Colons and semicolons

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Draft

   The sign on the garden gate is short and polite; “For the gardeners of Riverside.” The garden closed early today a hose burst near the shed.

2. 1.

   Bo edits a draft that has two slips. Which revision fixes both and adds no new slip?

   • The sign on the garden gate is short and polite: “For the gardeners of Riverside.” The garden closed early today a hose burst near the shed.
   • The sign on the garden gate is short and polite; “For the gardeners of Riverside.” The garden closed early today: a hose burst near the shed.
   • The sign on the garden gate is short and polite. “For the gardeners of Riverside.” The garden closed early today: a hose burst near the shed.
   • The sign on the garden gate is short and polite: “For the gardeners of Riverside.” The garden closed early today: a hose burst near the shed.

3. Draft

   Three judges scored the contest: Ms. Alvarez, the baker, Mr. Chen, the potter, Dr. Ito, the painter. The first round was silly: the second round was serious.

4. 2.

   Esme edits a draft that has two slips. Which revision fixes both and adds no new slip?

   • Three judges scored the contest: Ms. Alvarez, the baker, Mr. Chen, the potter, Dr. Ito, the painter. The first round was silly; the second round was serious.
   • Three judges scored the contest: Ms. Alvarez, the baker; Mr. Chen, the potter; Dr. Ito, the painter. The first round was silly; the second round was serious.
   • Three judges scored the contest: Ms. Alvarez, the baker; Mr. Chen, the potter; Dr. Ito, the painter. The first round was silly, the second round was serious.
   • Three judges scored the contest: Ms. Alvarez, the baker; Mr. Chen, the potter; Dr. Ito, the painter. The first round was silly: the second round was serious.
5. 3.

   Kira checks four sentences for punctuation. Which sentence is NOT punctuated correctly?

   • The picnic ended early: dark clouds rolled over the field and the games stopped.
   • The relay teams came from three towns: Morgantown, West Virginia, Tempe, Arizona, Albany, New York.
   • The red team practiced in the morning; the blue team practiced after lunch.
   • The scoreboard greeting at the home field is short and bright: “Welcome to Hornet Field.”
6. 4.

   Luz checks four sentences for punctuation. Which sentence is NOT punctuated correctly?

   • The choir sang in three cities: Yuma, Arizona; Austin, Texas; Savannah, Georgia.
   • The label on the paint can is short and clear; “Dries in one hour.”
   • The pool opened late: the lifeguard’s bus was stuck in traffic.
   • The north entrance faces the road; the south entrance faces the creek.
7. 5.

   Milo checks four sentences for punctuation. Which sentence is NOT punctuated correctly?

   • The rule on the locker-room wall is easy to remember: “Wipe the bench after use.”
   • The scouts met three experts: Ms. Grant, the pilot; Dr. Silva, the vet; Mr. Okoye, the chef.
   • The first speaker described the trail: the second speaker described the river.
   • The first game ended in a tie; the second was decided in overtime.
8. 6.

   Noah checks four sentences for punctuation. Which sentence is NOT punctuated correctly?

   • The class pen pals live in three towns: Eugene, Oregon; Bangor, Maine; Laramie, Wyoming.
   • Cacti store water in their stems; because desert rain is rare.
   • The banner over the stage is bold and simple: “Spring Showcase.”
   • The kite stayed grounded: there was no wind that afternoon.
9. 7.

   The relay passed through three towns: Boulder, Colorado, Pueblo, Colorado, Durango, Colorado. Pia checks the sentence. Which statement names the real slip?

   • The words before the colon are not a complete sentence.
   • The items already contain commas, so semicolons should separate them.
   • The sentence is correct, because commas can separate the items in a list.
   • The colon after “towns” should be a semicolon, because a list follows.
10. 8.

    The mural’s title is simple; “A Seat for Every Neighbor.” Ren checks the sentence. Which statement names the real slip?

    • The semicolon should be a period, because the quotation starts a new sentence.
    • The words before the semicolon are not a complete sentence.
    • The words after the semicolon are only a phrase, so a colon should introduce them.
    • The sentence is correct, because a semicolon can join two related ideas.
11. 9.

    The red kite flew high: the blue kite stayed on the ground. Tala checks the sentence. Which statement names the real slip?

    • The colon should be a comma, because the two ideas are closely related.
    • The words before the colon are not a complete sentence.
    • The second sentence does not explain the first, so the colon should be a semicolon.
    • The sentence is correct, because a colon can join any two related sentences.
12. 10.

    The park closed early: the river flooded the trail; because the path was under water. Zee checks the sentence. One of its two marks has a slip. Which statement names the real slip?

    • The sentence is correct, because each mark joins ideas that belong together.
    • The words after the semicolon are not a complete sentence, so the semicolon cannot join them.
    • The colon should be a comma, because the second part explains the first.
    • The words before the colon are not a complete sentence.