English Grammar for the Utterly Confused - Laurie Rozakis 2003
Questions
Chapter 6 The 25 Most Common Usage Problems
Part 2 Usage and Abusage
True-False Questions
1. Long-winded writing may sound educated and impressive, but it actually turns off your audience because it wastes their time.
2. Parallel structure means that sentence parts match, singular to singular and plural to plural.
3. For a metaphor to be effective, it must compare images or objects that go together.
4. A modifier is said to “dangle” when the word it modifies has been left out of the sentence.
5. An idiom is a verb ending in -ing. Idioms always have literal meanings.
6. Never use language that denigrates people because of their age, gender, race, or physical condition.
7. Avoid the passive voice because the active voice is stronger and clearer.
8. A sentence fragment occurs when two complete sentences (“independent clauses”) are incorrectly joined.
9. Writers often misspell words because they mispronounce them.
10. Accidently is spelled correctly.
Completion Questions
Select the word that best completes each sentence.
1. We add -s or -es to make the third-person singular form of most (nouns, verbs) but add -s or es to make the plural form of most (nouns, verbs).
2. (Redundancy, Metaphors) are figures of speech that compare two unlike things to explain the less-familiar object.
3. (A modifier, An idiom) is a word or phrase that describes a subject, verb, or object.
4. A (misplaced modifier, dangling construction) is a phrase, clause, or word placed too far from the noun or pronoun it describes. As a result, the sentence fails to convey your exact meaning.
5. The word (baggy, sacrifice, exhaust, vegetable) is misspelled.
6. Because of errors in pronunciation, spellers often insert an unnecessary (modifier, vowel) between two letters.
7. (Their, There, They’re) is a possessive word.
8. The (apostrophe, comma) is used to show possession and to show plural forms.
9. This mark of punctuation also shows (contraction, parallelism) where a letter or number has been omitted.
10. (Quotation marks, Exclamation marks) create an overwrought tone that often undercuts your point.
Multiple-Choice Questions
Choose the best answer to each question.
1. The following are all grammar and usage errors except
(a) Incorrect idioms
(b) Lack of parallel structure
(c) Missing commas or extra commas
(d) Dangling modifiers
2. The following are all classified as errors in mechanics except
(a) Biased language
(b) Missing or misused apostrophes
(c) Missing commas or extra commas
(d) Misused exclamation marks
3. Which is a run-on sentence?
(a) Harry Truman’s middle name was just S, but it isn’t short for anything.
(b) Harry Truman’s middle name was just S, it isn’t short for anything.
(c) Harry Truman’s middle name was just S; it isn’t short for anything.
(d) Harry Truman’s middle name was just S, and it isn’t short for anything.
4. Which is the best revision of the following sentence fragment:
Since Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son.
(a) Because Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son.
(b) When Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son.
(c) After Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son.
(d) Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son.
5. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
(a) Madison lived at Montpelier (tall mountain), Thomas Jefferson lived at Monticello (little mountain).
(b) Madison, lived at Montpelier (tall mountain), Thomas Jefferson, lived at Monticello (little mountain).
(c) Madison lived at Montpelier (tall mountain) Thomas Jefferson lived at Monticello (little mountain).
(d) Madison lived at Montpelier (tall mountain); Thomas Jefferson lived at Monticello (little mountain).
6. Which sentence has a dangling modifier?
(a) Coming up the hall, the clock struck ten.
(b) As we came up the hall, the clock struck ten.
(c) The clock struck ten when we came up the hall.
(d) We heard the clock strike ten as we came up the hall.
7. Which sentence has a misplaced modifier?
(a) Yesterday, the city police reported that two cars were stolen.
(b) Two cars were reported stolen by the city police yesterday.
(c) The city police reported yesterday that two cars were stolen.
(d) The city police reported that two cars were stolen yesterday.
8. Which sentence is not parallel?
(a) My date was obnoxious, loud, and cheap.
(b) My date was obnoxious, loud, and tightfisted.
(c) My date was obnoxious, loud, and didn’t spend money easily.
(d) My date was obnoxious, loud, and economical.
9. Every sentence must have all the following elements except:
(a) A subject, a noun or pronoun
(b) A modifier, an adjective or an adverb
(c) A verb
(d) A complete thought
10. Which of the following idioms is correct?
(a) Outlook on life
(b) In search for
(c) Jealous for others
(d) Puzzled on
Further Exercise
Correct all the errors in the following paragraph.
Sherlock holmes and watson camping in the forest. They gone to bed and were laying beneath the night sky. Holmes’ said Whatson look up what do you see”
“I see thosands of stars.”
“And what do that means to you? Holmes ask?
“I suppose it mean that of all the planets, in the universe, we are truly fortunate to be here on Earth. We are small in Gods eyes should struggle every day to be worthy of our blessings. In a meteorological sense it mean, well have a sunny day tomorow. What does it mean to you Holmes”
“To me it, means someone have stole our tent”