Why it matters on the HSPT
After commas, apostrophes are the punctuation mark the test plants most often, and it's versus its is the single most common error. Quotation marks come next, usually as a comma or period on the wrong side of the closing mark. End marks are rarer but appear as a question that ends in a period or a statement that ends in a question mark. All of these are one-rule fixes once you can see them.
The rules
Apostrophes for possession. A singular owner takes apostrophe s: the dog's collar, James's bike, the class's project. A plural owner ending in s takes only the apostrophe after the s: the dogs' collars, the students' lockers. A plural that does not end in s takes apostrophe s: the children's shoes, the women's team.
Apostrophes for contractions. The apostrophe marks the missing letters: don't for do not, they're for they are, who's for who is, it's for it is. Never use an apostrophe to make an ordinary plural: apples, not apple's.
The pronoun trap. Possessive pronouns never take apostrophes: its, hers, his, ours, yours, theirs, whose. Each has a sound-alike contraction that does: it's, who's, they're, you're. Test by expanding the contraction. The cat licked its paw, because the cat licked it is paw makes no sense.
Quotation marks. They surround the exact words someone said, and only those words. A comma sets the quotation off from the speaker tag: Maria said, 'The bus is here.' When the tag comes after, the comma goes inside the closing mark: 'The bus is here,' Maria said. Periods and commas always go inside. A question mark goes inside when the quoted words are the question: she asked, 'Are we late?' It goes outside when the whole sentence is the question and the quotation is not: Did she really say 'we are late'?
Reported speech. No quotation marks when the words are not exact: Maria said that the bus was there.
Titles. Quotation marks go around short works: a song, a poem, a short story, an article, a chapter. Long works such as books, movies, and magazines are italicized in print and underlined by hand; the test shows them without quotation marks.
End marks. A statement ends in a period. A direct question ends in a question mark, but a sentence that reports a question does not: I wonder whether it will rain. An exclamation point marks strong feeling and is rare in test sentences; a plain command ends with a period.
Worked examples
Example 1
Which sentence contains an error in punctuation?
A. The bird flapped it's wings and flew off.
B. It's going to rain this afternoon.
C. The team packed its gear after the game.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: A: A
Sentence A means the bird's own wings, a possessive, so it must be its without the apostrophe. Sentence B is the contraction of it is, correct. Sentence C is the possessive, correct.
Example 2
Which sentence contains an error in punctuation?
A. The players' uniforms were muddy.
B. The childrens' coats hung by the door.
C. My sister's room is upstairs.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: B: B
Children is already plural and does not end in s, so the possessive is children's. Sentence A is a regular plural possessive with the apostrophe after the s, correct. Sentence C is a singular possessive, correct.
Example 3
Which sentence contains an error in punctuation?
A. 'Please close the window,' said Mr. Diaz.
B. Priya asked, 'Where did you find that?'
C. 'I finished the assignment', Kwame answered.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: C: C
In sentence C the comma sits outside the closing quotation mark; it belongs inside. Sentence A places the comma inside correctly, and sentence B places the question mark inside because the quoted words are the question.
Example 4
Which sentence contains an error in punctuation?
A. Whose backpack is this?
B. Who's coming to practice today?
C. The twins said their ready to leave.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: C: C
The twins are ready, so the word must be they're, the contraction of they are. Their is a possessive and does not fit. Sentence A uses the possessive whose correctly, and sentence B uses the contraction who's correctly.
Example 5
Which sentence contains an error in punctuation?
A. We bought three dozen apple's for the picnic.
B. The teacher's desk faces the door.
C. Don't forget your permission slip.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: A: A
Apples is an ordinary plural and takes no apostrophe. Sentence B is a possessive, and sentence C is a contraction, both correctly marked.
Example 6
Which sentence contains an error in punctuation?
A. I wonder if the store is still open?
B. Are you finished with the book?
C. Close the door quietly.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: A: A
Sentence A is a statement about wondering, not a direct question, so it ends with a period. Sentence B is a direct question and correctly ends with a question mark. Sentence C is a command and correctly ends with a period.
Example 7
Which sentence contains an error in punctuation?
A. Dana said that she would bring the map.
B. Dana said, 'that she would bring the map.'
C. 'I will bring the map,' Dana said.
D. No mistakes.
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Show answer
Answer: B: B
Sentence B reports what Dana said rather than quoting her exact words, so it takes no quotation marks and no comma; sentence A is the correct form. Sentence C is a direct quotation with the comma inside the closing mark, correct.
Common mistakes
- Putting an apostrophe in its when it is a possessive. Expand to it is; if that fails, no apostrophe.
- Making a plural with an apostrophe. Apple's is never the plural of apple.
- Placing the apostrophe before the s in a plural possessive. The players' bench, not the player's bench, when there are several players.
- Putting the comma or period outside the closing quotation mark. In American usage they go inside.
- Ending a reported question with a question mark. I asked whether it was ready ends with a period.
Practice
These marks decide many punctuation items and some composition choices. The commas lesson covers the other half of punctuation errors.