Elance English Sentence Structure Test Answers



What is a coordinating conjunction?
(All of these)
a word such as "yet," "but," "so," or "nor"
a word that joins two independent clauses
a word that joins two words of equal syntactic importance


"He is the very model of a diplomat." What part of speech is "is"?
adverb
adjective
preposition
verb


"Hey, where'd you get that dress?" What part of speech is "Hey"?
preposition
interjection
noun
conjunction


Correct the following sentence: "First thing in the morning, Joe likes to make coffee, to exercise, and then taking a shower."
Joe likes to make coffee, to exercise, and then taking a shower first thing in the morning.
First thing in the morning, Joe likes coffee, exercise, and then taking a shower.
First thing in the morning, Joe likes to make coffee, exercise, and then take a shower.
First thing in the morning, Joe likes to make coffee, exercise, and then taking a shower.


"The abandoned puppy climbed out of the box." What part of speech is "abandoned"?
adjective
noun
adverb
verb


"The woman smiled sadly." What part of speech is "sadly"?
adjective
verb
preposition
adverb


True or false: A compound sentence is always longer than a complex sentence.
True
False


"I missed my train!" Based on its purpose, what type of sentence is this?
imperative
interrogative
declarative
exclamatory


A complex sentence requires an independent clause and one or more ...
normal clauses
relative clauses
adjectival clauses
dependent clauses


Which is a way of correcting a comma splice?
inserting a coordinating conjunction after the comma
making one of the clauses a dependent clause
(All of these)
changing the comma to a semicolon


Which sentence implies that Kate is the only person who cares about Jason?
Only Kate cares about Jason.
Kate cares only about Jason.
Kate only cares about Jason.


"Because this situation needs to change as soon as possible." Which best describes this example?
fragment
run-on
sentence


"If I only had a brain." is an example of:
complex sentence
compound sentence
run-on sentence
sentence fragment


Which part of the following sentence is incorrect– "I have been thinking on my parents ever since I received their letter."
preposition
Punctuation
Word order
Vocabulary


An imperative sentence:
states a demand or order, or gives instructions
poses a question
makes a statement or states a fact
makes an emphatic point or exclaims something


"Be more careful." Based on its purpose, what type of sentence is this?
imperative
declarative
interrogative
exclamatory


Indentify the direct object in the following sentence: "Did he send you a letter?"
send
a letter
he
you


"While we were gone, Jason cleaned the house." Which best describes this example?
run-on
fragment
sentence


True or false: the adverbs "better" and "best" can correctly be used to extremify both the adjective "good" and the adjective "well."
False
True


True or false: the adverbs "better" and "best" can correctly be used to extremify both the adjective "good" and the adjective "well."
False
True


"Which of these three possible explanations is ___ likely?"
less
minus
the least
the less


Identify the subject in the following sentence: "Did you send him a letter?"
him
you
a letter


What is a subordinating conjunction?
a word that orders two phrases
a word that reverses the meaning of a previous word
a word that joins a dependent clause to an independent clause
a word that joins two independent clauses


"Wind whistled through the trees." What part of speech is "through"?
preposition
verb
adjective
conjunction


"Jennifer, not her brothers, are at fault." What type of error is present in this sentence?
modifier placement
pronoun-antecedent agreement
subject-verb agreement
parallel structure


What is a predicate?
where a sentence takes place
the grammatical purpose of a sentence
who or what a sentence is about
what the subject of a sentence does


"Avery liked peaches, but Jason liked plums." Based on its structure, what type of sentence is this?
simple
complex
compound
compound-complex


Which part of the following sentence is incorrect– "Because of she got the job, they moved to London, in spite of the weather."
Word order
Run-on sentence
The first preposition
The second preposition


Which sentence appears to contain a misplaced modifier?
Though boiling hot, I guessed he would eat the soup immediately.
(All of these)
Having shut down unexpectedly, I restarted my computer.


Identify the dependent clause in the following sentence: "Since Jim lost his job, he has taken up painting."
Since Jim lost his job
lost his job
he has taken up painting
taken up


"It's over, let's go home." Which best describes this example?
run-on
fragment
sentence


Which sentence implies that the only thing Kate does is care about Jason?
Kate cares only about Jason.
Kate only cares about Jason.
Only Kate cares about Jason.


"The music is playing, it's time to dance." is an example of:
sentence fragment
compound sentence
run-on sentence
complex sentence


What is a comma splice?
a comma used to join two independent clauses
an error in sentence construction
a cause of run-on sentences
(All of these)


Which is an example of a noun phrase?
The kitten fell into a well
After the American Civil War
Once upon a time
The long and arduous journey


What is a clause?
a group of words on a related theme
a group of words containing both a verb and an adverb
a group of words containing a subject and a predicate
a group of words that make an incomplete phrase


"Andrea had gone to France; George was dumbfounded." Based on its structure, what type of sentence is this?
simple
compound-complex
complex
compound


"George went to the bookstore and the laundromat." Based on its structure, what type of sentence is this?
compound
compound-complex
simple
complex


Which is an example of a subordinating conjunction?
if
and
or
over


"She did not take his concern that seriously." What part of speech is "that"?
article
adverb
adjective
pronoun


The 'comma splice' is a kind of:
complex sentence
dangling modifier
sentence fragment
run-on sentence


All of the following prepositions could complete the sentence EXCEPT: "We finally found him sitting ____ the house."
atop
on
upon
by


Identify the dependent clause: "Should we clean up together, are you going to do it yourself, or do you expect me to do it for you?
Should we clean up together
sentence does not contain a dependent clause
are you going to do it yourself
do you expect me to do it for you


"She accepted the punishment with dignity." What part of speech is "dignity"?
adverb
adjective
noun
conjunction


Identify the predicate in the following sentence: "Jim is going to the store to buy eggs."
is going
store
to the store to buy eggs
is going to the store


"We looked in the mailbox, the garden, the shed, and behind a tree." What type of error is present in this sentence?
parallel structure
subject-verb agreement
pronoun-antecedent agreement
modifier placement


Which part of the following declarative sentence is incorrect? "That horses refuses to be saddled."
verb conjugation
noun number
article
predicate adjective


Identify the indirect object in the following sentence: "Did he send you a letter?"
a letter
send
you
he


Which part of this sentence is incorrect: "Only one of the seven countries that participate have any objections."
any
have
participate
Only one


A dependent clause:
is always shorter than an independent clause.
is a sentence fragment without an independent clause.
is an incomplete sentence without another dependent clause to complement it.
is conditional, and therefore requires use of the subjunctive.


Which sentence contains an error of subject-verb agreement?
Either the senators or the president were responsible.
I am smarter than she is.
The dogs and the baby were asleep.
Neither you nor I am tall enough.


Which of the following CANNOT correctly be used between two independent clauses?
a comma
a comma and a coordinating conjunction
a semicolon
a period


A compound-complex sentence always contains:
two or more independent clauses, and/or two or more dependent clauses
at least one dependent clause and at least one dependent clause
two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses
one or more independent clauses and two or more dependent clauses


Which is an example of a coordinating conjunction?
while
that
if
yet


"While I was at work, Jack cleaned the bathroom." Based on its structure, what type of sentence is this?
simple
compound
compound-complex
complex


"Which shoes did she wear yesterday?" What part of speech is "Which"?
preposition
noun
adverb
adjective


"Choose me! He may be more handsome, but my love for you is greater than ____"
him
he
his
he's


True or false: A complex sentence always contains a dependent clause.
False
True


"He adored the kitten that Jane had rescued." Based on its structure, what type of sentence is this?
compound
complex
simple
compound-complex


"Each piece of data should be recorded, so the scientists can learn from them." What type of error is present in this sentence?
modifier placement
subject-verb agreement
parallel structure
pronoun-antecedent agreement


"He had no comment concerning the scandal." What part of speech is "concerning"?
preposition
conjunction
adjective
verb


"Having fallen in the sink, John found his phone no longer worked." What type of error is present in this sentence?
modifier placement
parallel structure
subject-verb agreement
pronoun-antecedent agreement


"Isabelle was very angry." Based on its purpose, what type of sentence is this?
interrogative
declarative
imperative
exclamatory


Which sentence contains an error of pronoun-antecedent agreement?
Mary-Kate and Ashley has lost their shoes.
Jan, Mary, and she won an award.
Every hiker should watch their step.
Anders and I arrived later in the evening.


"He loved the gift that his mother sent us, but I abhorred it." Based on its structure, what type of sentence is this?
simple
compound-complex
complex
compound


A predicate adjective:
describes an adjective
modifies a sentence's subject
describes a person, place, thing, activity, or action
modifies a sentence's object


Which type of clause can stand by itself?
an adjectival clause
a relative clause
a dependent clause
an independent clause


What is the following an example of? "George goes to the gym."
Compound-complex sentence
Simple sentence
Dependent clause
Compound sentence


"The day was bright and cold." What part of speech is "and"?
preposition
adjective
interjection
conjunction


True or false: A compound sentence is always longer than a compound-complex sentence.
True
False


True or false– In English, an interrogative sentence will always begin with either a verb or with one of the following words: where, why, how, who, what, where, when.
True
False


What is a subject?
who or what a sentence is about
the grammatical purpose of a sentence
where a sentence takes place
what a sentence is intended to convey


"My boyfriend ____ attacked by a group of hooligans."
was
had
became
got


A sentence that ends in a question mark is most likely:
an imperative sentence
a declarative sentence
an exclamatory sentence
an interrogative sentence


Choose the correct word order:
Never late is almost Steve.
Steve almost never late is.
Steve almost is never late.
Steve is almost never late.


"Who wants to know?" Based on its purpose, what type of sentence is this?
exclamatory
imperative
interrogative
declarative


Is this question grammatically correct? "If my sister can come too, I'll go to the party."
No
Yes


"His boss can be overbearing: she sometimes makes him come in on weekends, and he thinks he should be compensated for the extra hours of work." This is an example of:
Complex-compound sentence
Simple sentence
Compound sentence
Complex sentence


Identify the predicate adjective in the following sentence: "The thankless, arduous task left him feeling miserably tired.
thankless and arduous are both predicate adjectives
tired
miserably
miserably tired