The Principal’s Office: Writing Quiz

Posted Wednesday, May 31, 2017 11:47 am

By Steve Kussin

With so much happening in education for me to report about, I haven’t run a writing quiz for quite some time. Well, that time is now! As I always say, this is one of the most popular features for the “Principal’s Office.” There are errors in all the sentences below, except one, which is perfectly correct. And, to complicate matters, I have put two errors in one of the other sentences. See how many of the ten errors you can find.

1. How did you feel about Meryl Streep making those comments during her speech?

2. I don’t believe that an organization should be allowed to buy a political ad in a student newspaper; they should express their beliefs elsewhere.

3. Did you get to see the Oscar-nominated movie “Fences?”

4. That popular class had to be canceled because the enrollment was so low.

5. Each of the professors posted their grades on the bulletin.

6. The Mediterranean diet includes many healthy foods: Fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and fish.

7. Either the cabinet members or President Trump are going to appear at the ceremony.

8. The large inheritance was divided between my two aunt, three uncles, and four cousins.

9. I am hopeful that my two friends can settle their differences, however I am not optimistic.

10.We will spend the winter break driving west to visit my Aunt Tillie who lives in the west.

How did you do?

1. I started with the mistake I have to correct most often. In this sentence, we’re not asking how you feel about Meryl; rather, we want to know about her making those comments. Therefore, we need the possessive: Meryl Streep’s making those comments.

2. My students make this error all the time in their reaction papers. The pronoun has to agree with its antecedent. Here, we’re talking about “an organization.” There is no justification to shift from the singular to the plural. Hence, it should read: “…it should express its beliefs.”

3. “Fences” is the title; however, the question mark is not part of the title. It belongs outside of the quotation marks.

4. This is the one! There is no mistake in this sentence. I’ll bet many readers doubled the “L” in canceled. Wrong! I’ve seen it misspelled many times. The rule is simple. Double the final consonant only if that final syllable is accented. For example: referred, occurred, omitted. If the final syllable is not accented, the final consonant is not doubled: abandoned, accustomed, totaled. Good rule.

5. This error is a most common one. “Each” and “every” require the singular. In this case, “Each of the professors posted his or her grades …” In years past, “his” sufficed, but to be politically correct, it’s now “his or her.”

6. This is the sentence with the two errors. First of all, it’s not “healthy” foods. I don’t know of many bananas or carrots which go to the gym! It should be “healthful.” In addition, after a colon, the next letter should not be capitalized if it just starts a list. If, on the other hand, a complete sentence follows, then a capital letter is in order. By the way, I prefer the comma before the “and.” In a future column I’ll explain why it can avoid confusion.

7. A very helpful rule operates here. With an “either … or” construction, the subject which immediately precedes the verb determines whether it’s singular or plural. In this case, “President Trump” follows the “or.” Thus, it should be “President Trump is going to appear …” On the other hand, if the sentence read, “President Trump or the cabinet members …” – then the verb would be “are.” This is a foolproof rule.

8. This sentence appears correct, but it isn’t. There are quite a few subjects at play. With just two, use “between.” With more than two, “among” must be used.

9. This mistake is right up there with the ones most commonly made. It’s called the “comma splice.” The word “however” is the troublemaker. There are two ways to go. Perhaps the easier one is to split it into two separate sentences: “… can settle their differences. However, ...” Acceptable, but I prefer using a semi-colon. I view it as an umbrella or bridge which connects two closely related thoughts: “I am hopeful that my two friends can settle their differences; however I am not optimistic.” The semi-colon goes where a period would have gone.

10. The rule is easy when dealing with directions. If it’s the place, then use a capital letter; if it’s a direction, use a lower case letter. In this case: “We will spend the winter break driving west to visit my Aunt Tillies who live in the West.”

I hope that these explanations helped. We’ll have another writing quiz in the spring.

Dr. Steven Kussin was a high school principal for 21 years. You can hear his “CBS on Education” reports three times a day weekdays on WCBS Newsradio 880. He is also an adjunct professor at Hofstra University and an educational consultant for school districts around the country. Contact him at sk3015@aol.com.

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The Principal’s Office: Writing Quiz

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