Or: The administrator knew it was a problem; he told his boss right
away.
The correct answer is d. The sentence could be corrected with a
conjunction, such as so, or a semicolon.
5. The supervisor thought about it, and she determined the
expense was justified.
The correct answer is b. When connecting two independent clauses
with a conjunction, add a comma before the conjunction.
6. Marion Silver, whom most of the other employees admire as a
hard worker, left early.
The correct answer is a. The verb “left” goes with the subject “Marion
Silver.” “Whom” is the object of the verb “admire.”
7. Dr. Ortiz, author of more than thirty books, wants to join the
faculty.
The correct answer is b. Eliminate the modifying phrase “author of
more than thirty books,” and the sentence reads “Dr. Ortiz wants to
join the faculty.”
8. Helena, Montana; San Francisco, California; Rome, New York;
and Paris, Texas, are all cities in the United States.
The correct answer is b. Replacing the commas after the states (except
for the last one) with semicolons will help ensure clarity.
9. The company had its most profitable year ever.
The correct answer is b. The collective noun “company” takes the singular
possessive “its.”
10. The committee chair asked the members to review the proposal
meticulously.