Mistakes in grammar can damage your credibility. Take any of the tests below to find out if you need to work on some specific areas. (Print the page or copy the text and work on it at your leisure.) To see our solutions, just contact us by e-mail.
The tests are arranged by areas that correspond to common errors, namely:
1. Lack of number agreement
2. Misplaced or "dangling" modifiers
3. Problems with (a) the reference or (b) the form of pronouns
4. Nonparallel constructions
5. Errors in word choice
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Explanation: The subject and verb of a sentence must agree in number:
Errors in number agreement are common. They are caused mostly by long subjects - e.g.:
However, there are also many special words, such as either, group, as well as, or, and number, that demand either singular or plural. |
TEST: Choose the correct form from the choices in parentheses:
1. Neither my boss nor my co-workers (is, are) willing to let
me try it alone.
2. The manager, as well as his whole staff, (is, are) responsible.
3. Either you or he (is, are) to blame.
4 There (is, are) a group of people waiting to see you.
5. There (is, are) several people waiting to see you.
6. Every man and woman (is, are) requested to attend.
7. Some of the committee members (has, have) already voted.
8. Some of the work (has, have) already been done.
9. I wouldn't like to be one of the people who (is, are) chosen
to do that job.
10. The problem with these objectives (is, are) that those who
set them do not have to meet them.
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Explanation: A sentence part X that modifies another part Y must be close to Y so that no confusion arises, and it must have the correct form. Also, there must be nothing in the sentence structure that suggests a connection different from the one you intended. For instance, in the following sentence, the phrase on his forehead presumably modifies kissed - but its position erroneously suggests that it modifies leaving:
This can be remedied by moving the modifying phrase:
Here is an example of a problem with logic (sentence structure suggesting a connection other than the one intended):
This sentence literally states that the meeting (the subject of the main clause) cleared up the misunderstanding. To fix the problem, you need to either insert the proper main-clause subject (solution A below) or change the modifier (solution B):
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TEST: Fix the following sentences by correcting the misplaced or dangling modifier:
1. She had a neck as long as a giraffe.
2. Take two of these pills when you go to bed in a glass of warm
milk.
3. She was found sitting under a bush by a policeman.
4. He stopped the cow who was running away with his lasso.
5. We read the proposal that he had prepared in one minute.
6. My assistant wants to run this project very badly.
7. The error was discovered by a secretary hidden in the program.
8. Instead of tightening the belt, the whole unit was sent to
the repair shop.
| Explanation: A pronoun like he, it, or they stands for a noun phrase like the boy, the house, or the books. The problem is that often the reader cannot tell easily to which of several possible nouns a given pronoun should refer. To solve this, move the pronoun close to its noun or reword the sentence in other ways. |
TEST: Fix the pronoun references in the following sentences. (The
pronoun that causes the problem is in bold face.)
1. She wore designer sunglasses to shield her eyes. They
were red, with pink dots on them.
2. Jim told Joe that he was wrong.
3. When Spot ran up to my boss, he wagged his tail happily.
4. Right after my husband had collared the thief, he was
thrown into jail.
5. As soon as the children brought the eggs in, their mother fried
them.
6. As a boy, he loved the feel of baseball bats. When he grew
up, he decided to become one.
7. The cat wouldn't eat the food, so we smothered it in
mushroom sauce.
8. They gave him a guidebook, a compass, and a knife, but he didn't
know what to do with it.
| Explanation: The pronouns I, he, she, we, and they, as well as who, are the only words in English that have an "object" case: me, him, her, us, them, and whom. The primary form (I, he, she, etc.) is used when the pronoun is the subject of the clause; the "object" form is used when the pronoun is the object, or complement, of the verb (as in I saw him) or of a preposition such as to, of, or with (as in I felt sorry for them). |
TEST: Pick the correct pronoun form from the choices in parentheses
in the following sentences.
1. They are sure it will be (he, him) who wins.
2. Did you think we saw (she, her)?
3. I am positive it was (she, her).
4. Let (she, her) and Mary do it.
5. (She, her) and (I, me) attended the class.
6. Do you know whether (he, him) or (she, her) went with them?
7. The committee gave the difficult task to John and (I, me).
8. Between you and (I, me), there's going to be a shake-up here.
9. Rob, Sarah, and (she, her) were seen at the party.
10. (Who, Whom) received the award?
11. (Who, Whom) was given the award?
12. (Who, Whom) do you think will receive the award?
13. (Who, Whom) did you see at the award ceremony?
14. My boss travels more than (I, me).
15. I think the chairman likes you more than (I, me).
16. Do you want Rudy or (I, me) on your team?
17. The new manager invited (she, her) and (I, me) to lunch.
18. Everyone but (he, him) attended the meeting.
19. Carl was as upset as (we, us) about the decision.
20. (Who, Whom) were you talking to just now?
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Explanation: A balanced sentence is one in which related actions, events, or ideas appear in the same ("parallel") form.
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TEST: Fix the nonparallel constructions in the following sentences:
1. It is not only important to demand your rights, but you should think about your responsibilities also.
2. To find a used car, you can check your newspaper listings or ask your friends if they know of one for sale, and there are always dealers you can visit.
3. Once you see a car you like, check it over carefully, listen to the engine, and you should check with the present owner about liens on the car.
4. To have a good relationship with people at work, don't ask too many questions or offer too much advice, and you should also try to leave your personal problems at home.
5. Our products have the best guarantee, the greatest testimonials, and are the least expensive in the industry.
6. A power outage occurred on February 22 because of
- ice accumulation on overhead cables
- there was a transformer breakdown at
Port Jefferson
- local system overloads occurred also,
when residents turned up their heat
- very low temperatures in neighboring
towns created an excessive demand
7. Our associates were not only empowered to make changes and develop solutions -- efficiency and productivity became the culture of each and every one of them.
| Explanation: Words such as affect and effect, it's and its, to, too, and two, etc. are commonly confused. Also, prepositions such as from, to, and than are often used wrongly. |
TEST: Pick the right word from the choices in parentheses:
1. There are (to, too, two) few people here, and they came
(to, too, two) late.
2. Are these papers Michael's or (yours, your's)?
3. (Who's, Whose) book is that?
4. (You're, Your) welcome to join us at the seminar, even though
(its, it's) not (your, you're) specialty.
5. (Its, It's) time to recognize that hard work is (its, it's)
own best reward.
6. My explanation is different (from, than) theirs.
7. This doesn't (affect, effect) you.
8. If you (adapt, adopt) these suggestions to your needs, they
will yield good results.
9. He prohibited her (from starting, to start) the project.
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