- The company must _____ lay off workers _____ go bankrupt.
Answer: Either . . . or
- Can you return my book to the library _____ it closes?
Answer: Before
- Being a fashion model and a teacher, my aunt is _____ beautiful _____ intelligent.
Answer: Both . . . and or not only . . . but also
- I am tired of that song _____ I hear it all the time.
Answer: Because
- He is not a good cook, _____ he tries hard.
Answer: But
Determine whether the following sentences contain errors and correct any you find. Pay close attention to punctuation.
- She did not know how to play the piano but she was eager to learn.
Answer: She did not know how to play the piano, but she was eager to learn. (Because but is linking two independent clauses, a comma must precede it.)
- Bring a salad either a casserole to the potluck dinner.
Answer: Bring either a salad or a casserole to the potluck dinner. (Either cannot be used alone as a conjunction. It would also be correct to omit either and use only or.)
- I went to the restaurant at seven o’clock my friends were not there.
Answer: I went to the restaurant at seven o’clock; however, my friends were not there. OR I went to the restaurant at seven o’clock, but my friends were not there. (Without some kind of conjunction, the two clauses become a run-on sentence.)
- He did chores, while the other children went outside to play.
Answer: He did chores while the other children went outside to play. (A comma is not needed before a subordinating conjunction.)
- Cinderella’s stepsisters were cruel but selfish.
Answer: Cinderella’s stepsisters were cruel and selfish. (Cruel and selfish are similarly bad qualities, so but, which shows a contrast, is not appropriate.)
- I like you better than him.
Answer: I like you better than I like him. OR I like you better than he likes you. (While it is not necessarily incorrect to use an objective pronoun after than, in this case the sentence is unclear as originally written.)
- If we finish early, than we can go home.
Answer: If we finish early, then we can go home. (Then, not than, is used to indicate a sequence in time.)
- The work was both exhausting and rewarding.
Answer: No errors.
- I liked the job and it did not pay well.
Answer: I liked the job, but it did not pay well. OR I liked the job; however, it did not pay well. OR I liked the job even though it did not pay well. (And is incorrect because the two clauses are contrasting. Notice that punctuation is required to separate the independent clauses.)
- We will make either chicken nor spaghetti for dinner.
Answer: We will make either chicken or spaghetti for dinner. (Either . . . nor is not a correlative conjunction. No punctuation is needed after the or; only two items are listed, and no independent clauses are involved.)
- If I promise to keep it a secret, than will you tell what is going on?
Answer: If I promise to keep it a secret, then will you tell what is going on?
- Mr. Ramon is a good administrator, but, not a good teacher.
Answer: Mr. Ramon is a good administrator but not a good teacher.
- Sleet is neither snow neither rain.
Answer: Sleet is neither snow nor rain.
- The ingredients for the stew are beef and noodles and carrots and broth and potatoes.
Answer: The ingredients for the stew are beef, noodles, carrots, broth, and potatoes.
- She is my grandfather’s age although, she looks much younger.
Answer: She is my grandfather’s age although she looks much younger.
- He has been successful in business because he is so well organized.
Answer: No errors.
- Both my sister or my brother play saxophone.
Answer: Both my sister and my brother play saxophone.
- No one asked the tenants what they wanted consequently the remodeling project was a faliure.
Answer: No one asked the tenants what they wanted; consequently, the remodeling project was a failure.
- When they went scuba diving they saw colorful fish.
Answer: When they went scuba diving, they saw colorful fish.
- This computer game is exciting yet action packed.
Answer: This computer game is exciting and action packed.