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English Grammar > Grammar Mistakes > Flashcards

Grammar Mistakes Flashcards

1
Q

What’s wrong with the following?

On the way to graduation, a cop pulled us over.

A

On the way to graduation-is a dangling modifier. The sentence implies that the cop was on his way to graduation.

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2
Q

Fix the following dangling modifiers:

On the day he was born, visitors came from all around to see the shockingly large baby.

A

On the day the shockingly large baby was born, people came from all around to see him.

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3
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

The diner only serves coffee in the morning.

A

The meaning is ambiguous because of the placement of the limiting modifier. It is not clear whether the diner serves only coffee in the morning, or whether it serves coffee only in the morning.

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4
Q

Why is the following sentence ambiguous?

He nearly pitched four hit less innings.

A

This is ambiguous because -nearly- is a squinting modifier. We’re not sure whether the pitcher nearly pitched four hit-less innings, or whether he pitched four nearly hit-less innings.

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5
Q

Fix the following squinting modifier.

If the music is playing quickly grab a seat.

A

One acceptable fix; If the music is playing, grab a seat quickly.

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6
Q

Fix the following run on sentence:

The cat hissed the mice ran.

A

One possibility: The cat hissed, and the mice ran.

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7
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Charlise asked the saleswoman what her size was.

A

This is an example of pronoun confusion. Is Charlise asking about her size or the saleswoman’s size?

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8
Q

Fix the following pronoun confusion:

The manager told the hamburger chef that he was the right man for the job.

A

One acceptable fix; The manager told the hamburger chef that the hamburger chef was the right man for the job.

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9
Q

What is wrong with the following?

Sofia and Hanna are in trouble because she was caught cheating.

A

The pronoun -she- doesn’t agree with its antecedent, -Sofia and Hanna-. If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun must be plural as well: They were cheating.

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10
Q

What is wrong with the following?

The city put up their holiday decorations in a very sloppy manner.

A

The pronoun does not agree with its antecedent. The antecedent is singular(city), but the pronoun is plural (their). The sentence should read: The city put up its holiday decorations in a very sloppy manner.

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11
Q

Fix the following split infinitive:

Josh tried to quickly write his essay before soccer practice.

A

Josh tried to write his essay quickly before soccer practice.

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12
Q

Fix the following split infinitive:

It is important to often practice the trumpet.

A

It is important to practice the trumpet often.

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13
Q

What common grammatical mistake is - - below?

Don -wants to only ride- his motorbike.

A

This is a split infinitive

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14
Q

What is one way of fixing the following run-on sentence:

Pedro pitched well he gave up only three hits.

A

One way: Pedro pitched well; he gave up only three hits.

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15
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Cletis doesn’t wear no shoes.

A

Double negative.

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16
Q

Find the split infinitive in the following:

We tried to repeatedly dance with the cute girls.

A

To repeatedly dance- is a split infinitive.

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17
Q

What’s wrong with the following sentence?

Oscar first met the astronaut when he boarded the spaceship.

A

Pronoun confusion is the problem. It’s not clear whether -he- refers to Oscar or the astronaut.

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18
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence:

Gerald told Ken that Ken would regret punching the wall.

A

Nothing. It’s a little awkward to repeat Ken, but it’s grammatically correct.

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19
Q

Does the following sentence contain a dangling modifier?

Walking towards the park, the thunder started to boom.

A

Yes. -Walking towards the park- Should not modify -the thunder-, since the thunder isn’t walking toward the park.

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20
Q

What’s wrong with the following sentence?

I can’t hardly wait for the big game.

A

This sentence contains the double negative -can’t hardly-.

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21
Q

Find the error in the following sentence:

In his dreams, he flies smooth and gracefully.

A

Smooth- should be -smoothly-, because it is an adverb that modifies -flies-.

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22
Q

Find the error in the following sentence:

The door shut loudly and startled the skittish cat.

A

This sentence does not contain an error.

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23
Q

Fix the dangling modifier:

Sunning myself, my mother’s warnings about skin cancer went in one ear and out the other.

A

One possibility fix: Sunning myself, I let my mother’s warnings about skin caner go in one ear and out the other.

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24
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

I can’t hardly stand fish.

A

This is a double negative. Can’t/Hardly- are both negative, so they can’t be used together.

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25
Q

Is the following sentence a run-on?

There’s a strange feeling in the air, and I don’t like it.

A

No. The sentence has two independent clauses, but they are linked with a coordinating conjunction and a comma.

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26
Q

Is the following sentence a run-on?

There’s no way we can unload all those bricks it will take us a week.

A

Yes

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27
Q

What’s wrong with the following sentence?

I borrowed Max Pants.

A

Max- should be possessive (Max’s)

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28
Q

Is this a fragment or a sentence?

Boys who like baseball.

A

It’s a fragment.

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29
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

I enjoy eating mints, yelling at my roommate, and trashy daytime T.V.

A

The construction of this sentence isn’t parallel.
The first two parts start with -ing words, but the third does not. To fix, and trashy daytime T.V. should be changed to watching trashy daytime T.V.

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30
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?
In this competition, competitors must doggy-paddle across the lake, crawl up the hill, and then go dashing across the plain.

A

The construction is not parallel. Dashing across the plain-should be changed to -dash across the plain.

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31
Q

Fix the following comparison:

My job is more exciting than John.

A

My job is more exciting than John’s

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32
Q

T/F: If you use correlative conjunctions (either/or/only/but/also/etc.), Parallelism is not necessary.

A

False. The construction of each part of the sentence must be parallel.

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33
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Not only did we have fries, but milkshakes.

A

The construction is not parallel. It should read: Not only did we have fries, but we also had milkshakes.

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34
Q

Is the construction below parallel?

Last year, we swam in a Great Lake, hiked in Yosemite, and visited the Grand Canyon.

A

Yes

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35
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Mark is doing very good in school, despite the fact that he only goes on Tuesdays.

A

Good- is an adjective, but it is being used as an adverb in this sentence. The first part of the sentence should read: Mark is doing very well in school.

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36
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

A close look revealed how slow slugs move.

A

The adjective -slow- is misused. It should be -slowly- because it modifies -move.-

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37
Q

Which of the following indefinite pronouns are singlular and which are plural?
Everybody, nobody, someone, everyone, no one.

A

They are all singular.

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38
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Each of the stores are sold out of blue lipstick.

A

Even though stores is plural, -each- is the subject of the sentence, and -each- is always singular. therefore, -are- should be -is-

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39
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Everyone have to come to my party.

A

Everyone- is singular, so the verb should be singular(has), not plural (have)

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40
Q

Fix the following sentence.

Everyone pulled their weight during the big ultimate Frisbee game.

A

Everyone pulled her weight today during the big ultimate Frisbee game.

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41
Q

Choose the correct verb in the sentence below:

The president, along with his dogs (is/are) hanging out at the lake house.

A

The president, along with his dogs, is hanging out at the lake house. In this case, -president- is the subject, and therefore the verb must be singular.

42
Q

Fix the following sentence:

Here is the results.

A

Here are the results. Since -results- is plural, the verb must be plural.

43
Q

If you are comparing two things, can you call one the best, the smartest, the most anything?

A

No, if you are comparing two things, your comparative modifiers should end in -er, or -ier (skinnier, goofier, cooler). Only when comparing three or more things can you use superlative modifiers (nerdiest, hottest, roughest.)

44
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Ben lives in the island of Hawaii.

A

This is an idiom error; we say people live -on islands, not -in- them. Idiom errors are usually easy to detect because they just sound wrong.

45
Q

Make the following passive construction active.

The doughnuts were devoured by the swimmers.

A

The simmers devoured the doughnuts.

46
Q

Is the passive construction acceptable in the following sentence?
Many areas have been severely affected.

A

Yes. We don’t know what did the affecting, so the passive voice is fine.

47
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

The best refrigerator money can buy.

A

This is a fragment. You could fix this by writing: This is the best refrigerator money can buy.

48
Q

What is wrong with the following?

I saw it with my own eyes, and that’s a true fact.

A

Saw is with my own eyes- and -true fact- both contain redundancies. I -saw- and -my own eyes- are redundant; -true- and -fact- are redundant.

49
Q

Edit the following sentence so it is more succinct:

There were a total of thirty people who were frightened at the movie that we had all decided to see.

A

On possibility: Thirty people became frightened during the movie we saw.

50
Q

Edit the following sentence so it is more succinct:

In spite of the fact that Dan understood the important essentials, he was still confused.

A

One possibility: Although Dan understood the essentials, he was still confused.

51
Q

Edit the following sentence so it is more succinct.

The house, which was built in the 1970’s, looks like it could have been built today.

A

One possibility: The house, built in the 1970’s, could have been built today.

52
Q

Eliminate unnecessary phrases:

In my opinion, I think forests should be protected.

A

Either -In my opinion- or -I think- should be eliminated.

53
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

I think the sticky buns from Kathy’s bakery are so great but Kathy makes them from scratch everyday.

A

This sentence suffers from bad coordination.
But- is the wrong word to use, since the second half of the sentence doesn’t contrast with the first. Because-would be a better choice.

54
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence:

When one drives in England, you must remember to stay on the left side of the road.

A

The problem is a pronoun shift. The sentence begins with -one- but shifts to -you-, which is not grammatically correct.

55
Q

T/F” You must never start a sentence with -and- or -but-

A

False: if there is a compelling reason to do so, you may occasionally start a sentence with -and- or -but-

56
Q

Can you start a sentence with -because-?

A

Yes, it is a common misconception that it is grammatically incorrect to start a sentence with -because-.

57
Q

Are -then- and -than- used correctly in the follow sentence?
After watching The Secret Garden, which we liked even better then the book, we talked for hours and than couldn’t fall asleep.

A

No. Both are used incorrectly; they should be switched.

58
Q

What is an easy way to remember the difference between -who- and -whom-?

A

When reading a sentence, substitute the words he/she/ and him/her. If he/she sounds right, use who. If him/her sounds right, use whom.

59
Q

Fill in the blank with -whoever- or -whomever-:

_____ did this is in trouble.

A

-Whoever. You would say -he did this-, not -him did this-, so -whoever- is correct.

60
Q

Fill in the blank with -whoever- or -whomever-:

Invite ____ you wish.

A

Whomever.- You would with to invite -her-, so -whomever- is correct.

61
Q

Fill in the blank with -Whose- or -Who’s-:

I don’t care____ this is, get rid of it!

A

Whose.

62
Q

Fill in the blank with they’re, their, or there:

____ they are, wearing _____ new mittens.

A

There; their

63
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

The Beatles had a huge affect on modern music.

A

Affect- should be -effect-.

64
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Ronaldo gave the movie passes to Jen and me.

A

Nothing. -Jen and me- is correct.

65
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

Jake and me went for a swim.

A

It should read: Jake and I went for a swim.

66
Q

Fill in the blank with I or me:

Both Joaquin and ______ turned down the part.

A

I

67
Q

What is wrong with the following sentence?

The girl that lives there has brown hair.

A

When referring to a person, use -who or whom- instead of -that-. The sentence should read, -The girl who lives there has brown hair.

68
Q

Pronouns can be confusing when they do not have a clear what?

A

When they do not have clear antecedents.

69
Q

What is a double negative?

A

A double negative is when two negative modifiers modify the same word or phrase.

70
Q

What is a modifier that does not describe the word it is actually modifying?

A

A dangling modifier.

71
Q

What is a modifier that could modify the words before it or after it?

A

A squinting modifier.

72
Q

What is it called when two negative modifiers modify the same word or phrase?

A

A double negative

73
Q

-I don’t never want to ride in the front of the car- is an example of what?

A

A double negative

74
Q

What is the term for two independent clauses joined without punctuation or a conjunction?

A

A run-on sentence.

75
Q

How can run-on sentences be fixed?

A

By adding a conjunction and a comma, using a semicolon, or breaking the sentence into two separate sentences.

76
Q

What is a fragment?

A

A fragment does not contain a subject and a verb.

77
Q

What is parallelism?

A

It’s the rule stating that corresponding phrases or clauses of a sentence must begin and end in the same manner.

78
Q

What is the basic rule of subject-verb agreement?

A

If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

79
Q

When is the passive voice acceptable?

A

If the person who performed the action is unimportant or unknown, passive construction is inevitable.

80
Q

T/F: -To be- verbs make for entertaining and strong sentences?

A

False. The use of -to be- makes sentences vague and boring. Try to replace -to be- verbs with more specific active verbs.

81
Q

T/F: Transition words are unnecessary.

A

False. Transitions (like additionally, as a result, following that, for example) can improve the flow and readability of your writing.

82
Q

T/F: Advertisements use proper grammar.

A

False: Ads are full of sentence fragments, run-ons, and countless problems in construction. In fact, ads are a good place to learn what not to do in your writing.

83
Q

T/F: The more verbose, the better.

A

False: Watch out for wordiness, cut out unnecessary or repetitious words and tighten up whatever could be put more succinctly.

84
Q

T/F: Concise sentences are better than wordy sentences.

A

True. Try to be an economical writer. If you can say something in three words instead of six do so.

85
Q

What is a dangling modifier?

A

A dangling modifier modifies the wrong word.
Ex: Baffled by the huge cast of characters, the book confused Stella.
(This construction implies that the book was baffled.)

86
Q

When using nor/or, how do you decide whether the verb should be singular or plural?

A

The subject closer to the verb determines the verb’s tense.

87
Q

Are all nouns that end in -s plural?

A

No. Some nouns (such as mumps or news) may appear to be plural, but they are singular and take singular verbs.

88
Q

Does -news- take a singular or plural verb?

A

Singular.

89
Q

Is the passive voice preferable to the active voice?

A

No. The passive voice is awkward and weak. Avoid it whenever possible.

90
Q

T/F: If the subject is singular, you can use a singular or plural verb.

A

False: The verb must agree with the subject. If the subject is singular, then the verb must be singular.

91
Q

T/F: All indefinite pronouns are singular.

A

False: As a general rule, if what’s referred to is countable, the pronoun is plural. If it’s not countable, the pronoun is singular.
EX: Some rain fell on my parrots. (Rain isn’t countable, but parrots are)

92
Q

What is the passive voice?

A

The passive voice occurs when the subject is acted on.

Ex: The game was announced by John Madden. (In the active voice: John Madden announced the game.)

93
Q

What is a comma splice?

A

A comma splice is a run-on sentence in which two independent clauses are connected by only a comma instead of a comma and a conjunction.
EX: The show was sold out, more people came than the band expected.

94
Q

What is a run-on sentence?

A

A run-on sentence consists of two independent clauses joined together without punctuation or a conjunction.
EX: I think I’m a fantastic skater I’m considering auditioning for Disney on Ice.

95
Q

What is a split infinitive?

A

A split infinitive occurs when a word comes between -to- and the main verb in an infinitive.
EX: to briskly trot

96
Q

What is a squinting modifier?

A

A squinting modifier is an ambiguously placed modifier that could modify the word before or the word after it.
EX: People who gamble often drink.
(Does this imply that people who often gamble drink or that people who gamble drink often?)

97
Q

What is an easy way to figure out whether -I or me- is correct?

A

Eliminate the other person in the sentence and see what your left with. In the sentence -He stared at Angela and I- eliminate Angela, and you’re left with He stared at I. That sounds wrong, so you know that the sentence should read -He stared at Angela and me.

98
Q

Which form implies possession: they’re, their, or there?

A

Their

99
Q

Which word indicates a comparison, -then- or -than-?

A

Than

100
Q

What is the difference between whose and who’s?

A

Whose-is possessive: Whose feet smell bad?

Who’s - is a contraction (who is) Who’s the one with the stinky feet?

101
Q

Is it okay to use -I- in essays?

A

It depends. On formal essays try to avoid using I.

English Grammar (12 decks)

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