English Grammar Practice Questions
- Posted by Brian Stocker MA
- Date March 27, 2014
- Comments 9 comments
English
English grammar questions are found on most , Nursing Entrance and tests, as well as Catholic Entrance, High School Exit and High School Proficiency
Practice Questions — Answer Key — Common Mistakes — Common Questions
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Grammar Practice Questions
1. Choose the sentence with the correct grammar.
a. Everyone was asked to raise their hand.
b. Everyone was asked to raise our hand.
c. Everyone was asked to raise her hand.
d. None of the above.
2. Choose the sentence with the correct grammar.
a. The man was asked to come with his daughter and her test results.
b. The man was asked to come with her daughter and her test results.
c. The man was asked to come with her daughter and our test results.
d. None of the above.
3. Choose the sentence with the correct grammar.
a. Each boy and girl were given a toy.
b. Each boy and girl was given a toy.
c. A boy and girl is given a toy.
d. None of the above.
4. Choose the sentence with the correct grammar.
a. The teachers and the student are standing in the hall.
b. The teachers and the student is standing in the hall.
c. Both of the above.
d. None of the above.
5. Choose the sentence with the correct grammar.
a. Mathematics were my best school.
b. Mathematics are my best subject in school.
c. Mathematics was my best subject in school.
d. None of the above.
6. Choose the sentence with the correct grammar.
a. Neither of them were coming along.
b. Neither of them is coming along.
c. Neither of them are coming along.
d. None of the above.
7. Choose the sentence with the correct grammar.
a. Neither the teacher nor the student is left in class.
b. Neither the teacher nor the student are left in class.
c. Both of the above.
d. None of the above.
8. If he ________________ the textbook like he was supposed to, he would have known what was on the test.
a. will have read
b. shouldn’t have read
c. would have read
d. had read
9. Following the tornado, telephone poles _______________ all over the street.
a. laid
b. lied
c. were lying
d. were laying
10. After the car was fixed it _______________ again.
a. ran good
b. ran well
c. would have run well
d. ran more well
Answer Key
1. C
Words such as neither, each, many, either, every, everyone, everybody and any should take a singular pronoun. Here we are assuming that the subject is female, and so use “her.” The subject could be male, in which case we would use “his,” however that is not one of the choices in this case.
2. A
A Pronoun should conform to its antecedent in gender, number and person.
3. B
Use the singular verb form when nouns are qualified with “every” or “each,” even if they are joined by ‘and. ’
4. A
When two subjects are linked with “with” or “as well,” use the verb form that matches the first subject.
5. C
Always use the singular verb form for nouns like politics, wages, mathematics, innings, news, advice, summons, furniture, information, poetry, machinery, vacation, scenery etc.
6. B
Use a singular verb with either, each, neither, everyone and many.
7. A
When two subjects are linked by “either,” “or,” “nor,” or “neither,” use a verb that matches the second subject.
8. D
When talking about something that didn’t happen in the past, use the past perfect (if I had done).
9. C
“Lie” means to recline, and does not take an object. “lay” means to place and does take an object. Peter lay the books on the table, or the telephone poles were lying on the road.
10. B
Present tense, “ran well” is correct. “Ran good” is never correct.
Most Common English Grammar Mistakes on a Test
Subject-verb agreement (e.g. “I went to the store yesterday and buy tomatoes”)
There, their and they’re
“There” is a place, for example, the book is over there.
“Their’ is possessive, for example, it is their book.
“They’re” is the short form (contraction) of they are, for example, They’re coming with us.
Adjective and adverbs
Adjectives include words about color, size, shape, and state. For example, a large book.
Adverbs answer a question, like who, when, where.
Errors with apostrophes (e.g. “the cats dinner” vs “the cat’s dinner”) Punctuation Practice
Errors with quotation marks and comma. Punctuation Practice
“Lay” and “lie”
You lie down, but you lay something down. English Grammar Practice
Most Common English Grammar Test Questions
Subject Verb Agreement
Example Question Choose the correct verb form.
Incorrect The list of items are on the desk.
Correct The list of items is on the desk.
English Usage practice
Pronoun Agreement
Example Question Choose the correct pronoun to agree with its antecedent.
Incorrect Each of the students must submit their homework.
Correct Each of the students must submit his or her homework.
Verb Tense
Example Question Ensure verbs are in the correct tense.
Incorrect She was running every day and now she runs once a week.
Correct She used to run every day and now she runs once a week.
Incorrect Modifiers
Example Question Correct modifiers.
Incorrect Running quickly, the finish line seemed to appear suddenly.
Correct Running quickly, she suddenly saw the finish line appear.
English Usage practice
Parallel Structure
Example Question Items in a list or comparison must be in the same grammatical form.
Incorrect She likes hiking, swimming, and to run.
Correct She likes hiking, swimming, and running.
Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices
Example Question Correct comma splices or run-on sentences.
Incorrect I went to the store, I bought milk.
Correct I went to the store, and I bought milk.
Punctuation Practice
Fragments
Example Question Identify incomplete sentences.
Incorrect Because I was tired.
Correct I went to bed early because I was tired.
Meaning in Context
Example Question Choose the correct word based on meaning and context.
Incorrect Their going to the park.
Correct They’re going to the park.
Meaning in context Practice
Punctuation (Commas, Semicolons, Colons)
Example Question Use correct punctuation in sentences, or identify incorrect punctuation.
Incorrect I have a big test tomorrow I can’t go out tonight.
Correct I have a big test tomorrow; I can’t go out tonight.
Punctuation Practice
Pronouns and Correct case
Example Question Choose the correct pronoun case (subjective, objective, possessive).
Incorrect Him and I went to the store.
Correct He and I went to the store.
English Usage practice
Adjectives and Adverbs
Example Question Identify and use adjectives and adverbs correctly and identify incorrect usage.
Incorrect She sings beautiful.
Correct She sings beautifully
Date Published: Thursday, March 27th, 2014
Date Modified: Thursday, September 12th, 2024
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9 Comments
I disagree with a couple of the answers given. For #1, we cannot assume the subject is female because the subject noun is “everyone” which is a singular noun that indicates a collective whole; that is, refers to more than one person. Perhaps a better “correct” structure would be something like “Everyone was asked to raise a hand to signify agreement.”
#13, your answer key indicates that the correct answer is “A” but I believe the comma is comletely misplaced, making the correct answer “D.”
#20 (well, #21 on the test b/c #17 was missing, but #20 on the answer key), the correct answer cannot be “A” due to the improper use of the word “Although” as well as the use of the word “even” twice in a row. Would not the correct answer be “B?”
#1 and #20 are correct – checked by College Prof with Ph.D. in English Literature. #13 is a typo and thanks!
I beg to differ with you on 20. Would be grateful if the use of ‘even’ juxtaposed in this sentience could be justified.
For #20 Choice A is the only valid choice – none of the others make any sense.
it was really helpful thanks
For number 3, both “b” and “c” have singular verbs. So each should be correct. Tense is irrelevant.
Helped a lot for my asset test tomorrow
question 20 the correct answer is B. modify it please
The answer is correct – Choice A. Choice B begins with ‘because’ and is wordy.