Conventions & Usage — Practice · Grade 11 English

Chapter: Language, Style & Conventions

What this practice covers

By the end of Conventions & Usage you should be able to:

11 questions, multiple choice and written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: convention, restrictive vs. nonrestrictive clause, em dash, compound modifier.

Problem 1

Which sentence uses 'its' and 'it's' correctly?
  1. The trophy lost it's shine.
  2. The team lost it's best player to injury.
  3. The team lost its best player to injury.
  4. Its going to be a long season.
Answer and explanation

The team lost its best player to injury.

The possessive 'its' takes no apostrophe (like 'his' and 'hers'), and 'it's' means only 'it is' or 'it has.' 'The team lost its best player' correctly uses the possessive. The other options either use 'it's' where the possessive is needed, or 'Its' where 'It's' (it is) is needed.

Problem 2

Explain how the commas change the meaning of these two sentences: (a) 'The employees who received training passed the safety exam.' (b) 'The employees, who received training, passed the safety exam.'
Answer and explanation

In (a) the clause is restrictive (no commas): it limits the statement to only those employees who received training, implying that some did not, and that only the trained ones passed. In (b) the clause is nonrestrictive (set off by commas): it says all the employees passed, and adds as extra information that they had all received training. The commas turn 'only some' into 'all.'

Problem 3

Which sentence correctly uses a pair of em dashes to set off a nonrestrictive, emphatic insertion?
  1. The verdict, which no one had predicted — silenced the courtroom.
  2. The verdict—which no one had predicted, silenced the courtroom.
  3. The verdict—shocked everyone in the courtroom.
  4. The verdict — which no one had predicted — silenced the courtroom.
Answer and explanation

The verdict — which no one had predicted — silenced the courtroom.

A matched pair of em dashes sets off the nonrestrictive insertion 'which no one had predicted' with emphasis, leaving 'silenced the courtroom' as the main clause. The other options either put a single dash between the subject and its verb or mix a comma and a dash, breaking the required pair.

Problem 4

Rewrite this comma-spliced sentence so that a colon introduces the explanation: 'The committee delayed the vote because of one problem, the budget still did not balance.'
Answer and explanation

Answers vary; for example: 'The committee delayed the vote for one reason: the budget still did not balance.' A colon works because a complete independent clause precedes it and what follows explains that clause. (The original was a comma splice; a period or semicolon would also fix it, but the colon best signals that an explanation follows.)

Problem 5

A school has several counselors. A writer wants to say that the specific counselor who runs the college office wrote the recommendation. Which sentence punctuates this correctly?
  1. The counselor who runs the college office wrote the recommendation.
  2. The counselor who runs the college office, wrote the recommendation.
  3. The counselor, who runs the college office wrote the recommendation.
  4. The counselor, who runs the college office, wrote the recommendation.
Answer and explanation

The counselor who runs the college office wrote the recommendation.

Because the school has several counselors, the clause 'who runs the college office' is restrictive — it identifies WHICH counselor — so it takes no commas. The paired-comma version would wrongly imply there is only one counselor, and the single stray commas are simply incorrect.

Problem 6

Revise to remove the ambiguity in two possible ways. Give a detail and explain its relevance.
Answer and explanation

“Mira said she would review the form” names Mira’s intention. “Mira asked the director to review the form” assigns the review differently. Choose the intended meaning before editing.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 7

A learner writes: “Grammar checking software has approved it, so the meaning is clear.” Explain the problem and produce a better response.
Answer and explanation

Software may miss an ambiguous pronoun or inaccurate relationship. Read for intended meaning, then check the relevant convention.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 8

Compare what you must inspect in these two cases. What can transfer, and what must be checked again?
Answer and explanation

Edit after revising ideas and organization. Check sentence boundaries, agreement, pronoun references, punctuation, capitalization, and quotation accuracy. The method transfers, but the particular detail, scope, and context must be read again. “Mira said she would review the form” names Mira’s intention. “Mira asked the director to review the form” assigns the review differently. Choose the intended meaning before editing.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 9

Using an assigned reading or one exercise source, write a developed response applying conventions & usage. Aim for 260–380 words; name the reading or reproduce the sentence you revise.
Answer and explanation

“Each of the speakers has approved their excerpt. The forms were saved.” “Each” is singular; “forms” is plural. Singular they can refer to an unspecified person; do not replace it mechanically. A complete response supplies context, a focused claim, a brief supporting detail, explanation, and a relevant qualification. Do not simply repeat this model.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 10

Write two specific feedback comments on a response to this unit: one on accuracy or meaning and one on evidence or language. Then state a revision priority.
Answer and explanation

Check whether the response explains edit after revising ideas and organization. check sentence boundaries, agreement, pronoun references, punctuation, capitalization, and quotation accuracy. Ask for a relevant detail and the reason it supports the conclusion. Prioritize the mistaken assumption shown here: “Grammar checking software has approved it, so the meaning is clear.”

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

Problem 11

Choose a fresh sentence or detail from the assigned selection. Explain how this unit’s method applies, and identify one uncertainty or limitation.
Answer and explanation

Lena discovers that naming a worker without naming her choices can still reduce her to a decorative role. The program, archive records, and evidence panel connect public identity with institutional power. The visitors who do not read the panel complicate any claim that the omission has been completely repaired. The response must supply its own precise detail and explain it; copying the model without fresh evidence is insufficient.

Use the criteria to compare your reasoning, not to copy the model’s wording. A supported alternative interpretation may earn full credit.

Response criteria

  • Make an accurate, focused claim or revision.
  • Use a relevant detail or a clearly explained language choice.
  • Explain the relationship and recognize a relevant limit.

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