 8-30)
20. During the blizzard, the Chicago-bound passengers were stranded at the airport. (Hyphens: We Miss Them When They’re Gone 8-30)
21. D) unnecessary (Test Your Vocabulary 9-6)
22. Correct (Big Words We Can Use 10-26)
23. We are having dinner with the Joneses tonight. (Apostrophes with Words Ending in s 11-2)
24. The glasses’ frames were bent. (Apostrophes with Words Ending in s 11-2)
25. After the accident, he was unable to lie flat on his back. (Lie vs. Lay 12-14)
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.
Interesting quiz, answers are even more interesting, question 7: between or among? More than two so I think it should be among. Thank you.
The word between is not restricted to two items alone. The Chicago Manual of Style says, “Between has long been recognized as being perfectly appropriate for more than two objects if multiple one-to-one relationships are understood from the context.” Please see our January 11, 2017, article Among vs. Between for more about these two words.
I think it should be choose among, when it is more than two choices…
7. James is trying to decide between three college majors; accounting, finance, or economics.
Please see our January 9, 2017, reply to Dirk van Eijk and our January 11, 2017, article Among vs. Between.
Should the the comma not apply for the last of a series? That is the purpose of the or, ….. or Am I mistaken? Just like when saying: I have three pets: a cat, a dog and a wombat.
We recommend use of the comma before the last item in a series. Our Rule 1 of Commas says, “Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items.”
When the last comma in a series comes before and or or, it is known as the Oxford comma. Most newspapers and magazines drop the Oxford comma in a simple series, apparently feeling it’s unnecessary. However, omission of the Oxford comma can sometimes lead to misunderstandings.
19. The officer pointed out the no parking sign on that side of the street.
Would “No Parking” sign also be correct?
Yes, that is acceptable. There are more correct answers than one to some of the questions.
His family member objected to his going abroad.
What is noun,verb, object in this sentence and any error in this sentence.
The subject is member, the verb is objected, and the object is going.
I would like to post common grammar mistakes I discover. I understand I may do this through the Grammar Blog tab. My submission appears below. I am unclear if I am at the right location.
Intel’s CEO explains who he fires (and how he nearly got fired himself)
Jon Fortt, host of CNBC’s Fortt Knox, co-anchor of Squawk Alley
LinkedIn 1-10-17
Yes, you may send in comments and questions using our Grammar Blog tab; however, they are most effective when posted to a related topic. Questions submitted under this particular blog are in regard to the year-end quiz. Since your comment relates to the media, you might want to post it in one of the “Media Watch” blogs
In regard to #24, couldn’t the term “glasses” refer to an adjective rather than a possessive? If so, then there would not be an apostrophe at the end of the word.
It seems to us that glasses would be an awkward adjective in this sentence. A better choice might be “The eyeglass frames were bent.”
I’m ordering a sign that says McLaren’s Tiki Bar. Our last name is McLaren. Is it correct to assume this means the bar belongs to the family? Is that understood in the sign? It looks strange to me to write McLarens’ Tiki Bar!
A plural possessive is written with the apostrophe after the s. Therefore, to indicate that the bar belongs to more than one family member whose name is McLaren, write “McLarens’ Tiki Bar.” These things sometimes look strange when we’re not used to them.
See our rules for Apostophes for more information.
I am looking for the use of a period after a middle initial!!! Cannot find any reference to it???
Initials standing for given names are followed by a period and a space. A period is normally used even if the middle initial does not stand for a name (as in Harry S. Truman).