Starter quiz

  • Which punctuation marks have been used in the following detailed list? 'I bought a number of items: soft, white bread; thick, creamy butter; and fresh, brown eggs.'
    • colon  ✓
    • commas  ✓
    • semi-colons  ✓
    • exclamation marks
  • When does a list need semi-colons?
    • when the items are very long
    • when the items don't contain commas
    • when the items contain commas  ✓
    • when the items contain adjectives
  • Which of these items might have come from a detailed list that uses semi-colons?
    • bread
    • warm, crusty bread  ✓
    • warm bread, dripping with melted butter  ✓
    • warm bread, which is coated in butter  ✓
  • For what reasons are there commas in the following list? 'She saw incredible creatures: tiny ants, scuttling around; huge, hairy insects; and small, fast-moving bats.'
    • to demarcate a non-finite (-ing) clause  ✓
    • to demarcate a relative clause
    • between two adjectives in an expanded noun phrase  ✓
    • to introduce the list
  • What are the problems in the following detailed list? 'He saw some beautiful creatures: tiny, bright birds, flying around, big, lumbering wombats, and enormous, colourful butterflies.'
    • there are no commas
    • there are no semi-colons  ✓
    • it is clear what the list items are
    • it is not clear what the list items are  ✓
  • Which language features are used in the following list item? 'a vast, snow-covered iceberg, which bobbed in the ocean'
    • an expanded noun phrase with two listed adjectives  ✓
    • a relative clause  ✓
    • a non-finite (-ing) clause
    • an adverbial clause
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