How do you punctuate sentences correctly, especially commas, joining clauses, and apostrophes, and recognize complete sentences from fragments and run-ons?
Punctuation and sentence structure: applying the conventions of standard English punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, and quotation marks) and recognizing and correcting fragments, run-ons, and comma splices, on a TNReady English I or II editing item, and on the essay.
How to apply punctuation and sentence structure on TNReady English I or II editing items and the essay: commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, and quotation marks, and recognizing and fixing fragments, run-ons, and comma splices. These conventions also score the writing rubric.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this skill is asking
Punctuation and sentence structure cover how marks organize writing and how clauses combine into correct sentences. TNReady English I and II editing items test the conventions students most often miss: commas (in lists, after introductory elements, around non-essential information, and with joining words), semicolons and colons, apostrophes (possession and contraction), and quotation marks, plus the recognition of fragments, run-ons, and comma splices. The items appear as multiple choice ("which choice fixes the error") on a draft, and the same conventions are scored on the essay. The transferable skill is knowing the rules well enough to spot a violation quickly and to choose the correct fix, because the EOC often offers several plausible-looking options and only one is right.
Sentence boundaries: fragments, run-ons, and splices
The boundary errors are the ones the EOC tests most and the ones that most hurt clarity.
To test for a boundary error, check whether each side of the join is a complete sentence. If both sides are complete and they are linked by only a comma, it is a comma splice; if by nothing, a run-on. The fix depends on the relationship: a period for separate ideas, a semicolon for closely connected ones, or a comma plus conjunction to show the link. Recognizing which fix the question wants is the skill, because several options may look reasonable.
Commas, apostrophes, and other marks
These conventions overlap with the revising and editing module, where the same rules appear in the context of improving a draft, and they directly affect the writing rubric's Conventions and Clarity of Language dimension. A clean essay needs correct sentence boundaries and punctuation, so this skill pays off twice.
Catching punctuation errors on an item
Try this
Q1. What are the three standard ways to fix a comma splice? [Recall]
- Cue. Replace the comma with a period (two sentences), replace it with a semicolon (closely related clauses), or keep the comma and add a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Q2. Is "Walking home in the dark." a complete sentence? If not, fix it. [Short explanation]
- Cue. It is a fragment: it has no subject and no main verb (just a participle phrase). Fix it by adding a subject and verb: "Walking home in the dark, I tripped on the curb," or "I was walking home in the dark."
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of TDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
TNReady English I (editing)1 marksWhich choice correctly fixes the comma splice? 'The storm knocked out the power, we lit candles.' (1) no change; (2) The storm knocked out the power we lit candles; (3) The storm knocked out the power, so we lit candles; (4) The storm knocked out the power we lit, candles.Show worked answer →
Answer: (3). A comma splice joins two complete sentences (independent clauses) with only a comma. The fix in (3) adds a coordinating conjunction ("so") after the comma, correctly joining the clauses.
Why not the others: (1) keeps the splice; (2) creates a run-on by removing the comma without joining the clauses properly; (4) misplaces the comma and breaks the meaning. Other valid fixes include a period or a semicolon between the clauses.
TNReady English II (editing)1 marksWhich sentence uses the apostrophe correctly? (1) The students books were on the desk. (2) The student's books were on the desk. (3) The students' book's were on the desk. (4) The studen'ts books were on the desk.Show worked answer →
Answer: (2). "Student's" shows singular possession (the books of one student), which the sentence intends. The apostrophe before the "s" marks a singular possessor.
Why not the others: (1) omits the apostrophe needed for possession; (3) adds a wrong apostrophe to "books" (a plural, not a possessive); (4) misplaces the apostrophe inside the word. Apostrophes mark possession or contraction, never a simple plural.
Related dot points
- Grammar and usage conventions: applying the conventions of standard English that the EOC tests most often, including subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and clear reference, consistent verb tense, and correct use of modifiers, on a TNReady English I or II editing item, and on the essay.
How to apply standard-English grammar and usage on TNReady English I or II editing items and the essay: subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and clear reference, consistent verb tense, and correct modifiers. The conventions also score the writing rubric's third dimension.
- Vocabulary in context: determining the meaning of an unfamiliar or multiple-meaning word from context clues (definition, synonym, antonym, example, and inference clues), and confirming the meaning by substitution, on a TNReady English I or II passage.
How to determine word meaning from context on a TNReady English I or II passage: using definition, synonym, antonym, example, and inference clues, handling multiple-meaning words, and confirming a meaning by substitution. The most common vocabulary item type on the EOC.
- Sentence boundaries and combining: recognizing and correcting fragments, run-ons, and comma splices, and combining short, choppy sentences into clearer, more varied ones using coordination, subordination, and appositives, on a TNReady English I or II revising and editing item, and in the essay.
How to fix sentence boundaries and combine sentences on a TNReady English I or II item: correcting fragments, run-ons, and comma splices, and combining choppy sentences with coordination, subordination, and appositives for clarity and variety. These choices also score the writing rubric.
- Editing for grammar and usage: identifying and correcting errors in a draft passage, including subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and reference, verb tense, and modifier placement, and selecting the revision that fixes the error without introducing a new one, on a TNReady English I or II editing item.
How to edit a draft for grammar and usage on a TNReady English I or II item: finding and fixing subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and reference, verb tense, and modifier errors, and choosing the correction that does not introduce a new error. Editing fixes correctness.
- Word choice and precision: revising a draft to choose precise, appropriate words, replacing vague or general wording with specific terms, cutting wordiness and redundancy, matching word choice to a formal academic tone, and fixing commonly confused words, on a TNReady English I or II revising item, and in the essay.
How to revise word choice on a TNReady English I or II item: replacing vague wording with precise terms, cutting wordiness and redundancy, matching a formal academic tone, and fixing confused words. Precise word choice supports the writing rubric's Conventions and Clarity dimension.
Sources & how we know this
- TCAP English Language Arts — TDOE (2025)
- Tennessee Academic Standards for English Language Arts — TDOE (2025)