How Strong Are YOUR American Grammar Skills?

The quiz shown below is the first page of my "Brush Up on Your American Grammar Skills" workbook, and it's how we start every class. It's the students' first glimpse of what is in store for them during our three hours together of learning and laughing. They find out very quickly what they will need to focus on.

Many of us really think we're terrific in grammar; others, not so much. But here's a way to check your own knowledge without anyone knowing! At the bottom of this post you will find the answers.

Which sentences are written correctly? Note: There may be more than one right answer in the bigger groups.

1a. Our files are completely up to date.
1b. Our files are completely up-to-date.

2a. Carly said, “Fred’s a “geek”.”
2b. Carly said, “Fred’s a geek.”
2c. Carly said, “Fred’s a ‘geek.’ ”
2d. Carly said, “Fred’s a geek”.

3a. The set includes: knives, forks and spoons.
3b. The set includes knives, forks, and spoons.
3c. The set includes knives, forks and spoons.

4a. Who shall I say is calling?
4b. Whom shall I say is calling?

5a. The company has issued their preliminary report.
5b. The company has issued its preliminary report.
5c. The company has issued it’s preliminary report.

6a. Jeff invited Bruce and I to meet with he and Stacey.
6b. Jeff invited Bruce and myself to meet with him and Stacey.
6c. Jeff invited Bruce and myself to meet with he and Stacey.
6d. Jeff invited Bruce and me to meet with he and Stacey.
6e. Jeff invited Bruce and me to meet with him and Stacey.

7a. Tom Smith (the president of Tom’s Shoes) will be in the office today.
7b. Tom Smith, the president of Tom’s Shoes will be in the office today.
7c. Tom Smith, the president of Tom’s Shoes, will be in the office today.

8a. Susan Jones’ car is the red one.
8b. Susan Jones’s car is the red one.
8c. The Joneses’ cars are in the south parking lot.
8d. The Jones’ cars are in the south parking lot.

Just so you know, I failed a similar quiz nearly 20 years ago when I first went to work for Fred Pryor Seminars. I thought the quiz would be easy! (I really did think I was a hot-shot in that topic.) FPS's quiz was more basic than this one is; it only had A or B for answers, so I had a 50-50 chance. I missed four of the questions, and I had NO idea why. Drove me nuts. So I learned.

And so can you. Let's face it: Most of us didn't take much notice of the grammar we were taught when we were about 12 or 13; how could we have known we'd grow up to care? Even if we did listen and learn, we might not have heard things correctly, we might have just plain forgotten some of the rules, or what we learned might have changed over the years and we didn't keep up.

The bottom line is that there is a lot of confusion over punctuation and usage. We hear things, we see things, and we're not always sure what is correct.

Trust me: You're in good company!

So, here are the answers. If you have any questions about them, let me know.
1. A
2. B & C
3. B (or C)
4. A
5. B
6. E
7. A & C
8. A, B, & C

If you want a pdf copy of my "Brush Up on Your American Grammar Skills" workbook, send me a message with your e-mail address. I would be happy to send it to you! It's what I use in my three-hour corporate trainings, and there's some really good information in it.

How did you do? I would love to hear back.

PS: For those who don't know, the picture at the very top is the license plate on my car.

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Thanks for taking the time to read my post (to read them regularly, you can "Follow" me or link to me). Although known as the Grammar Goddess, I also write about many communication topics (yes, including American grammar and usage), and some of those topics are shown below in previous posts. If you'd like, you can also connect with me on Twitter, Facebook GGC, Facebook Personal, and GrammarGoddess.com.

As an international corporate trainer, I have worked worldwide for nearly 20 years teaching American grammar (that only in the U.S.), business writing, and a variety of interpersonal communication skills workshops. I am also a copy editor and proofreader, mainly of business-related materials. Although I live in Massachusetts, I will travel anywhere to help business professionals look and sound as smart as they are.

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Send me one page of anything you've written, and I will check it for FREE.
No time limit. I'm happy to help.

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