Grammar
WRITING ERRORS
DIRECTIONS: Read each set of sentences below. Three of the sentences in each set have errors
in agreement; ONE SENTENCE IS WRITTEN CORRECTLY. Choose the sentence that is
written correctly, with NO ERRORS in agreement.
EXAMPLE:
A. Neither Rose nor her sisters is going to the clambake.
B. Each of the singers perform their own interpretation of the song.
C. Red beans and rice are my favorite Cajun dish.
D. Either my stepmother or my uncles are coming to the celebration.
Answer D
1.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Lupe want to learn how to line dance.
Beth, along with Greg and Maria, are planning a backpacking trip.
How many dreidels does Miriam need to buy for Hanukkah?
Two of Europe’s active volcanoes, Etna and Stromboli, is in Italy.
2.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Some of the furniture in the Ming Dynasty exhibits are lovely.
Both my sister and my brother are learning sign language.
Most of the members of my family is from Ireland.
Do each of the cars on the lot runs smoothly?
3.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Gary’s cousins or his mother helps him with his homework.
Nelson Mandela and his supporters has transformed South Africa.
Neither the losers nor the victor were dissatisfied with the referee.
Neither dolphins nor porpoises, according to my textbook, is actually a fish.
4.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Enrique—if you can believe it—don’t want to go on vacation this summer.
Compassionate people doesn’t want anyone to be homeless.
He gave the package to they.
Doesn’t Lin want to play tennis with us this afternoon?
5.
A.
B.
C.
D.
The main event at the fair are the food contests.
Here’s the biographies of Colin Powell that you ordered.
Where are the CDs of Beethoven’s incredible symphonies?
Two thirds of the pie we made for our cousins are gone.
6.
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Vincent van Gogh painting The Potato Eaters show a family at dinner.
A dozen or so head of cattle are grazing next door.
“Elegy for the Giant Tortoises” are my favorite poem by Margaret Atwood.
You should tell the manager that forty minutes are too long to wait in line for a
movie.
7.
A.
B.
C.
D.
The first two chapters in this book describe the origin of the Internet.
Either my father or my brothers is going to sell the house.
Many a student and teacher has studied the Civil War.
Give the picture to they.
8.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Either David or Carlos is going to drive his new car to the family reunion.
I can never find the scissors when I want it.
Each of the finalists played their best.
Neither Nancy nor Linda remembered to bring their hiking shoes.
9.
A. One of the kittens has gotten themselves stuck under the sofa.
B. Did Warren or Bill tell you their impressions of the car show?
C. Fred and Lee are taking fruit to their team picnic.
D. Any interested person may submit their application.
10.
A.
B.
C.
D.
The coaches think that Nadia, who love gymnastics, will win the competition.
The musicians gave themselves the afternoon off.
Daniel is one player who always maintains their concentration.
Should Ellen and Heather bring her lunch?
PHRASES
DIRECTIONS: Read each sentence below, and look at the underlined word or phrase. Then,
choose the answer that identifies the type of word or phrase. Do not separately identify a
prepositional phrase that is part of a larger phrase.
EXAMPLE: Satisfied sheep grazed peacefully on the lush grass.
A. gerund
B. infinitive
C. participle
D. appositive
Answer: C
41.
Chaco Canyon, once the home of the Anasazi people, is now a national park.
A.
B.
C.
D.
42.
prepositional phrase
participial phrase
gerund phrase
appositive phrase
There will, of course, be no talking during the film.
A.
B.
C.
D.
prepositional phrase
participial phrase
gerund phrase
appositive phrase
43.
Make writing in your journal every day a priority.
A.
B.
C.
D.
44.
prepositional phrase
participial phrase
gerund phrase
appositive phrase
Even after two hours, they still had plenty left to say.
A. gerund
B. infinitive
C. participle
D. prepositional phrase
45. Countless people owe their lives to the groundbreaking work of Charles Richard Drew,
M.D., a McGill University Medical School graduate.
A. gerund
B. infinitive
C. participle
D. prepositional phrase
46. The tools in that box are used only for metalwork.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
47. Did you enjoy the grilled vegetables?
A. gerund
B. infinitive
C. participle
D. appositive
48. Surrounded by bushels of pole beans, the boys spent the day shelling them for canning.
A.
B.
C.
D.
participial phrase
gerund phrase
infinitive phrase
appositive phrase
49. I just called to say hello.
A.
B.
C.
D.
appositive phrase
prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
infinitive phrase
50. Planning is an important part of every job.
A.
B.
C.
D.
gerund
infinitive
participle
appositive
51. A young woman in a blue uniform answered the phone.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
52. The man across the aisle is sleeping.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
53. Fred went to college to study veterinary medicine.
A.
B.
C.
D.
prepositional phrase
infinitive phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
54. Nobody except Alicia was amazed at the sudden downpour.
A. adjective prepositional phrase
B. adverb prepositional phrase
C. gerund phrase
D. participial phrase
55. Working around the clock, the firefighters finally put out the last of the California brush
fires.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
56. The pond, frozen over since early December, is now safe for ice-skating.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
57. The stone steps, having been worn down by generations of students, needed to be replaced.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
58. Skiing down the slopes is my favorite thing to do in the winter.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
59. The awards dinner planned for this evening has been canceled because of a snowstorm.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
60. Mary spoke with confidence at the leadership conference.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adjective prepositional phrase
adverb prepositional phrase
gerund phrase
participial phrase
CLAUSES
DIRECTIONS Read each sentence below. Identify the underlined portion.
EXAMPLE
Joan, who is my best friend, is moving to another city.
A. independent clause
B. adjective clause
C. adverb clause
D. noun clause
Answer B
61. Since you are going to the store anyway, could you please buy some bread?
A.
B.
C.
D.
independent clause
adjective clause
adverb clause
noun clause
62. The article that I enjoyed most was the one that told the history of the guitar.
A.
B.
C.
D.
independent clause
adjective clause
adverb clause
noun clause
63. I filled my taco shell with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa after I watched Anna do the
same.
A.
B.
C.
D.
independent clause
adjective clause
adverb clause
noun clause
64. My brother is going to college, and he hopes to become an engineer.
A.
B.
C.
D.
independent clause
adjective clause
adverb clause
noun clause
Menu
65. The weary traveler finally found what she was seeking.
A. independent clause
B. adjective clause
C. adverb clause
D. noun clause
66. Counting the ballots is the responsibility of whoever organized the student election.
A. independent clause
B. adjective clause
C. adverb clause
D. noun clause
67. As we drove across the prairie, thousands of stars glittered above us.
A. independent clause
B. adjective clause
C. adverb clause
D. noun clause
68. In this game, whoever gets the fewest points cannot continue in the tournament.
A. independent clause
B. adjective clause
C. adverb clause
D. noun clause
69. We were standing in the house where Thomas Edison lived and worked.
A.
B.
C.
D.
independent clause
adjective clause
adverb clause
noun clause
70. Know what you want.
A.
B.
C.
D.
independent clause
adjective clause
adverb clause
noun clause
DIRECTIONS : Read each sentence below. Identify the function of the noun clause.
EXAMPLE: Running to the park is my hobby.
A. subject
B. direct object
C. indirect object
D. predicate nominative
E. object of a preposition
Answer A
71. That is what I asked upon hearing of this strange purchase.
A subject
B. direct object
C. indirect object
D. predicate nominative
72. Our dog, for example, readily responds to whoever takes note of him.
A subject
B. direct object
C. predicate nominative
D. object of a preposition
73. The restaurant manager will pay whoever works this weekend a bonus of fifty dollars.
A. subject
B. direct object
C. indirect object
E. object of a preposition
74. I did not know that the brown pelican is an endangered species.
A. subject
B. direct object
C. indirect object
D. predicate nominative
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
DIRECTIONS: Read each sentence below. Identify the sentence structure.
EXAMPLE: I scraped the plates, and Sam washed the dishes.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
complex sentence
compound sentence
compound-complex sentence
Answer C
75. Eli, Kai, and Lani are preparing poi as part of their traditional Hawaiian luau.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
76. Allison agreed that more research was needed for the report.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
77. I knew that mountain climbing would be difficult for me, but now I feel that I can
meet the challenge.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
78. The Sears Tower in Chicago is one of the world’s tallest buildings, but the Petronas
Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur are about 30 feet taller.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
79. Will it snow this weekend?
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
80. Twin fawns slept in the tall grass while their mother kept watch.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
57. Joe wrote most of the story, but Kevin will read it to the class because Joe is too
nervous.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
58. Before the game started, all the football players ran out onto the field, and everyone
cheered.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
59. Amphibians and some insects can live both on the land and in water.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
60. Fred knew the plan, and he assigned each group a part.
A.
B.
C.
D.
simple sentence
compound sentence
complex sentence
compound-complex sentence
You have reached the end of the grammar section!
Check your scantron – are you on the right number? 