Writing test grammar and usage practice exercises: aligned with test objectives and linked interactively with responses and rationale

Sentence fragments and run-on sentences (objectives 0010 and 0016)
Sentence fragments are groups of words that lack either a subject or a verb. On tests they are often separated by semicolons rather than appearing in isolation, making their identification too easy. Identify and correct the sentence fragments that follow:

1. I was held up at the office for three hours; phone calls. [Answer]

 

2. It was the worst day of my life; just my luck. [Answer]

 

Run-on sentences might be extended or brief in length. Sentences are called run-on if they are combined without a connecting conjunction combining them. While you are thinking about run-on sentences, review comma splices. The two often accompany each other. When a comma is incorrectly used to combine two complete sentences without a connecting conjunction, the punctuation error is called a comma splice. Identify and correct the run-on sentences and/or comma splices.

 

3. Marie accepted the award, she had the best sales record. [Answer]

 

4. Getting up early was no problem I like to fish. [Answer]

 

5. His friends were happy that he always recognized them he never let fame go to his head he always remembered his roots. [Answer]

 

Word Choice (objectives 0010 and 0016)
Word choice for a literacy and communication test differs from that for everyday speech. Attending to that difference can contribute to a higher score on the MTEL. Tone, contextual meaning, precision of meaning, and general appropriateness of language are issues in word choice questions, as is the avoidance of extreme, value-laden words. Try these sentences; find the less correct examples of usage and correct them. Sometimes spelling errors or other more direct grammar errors are mixed with word choice questions.

 

6. Why are there shirt-sleeves always too short? Its unusual. [Answer]

 

7. I akst him to come, but he said the play would effect him in a bad way. [Answer]

 

Parallel Structures (objectives 0009, 0010, and 0011)

Parallel structures have to do with balance in the construction of a sentence. Parallelism is usually an issue when the writer uses a series of words (either nouns, adjectives, or adverbs), phrases, or clauses.

 

8. Either I go to town and I stay home. [Answer]

 

9. After searching her briefcase, calling her office, and she reached her secretary, Jennifer realized the paper was lost. [Answer]

 

Agreement of Person and Number (objectives 0009, 0010, and 0011)

Person in grammatical usage refers to the clarity among the person speaking (first person), the person spoken to (second person), and the person or thing being spoken about (third person). Number in grammatical usage refers to the clarity of whether a sentence is referring to one (singular) or more than one (plural).

 

Identify and correct the sentences below:

 

10. If a student writes rapidly, they can complete the test within an hour. [Answer]

 

11. Drivers should be more careful when you are in heavy traffic. [Answer]

 

12. When a student has applied for a summer job, they wait anxiously for a reply. [Answer]

 

Subject/Verb Agreement (objectives 0010, 0011, and 0017)

Subject/verb agreement refers to the need for the subject and verb of a sentence to agree in number. For example, the sentence, "George Washington was the first President of the United States,” has a singular subject (George Washington) and a singular verb (was). We do not say "George Washington were (plural) the first President….” Subjects and verbs must agree in number.

 

Subject and verb agreement can get complicated when there are several plural words between the subject and the verb. For example, we might see the following sentence: "The huge pot full of vegetables and herbs and several kinds of meats was [not were] bubbling over the open fire.” The subject in that sentence is "pot,” and it is singular. Therefore we use a singular verb, "was.”

 

Try to find mistakes in subject/verb agreement in the following sentences:

 

13. The color of the houses are white. [Answer]

 

14. Every single player, as well as all the fans, know that the umpire missed the call. [Answer]

 

15. The red line and the green line intersects at Park Street Station. [Answer]

 

16. Patriotic fervor marks one era, while passionate critique of public policy and a cry for inclusive, equitable practice is characteristic of another point in time. [Answer]

 

17. Bagels and cream cheese are the favorite breakfast at the deli. [Answer]

 

18. The two experts agree, but neither are right. [Answer]

 

Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers (objectives 0010, 0011, 0016)

A misplaced modifier is the separation of a modifier from the word it modifies to the extent that it creates confusion in the reader.

 

19. She grilled hamburgers for her family on hot charcoal. [Answer]

 

20. Tommy was the first child born into that family who had brown eyes. [Answer]

 

21. Climbing to the top of the trail, the ocean became visible. [Answer]

 

22. Traveling south, the weather became increasingly hot and humid. [Answer]

 

Double Negatives (objective 0011)

A double negative occurs when two negative words are placed in the same sentence in such a way that they cancel each other out. For example:

 

He didn’t pay nothing for his lunch. The two negatives are not (n’t) and nothing. Logically, if he didn’t pay nothing, then he must have paid something. But the real intent of the incorrect sentence is to say: He paid nothing for his lunch. OR, he didn’t pay anything for his lunch. Common negative words are no, none, hardly, neither, barely, or scarcely. ESL Note: In some languages, multiple negative words intensify the negativity of the statement. However, in English, each negative acts like a reversal, so that with two reversals, you end up traveling in the same direction. Try these examples:

 

23. She couldn’t hardly tell the difference between the twins. [Answer]

 

24. None of the employees never worked all day on Fridays. [Answer]

 

Word Choice (objectives 0010, 0011, 0016, and 0017)

Imprecise and inappropriate word choice is a topic that covers a multitude of grammatical problems. Consider the following examples:

 

25. Him and me are taking a standardized test. [Answer]

 

26. Just between you and I, that salesman is a crook! [Answer]

 

27. Diligent attention to preparation will reveal who to pass. [Answer]

 

28. The professor asked me who I was riding with. [Answer]

 

29. Can I have more carrots, please? [Answer]

 

30. I am finished with my test; would you pardon me please while I get a drink of water? [Answer]

 

31. Its important that I know whether this test will effect my grade. [Answer]

 

Correct Verb Forms (objectives 0011, 0017)

Almost all verbs have five forms: present, past, past participle, present participle, and subjunctive. The following examples will include all of those forms.

 

32. The lifeguards have instruct as many as fifty swimmers as a time. [Answer]

 

33. I would have locked the car if the lock was not filled with rust. [Answer]

 

34. I was laying in my bed reading a book. [Answer]

 

35. While I was lying on my bed reading a book, my sister brought in another book and lay it on the bed. [Answer]

 

36. The teacher asked the students to set down. [Answer]

 

37. The teacher told the student to sit the book on the table. [Answer]

 

38. That professor is suppose to be the best. [Answer]

 

Pronoun Usage (objectives 0010, 0011, 0017)

A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun and functions as a noun in a sentence. Common pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we and they. But in addition, words such as myself, this, that, who, which, and everyone can be used as pronouns. Just as subjects and verbs must agree in number and person, so also pronouns and their antecedents must agree in person and number (and gender). The following examples will help you understand this concept:

 

39. Colby College was named after Gardner Colby because of their generous financial support in the nineteenth century. [Answer]

 

40. Anyone who raises their hand is automatically a volunteer. [Answer]

 

41. Thelma and Louise could not agree on the direction of her escape. [Answer]

 

42. Each girl scout and her mother is asked to take their seat. [Answer]

 

Adverb Usage (objectives 0010, 0011, 0017)

An adverb is a word that describes or modifies a verb ,an adjective, another adverb, or a clause. Many adverbs end in "ly,” such as "happily” or "sadly.” However, some common adverbs do not end in "ly.” The only sure way to determine an adverb is to identify the word it modifies.

 

43. Thoreau lived in the woods happy. [Answer]

 

44. Thoreau lived good in the woods. [Answer]

 

45. Thoreau wrote beautiful about his experiences in the woods. [Answer]

 

Adjective Usage (objectives 0011, 0017)

An adjective modifies or describes a noun or a pronoun. For example, a complex idea is a phrase in which the noun (idea) is described by the adjective (complex). In English, an adjective generally precedes the word it modifies. Some adjectives relate two items. These adjectives are put into two classes: comparative and superlative. For example, in "good -- better -- best," "good" is the unqualified adjective; "better" is the comparative adjective, which one should use when only two items are compared, or when item B is better than item C, but not better than item A; and finally, "best" is the superlative adjective, which one should use when the item in question is the best of a group of three or more.

 

46. The low recruits were marching proud. [Answer]

 

47. She experienced exhilaratingly beauty when she reached the summit. [Answer]

 

48. Of the two bad movies, the worser was the comedy. [Answer]

 

49. Of the entire violin section of the orchestra, James was probably the more dependable. [Answer]

 

50. The magician delighted the fascinating children. [Answer]

 

Plural and possessive forms of nouns (objectives 0011, 0017, 0018)

A noun is usually made plural by the addition of an "s” or "es” to the end of the word (computer…computers; potato…potatoes). Some nouns, however, have irregular plural forms (city…cities; woman…women). To form the possessive of a noun in order to indicate ownership, all singular nouns and irregular plural nouns simply add an apostrophe (') plus an "s” (Jane’s pencil, James’s book, women’s studies). When a noun is plural and already ends in s, it is only necessary to add an apostrophe to form the possessive (students’ rights). The exception to the use of an apostrophe to make the possessive form is in the use of the personal pronouns his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs, and whose, which are already possessive.

 

51. The nearest gas station is forty mile down the road. [Answer]

 

52. Hanging from every branch was the deep Souths characteristic Spanish moss. [Answer]

 

53. The delegate’s selection of their candidate was unanimous. [Answer]

 

54. It’s very presence was cause for alarm. [Answer]

 

Punctuation (objective 0018)

Many punctuation errors are made in the use of commas, but other punctuation marks can also be confusing. Not enough commas or too many commas can be confusing to a reader. The following examples will illustrate some basic rules on the use of the comma as well as other punctuation marks:

 

55. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers and he planted a row of cucumbers. [Answer]

 

56. The Boston Red Sox played well, but, the New York Yankees won the pennant. [Answer]

 

57. Of course taking the teacher certification test is a requirement in Massachusetts. [Answer]

 

58. The students after eating a good breakfast entered the classroom. [Answer]

 

59. To be frank I haven’t the foggiest idea of the answer. [Answer]

 

60. Oxford Mississippi was the home of William Faulkner. [Answer]

 

61. October 2 1959 was the date of her birth. [Answer]

 

62. The campus center was valued at $2849000. [Answer]

 

63. Although, the sun was shining, it was still raining. [Answer]

 

64. The study found, that more students passed the test when they attended the practice sessions. [Answer]

 

65. The newspaper account credited the politicians, behind the triumph was the work of the strategists. [Answer]

 

66. She knew the tickets would be hard to obtain, therefore, she went to the concert hall early. [Answer]

 

67. The way to get tickets dawned upon her; go to the concert hall early. [Answer]

 

68. The picture on the souvenir mug was fading as if it really mattered. [Answer]

 

69. Samuel Francis Smith coined the phrase "sweet land of liberty (America)” in his hymn which begins, "My country ‘tis of thee.” [Answer]

 

70. Katherine Lee Bates wrote, "Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, America, America, God shed his grace on thee. [Answer]

 

71. This is not an either-or proposition; it is a both-and situation. [Answer]

 

Capitalization (objective 0018)

Remember to capitalize the first letter of the first word of a sentence, and also capitalize proper nouns (nouns used as a title or name). Here are a few examples:

 

72. there is something wrong with this sentence: Can you tell what it is? [Answer]

 

73. the poet e e cummings is the best poet on earth! [Answer]

 

74. Will drove west toward west virginia. [Answer]

 

75. My doctor said that the disease was incurable, but doctor oconnor said that surgery might help. [Answer]

Go to Writing Test A