ANSWERS to Test Your Business Writing Skills
Spelling Quiz Answers:
10 Correctly spelled words: indispensable, judgment, harass, desperate, embarrassment, superseded, privilege, fulfillment, commitment and occurrence, definitely.
10 Misspelled words
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: millennium, definitely, It’s, all right, preceding, a lot, consensus, acknowledgment (acknowledgement is acceptable but not preferred), forward, and congratulations.
Punctuation Quiz Answers and Explanations:
l. Mr. Smith said “Please submit your report by tomorrow”.
Corrected sentence: Mr. Smith said, “Please submit your report by tomorrow.”
Explanation of errors: A comma should be placed before a quote, and a period goes inside the end quote.
2. I would like to have a hot dog, relish, and ketchup.
Corrected sentences: I would like to have a hotdog, relish and coleslaw.
I would like to have a hot dog, relish, and ketchup.
Explanation of error: Either one of the above punctuated sentences is correct, although most writers prefer to omit the serial comma (the comma before the “and” in a series of items). The error frequently made is when a writer sometimes uses the serial comma and at other times does not. Whatever choice is made, it must be used consistently in your writing.
3. Who wrote, “Avatar ?”
Corrected sentence: Who wrote “Avatar ”?
Explanation of errors: Incorrect placement of question mark inside quotation marks. Question marks go outside the final quotation mark if the entire sentence asks the question. The question mark goes inside the final quotation mark if just the quoted material asks the question; i.e., Tom asked, “What’s wrong?” There is also no need for the comma in the sentence; it breaks up the thought.
4. My report was not up-to-date, I will have to revise it tomorrow.
Corrected sentences: My report was not up-to-date, so I will have to revise it tomorrow.
My report was not up-to-date; I will have to revise it tomorrow.
Explanation of error: Comma Splicing. This occurs when you use a comma to join two complete sentences without placing either a semicolon or appropriate joining word between them.
5. Two years delay led to a change in procedures.
Corrected sentence: Two years’ delay led to a change in procedures.
Explanation of error: Missing apostrophe in a possessive (a word that shows possession).
6. The American. Government has three branches; the legislative, executive and judicial.
Corrected sentence: The American Government has three branches: the legislative, executive and judicial.
Explanation of error: Use of a semi-colon instead of a colon to introduce a list.
7. Politically our candidate has proven to be very skilled.
Corrected sentence: Politically, our candidate has proven to be very skilled.
Explanation of error: Missing comma after a set-off word.
8. I sent a letter to Jake Bilge 100 Wilkins Ave. Bronton, Saskatchewan.
Corrected sentence:
I sent a letter to Jake Bilge, 100 Wilkins Ave., Bronton, Saskatchewan.
Explanation of error: There is often confusion on where to place commas to separate parts of addresses. Commas are needed after the name, street, and city.
Grammar Quiz Answers and Explanations

1. Each of the employees are responsible for their own transportation. (Incorrect)
Corrected sentence: Each of the employees is responsible for their own transportation. .
Explanation: Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs. The subject each is singular and requires a singular verb.
2. After reading the initial report, the subsequent report appears contradictory. (Incorrect)
Corrected sentence: After reading the initial report, I found the subsequent report to be contradictory.
Explanation: Be careful of the dangling modifier, which is a word or phrase that modifies another word or phrase not clearly stated in the sentence, possibly causing confusion with regard to the speaker’s intended meaning. In