Each of the following sentences contains an error of some kind. Read each sentence and select the option that correctly identifies its error.
1. David was known for belching; and telling inappropriate jokes in public.
Capitalization
Punctuation
Spelling
Grammar
2. Graduation from High School is considered a momentous occasion by many.
Capitalization
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Grammar
3. Nurses plays a vital role in the healthcare profession.
Capitalization
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Grammar
4. After having his tonsels removed, the child was listless for a few days.
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5. The park was serine at twilight.
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6. Was the patient’s mind lucid during the evaluation.
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7. The bachalor never married. Most people thought it was because of misogyny.
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8. The intricacy of the mathematical equation, drove the student trying to solve it crazy.
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9. The hybrid tomatoes is immune to most common diseases.
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10. The professor was humiliated when his students reported him to the Dean for verbal abuse.
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11. The con artist hoodwinked the old lady when he sold her fradulent insurance.
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12. The movie star was accused of a misdemeanor, when she stole $15 worth of merchandise from the store.
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13. The congregation sang a comtemporary hymn.
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14. The wound were necrotic when examined.
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15. The defendint exhibited a peevish appearance.
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16. The band director was scheduled to play the piccolo on tuesday.
Capitalization
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17. The renter was remiss; about the rent.
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18. The old man was know for his sapient knowledge.
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19. The inventor create several specious ideas to solve the problem.
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20. The teacher identified the troublemakers, in her classroom.
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Answers & Explanations
1. B
The semicolon is incorrect punctuation here. With the coordinating conjunction “and,” no punctuation is needed between the two gerunds. A comma is permissible to indicate David did not necessarily do both things simultaneously; however, semicolons are for separating two independent clauses, or separating dependent clauses/phrases containing internal commas.
2. A
“High School” is incorrect capitalization. These words are not names/proper nouns and should not be capitalized.
3. D
The singular form of the verb (“plays”) disagrees with the plural noun subject (“Nurses”), representing incorrect grammar.
4. C
“Tonsels” is an incorrect spelling of the word “tonsils.”
5. C
“Serine” is an incorrect spelling of the adjective “serene,” meaning peaceful (indicated by sentence context), confusing it with the noun serine, meaning the amino acid.
6. B
Ending this question with a period is incorrect punctuation. It should end with a question mark.
7. C
“Bachalor” is an incorrect spelling of “bachelor.”
8. B
The comma is incorrect punctuation. No punctuation mark is needed here.
9. D
A singular predicate with a plural subject is incorrect subject-verb agreement, i.e. grammar.
10. A
The noun “dean” is not a name/proper noun, so the capitalization is incorrect.
11. C
“Fradulent” is incorrect spelling of the adjective “fraudulent.”
12. B
The comma before the adverbial clause (“when…”) is incorrect punctuation; it should not be there.
13. C
“Comtemporary” is an incorrect spelling of “contemporary.”
14. D
The plural verb “were” with the singular noun subject “wound” lacks subject-verb agreement, constituting incorrect grammar.
15. C
“Defendint” is an incorrect spelling of the word “defendant.”
16. A
The lower-case initial “t” in “Tuesday” is incorrect capitalization: names/proper nouns are capitalized.
17. B
The semicolon here is incorrect punctuation. The only punctuation mark this sentence needs is its final period.
18. D
The correct past-perfect form here is “was known.” “Was know” is incorrect grammar.
19. D
“Create” is incorrect grammar here. The singular subject noun “inventor” requires either the singular verb form “creates” or the past-tense “created” for correct construction.
20. B
It is incorrect punctuation to place a comma between the noun and its modifying prepositional phrase. No punctuation mark should be used, except for the final period.