Punctuation Practice Exam
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JOUR 1033 |
Originally given: Fall 2002 |
This is a typical first exam, covering punctuation. I suggest that you print out the exam, take it as if you were in class, then check it against the answers, which are at the bottom of the page.
I have told you about the errors I found. If you find more, let me know by e-mail and I'll either fix my practice exam or I'll tell you why it's not an error.
Directions: Edit the following story to correct all the punctuation errors. Use the correct proofreader's marks to make your corrections.
DO NOT REWRITE the story -- you might remove sections containing punctuation you should change for credit. There are between 20-25 missing or incorrect punctuation errors. You may also need to change capitalization at the beginning of a quotation. You must find at least 20 of the errors to score100 percent.
DO NOT create new direct quotes unless they contain first-person pronouns.
A barge knocked out a 500 foot section of an interstate bridge over the Arkansas River on Sunday, sending at least nine vehicles plunging into the water with several people trapped inside authorities said.
Six to 11 people remained in submerged vehicles hours after the collapse, said Rebecca Smith, spokeswoman for Muskogee County Emergency Management Services. We anticipate several fatalities, she said.
Smith said, boatmen alerted authorities to the collapse at 7:48 a.m.. At least four people were hospitalized with injuries. She called the accident, "a terrible tragedy."
Sgt. Jarrett Johnson, Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer said six cars and three tractor-trailers could be seen in the water.
The bridge, nearly 2000 feet long, collapsed on top of the barge, which remained in the river. None of the seven people aboard the barge was injured, officials said.
Shane Guthrie, personnel manager for Magnolia Marine Transport Co. in Vicksburg, Miss. said the company's 104-foot-long tugboat was pushing two barges when the accident occurred. The barge was not loaded.
"They just got hold of the bridge span there somehow," Guthrie said, "We're still investigating what caused the accident."
Johnson said interviews were being conducted by lake patrol units, state police from Arkansas and Oklahoma and representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board.
He said the instability of the bridge made the rescuers afraid to lift the bridge section, to pull out the vehicles, or even to enter the area near the collapse. First and second-shift rescuers stood around waiting for the structure to be stabilized.
"There are probably 20,000 cars that travel over this bridge every day", Johnson said. "It's the main interstate that travels east and west through the state of Oklahoma."
The bridge was dedicated on Sept. 30, 1968 and was last refurbished in September, 1983.
Three people injured in the collapse were being treated Sunday at Muskogee Medical Center. One person is in stable condition, one in serious condition, and one in critical condition, said Ched Wetz, division manager.
Wetz said "one gentleman said he was driving and all of a sudden there was nothing under him.
"He doesn't remember how he got out of his vehicle. He probably swam out, but he simply doesn't remember."
Wetz spent most of the day trying to console families who are waiting for the cars to be pulled from the river.
"What do you say when families ask 'How could this happen"?, he said.
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ANSWERS:
First paragraph: ... 500-foot (compound modifier before a noun is hyphenated.)
.... trapped inside, authorities said. (comma before attribution at end of indirect quotation)
Second paragraph: "We anticipate several fatalities," she said. (add quote marks to make it a direct quote because of the pronoun "we.")
Third paragraph: Smith said boatmen ... (remove comma after attribution at beginning of indirect quotation)
7:48 a.m. (remove second period after a.m.)
...called the accident "a terrible tragedy." (remove comma before partial quote.)
Fourth paragraph: ... Highway Patrol Officer, said six cars .... (title after the name should be set off completely in commas)
Fifth paragraph: ... nearly 2,000 feet long, ... (numbers of 4 digits or longer must have commas)
Sixth paragraph: ... Vicksburg, Miss., said the ... (Two reasons: setting off title in commas; also, state following a city is set off in commas)
Seventh paragraph: ... Guthrie said. (must change comma to period; otherwise, it's a comma splice)
Eighth paragraph: ... from Arkansas and Oklahoma, and representatives ... (exception to the serial comma rule; comma needed because of the word "and" in the phrase "Arkanas and Oklahoma.")
Ninth paragraph: ... to pull out the vehicles or even to enter ... (serial comma rule also applies to "or.")
First- and second-shift rescuers ... (suspended hyphen rule. Don't forget to insert the space-mark sign after the hyphen after "First.")
10th paragraph: ... every day," Johnson said. (commas go inside quotation marks)
11th paragraph: Sept. 30, 1968, and ... (year date is completely set off in commas following month and day)
September 1083 (take out the comma after September. Not needed when day is not included in date.)
12th paragraph: ... one in serious condition and one in critical condition (serial comma rule)
13th paragraph: Wetz said, "One gentleman ... (Direct quotes require a comma after the attribution and a capital letter to begin the quote if it is a complete sentence. DO NOT put a closing quotation mark at the end because the quote continues into the next paragraph.)
14th paragraph: (Don't do anything to this paragraph. It is a continuing quote from the one above it. See your handbook to understand how continuing quotes are punctuated.)
15th paragraph: (nothing wrong I can see)
16th paragraph: ... could this happen,?'" he said. (Three errors in one little space: Add a single quote to close up the inside quote. Transpose the question mark to go inside the quotation marks. Delete the comma.)