Grammar

Question: Choose the option that best completes the following sentence.

In the sentence "To know him is to love him," the phrase "to know him" is _____________ .

a.	the subject of the sentence

b.	an infinitive phrase acting as a noun

c.	the predicate of this sentence

d.	a and b

Question: Which of the following sentences contains a subject-verb agreement error?

a.	Helga and her sisters were certain that the daffodils would bloom in time for the fair.

b.	Artie's favorite chair, together with all his silverware and tennis rackets, was destroyed in the fire.

c.	In these caves lives some of the most fascinating species of bats.

d.	Your proclamations, like your audacity, are overwhelming.

Question: Read the following passage and identify the type of sentence structure error it contains.

Even if you hide the marmalade in the remotest corner of the house, you can be sure that Carlotta will nose it out, devour it, and hide the evidence before you know what hit you.

a.	Misplaced modifier

b.	Pronoun reference

c.	Subject-verb agreement

d.	Parallelism

e.	Verb tense shift

f.	None of the above

Question: Identify the sentence that contains a verb tense error.

a.	I'm certain that if it hadn't been for the rain, we would have won the field hockey tournament.

b.	He could have easily picked me up before work if he hadn't been so eager to get to the office before seven o'clock.

c.	If Melanie would have sung more softly yesterday, her throat wouldn't be so sore today.

d.	It is imperative that all of the children be lined up and ready to go by noon.

Question: Choose the series of verbs that best completes the following passage.

Garrett ______ ostracized by the other penguins for so long that he no longer noticed the way they _______him. For their part, the others ______Garrett _____ a rogue.

a.	has been, shun, believe, to be

b.	had been, shunned, believed, to be

c.	was, shunned, believed, was

d.	had been, shun, believe, is

Question: Identify the sentence that contains a faulty comparison.

a.	Several people less qualified than Alistair have been promoted over the last few months.

b.	As far as I'm concerned, reading a good book is still preferable to surfing the Internet.

c.	Betty thinks that working late hours every day is better than early mornings.

d.	Studies show that people who have enough money to meet their needs are more satisfied with their lives than those who have excessive wealth.



Question: Which of the following statements are true?

a.	A modifier adds information to another element of the sentence.

b.	A modifier can be an adjective, adverb, clause, or phrase.

c.	Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

d.	Adjectives modify nouns, pronouns, and adverbs.

e.	a, b, and c

f.	a, b, and d

Question: Which of the following sentences contains a pronoun-antecedent agreement error?

a.	Neither the doorman nor the delivery guys has asked for his paycheck.

b.	Each of you has your own chores to complete before day's end.

c.	All of us band members have our own instruments, uniforms, and music stands, all of which we pay for through our yearly dues.

d.	Alison prefers to read books that make her laugh.

Question: Read the following sentence and identify the type of sentence structure error it contains.

At the ripe old age of three, my father gave me my first ride on a motorcycle.

a.	Dangling modifier

b.	Pronoun-antecedent agreement

c.	Diction

d.	Comparison

e.	Verb tense shift

Question: Identify the sentence that illustrates correct subject-verb agreement.

a.	My favorite topic is plays by Brecht.

b.	Gary as well as his father were frightened of the chimpanzee.

c.	Both the orange and the lemon is rich in vitamin C.

d.	The major, instead of the generals who had been asked to appear, are scheduled to review the troops at graduation.

Question: Complete the following sentence by choosing the pronouns that agree with the antecedents.

Although both did a good job in _________ contemporary pieces, the taller dancer showed more flair in__________.

a.	her, hers

b.	her, theirs

c.	their, hers

d.	his or her, theirs

Question: Which of the following sentences contains a pronoun error?

a.	Francine objected loudly to us buying a new boat.

b.	His complaining about every little thing made him unpleasant to be around.

c.	You see, we sailors really love the sea.

d.	I do not like your arriving ten minutes after class has started.



Question: Read the following passage and identify the type of sentence structure error it contains.

Terrified, the key dropped from the pale maiden's hand. Bluebeard advanced slowly, a diabolical grin stretching across his face. "I told you not to open that door," he growled. "Please, sir," begged the maiden, "if you'll forgive me I promise never to reveal what I saw when I opened that door. Oh, how I wish I never did it!"

a.	Comma splice

b.	Pronoun-antecedent agreement

c.	Misplaced modifier

d.	Passive voice

e.	Verb tense

f.	b and d

g.	c and e



Question: Identify the sentence that illustrates correct comparison structure.

a.	Rudy has always liked squid more than Tabitha.

b.	The countryside of Austria is more beautiful than that of France.

c.	Reading newspapers is no longer as popular as the Internet.

d.	People of Asia are fairer than Europe.



Question: Choose the option that best completes the following sentence.

An antecedent is _______________.

a.	An independent clause

b.	the noun a pronoun stands for

c.	a rule of precedence for compound nouns in a sentence

d.	the beginning of a sentence

Question: Identify the sentence that illustrates proper sentence construction.

a.	I had begun scarcely eating when a fly landed in my soup.

b.	His conduct was so enigmatic that I failed to find any explanation for it.

c.	Don had just stepped out of the car when he turns to see Fido running to greet him.

d.	Neither sickness will keep me away from the festivities, nor a snowstorm.

e.	a and b

f.	b and c

Question: Which of the following sentences contain(s) a subject-verb agreement error?

a.	I am not one of those people who pretends to know everything about music.

b.	Here's the bushels of apples you've been waiting for.

c.	Every man, woman, and child on the cruise knows how to get to the lifeboats.

d.	Neither rain nor falling rocks keeps me from driving through the canyon.

e.	a and c

f.	a, b and d



Question: Identify the underlined part of the sentence below.

Although she pretends otherwise, Martha can't stand the haughty people at her country club.

a.	Simple subject

b.	Simple predicate

c.	Predicate

d.	Direct object

e.	Object complement



Question: Choose the option that best corrects the verb tense error in the underlined part of the following sentence.

Just as the second act was about to start, the stage manager came out and told the audience that the lead actress fell ill during intermission and needed the aid of a doctor before the show could go on.

a.	that the lead actress fell ill during intermission and needed the aid of a doctor

b.	that the lead actress fell ill during intermission and had needed the aid of a doctor

c.	that the lead actress had fallen ill during intermission and needed the aid of a doctor

d.	that the lead actress has been ill during intermission and would need the aid of a doctor

e.	that the lead actress was ill during intermission and had been in need of a doctor's aid

Question: Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following sentence.

Agatha agreed with John and __________ even though _______ had previously clashed with ____________ on the subject.

a.	myself, we, her

b.	I, she, us

c.	I, we, us

d.	me, she, us



Question: Choose the option that best corrects the comparison error in the underlined part of the following sentence.

Although Merlin was renowned for his superb wizardry and general sagacity, Mingo, his unheralded apprentice, was every bit accomplished and intelligent like Merlin.

a.	accomplished and intelligent as Merlin

b.	as accomplished and intelligent like Merlin

c.	as accomplished and intelligent as Merlin

d.	accomplished and intelligent than Merlin

Question: Identify the sentence that contains an error in sentence structure.

a.	My grandparents always said that nothing is so good for you as drinking a glass of red wine every day.

b.	"It's really windy today!" yelled my mother as she was gripping the lamp post and struggled to keep her feet on the ground.

c.	The secret of success is not in knowing the answers but in asking the questions.

d.	"Did you wash your hands?", I asked suspiciously as my brother, grinning, made me a ham sandwich.

e.	b and c

Question: Identify the sentence that contains a verb tense error.

a.	Oh, how the queen wished that she had not married the king!

b.	Jethro has lost his keys and does not remember where he last saw them.

c.	The hunter claimed that he killed more than a hundred lions in his life.

d.	Siobhan has been playing the harp for the last three years—and, boy, her fingers are tired!



Question: Choose the verb tense that best completes the following sentence.

Sarah was so late arriving home that Mike ___________ to bed.

a.	had already gone

b.	has already gone

c.	already went

d.	will already have gone



Question: Identify the sentence that illustrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement.

a.	If one wants to do well in this job, you should watch, listen, and learn.

b.	The fine arts department will be presenting the works of their students next week.

c.	When the baby is done with the bottle, it must be sterilized.

d.	The snow, which was falling gently, melted on my upturned face.

Question: Choose the option that corrects the parallelism error contained in the following sentence.

Greta is either moving to Germany next month or she will stay in Iceland for another year.

a.	Greta is either moving to Germany next month or staying in Iceland for another year.

b.	Either Greta is moving to Germany next month, or she is staying in Iceland for another year.

c.	Either Greta will move to Germany next month or staying in Iceland for another year.

d.	a and b

e.	b and c

Question: Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following sentence.

I met some tourists, __________ of _________ were university students, at my friend's house.

a.	none, which

b.	several, whom

c.	some, who

d.	some, which

Question: Choose the series of verbs that best completes the following sentence.

__________ a picky eater my whole life, I ___________ I wouldn't like those fried fish lips.

a.	To be, had to know

b.	Having been, knew

c.	Having been, had known

d.	Being, knew



Question: Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following sentence.

Only one of the nurses ________ work in the field hospital is certified, and _________ has been out sick for two weeks.

a.	who, she

b.	whom, she

c.	which, that

d.	that, which

Question: Complete the following sentence by choosing the pronoun that agrees with the antecedent.

When Crenshaw finally appeared on stage and saved the day, the audience roared _________ approval.

a.	their

b.	its

c.	his

d.	one's

Question: Choose the series of modifiers that best completes the following sentence.

_________ enough, even after we mixed all those ___________ ingredients together, the cake turned out remarkably __________. However, it did smell _________ while it was baking.

a.	Strange, strange, good, strange

b.	Strangely, strange, well, strange

c.	Strangely, strange, well, strangely

d.	Strangely, strangely, good, strange



Question: Identify the sentence that illustrates clear pronoun reference.

a.	After putting the silverware in the cabinet, Mabel sold it.

b.	The clowns told the acrobats that they would receive a bonus after the performance.

c.	Rhonda filed a complaint with the police, but they were unresponsive.

d.	We called Dr. Arnold's office all day, but he never answered the phone.



Question: Choose the option that best corrects the verb tense error in the underlined part of the following sentence.

The detailed mosaic work on the ancient altar is of such high quality and rare beauty that no modern artwork of the same genre had ever come close to matching it.

a.	no modern artwork of the same genre had ever come close to matching it

b.	it had no equal compared to modern artwork of the same genre

c.	no modern artwork of the same genre comes close to matching it

d.	no modern artwork of the same genre will ever have come close to matching it

e.	no modern artwork of the same genre has ever come close to matching it

Question: Which of the following sentences contains an error in diction?

a.	Rather than focus on just one street, the police decided to canvass the entire neighborhood.

b.	How long have Marta and Pierre had this delusion of being good singers?

c.	I'd think twice about eating that gray meat if I was you.

d.	We were perplexed by the growing amount of ants in the kitchen.

e.	a and b

f.	c and d

Question: Which of the following sentences contains a pronoun error?

a.	Marty brought us eighty apples, some of which were rotten.

b.	Whose job is it to know who's coming to dinner?

c.	Those bananas may be yours, but these are ours.

d.	The food quality disturbed the chefs; several suggested canceling the dinner.

e.	None of the above

Question: Which of the following sentences uses correct diction?

a.	Emma said the reason she's moving is because the neighbors are too noisy.

b.	Let's work together to try and correct the problem, shall we?

c.	Regardless of his position in the company, I find his behavior really aggravating.

d.	We didn't receive any of our packages on time on account of the snowstorm.

e.	a and d

f.	None of the above

Question: Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following sentence.

The ideological chasm that stretches between _________ and __________ is impassable.

a.	him, I

b.	him, me

c.	he, I

d.	he, me

Question: Identify the sentence that illustrates correct verb tense usage.

a.	In Austen's novel, Marianne Dashwood makes a spectacle of herself at the ball and is quickly spirited away by her sister.

b.	My favorite part of The Wizard of Oz is when the house fell on the witch.

c.	In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Claudio accuses Hero of wanton behavior and, as a result, almost lost his chance at love.

d.	Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the Joad family and the many harsh obstacles they faced.



Question: Choose the series of verbs that best completes the following passage.

"I heard you __________ much better since you __________ that medication," said Randolph. "Not really," __________ Monica. "Now my insomnia ________ by nightmares."

a.	were sleeping, took, replied, was replaced

b.	had been sleeping, started to take, replies, is replaced

c.	were sleeping, started to take, replied, is replaced

d.	have been sleeping, started taking, replied, has been replaced



Question: Identify the sentence that is written in active voice.

a.	A disembodied grin was left hanging in the air when the Cheshire Cat disappeared.

b.	Fourteen songs have been written about her by her ex-boyfriend.

c.	The four finalists in the ballroom dancing competition will be honored by the judges at tonight's dinner.

d.	The supervisor has told us seven times not to unplug all the computers—why do we keep doing it?