Grammar and language Questions
1. the sentence that is correctly punctuated.
A He drove the wrong direction down a one-way street.
B The peanuts and pretzels were chocolate-covered.
C She finally retired at the age of seventy nine.
D His ex wife agreed to share custody
The correct answer is A.
Explanation:
Use a hyphen to join two or more words which serve as a single adjective (form a single thought) before
a noun.
Choice A is correctly punctuated: “He drove the wrong direction down a one-way street.” The use of a
hyphen in this sentence is correct because one and way both work as a single adjective, and they
come before the noun street.
Choice B is incorrect because the adjectives chocolate and covered do not come before the compound
noun peanuts and pretzels. Therefore, a hyphen is not used to join the two adjectives.
Choice C is incorrect because a hyphen should be used to join compound numbers from twenty-one to
ninety-nine.
Choice D is incorrect because a hyphen should be used to form new words beginning with the
prefixes self-, ex-, all-, great-, and quasi-.
2. Choose the words in the correct order that complete the following sentence:
The school is celebrating _____ fiftieth anniversary this year, so _____ going to hold a huge
spring carnival for current students and alumni.
A its; it’s
B it’s; it’s
C it’s; its
D its; its
The correct answer is A.
Explanation:
A possessive noun shows who or what owns an item or has an item.
Singular nouns are made possessive by adding an apostrophe and an -s (‘s) at the end of the word.
Example: the dog’s ball
Plural nouns are made possessive by adding an apostrophe after the final s of the word (s’).
Example: the twins’ parents
Plural nouns that do not end in -s are made possessive by adding an apostrophe and an -s (‘s) at the end
of the word.
Example: the children’s playground
Exception to the rule:
-Its, without an apostrophe, indicates possession.
Example: The dog is eating its food. The food belongs to the dog.
-It’s, with an apostrophe, is a contraction for it is or it has.
Example: It’s going to rain. It is going to rain.
Choice A is the correct answer: The school is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, so it’s going to
hold a huge spring carnival for current students and alumni.
In the first independent clause, its is showing possession. The anniversary belongs to the school. In the
second independent clause, it’s is a contraction for it is. It is going to hold a spring carnival.
3. Select the sentence that contains an error.
A The king cobra’s most distinguishable feature, its hood, is created by many elongated ribs that are
capable of extending the skin below the snake’s head outwards.
B Although the breed was believed to be extinct, a population of the world’s most ancient dog, the New
Guinea highland wild dog, was recently confirmed.
C The man’s fortune was made in the computer industry via starting small software companies and then
selling those small companies to larger companies for a profitable gain.
D During the debate, the presidential candidates’ argued about taxes, budgets, and expenses.
The correct answer is D.
Explanation:
A possessive noun shows who or what owns an item or has an item.
Singular nouns are made possessive by adding an apostrophe and an -s (‘s) at the end of the word.
Example: the dog’s ball
Plural nouns are made possessive by adding an apostrophe after the final s of the word (s’).
Example: the twins’ parents
Plural nouns that do not end in -s are made possessive by adding an apostrophe and an -s (‘s) at the end
of the word.
Example: the children’s playground
Choice D is the sentence that contains an error: During the debate, the presidential candidates’ argued
about taxes, budgets, and expenses.
In this sentence, the word candidates is simply a plural noun ending in -s. The noun does not have or
own anything, so it is not possessive and does not need an apostrophe.
The sentence should read: During the debate, the presidential candidates argued about taxes, budgets,
and expenses.
4. Select the underlined word or phrase that contains an error in subject-verb agreement.
A is, B ride, C to work, D No error
The correct answer is B.
Explanation:
The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. Singular subjects require singular verbs.
Singular verbs usually end in -s. Plural subjects require plural verbs. Plural verbs usually do not end in -s.
Choice B contains the word that needs to be changed.
The verb ride is incorrect. The subject of the sentence is she, which is singular, so the verb must also be
singular. The correct (singular) form of the verb is rides.
The sentences should read: Stella is extremely athletic. She rides her bike to work every day.
5. Select the underlined word or phrase that contains an error in pronoun usage.
A her, B his, C it, D she
The correct answer is C.
Explanation:
A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. The noun that a pronoun refers back to and replaces is called
its antecedent. All pronouns must have a clear, unmistakable noun/antecedent that they refer back to.
An unclear pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun could refer to more than one possible
antecedent. For example: “When Sam met the new boss, he smiled.” There is no clear indication as to
who the pronoun he refers back to. Was it Sam or the boss who smiled?
Choice C contains an unclear pronoun reference: As Sarah was putting on her cat ears and tail, she
noticed there was small tear in it.
There is no clear indication as to what the pronoun it refers back to. Was it the cat ears or the tail that
had a tear in it?
The sentence should read: As Sarah was putting on her cat ears and tail, she noticed the tail had a small
tear in it. It is now clear that the pronoun it refers back to the noun tail.
6. Select the correct pronouns to complete the following sentence:
There is only one week left before the homecoming dance, so Leah really needs to decide if
_____ wants to go to the dance with John or with _____.
A she; I
B she; me
C her; I
D her; me
The correct answer is B.
Explanation:
A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. The noun that a pronoun refers back to and replaces is called
its antecedent. Pronoun case is the form a pronoun takes depending on its function in a sentence. There
are three pronoun cases: subjective, objective, and possessive.
Subjective case pronouns are used when the pronoun functions as the subject of the sentence.
Subjective case pronouns include: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, and who.
Objective case pronouns are used when the pronoun is used as an object of a verb or preposition.
Objective case pronouns include: me, you, him, her, it, us, them, and whom.
Possessive case pronouns are used when the pronoun is used to show ownership. Possessive case
pronouns include: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, it, its, our, ours, their, theirs, and whose.
There is only one week left before the homecoming dance, so Leah really needs to decide if she wants to
go to the dance with John or with me.
The subjective pronoun she is needed in the first blank because the pronoun is functioning as the
subject for the verb wants to go. The objective pronoun me is needed in the second blank because the
pronoun is functioning as the object of the preposition with.
7. Select the underlined word or phrase that contains an error in subject-verb agreement.
A found
B is
C allow
D have even been known
The correct answer is C.
Explanation:
The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. Singular subjects require singular verbs.
Singular verbs usually end in -s. Plural subjects require plural verbs. Plural verbs usually do not end in -s.
Choice C is the sentence that contains an error in subject-verb agreement: An incredible verbal ability
allow mockingbirds to mimic other bird sounds.
The verb allow is incorrect. The subject of the sentence is verbal ability, which is singular, so the verb
must also be singular. The correct form of the verb is allows.
The sentence should read: An incredible verbal ability allows mockingbirds to mimic other bird sounds.
8. Choose the sentence with the correct word usage.
A Mrs. Dane is heading to the grocery store to ensure that her pantry is not bare when her family arrives
to stay with her for the week.
B Mrs. Dane is heading to the grocery store to insure that her pantry is not bare when her family arrives
to stay with her for the week.
C Mrs. Dane is heading to the grocery store to insure that her pantry is not bear when her family arrives
to stay with her for the week.
D Mrs. Dane is heading to the grocery store to ensure that her pantry is not bear when her family arrives
to stay with her for the week.
The correct answer is A.
Explanation:
ensure: to make certain
insure: to arrange for financial compensation against loss
bare: (v) to reveal; (adj) unfurnished, scantily supplied
bear: (v) to hold or support; (n) a type of animal
Therefore, choice A is the correct answer: Mrs. Dane is heading to the grocery store to ensure (make
certain) that her pantry is not bare (scantily supplied) when her family arrives to stay with her for the
week.
9. Choose the words that complete the sentences using correct subject-verb agreement.
Hurricane Sandy _____ a powerful hurricane that devastated the entire eastern seaboard of
the United States in 2012. There _____ major flooding in the streets and subway tunnels of
New York City.
A were; were
B was; were
C were; was
D was; was
The correct answer is D.
Explanation:
The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. Singular subjects require singular verbs.
Singular verbs usually end in -s. Plural subjects require plural verbs. Plural verbs usually do not end in -s.
Choice D is the correct answer: Hurricane Sandy was a powerful hurricane that devastated the entire
eastern seaboard of the United States in 2012. There was major flooding in the streets and subway
tunnels of New York City.
The first sentence, Hurricane Sandy _____ a powerful hurricane that devastated the entire eastern
seaboard of the United States in 2012, contains a singular subject, Hurricane Sandy. Therefore, the
sentence also requires a singular verb, was.
The second sentence, There _____ major flooding in the streets and subway tunnels of New York City,
contains a singular subject, flooding. Notice that the subject comes after the verb in this
sentence. There is not the subject. When dealing with sentences that begin with here or there,
remember that the true subject follows the verb. Flooding is the subject of the sentence; therefore, the
sentence requires a singular verb, was.
10. Select the underlined word or phrase that can be written in a more concise manner.
A is an example
B within three weeks
C the tadpole will sprout legs
D as a matter of fact
The correct answer is D.
Explanation:
Effective writing has a clear, logical flow of ideas which allows the reader to thoroughly understand the
written material. Unnecessary wordiness disrupts the flow of a sentence and can often lead to
confusion. To eliminate excessive wordiness, certain wordy phrases can be rewritten to be more concise
without changing the intended meaning of the sentence.
WORDY CONCISE
as a matter of fact in fact
at all times always
at the present time currently
in the neighborhood of about
for the purpose of for
Choice D is the correct answer. The wordy phrase as a matter of fact can be rewritten simply as in fact.
To be more concise, the sentence should read: At this point the frog has, in fact, reached the adult stage
of its life cycle.
