Title: Grammar
Course: Question Banks

Q: The plural of child is ________ because it is a(n) ________.
- childs, regular plural.
- children, regular plural.
- children, irregular plural.
A: children, irregular plural.

Q: Your friend wonders why doctor is written in lowercase, but Doctor Lund is uppercase. What should you tell him?
- Doctor Lund is a concrete noun, and doctor is an abstract noun.
- Doctor Lund is a noun, and doctor is a pronoun.
- Doctor Lund is a proper noun, and doctor is a common noun.
A: Doctor Lund is a proper noun, and doctor is a common noun.

Q: In the sentence “It really was okay with her and I,” is the pronoun I used correctly?
- Yes, the use of I as a direct object is commonly heard and correct.
- No, it’s not the sentence’s subject, so it should be myself.
- No, it’s not the sentence’s subject, so it should be me.
A: No, it’s not the sentence’s subject, so it should be me.

Q: Are the pronouns in this sentence used correctly?

- Neither her nor he thinks that their senior prank was funny.
- No, the possessive theirs should be used, not their.
- Yes, her nor he agrees with neither because neither is plural.
- No, it should be she instead of her because it’s part of the subject.
A: No, it should be she instead of her because it’s part of the subject.

Q: Which of the following is true about the verbs in the sentence “We can’t see the performance tonight”?
- The helping verbs can’t see support the main verb performance.
- The linking verb can’t supports the main verb see.
- The helping verb can’t supports the main verb see.
A: The helping verb can’t supports the main verb see.

Q: What does a linking verb do in a sentence?
- Works with another verb to express additional meaning
- Expresses some sort of action
- Connects the subject to the object without expressing any real action
A: Connects the subject to the object without expressing any real action

Q: Why is the past tense of sing is sang?
- Because sing is a complex verb
- Because sing is a transitive verb
- Because sing is an irregular verb
A: Because sing is an irregular verb

Q: In the following sentence, explain which is the non-finite verb.

- To discover the origin of cancer remained my friend’s greatest wish.
- remained because the action takes place in the past
- wish because it’s not clear when this action is taking place
- to discover because the it is the subject of the sentence
A: to discover because the it is the subject of the sentence

Q: In the following sentence, which is the verb is in a continuous tense?

- Even though he cried every night for weeks, he is growing stronger and may soon overcome his fear of spiders.
- cried because it is a completed action
- may soon overcome because it is something that could happen in the future
- is growing because it is ongoing
A: is growing because it is ongoing

Q: If you were describing a lake with the following three adjectives, which order would you put them in and why?
- “The immense African charming lake” because the order goes size, origin, then opinion
- “The charming African immense lake” because the order goes opinion, origin, then size
- “The charming immense African lake” because the order goes opinion, size, then origin
A: “The charming immense African lake” because the order goes opinion, size, then origin

Q: In the following sentence, identify the relative adverb.

- When she breaks the news, make sure you are close by and ready with a calming cup of tea.
- close because it gives more information about where you are
- calming because it modifies the noun cup of tea
- When because relative adverbs are question words
A: When because relative adverbs are question words

Q: Read the following sentence and decide if it is grammatically correct or not.

- Paying for college is an investment, it will enrich my life and career.
- It is correct because you can use a comma by itself to connect two separate ideas.
- It is not correct because there should be a comma before and career.
- It is not correct because it needs a conjunction after the comma before the word it.
A: It is not correct because it needs a conjunction after the comma before the word it.

Q: In the following sentence, what words are the prepositions?

- When she went to bed that night, she dreamed of the ocean, and when she woke up, the waves were still behind her eyes.
- When, of, and up because these words link sentences, phrases, and other words
- Of, up, still, and behind because these words reference and describe nouns
- ofbehind because these words indicate location, time, or more abstract relationships
A: ofbehind because these words indicate location, time, or more abstract relationships

Q: You are tutoring someone who isn’t sure whether he should use the or a in the sentence “After all this time, I learned that I should always listen to ________ good piece of advice.” What should you tell him?
- You should use the because you’re talking about a specific piece of advice.
- You should use a because you’re differentiating advice you’ve been given from advice others have been given.
- You should use a because you’re talking about one piece of advice out of many.
A: You should use a because you’re talking about one piece of advice out of many.

Q: What is the correct end punctuation for the following sentence?

- When I got the photos developed, I couldn’t help but wonder where my daughter’s eyes were
- A question mark because this is a direct question
- A period and a question mark because this is an indirect question
- A period because this is an indirect question
A: A period because this is an indirect question

Q: In the following sentence, choose whether the semicolon and the comma are correct.

- The loss; therefore, was hard to take.
- They are correct because the first part of the sentence is a complete thought.
- They should switch places because the last part of the sentence is a complete thought.
- They should both be commas because therefore is a transition word.
A: They should both be commas because therefore is a transition word.

Q: In the following sentence, choose whether the semicolon is used correctly or not.

- Although they kept playing games; I had to leave and say goodnight.
- Yes, it is correct because a semicolon separates two complete ideas.
- No, it should be a period because these two items need a more concrete separation.
- No, it should be a comma because “Although they kept playing games” is not a complete idea.
A: No, it should be a comma because “Although they kept playing games” is not a complete idea.

Q: Would you use a hyphen or dash in the space in the following sentence? Why?

- This mechanism’s high__temperature performance is significantly worse than during normal temperatures.
- A dash because the words that follow the space redefine the words that come before it
- A hyphen because the sentence denotes a range between high and temperature
- A hyphen because high and temperature act as a single unit
A: A hyphen because high and temperature act as a single unit

Q: Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks in this sentence, and explain your choice.

- ________never a mistake to try your hardest, but ________ still painful when you fail.
- It’s, its because the first one is possessive and the second one is a contraction for “you are.”
- Its, it’s because the first one is a contraction for “you are” and the second one is possessive.
- It’s, it’s because both blanks need the contraction for “it is.”
A: It’s, it’s because both blanks need the contraction for “it is.”

Q: In the following sentence, choose whether the quotation marks are used and placed correctly and why.

- The Arabic phrase that I use all the time is yalla, habibi, which means, “come on, friends”!
- Yes, because you are giving the meaning of the foreign phrase; the exclamation point belongs outside because the full sentence is an exclamation
- No, because those are scare quotes, which should be removed entirely
- No, because the exclamation point at the end should come inside the quotation marks; it is a part of the saying, not a part of the sentence as a whole
A: No, because the exclamation point at the end should come inside the quotation marks; it is a part of the saying, not a part of the sentence as a whole

Q: In this sentence, decide whether or not the brackets are used correctly, and why.

- I went to high school with the guy who’s now my dog’s vet [we played on the basketball team together].
- Yes, because this is extra information that can be taken out without changing the meaning of the sentence
- No, because that phrase should be enclosed by semicolons
- No, because that phrase should be enclosed in parentheses
A: No, because that phrase should be enclosed in parentheses

Q: In this sentence, decide whether or not the brackets are used correctly, and why.

- The scholar said that “despite enormous effort, [he] couldn’t replicate the study.”
- Yes, because it correctly emphasizes the word he, meaning that someone else may have been able to replicate that study
- No, because the word he should be enclosed in parentheses
- Yes, because they are clarifying a quote and making it work in that sentence
A: Yes, because they are clarifying a quote and making it work in that sentence

Q: Your classmate Cynthia wants to include some quoted material in her paper, but she wants to cut the quote’s length down by removing the middle of one sentence. What should you tell her to help her solve her problem?
- You can include all the material, but use italics to emphasize the parts you want your readers to notice.
- Include it all, but indent it ten spaces from the left to indicate that it’s a long quote.
- Use ellipses to cut out the parts you don’t want. Since the words will be removed from the middle of a sentence, use three dots.
A: Use ellipses to cut out the parts you don’t want. Since the words will be removed from the middle of a sentence, use three dots.

Q: Determine if the parentheses have been used correctly in the following sentence.

- She has long believed (and I have never contradicted her) that malaria really is caused by “bad air.”
- No, this is contradictory information that should go inside brackets.
- No, this is too long of a phrase to go inside parentheses.
- Yes, this is a brief aside that can go inside parentheses.
A: Yes, this is a brief aside that can go inside parentheses.

Q: In the following sentence, identify the direct and the indirect objects and explain your choice.

- The book my professor assigned me is incredibly long.
- The direct object is professor because professor is the one doing the action, and the indirect object is book because book is the thing being assigned.
- The direct object is book because book is the thing being assigned, and the indirect object is professor because professor is the one assigning it.
- The indirect object is me because me is the thing the action is for, and the direct object is book because book is the thing being assigned.
A: The indirect object is me because me is the thing the action is for, and the direct object is book because book is the thing being assigned.

Q: Identify what kind of sentence this is.

- The shark I saw while snorkeling in Oman came a little too close for comfort.
- This is a sentence with a compound predicate because the person is doing two different actions.
- This is a compound sentence because it contains two independent thoughts.
- This is a simple sentence because there is only one subject and one predicate.
A: This is a simple sentence because there is only one subject and one predicate.

Q: Is the following a run-on sentence? Why or why not?

- In the long run, we will have to choose which path to take, we won’t have time to hike everywhere.
- This is a correct sentence because the commas come after introductory or transitional phrases.
- This is a run-on sentence because the first comma needs to be a semicolon.
- This is a run-on sentence because the second comma needs to be semicolon.
A: This is a run-on sentence because the second comma needs to be semicolon.

Q: Is the following a sentence fragment, a run-on sentence, or a correct sentence?

- Even though the dog was small enough to fit in her pants pocket.
- This is a run-on sentence because it needs a comma.
- This is a complete correct sentence.
- This is a sentence fragment because it is a dependent clause.
A: This is a sentence fragment because it is a dependent clause.

Q: What is wrong with this sentence and why?

- My colleagues supported my proposal for two reasons: first, it is practical and second, its simplicity.
- The colon should be a comma because the phrases before and after are closely related.
- First and second should be in parentheses since they introduce items in a list.
- The sentence does not use parallel structure because “it is practical” and “its simplicity” are not parallel.
A: The sentence does not use parallel structure because “it is practical” and “its simplicity” are not parallel.

Q: Which of the following is the most appropriate time to use the passive voice?
- When you want to emphasize the subject
- When you want to write with the subject-verb-object pattern
- When you want to emphasize the action and the receiver of the action
A: When you want to emphasize the action and the receiver of the action

Q: One advantage of using the active voice is that
- it emphasizes the action itself and who or what received it.
- active voice sentences usually end up with more prepositional phrases.
- it emphasizes the doer of the action.
A: it emphasizes the doer of the action.

Q: When you want to emphasize the receiver of the action, you usually use
- the passive voice because it uses more helper verbs.
- the active voice because it lets you use stronger action verbs.
- the passive voice because it can remove the one doing the action from the sentence.
A: the passive voice because it can remove the one doing the action from the sentence.

Q: One advantage of using the passive voice is that
- it usually results in shorter more concise sentences.
- it allows you to focus on the subject or the one who does the action.
- it emphasizes the results of the action or the receiver of the action.
A: it emphasizes the results of the action or the receiver of the action.

Q: Jonah wants to write a sentence about the results of an explosion. The person who caused the explosion is unknown. Jonah should probably use the
- active voice.
- present tense.
- passive voice.
A: passive voice.