Step 7 Self-assessment exercises: using appropriate grammar, punctuation and spelling

Answer

Each candidate who applies to the college has an individual interview.

‘Interview’ is countable. It requires an article – ‘an’.

Answer

There are a number of ways of keeping informed about current affairs: reading the newspaper; listening to the radio.

‘Reading the newspaper.’ This is not a complete sentence as it has no main verb, so a full stop wouldn't be appropriate. Similarly, ‘Listening the radio’; this is not a complete sentence as it has no main verb. Also, the preposition ‘to’ is needed after listen.

Answer

It is known that exhaust emissions are the major cause of pollution in large cities.

The verb ‘know’ is in the passive tense. This involves the use of the verb ‘to be’ (is) + past participle (known).

Answer

It is not correct to link two sentences with a comma. You can use a full stop:

Caxton introduced the printing press into England. The first texts were printed in English at the end of the C15th.

or a semicolon:

Caxton introduced the printing press into England; the first texts were printed in English at the end of the C15th.

(Notice that there is a capital letter after a full stop but not after a semicolon.)

Answer

The word order (or syntax) of this sentence is wrong. It should be:

What have been the major reasons for inflation?

Answer

Either:

Hospital waiting lists will be shorter if more doctors and nurses are recruited.

or

Hospital waiting lists would be shorter if more doctors and nurses were recruited.

The first sentence describes a situation that is more likely to happen than in the second sentence.