“The kids who meet up at the playground to play on the swings, climb on the jungle gym, and try the monkey bars.”
A. The kids who meet up at the playground, play on the swings, climb on the jungle gym, and try the monkey bars.
B. The kids meet up at the playground to play on the swings, climb on the jungle gym, and try the monkey bars.
C. The kids meeting up at the playground to play on the swings, climb on the jungle gym, and try the monkey bars.
Answer:
B. The kids meet up at the playground to play on the swings, climb on the jungle gym, and try the monkey bars.
The issue with the first sentence is that the word “who” creates a clause with a subject but no corresponding verb so that the sentence is actually a sentence fragment. Removing “who” changes it so that “the kids” is the subject and “meet” is the verb. Taking a look at the 20 most confusing grammar rules in English might help you out with this grammar test.
Which sentence is grammatically incorrect?
A. Me and my sister went to see our little brother’s high school graduation.
B. John and I are going to treat you all to dinner tonight.
C. Can you meet Sarah and me at Target later?
Answer:
A. Me and my sister went to see our little brother’s high school graduation.
Choosing between “I” and “me” is very tricky, especially since people are very quick to correct anyone who says “…and me” with “…and I.” But sometimes, as in Choice C, “…and me” is correct. It depends on whether the first-person pronoun is part of the subject or the object. An easy trick to figure it out is to remove the other person and see if “me” or “I” sounds better. In Choice A, “Me went to see my little brother’s high school graduation” doesn’t make sense, so it should be “My sister and I.” In Choice C, though, “Can you meet me at Target later?” does make sense.
Which sentence uses commas correctly?
A. No, I don’t think it’s a good idea to start your essay the day before it’s due.
B. I ate an ice cream cone, and a piece of cake.
C. I’m bringing my favorite snacks, bug spray and a beach chair.
Answer:
A. No, I don’t think it’s a good idea to start your essay the day before it’s due.
A comma should be after the “No” to separate it from the clause that follows. In Choice B, you don’t need a comma because “and a piece of cake” is an object of the sentence, not a new clause (it has no subject or verb). You also don’t need a comma when listing only two items. (“I ate an ice cream cone, a piece of cake, and some cotton candy” does need, at the very least, a comma after “cone,” since it’s a longer list.) As for Choice C, you definitely need a comma after “bug spray”—unless the “favorite snacks” you’re referring to are bug spray and a beach chair, two pretty inedible things! Check out more comma rules everyone should know.
Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?
A. Please pick up some banana’s at the grocery store.
B. Who’s cell phone is on the table here?
C. Please fill the cats’ food bowl—Tiger and Fluffy won’t stop meowing at me!
Answer:
C. Please fill the cats’ food bowl—Tiger and Fluffy won’t stop meowing at me!
Choice A doesn’t need that apostrophe—”banana” just needs an S to make it plural, not an apostrophe and an S. The first word in Choice B should be “Whose,” not “Who’s,” since “Who’s” is a contraction of “who is.” As for Choice C, the apostrophe is correct here because “Tiger and Fluffy” makes it clear that there is more than one cat—so the apostrophe should, indeed, be after the S. (Choice C uses the apostrophe in “won’t” correctly, too!) Here’s more about when you should and shouldn’t be using an apostrophe.
Which sentence about quantity is incorrect?
A. I finished the race in less time than I did last year.
B. He scored less points than I did in Pac-Man.
C. There are fewer cookies than there were yesterday; do you know anything about that?
Answer:
B. He scored less points than I did in Pac-Man.
This rule trips a lot of people up. You use “fewer” for an amount that’s countable, like “cookies”—or Choice B’s “points.” Use “less” when the quantity you’re referring to is a general, unspecific, or uncountable quantity, like “time” or “money” (Choice A does this correctly.) So you would correctly say “less time” and “less money,” but also “fewer hours” and “fewer dollars.” This rule is a confusing one, so learn more about the difference here.
Identify the error in the following sentence:
It’s actually more challenging to catch a fish with a net than catching one with a fishing rod.
A. It’s
B. More challenging
C. Catching
Answer:
C. Catching
As is, this sentence is not parallel—the two verbs should be the same form, but they’re not. The correct sentence would be “It’s actually more challenging to catch a fish with a net than to catch one with a fishing rod,” so that both of the verbs are infinitives and therefore match.
Author: Dennis Hickey
There are no limits to success to those who never stop learning. Learning will nourish your personal growth. I hope you enjoy this website and visit often so you keep learning and growing too! View all posts by Dennis Hickey