Victory for the ACT Student Text 15e

L ESSON 3 | P UNCTUATION • 41

QUOTATION MARKS

Š‡ ϐ‹”•–…Šƒ’–‡” ‘ˆ The Scarlet Letter is “The Custom House.” A. NO CHANGE Ǥ Š‡ ϐ‹”•–…Šƒ’–‡” ‘ˆ The Scarlet Letter is The Custom House. Ǥ Š‡ ϐ‹”•–…Šƒ’–‡” ‘ˆ The Scarlet Letter is The Custom House. Ǥ Š‡ ϐ‹”•–…Šƒ’–‡” ‘ˆ Dz The Scarlet Letter” is “The Custom House.” According to legend, King Arthurs court consisted of twenty-four knights, each of whom was chosen by Arthur for a special talent or virtue. F. NO CHANGE G. King Arthurs’ court H. King Arthur’s court J. Kings Arthurs’s court In the turmoil of our modern times, it is important to try to keep in mind the fundamental moral values that structure our society. A. NO CHANGE B. modern times’ C. modern time’s D. modern times’s

31.

APOSTROPHES

While she addressed the barbell, the weightlifters face had an expression of deep concentration. F. NO CHANGE G. the weightlifters’ face H. the weightlifters’s face J. the weightlifter’s face

34.

32.

The Cambridge Edge As a general rule of thumb, singular nouns ƒ† ‹†‡ϐ‹‹–‡ pronouns add the apostrophe and “-s.” Plural nouns ending in “-s” add only the apostrophe.

33.

PUNCTUATING FOR CLARITY EXERCISE

DIRECTIONS: Item #35 requires punctuation of the paragraph. 35. On Monday Mark received a letter of acceptance from State College He immediately called his mother herself a graduate of State College to tell her about his acceptance When he told her he had also been awarded a scholarship she was very excited After hanging up Mark’s mother decided to throw a surprise party for Mark She telephoned his brother his sister and several of his friends Because the party was supposed to be a surprise she made them all promise not to say anything to Mark Mark however had a similar idea a party for his mother to celebrate his acceptance at her alma mater He telephoned his brother his sister and several of his parents’ friends to invite them to a party at his house on Saturday night and he made them all promise to say nothing to his mother On Saturday night both Mark and his mother were surprised.

Master Moves Put everything you’ve learned about punctuation to the test in item #35. Remember to read with the eye of an editor and to focus more on the architecture of the paragraph than on the story being told. Mark it up, underline components, and cross out parts as you need to in order to make sure the punctuation is perfect.