Read the following sentences and select the choice that best replaces the underlined grammatical error.
- Everyone in the bank—including the manager and the tellers, ran to the door when the fire alarm rang.
- tellers: ran
- tellers, had run
- tellers—ran
- tellers’ ran
- No change needed
The modifying phrase inserted between subject and predicate should be set off on both sides by dashes, not just one. Non-matching punctuation marks, like a dash before it but a comma after it, are incorrect and asymmetrical. An apostrophe indicates possession and is incorrect in a non-possessive plural noun.
- To no ones surprise, Joe didn’t have his homework ready.
- no ones surprises,
- no-ones surprise,
- no ones’ surprise,
- no one’s surprise,
- No change needed
The correct idiom is to no one’s surprise. Because the surprise belongs to no one, the phrase needs the possessive form: one’s. The other choices either omit the apostrophe, add a hyphen incorrectly, or use the wrong plural/possessive form.
- If he would have read “The White Birds,” he might have liked William Butler Yeats’ poetry.
- would read
- could have read
- would of read
- had read
- No change needed
The “if” clause of a past-unreal conditional needs the past perfect (had read). Adding would/could or substituting of for have is incorrect.
- After the hurricane, uprooted trees were laying all over the ground.
- was laying
- lying
- were lying
- were laid
- No change needed
Lie / lay: trees “were lying,” not “were laying” something else.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)… wrote in his essay “Self-Reliance” of the need for an individual to develop his capacities.
- essay, “Self-Reliance”
- essay: Self-Reliance
- essay, Self-Reliance
- essay; “Self-Reliance”
- No change needed
No punctuation belongs between a noun and its appositive title.
- The park has been called “a boon to the community” by its supporters and “an eyesore” by its harshest critics.
- and, “an eyesore,” by its harshest
- and, an eyesore; by its harshest
- and-an eyesore-by its’ harshest
- and-“an eyesore”-by its’ harshest
- No change needed
The quotation marks give all the punctuation required; extra commas, semicolons, or dashes are incorrect, and its never takes an apostrophe.
- …effect (“to cause” or “to accomplish).”
- "to accomplish")."
- "to accomplish").
- "to accomplish).
- To accomplish.
- No change needed
The closing quote belongs inside the parenthesis: “to accomplish”).
- My class just finished reading-“The Fall of the House of Usher”, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe.
- reading—"The Fall of the House of Usher,"
- reading, The Fall of the House of Usher,
- reading "The Fall of the House of Usher,"
- reading, "The Fall of the house of Usher,"
- No change needed
Short-story titles belong in quotation marks, and the comma that follows the title goes inside the closing quotation mark. The dash before the title is unnecessary, and placing the comma outside the closing quotation mark is incorrect.
- After it was repaired it ran perfect again.
- ran, perfect
- ran perfectly
- could run perfect
- could of run perfect
- No change needed
A verb must be modified by an adverb, not an adjective. The adverb perfectly correctly tells how it ran. Options (C) and (D) add unnecessary modal verbs, and (D) also misuses of for have. Option (E) leaves the original error unchanged.
- "Are there two E’s in beetle," asked Margo?
- there two Es in beetle," asked Margo?
- their two E’s in beetle?" asked Margo.
- their two E’s in beetle," asked Margo.
- there two E’s in beetle?" asked Margo.
- No change needed
In dialogue, the question mark belongs inside the quotation marks because it is part of the quoted question, and the attribution (asked Margo) follows outside the closing quote. Choices (B) and (C) confuse their/there, (A) keeps the punctuation error and also mishandles the plural, and (E) leaves the original error unchanged.
- The circus audience received a well-deserved round of applause for the perfectly timed acrobatic stunt.
- audience received a well deserved
- audience gave a well deserved
- audience did receive a well deserved
- audience gave a well-deserved
- No change needed
The audience gives applause; it does not receive it. Choice (D) supplies the correct verb gave and retains the needed hyphen in the compound adjective well-deserved. Choices (B) and (C) omit the hyphen; (A) keeps the faulty verb and also omits the hyphen; and (E) leaves the original error unchanged.
- Looking directly at me, Mother said, "These are your options; the choice is yours."
- Mother said, "These are your options: the choice is
- Mother said, "These are your options, the choice is
- Mother said, "These are your options; the choice is
- Mother said, These are your options: the choice is
- No change needed
The quoted sentence introduces an explanation, so a colon is the best punctuation: "These are your options: the choice is yours." The other choices either use the wrong punctuation inside the quotation or drop needed quotation marks.
- Porcupine is from Latin porcus, "pig," and spina, "spine."
- porcus "pig" and spina "spine"
- Porcus-pig and spina, "spine."
- Porcus-pig, and Spina, "spine."
- Porcus-Pig-,Spina-spine.
- No change needed
The original sentence already punctuates the Latin roots correctly: each foreign word is in italics, followed by a comma and its English gloss in quotation marks. The alternates either remove needed commas/quotation marks, capitalize inconsistently, or scatter punctuation incorrectly.
- Seeing the dolphins, some sharks, a killer whale, and a Moray eel made the visit to the marine park worthwhile.
- a killer whale, and a Moray eel makes the visit
- a killer whale, and a moray eel made the visit
- a killer whale and a Moray eel makes the visit
- a killer whale and a moray eel made the visit
- No change needed
Because the introductory phrase lists a series of objects, no comma should appear before and when only two final items are linked (a killer whale and a moray eel). Option (D) keeps parallel structure and uses the correct lowercase for the common noun moray eel. Options (A)–(C) introduce an unnecessary comma, incorrect capitalization, or verb disagreement.
- Still, the fact that a planet exists outside our solar system encourages hope that other solar systems exist, and in them, perhaps, a planet that supports life.
- that a Planet exists out side our solar system encourages hope that other solar systems exist and
- could be that a planet exists outside our solar system encourages hope that other solar systems exist, and
- that a planet exist outside our solar systems encourage hope that other solar systems exist, and
- that a planet does exists out side our solar system encourages hope that other solar systems exist, and
- No change needed
The sentence is already grammatical: the singular verb encourages agrees with the singular subject fact, capitalization and spacing are correct, and the coordinating conjunction and properly links parallel ideas. Each alternative introduces errors in capitalization, spacing, agreement, or wording.
- Mail-order shopping can be convenient and timesaving with appropriate precautions, it is safe as well.
- can be convenient and time saving
- can be convenient and timesaving;
- should be convenient and time saving;
- can be convenient and time-saving;
- No change needed
Two independent clauses need a semicolon, and the compound adjective time-saving requires a hyphen. Choice (B) fixes only the semicolon, (C) changes meaning and omits the hyphen, (A) leaves the comma splice and omits the hyphen, and (E) leaves the original error unchanged.
- Among the many fields of science, no matter what turns you on, there are several fields of study.
- science, no matter what you choose,
- Science, no matter what turns you on,
- Science, no matter which you chose,
- science, no matter which you choose,
- No change needed
The sentence begins with the preposition Among, so the common noun science should be lowercase. The clause “no matter which you choose” is the clearest and most formal parenthetical. The other options introduce capitalization errors, informal wording, or incorrect tense.
- The fact that boxing is known to cause head injuries and brain damage should lead us to inform the public and push for a ban on boxing.
- could lead us to inform
- should of led us to inform
- will lead us to inform
- should have led us to inform,
- No change needed
The verb phrase should lead us to inform is correct here: the known danger indicates an obligation. Choice (A) weakens the statement, (B) misuses of for have, (C) predicts the future rather than urging action, and (D) changes tense and adds a comma that creates a fragment.
- The first part of the test was on chemistry, the second on mathematics, and the third on english.
- on mathematics and the third on english.
- on mathematics; and the third on English.
- on Mathematics; and the third on English.
- on mathematics, and the third on English.
- No change needed
This is a series with the same preposition understood before each object (on). The comma before and sets off the final element, and the language name English must be capitalized. The semicolon in (B) and (C) unnecessarily separates items in the same series; (A) removes needed punctuation and keeps english lowercase; (E) leaves the original error unchanged.
- The Diary of Anne Frank showed a young girl’s courage during two years of hiding.
- show a young girl’s courage
- shows a young girl’s courage
- did show a young girls courage
- has shown a young girl’s courage
- No change needed
When discussing literature, standard convention is to use the present tense (shows) to describe what the work does. Choice (A) creates agreement problems, (C) is wordy and drops the apostrophe, (D) shifts tense unnecessarily, and (E) leaves the original error unchanged.
- In August my parents will be married for twenty-five years.
- will be married twenty-five years.
- shall have been married for twenty-five years.
- will have been married for twenty-five years.
- will be married for twenty five years.
- No change needed
The future perfect (will have been married) expresses an action that will be completed by a specific future time (August). Choice (A) is missing needed wording, (B) is acceptable but more formal than typical usage, (D) alters the wording and formatting, and (E) leaves the original error unchanged.