Improve Your Writing

Table of Contents

1. Why improve your understanding of grammar and punctuation?
2. Punctuation Marks
3. Common Confusions
4. Using quoted material.
5. Other pitfalls and problems
6. Style
7. Exercises
   1. Using the Colon to Improve Style
   2. Using the colon.
   3. Using the semi-colon.
   4. Using the comma 1.
   5. Using the comma 2.
   6. The comma splice.
   7. Separating Clauses
   8. Exercise about conjunctions.
   9. Exercise using the hyphen.
   10. Contracted words
   11. Using the apostrophe 1.
   12. Using the apostrophe 2.
   13. Lists.
   14. Punctuation marks exercise.
   15. Dangling participles exercise.
   16. Who's or Whose?
   17. It's or Its?
   18. There or Their or They're?
   19. To or Too or Two?
   20. Who or Whom?
   21. I or me?
   22. Less or Fewer?
   23. Like of As?
   24. Split Infinitives.
   25. Verb/Subject Agreement.
   26. Using the subjunctive.
   27. Using Numbers.
   28. Punctuation of embedded quotations 1.
   29. Punctuation of embedded quotations. 2
   30. Correcting quotes.
   31. Confusable words 1.
   32. Confusable Words 2.
   33. Confusable words 3.
   34. Consistency of tense.
   35. Common Mistakes.
   36. Run-on Sentences Exercise.
   37. Pleonasm Exercise.
   38. Straying Off The Point Exercise.

Using the Colon to Improve Style

In this exercise you will be given a sentence without a colon. Use a colon to improve the sentence's style by making it more forceful. You can move the feedback to compare it with your answer.

Look at the example below.

1	I really can't stand cold rice pudding. Here is a possible rearrangement of the sentence using a colon: There is one thing I really can't stand: cold rice pudding.

2	The one country I would really love to visit is Mexico. Here is a possible rearrangement of the sentence using a colon: There is one country I would really love to visit: Mexico.

3	You have no choice but to accept the referee's decision. Here is a possible rearrangement of the sentence using a colon: You have no choice: accept the referee's decision.

4	The two things the company's success was founded on were service and value for money. Here is a possible rearrangement of the sentence using a colon: The company's success was founded on two things: service and value for money.

5	Climate change is the most serious threat to mankind's survival. Here is a possible rearrangement of the sentence using a colon: Mankind is facing the most serious threat to its survival: climate change.

See a list of other grammar exercises.