Title: Grammar
Course: Question Banks

Q: What is the most correct and helpful feedback you could offer to someone who wrote this? “He likes to have much candy bars around him all the time, in case he gets hungry. He also likes to drink too many Coke.”
- Review the rules for compound nouns
- Review adverbial phrases
- Review count vs. non-count nouns
A: Review count vs. non-count nouns

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence? “Himself couldn’t keep up with us or the children, so she and I left them.”
- Change children to childs.
- Change she and I to me and her.
- Change himself to he.
A: Change himself to he.

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence? “Even though it wasn’t adopted, she and I’s plan is the most workable one I’ve heard yet.”
- Change she and I’s to hers and mine.
- Change she and I’s to her and mine.
- Change she and I’s to her and my.
A: Change she and I’s to her and my.

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence? “The passenger told the driver that he was going to go open the door and push him out if he continued to yell at everyone like that.”
- The passenger told the driver that the passenger was going to go open the door and push the driver out if the driver continued to yell at everyone like that.
- The sentence is correct as is.
- The passenger said that he was going to open the door and push the driver out if the driver continued to yell at everyone like that.
A: The passenger said that he was going to open the door and push the driver out if the driver continued to yell at everyone like that.

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence? “Neither of my friends liked their meals. I couldn’t convince either to let my sister and me cook for them again.”
- Change my sister and me to my sister and I.
- Change their meals to his or her meal.
- Change their meals to his or her meal and them to him or her.
A: Change their meals to his or her meal and them to him or her.

Q: Your peer has written “Right after my friend left, I got.” She argues that it is grammatically correct. What feedback should you provide to help her?
- The verb got is a linking verb, which means you need to include a direct object.
- The verb got is an auxiliary verb, which means you need to include a direct object.
- The verb got is transitive, which means you need to include a direct object.
A: The verb got is transitive, which means you need to include a direct object.

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence? “He had been getting sicker for a while, so his mom brought him cough drops. That chicken noodle soup are what his friends got him.”
- Change brought to bring and are to is.
- Change had been to is and brought to bring.
- Change are to is.
A: Change are to is.

Q: Are the non-finite verbs in this sentence used correctly? “Right after I fixed my squeaked shoe, I tripped on a shattered tile.”
- No, shattered should be to shatter.
- Yes, they are used correctly.
- No, squeaked should be squeaking.
A: No, squeaked should be squeaking.

Q: Read this passage, and decide which verb denotes an ongoing action that starts in the past and continues in the future, and what this tense is called.

I have been working forever, and he does nothing but play. By the time I finish this essay, he will have been browsing the internet for hours. He often gets fed up with my lecturing, but by May, we will have seen see who ends up with the best grades.
- It’s “will have reached,” and it’s future perfect tense.
- It’s “we will have seen,” and it’s the future tense.
- It’s “will have been browsing,” and it’s the future perfect continuous tense.
A: It’s “will have been browsing,” and it’s the future perfect continuous tense.

Q: Your peer wrote this passage. Which does she need to change?

Kissing the Blarney Stone gives the gift of eloquently speech. It’s much more dangerous to accomplish this job when the stone is wet because you have to lean out from the castle’s prodigious height, a feat which can cause even the most brave person to shudder.
- She should change eloquently because this is a non-comparable adjective and most brave because this is the wrong intensifier.
- She should change eloquently because this is an adverb and most brave because that is the wrong intensifier.
- She should change eloquently because this is an adverb and most brave because that is the incorrect form of this comparable adjective.
A: She should change eloquently because this is an adverb and most brave because that is the incorrect form of this comparable adjective.

Q: Your peer wrote this passage. What does she need to change?

The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, quite elegantly houses relics of the Muslim world. If you visit these relics, you must walk quick through the room and speak very quiet. You can also see the Topkapi dagger, which is exceptional pretty. Sad enough, the Palace compound contains thousands more rooms that visitors never get to see.
- She should change quick, quiet, exceptional, and sad because these are adverbs and should be adjectives.
- She should change quiet and exceptional because these are adjectives and should be adverbs.
- She should change quick, quiet, exceptional, and sad because these are adjectives and should be adverbs.
A: She should change quick, quiet, exceptional, and sad because these are adjectives and should be adverbs.

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence?

“Some of these side-effects may not be known yet, therefore, we should consider funding more research.”
- This sentence is correct as written.
- Change therefore to because since the way the sentence is constructed requires a correlative conjunction.
- Put a semicolon before the word therefore because this word is a subordinating conjunction.
A: Put a semicolon before the word therefore because this word is a subordinating conjunction.

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence?

“Because her father trusted her to do anything as she grew up, she wasn’t dependent with anyone; she also learned at a young age how to use a chainsaw.”
- Change learned at to learned in because that is the correct prepositional phrase.
- This sentence is correct as written.
- Change dependent with to dependent on because that is the correct prepositional phrase.
A: Change dependent with to dependent on because that is the correct prepositional phrase.

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence?

“Even though he was sure he wouldn’t miss her when he left for the summer, he found himself writing her a really long letter.”
- Change a really long to really a long, since this is the correct way to use really plus an article.
- Change a really long to the really long, since you are referring to a specific letter.
- This sentence is correct as written.
A: This sentence is correct as written.

Q: What’s the best way, if any, to revise this sentence?

Even after all that time, I still had to fight the emotion in my voice; I told her, “Can’t we make it work this time?”.
- Change the semicolon to a comma, since the phrase before it is a dependent clause.
- The sentence is correct as written.
- Remove the period, since the question mark is the only end punctuation needed.
A: Remove the period, since the question mark is the only end punctuation needed.

Q: Your classmate Ivory wrote this passage. Are there changes needed? If so, what punctuation mark should she work on the most?

While it had been a long time coming, he now realized that his friends, long-time residents of this small town, did not care about what he did; living in another country had changed more than his speaking habits. He silently catalogued their qualities that drove him crazy: they had no ambition, they complained about the poor residents of their town, and they took nothing seriously.
- She needs to focus on comma usage.
- She needs to focus on semicolon usage.
- This passage is correct as written.
A: This passage is correct as written.

Q: Your friend Eli wrote this passage. What is the best suggestion for how he should spend his time proofreading this draft?

Many people know about the space shuttle program, however, not many people know about the technology that goes into supporting it: namely, the complex of buildings and armies of people whose sole job is to get the shuttle in the air. The Mobile Launcher Platform, for instance, is an enormous, innovative, two-story structure whose only job is to move the shuttle to the launch pad.
- The colon should be a comma, because its job is to join two ideas together.
- The comma after for instance should be a colon because it’s introducing the definition of the Mobile Launcher Platform.
- Put a semicolon before however because semicolons join two complete thoughts.
A: Put a semicolon before however because semicolons join two complete thoughts.

Q: Your classmate Celine wrote this passage. What is the best suggestion for how she should revise this draft?

When he was five-years-old, Mozart wrote his first concerto, a piece that he performed at age six to great acclaim. Other well known composers and musical artists were consumed with jealousy—as the movie Amadeus portrays—because, as one contemporary wrote, “he truly seems touched by God, while the rest of us must scrounge the crumbs of his talent.”
- There should be a hyphen in age six.
- There should be spaces on either side of the dashes.
- There should not be hyphens in five-years-old.
A: There should not be hyphens in five-years-old.

Q: Olivia wrote this passage. What is the best suggestion for how she should spend her time proofreading this draft?

If your preparing for a three-week backpacking trip, don’t forget you’re most important item: socks. Yes, really! Its been proven that socks can be life saving. Ross Grubers, a backpacker whose summited 10 of the worlds tallest peaks, agrees. It’s been reported that Gruberses socks are “the best money can buy.” His’s backpack even has it’s own little space for them.
- Work on correct quotation mark placement and colons.
- Work on commas and correct quotation mark placement.
- Work on possessives and contractions.
A: Work on possessives and contractions.

Q: Read an original passage from Mark Twain (A), and then read a student’s excerpt from an essay about it (B). Is the student’s excerpt written correctly? Which following piece of feedback is correct?

1. Now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had made a valuable acquisition. But I had lost something too. I had lost something which could never be restored to me while I lived. All the grace, the beauty, the poetry, had gone out of the majestic river!
2. Twain [in his later years] said that “when (he) had mastered the language of this water….(he) had made a valuable acquisition. But (he) had lost something too….All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river!
- Your use of brackets is correct, but you use parentheses incorrectly.
- Your ellipses are correct, but your parentheses and bracket usage is incorrect.
- Your use of parentheses, ellipses, and brackets is incorrect.
A: Your use of parentheses, ellipses, and brackets is incorrect.

Q: Your peer is working on understanding direct objects and indirect objects. He has written the following passage, italicized the direct objects, and bolded the indirect objects. What piece of feedback is the correct one to give him?

Scarab beetles have horns and luminous wings. Most people know that Egyptians ascribed them magical powers. Fewer people know that these insects occupied a mystical place in civilizations far older than ancient Egypt. People who lived 20,000 years ago probably put the beetles on their hearts or foreheads. Now, people often sell tourists beetle-shaped “ancient” pendants that are, of course, new.
- Hearts and foreheads aren’t indirect objects.
- Them is an indirect object, and powers is an direct object.
- The underlining and italicizing are correct.
A: The underlining and italicizing are correct.

Q: Denita is working on understanding sentence punctuation patterns. She has written the following passage, italicized the simple sentences, and bolded the compound sentences. What piece of feedback is the correct one to give her? (The sentences have been numbered to make answering easier.)

(1) Because e-learning systems can be tailored to students’ needs, the resources they provide are immediately applicable. (2) Garth Morgan says that learning objects can be assembled in any order; an individual’s manager can direct him to improve his knowledge in a specific competency area, then provide an e-learning plan to apply that knowledge. (3) The focus of e-learning can be specific for one individual and taken when the learner has the time. (4) In contrast, classroom training requires the registration of a minimum number of students, advanced scheduling, and fixed times.
- Sentence 2 is simple and sentence 4 is compound.
- Sentence 3 is simple.
- The underlining and bolding are correct.
A: The underlining and bolding are correct.

Q: Kendra has written this passage. What does she need to change? (The sentences have been numbered to make answering easier.)

(1) The Jumeirah Beachcomber is my favorite restaurant in Dubai, it sits right on the beach, next to the iconic Burj al-Arab—the world’s only seven-star hotel—built right out in the Arabian Gulf. (2) The restaurant catches the breezes off the water; the salt smell mingles with scents of sandalwood and frankincense. (3) When we last stayed, the food—an expansive buffet of Thai and southern Indian delicacies—stretched out before us. (4) My son got his usual: dragon fruit, chicken tikka masala, and beef with saffron, he headed to the restaurant’s game room. (5) Here, he could play Mario Brothers on the Wii while we talked and laughed with friends: the perfect evening.
- Sentences 3 and 5 are sentence fragments.
- Sentence 2 uses a semicolon incorrectly.
- Sentences 1 and 4 are run-on sentences.
A: Sentences 1 and 4 are run-on sentences.

Q: Prita has written this passage. What does she need to change? (The sentences have been numbered to make answering easier.)

(1)Weary to my core, and shuffling upstairs from my parents’ basement. (2)I tried not to think. (3)Almost forty, and living with my parents while my husband tried to find a job in this post-crash economy. (4)More than that was awful, though. (5)My old, frayed pajamas; my inability to afford new ones; and the fact the pancakes I was smelling were ones my mom had made me. (6)And I’m thirty-nine years old, I thought. (7)An age when I’m supposed to be providing for myself.
- Sentences 1, 2, and 4 are actually sentence fragments.
- Sentences 2, 4, and 6 are actually sentence fragments.
- Sentences 1, 3, 5, and 7 are actually sentence fragments.
A: Sentences 1, 3, 5, and 7 are actually sentence fragments.

Q: Which of the following examples best employs parallelism?

1. People who love to travel have these things in common: a forgiving nature, a free spirit, a ready acceptance of others, and a passport with lots of stamps.
2. Wallowing in warm lakes, sliding down glaciers, and occasional bee stings—these are my memories of last summer’s trip.
- A and B are equally parallel.
- B employs parallelism better because each item in the list contains an action.
- A employs parallelism better because each item in the list starts with an article and a noun.
A: A employs parallelism better because each item in the list starts with an article and a noun.

Q: Which of these passive-voice sentences do you recommend be changed to active voice, and why?

1. Once the machine has been recalibrated, it needs to be run through two or three test cycles.
2. My email was received by Megan, who was ecstatic to hear that I was okay.
- These should both be kept in passive voice, because in both cases, the thing that happened is most important.
- Sentence A should be changed to active voice, because we don’t know who will work with this machine.
- Sentence B should be changed to active voice, because “was received by Megan” is not the most efficient way of stating the subject.
A: Sentence B should be changed to active voice, because “was received by Megan” is not the most efficient way of stating the subject.

Q: Below are two sentences in the active voice. Should either of them be changed to the passive voice? Why or why not?

1. Although he will deny it, my neighbor has the most amazing collection of geodes I’ve ever seen.
2. Because he passes out frequently, my teacher sits during most of his lectures.
- A should be changed to passive voice to emphasize the amazing collection. B should be changed to the passive voice in order to make it shorter.
- A should be changed to the passive voice to emphasize the amazing collection, and B should stay active to emphasize the teacher’s condition.
- A should stay active because the passive voice would be awkward. B cannot be changed to passive voice.
A: A should stay active because the passive voice would be awkward. B cannot be changed to passive voice.

Q: Georgina has written the following passage. Which of these sentences should she change from the passive voice to the active voice? (The sentences are numbered to make it answering easier.)

(1)The dropout rate is a serious problem. (2)What can be done by teachers to help students stay in school? (3)High-school students must be motivated by caring individuals in their communities. (4)Teaching methods can be changed by teachers, too, to better fit their needs. (5)These changes will help kids stay in school.
- She should change sentences 2 and 4 to the active voice, because passive voice is always incorrect.
- She should change sentences 3 and 4 to the active voice, because in these sentences, she should use as few words as possible.
- She should change sentences 2, 3, and 4 to the active voice, since we know the subject of these sentence, and active voice would be less awkward.
A: She should change sentences 2, 3, and 4 to the active voice, since we know the subject of these sentence, and active voice would be less awkward.

Q: Below are two sentences in the passive voice. Are either of them “weak passive” sentences that should be changed to the active voice in order to make them clearer?

1. The good questions given by the teacher helped the students rethink their calculus problem.
2. The plan was crafted using the results of an earlier study.
- Both of these sentences should stay passive because they are both more effective as passive sentences.
- Both sentences should be changed to active because the active voice will make both sentences less wordy.
- A should be changed to active because the active voice will make the sentence easier to understand; B should stay passive because the plan is more important than the people who crafted it.
A: A should be changed to active because the active voice will make the sentence easier to understand; B should stay passive because the plan is more important than the people who crafted it.

Q: Below are two sentences in the passive voice. Which sentence is a more effective use of the passive voice?

1. It was made known that the police had erred.
2. It was written by Plato that a universal truth for everything exists somewhere.
- Both of these sentences are effective uses of the passive voice.
- B uses the passive voice more effectively.
- A uses the passive voice more effectively.
A: A uses the passive voice more effectively.