Grammar & Punctuation

Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?

• AWe went to London in July✓
• BWE went to London in July
• Cwe went to london in july
• Dwe Went to london In july

Answer: Sentences start with a capital, and proper nouns (London, July) always take capitals.

Which word is a noun in this sentence: 'The dog ran quickly.'?

• Athe
• Bquickly
• Cran
• Ddog✓

Answer: A noun names a person, place or thing. 'Dog' is the noun; 'ran' is a verb and 'quickly' an adverb.

Which word is an adjective: 'She wore a bright red coat.'?

• Ashe
• Bcoat
• Cwore
• Dbright✓

Answer: An adjective describes a noun. 'Bright' (and 'red') describe the coat.

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

• AWhere are you going
• BWhere are you going?✓
• CWhere are you going.
• DWhere, are you going?

Answer: A direct question ends with a question mark. Missing punctuation, a full stop, and a stray comma after the question word are all wrong.

Choose the correct word to complete this sentence: '_____ going to be late.'

• AThere
• BThey're✓
• CThier
• DTheir

Answer: 'They're' is short for 'they are' → 'they are going to be late.' 'There' shows place, 'Their' shows belonging, and 'Thier' is simply a misspelling.

Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly for possession?

• AThe dogs bowl is empty
• BThe dogs bowl's empty
• CThe dogs' bowl is empty (one dog)
• DThe dog's bowl is empty✓

Answer: For one dog owning the bowl, the apostrophe goes before the s: the dog's bowl.

Which of these is a correctly used semicolon?

• AI was tired; I went to bed early.✓
• BI was; tired and hungry after football practice.
• CI was tired; so I went straight to sleep.
• DI was tired; and hungry after the long walk.

Answer: A semicolon joins two complete, related sentences (clauses): 'I was tired; I went to bed early.'

What is the past tense of 'run'?

• Aruns
• Brunned
• Crunning
• Dran✓

Answer: 'Run' is an irregular verb; its simple past tense is 'ran'.

Which sentence is written in the passive voice?

• AThe mouse was chased by the cat.✓
• BChase the mouse, cat!
• CThe cat is chasing the mouse across the garden.
• DThe cat chased the mouse under the garden shed.

Answer: In the passive voice the subject receives the action: 'The mouse was chased…'

Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'You should have ___ your homework.'

• Adoes
• Bdid
• Cdone✓
• Ddoing

Answer: After 'have', the past participle 'done' is needed: 'should have done.'

Which sentence is a complete sentence?

• ARunning quickly down the steep hill
• BA very tall tree beside the gate
• CThe dog barked loudly.✓
• DBecause it was raining all morning

Answer: A complete sentence has a subject and a verb and makes sense alone: 'The dog barked loudly.'

Which is the correct use of a comma in a list?

• AI bought apples bananas and pears.
• BI bought apples, bananas and pears.✓
• CI bought, apples bananas and pears.
• DI, bought apples bananas, and pears.

Answer: Commas separate items in a list: 'apples, bananas and pears.'

Which word is a conjunction (joining word)?

• Aquickly
• Bbecause✓
• Ctable
• Dhappy

Answer: Conjunctions join clauses or ideas; 'because' is a conjunction.

Choose the correct word: 'There are fewer / less cars on the road today.'

• Alittle
• Bfewer✓
• Clesser
• Dless

Answer: Use 'fewer' for things you can count (cars); use 'less' for amounts you can't count.

In speech, which is punctuated correctly?

• A"Hello," said Tom.✓
• BHello "said Tom".
• C"Hello, said Tom.
• D"Hello" said Tom

Answer: Speech marks go around the spoken words, with the comma inside before the closing marks: "Hello," said Tom.

Which sentence is written in Standard English?

• AWe was late for the train
• BThey done it yesterday
• CWe were late for the train✓
• DHe never said nothing to me

Answer: Standard English requires 'we were' with a plural subject. 'We was', 'they done' and the double negative in 'never said nothing' are all non-standard forms that are common in speech and in regional dialects but are avoided in formal writing.

Which sentence is most suitable for a formal letter of complaint?

• AI am writing to express my concern about the delay✓
• BI'm well annoyed about how long the whole thing took
• CYou lot really messed this up
• DJust wanted to say this is rubbish

Answer: A formal complaint calls for Standard English, full forms in place of contractions and controlled, impersonal wording. Slang and blunt accusation make a complaint easier to dismiss.

A writer wants to build tension in a chase scene. Which sentence structure is most likely to help?

• ALong, multi-clause sentences with many commas
• BShort, simple sentences one after another✓
• COne sentence covering the whole paragraph
• DSentences all beginning with the same clause

Answer: Short sentences are read quickly and force frequent full stops, so the pace speeds up and the reader feels the urgency. Long, winding sentences slow a passage down instead.

Which sentence uses a colon correctly?

• AWe packed: three tents, a stove and a map
• BWe: packed three tents, a stove and a map
• CWe packed three tents: a stove and a map
• DWe packed three things: a tent, a stove and a map✓

Answer: A colon introduces a list or an explanation, and the words in front of it must already form a complete sentence. 'We packed three things' stands on its own, so the colon sits correctly before the list that follows.

Which sentence contains a comma splice?

• AAlthough it was raining, we walked to the shop
• BWe walked to the shop; it was raining hard
• CIt was raining hard, we walked to the shop anyway✓
• DIt was raining hard, so we walked quickly

Answer: A comma splice joins two complete sentences with nothing but a comma. 'It was raining hard' and 'we walked to the shop anyway' could each stand alone, so they need a full stop, a semicolon or a joining word.