Welcome to JPROF.com's exercise room, hosted by Annie, the Grammar Queen. This section offers instructors and students a number of practice exercises they can take to help them sharpen their language and journalism skills.
Grammar and language exercises
Commas 01 • Answers and explanations
Commas 02 • Answers and explanations
Grammar problems 01 • Answers and explanations
Grammar problems 02 • Answers and explanations
Subject-verb agreement 01 • Answers and explanations
Subject-verb agreement 02 • Answers and explanations
Subject-verb agreement 03 • Answers and explanations
Subject-verb agreement 04 • Answers and explanations
Word choice 01 • Answers and explanations
Word choice 02 • Answers and explanations
Anyone have trouble with any of the exercises above should check out the following pages here on JPROF.com:
Rules for using commas (HTML)
(PDF version)
Writing and editing for the web
These exercises ask students to use HTML tags in sentences and are keyed to the JPROF page on Basic HTML tags. These exercises show students how to create a very simple web page by typing text and using the proper HTML codes. These exercises ask students to use HTML tags in sentences and are keyed to the JPROF page on Basic HTML tags. Students should read the JPROF page on Headline writing for the web before taking on the following exercises. Students should read the JPROF pages on Headline writing for the web and Writing summaries before taking on the following exercises. These exercises involve writing headlines, selecting major points to emphasize, and finding links. One good resource to read before completing these exercises is the Finding links page on JPROF. These exercises ask students to create lists using HTML tags; they are keyed to the JPROF page on Basic HTML tags. Students should read the JPROF page on Writing cutlines before taking on the following exercises. The following are some resources on JPROF designed to help students and instructors with these web writing and editing exercises:
In addition, you may want to take a look at a set of lectures on writing for the web designed for the introductory news writing class at the University of Tennessee:
Miscellaneous journalism exercises
Preview story - first reporting assignment
One of the best ways of getting students out in the field to do some real reporting is to assign them to do a preview story of something that is going to happen on campus. It can be anything from a football game to a club meeting. The details are on this page on JPROF, along with a finished story that student can follow as an example. There is also a downloadable PDF file that the students can us.
Speech stories
A common story assignment for reporters young and old is to cover a speech. To teachers and old hands at reporting, this may seem like a simple, straightforward assignment, but to students who have never done it before, it can be daunting. You can find a model speech story here on JPROF. It is a handout that includes a standard inverted pyramid news story on a speech and points out why the reporter had done certain things with the story. It is also available as a downloadable PDF file.
Obituary stories
Death is a fact of life, and journalists have always been in the business of reporting on the deaths of individuals. These are the obituary stories on which every young journalist has cut his or her teeth. Obituary stories have certain customs and conventions designed to promote good reporting while honoring the deceased and respecting the grief of the family and friends they leave behind. Here at JPROF you can find a model obiturary story on an HTML page and in a downloadable PDF file.
Dates for the journalist
Even if history teachers have stopped making students memorize dates, journalism teachers shouldn't. Dates are important for a full understanding of events, and students should have precise knowledge of the important events in American and world history. The list of dates on this web site, adapted from The Complete Editor, is a good place for the student to begin acquiring this knowledge. Once the students have studied this list, they will be ready to tackle the two crossword puzzles contained on this site. You can download these puzzles as HTML or PDF files.
• Time and place crossword puzzle 1 (HTML) (PDF)
• Time and place crossword puzzle 2 (HTML) (PDF)