English grammar, vocabulary, and listening comprehension exercises

Topic: COMMA, SEMICOLON, OR COLON? 1

Choose whether a comma (,) a semicolon (;), or a colon (:) is needed to complete each of the following sentences.

1. He had one goal _______ to stop smoking.
  colon (:)
  comma (,)
  semicolon (;)

2. He didn't know where to go _______ but he knew he had to leave.
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)
  comma (,)

3. We didn't come here to fight _______ we came here to negotiate.
  semicolon (;)
  comma (,)
  colon (:)

4. There was one thing missing in the house _______ a bed.
  comma (,)
  colon (:)
  semicolon (;)

5. Steve _______ my next door neighbor _______ always borrows things from me.
  comma (,)
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)

6. He's a good driver _______ but he can't see very well.
  semicolon (;)
  comma (,)
  colon (:)

7. We love to play tennis _______ but we're not very good.
  comma (,)
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)

8. He gave me some good advice once _______ to always tell the truth.
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)
  comma (,)

9. Some people like to cook _______ others prefer to eat.
  comma (,)
  colon (:)
  semicolon (;)

10. He knew he'd hate the movie _______ however, he went to see it anyway to please his girlfriend.
  semicolon (;)
  comma (,)
  colon (:)

11. The weaker members tried to do everything together _______ the stronger members preferred to do things individually.
  comma (,)
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)

12. He was tired _______ depressed _______ and more than a little confused.
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)
  comma (,)

13. He told her about his favorite cities _______ Rome, Paris, and Barcelona.
  colon (:)
  comma (,)
  semicolon (;)

14. She only loved one thing _______ surfing.
  comma (,)
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)

15. He was _______ in fact _______ smarter than the other students.
  comma (,)
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)

16. Next month we're going to Europe. We'll be in Berlin, Germany _______ Warsaw, Poland _______ and Bratislava, Slovakia.
  comma (,)
  semicolon (;)
  colon (:)

17. Try doing this _______ it'll improve your writing.
  semicolon (;)
  comma (,)
  colon (:)

18. A good father _______ Jim always devoted a lot of time to his kids.
  semicolon (;)
  comma (,)
  colon (:)

19. Some people didn't understand him _______ but most did.
  comma (,)
  colon (:)
  semicolon (;)

20. He loves dogs _______ he adopted three from a shelter last month.
  comma (,)
  colon (:)
  semicolon (;)

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BACK TO LIST OF EXERCISES

Remember to check out our other free advanced English punctuation exercises:
Abbreviations 1
Apostrophe usage 1
Capitalization 1
Capitalization 2
Punctuation: Comma or semicolon? 1
Comma, semicolon, or colon? 1

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