Punctuation & Grammar

Which sentence has correct punctuation and grammar?

• AThe student's have completed they're homework.
• BThe students have completed their homework.✓
• CThe students' have completed their homework.
• DThe student have completed there homework.

Answer: 'Students' is a plain plural and needs no apostrophe, while 'their' is the possessive determiner. The correct sentence uses both.

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

• ABetween you and I, the test was difficult.
• BBetween you and me, the test was difficult.✓
• CBetween you and me, the test where difficult.
• DBetween you're and my, the test was difficult.

Answer: Use 'me', the object pronoun, after the preposition 'between', and 'was' rather than 'were' with the singular subject 'test'.

Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

• AIts a good day for learning.
• BIt's a good day for learning.✓
• CIts' a good day for learning.
• DIt's' a good day for learning.

Answer: 'It's' is the contraction of 'it is', where the apostrophe stands in for the missing letter. 'Its' without an apostrophe is the possessive form.

Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?

• AThe group of students are studying hard.
• BThe group of students is studying hard.✓
• CThe students group are studying hard.
• DThe student groups is studying hard.

Answer: The subject is 'group', which is singular, so the verb must be 'is'. The phrase 'of students' sits between them but does not change the agreement.

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

• AThe lesson includes reading, writing, and speaking.✓
• BThe lesson includes reading writing, and speaking.
• CThe lesson includes reading, writing and speaking.
• DThe lesson includes: reading, writing, and speaking.

Answer: The Oxford comma after 'writing' separates the final item in the list clearly.

Which sentence has a run-on error?

• AThe teacher explained the concept; the students understood it.
• BThe teacher explained the concept. The students understood it.
• CThe teacher explained the concept the students understood it.✓
• DThe teacher explained the concept, and the students understood it.

Answer: A run-on joins two independent clauses with neither punctuation nor a conjunction between them, which is what happens where 'the concept the students' runs straight on.

Which sentence uses correct capitalisation?

• AThe principal, Dr. Smith, attended the meeting.✓
• BThe Principal, Dr. smith, attended the meeting.
• CThe principal, dr. Smith, attended the meeting.
• Dthe principal, Dr. Smith, attended the meeting.

Answer: 'Principal' is a common noun here rather than a title attached to a name, so it stays lower case, while 'Dr. Smith' is capitalised as a title with a surname.

Which sentence has a dangling modifier?

• AWalking to school, the student found a coin.
• BAs the student walked to school, she found a coin.
• CFinding a coin while walking to school, it made her happy.✓
• DThe student walked to school and found a coin.

Answer: The pronoun 'it' has no clear referent — it could be the coin or the act of finding it — and the opening participle has no subject to attach to.

Which sentence uses the correct tense consistency?

• AThe class discusses the book and answered questions.
• BThe class discussed the book and answers questions.
• CThe class discusses the book and answers questions.✓
• DThe class discusses the book and had answered questions.

Answer: Both verbs stay in the present tense, 'discusses' and 'answers', so the tense is consistent across the whole sentence.

Which sentence uses a comma correctly?

• AThe students, who studied hard, passed the test.✓
• BThe students who studied hard, passed the test.
• CThe students who studied hard passed the test.
• DThe students who studied hard; passed the test.

Answer: The commas correctly set off a non-essential relative clause, one that adds extra information and could be removed without changing the core meaning.

Which sentence corrects the comma splice?

• AThe lesson was long, it was informative.
• BThe lesson was long, and it was informative.✓
• CThe lesson was long it was informative.
• DThe lesson was long; however it was informative.

Answer: Adding the coordinating conjunction 'and' after the comma joins the two independent clauses properly and repairs the comma splice.

Which sentence is written in active voice?

• AThe report was written by the teacher.
• BThe teacher was writing the report.
• CThe report is being written.
• DThe teacher wrote the report.✓

Answer: In the active voice the subject performs the action, so 'the teacher' does the writing: the teacher wrote the report.

Which sentence has a pronoun agreement error?

• AEach student completed their assignment.✓
• BEach student completed his or her assignment.
• CEach student completed the assignment.
• DStudents completed their assignment.

Answer: 'Each' is grammatically singular, so pairing it with the plural 'their' breaks strict pronoun agreement; the formally correct version uses 'his or her'. Singular 'they' is now widely accepted in general usage, but this test applies the traditional rule.

Which sentence uses a semicolon correctly?

• AThe test was difficult; therefore, students studied hard.✓
• BThe test was difficult; students studied hard.
• CThe test was difficult; and students studied hard.
• DThe test was difficult; because students studied hard.

Answer: A semicolon is correct before a conjunctive adverb such as 'therefore', which is then followed by a comma.

Which sentence uses correct parallel structure?

• AThe lesson included reading, writing, and to speak.
• BThe lesson included to read, writing, and speaking.
• CThe lesson included reading, writing, and speaking.✓
• DThe lesson included reading, to write, and speaking.

Answer: Parallel structure requires every item in a list to take the same grammatical form. Here all three are gerunds: reading, writing, speaking.

Which sentence has correct quote punctuation?

• AThe principal said, "The meeting starts at 3 o'clock.
• BThe principal said, "The meeting starts at 3 o'clock."✓
• CThe principal said "The meeting starts at 3 o'clock."
• DThe principal said, The meeting starts at 3 o'clock.

Answer: A comma introduces the quotation and the full stop sits inside the closing quotation marks.

Which sentence uses 'which' vs 'that' correctly?

• AThe report that is on the desk is mine.
• BThe report, which is on the desk, is mine.✓
• CThe report that is on the desk, is mine.
• DThe report which is the most important is mine.

Answer: 'Which' introduces a non-essential clause and must be set off by commas; 'that' introduces an essential clause and takes none.

Which sentence has correct word order?

• AOnly the teacher can attend the meeting.✓
• BThe teacher only can attend the meeting.
• CThe teacher can only attend the meeting.
• DThe teacher can attend only the meeting.

Answer: Placing 'only' directly before the words it limits — 'the teacher' — makes clear that nobody else may attend. Moving it further along the sentence changes which element is being restricted.

Which sentence uses correct plural form?

• AThe childs' toys are organised.
• BThe children's toys are organised.✓
• CThe childrens toys are organised.
• DThe childs toys are organised.

Answer: 'Children' is already an irregular plural, so its possessive simply adds an apostrophe and an s: children's.

Which sentence avoids a double negative?

• AThe students shouldn't have no doubts.
• BThe students shouldn't have any doubts.✓
• CThe students should have no doubts.
• DThe students shouldn't not have doubts.

Answer: 'Shouldn't have any' carries a single negative. Pairing 'shouldn't' with 'no' negates twice and reverses the intended meaning.

Which sentence uses correct relative clause punctuation?

• AThe teacher, whom taught the class, was excellent.
• BThe teacher who taught the class was excellent.✓
• CThe teacher, who taught the class was excellent.
• DThe teacher that, taught the class, was excellent.

Answer: 'Who' is the subject form, and because the clause is essential to identifying which teacher is meant, it takes no commas.

Which sentence has correct use of the colon?

• AThe school has three priorities: teaching, learning, and welfare.✓
• BThe school has three priorities, teaching, learning, and welfare.
• CThe school has three priorities: teaching learning and welfare.
• DThe school has three priorities; teaching, learning, and welfare.

Answer: A colon correctly introduces a list when it follows a complete independent clause.

Which sentence corrects the misplaced modifier?

• AThe student completed the homework, which was difficult, yesterday.
• BCompleted by the student yesterday, the homework was difficult.
• CThe student completed yesterday the homework, which was difficult.
• DYesterday, the student completed the homework, which was difficult.✓

Answer: Moving 'yesterday' to the front makes clear that it modifies when the homework was completed, rather than leaving it where it could attach to the wrong part of the sentence.

Which sentence uses the correct comparative form?

• AThis test is more easier than the last one.
• BThis test is easier than the last one.✓
• CThis test is more easy than the last one.
• DThis test is easyer than the last one.

Answer: Short adjectives form the comparative with '-er', so 'easier' is correct. Combining it with 'more' doubles the comparative.

Which sentence uses correct hyphenation?

• AThe well trained teacher led the class.
• BThe well-trained teacher led the class.✓
• CThe wellrained teacher led the class.
• DThe well-trained teacher, led the class.

Answer: A compound adjective placed before the noun it describes is hyphenated: a well-trained teacher.

Which sentence uses dashes correctly?

• AThe students—who worked hard—passed the test.✓
• BThe students- who worked hard -passed the test.
• CThe students -- who worked hard -- passed the test.
• DThe students, - who worked hard, - passed the test.

Answer: A pair of em dashes correctly encloses a parenthetical phrase, closed up to the words on either side.

Which sentence avoids an unclear antecedent?

• AWhen the book hit the wall, it broke.
• BThe book hit the wall and broke.✓
• CWhen the book hit the wall, the book broke.
• DThe wall was hit by the book, it broke.

Answer: Naming the book as the subject of both verbs removes any ambiguity about what actually broke.

Which sentence uses the subjunctive mood correctly?

• AIf I was a teacher, I would prioritise student welfare.
• BIf I were a teacher, I would prioritise student welfare.✓
• CIf I am a teacher, I would prioritise student welfare.
• DIf I will be a teacher, I would prioritise student welfare.

Answer: The subjunctive 'were' is used in a hypothetical 'if' clause whatever the subject, which is why 'if I were' is correct rather than 'if I was'.

Which sentence uses articles correctly with the uncountable noun 'homework'?

• AThe teacher gave an homework to the class.
• BThe teacher gave a homework to the class.
• CThe teacher gave homework to the class.✓
• DThe teacher gave the homeworks to the class.

Answer: 'Homework' is uncountable, so it takes no indefinite article and has no plural form. 'A homework' and 'an homework' both treat it as countable, and 'homeworks' pluralises a noun that has no plural. Saying 'the homework' would also be correct in a context where a specific piece of work had already been mentioned, which is why the definite article is not offered here.

Which sentence has correct use of the apostrophe in a contraction?

• AThe student's have't finished.
• BThe students' haven't finished.
• CThe students haven't finished.✓
• DThe students have'nt finished.

Answer: The correct sentence pairs the plain plural 'students', which needs no apostrophe, with the contraction 'haven't', where the apostrophe replaces the 'o' of 'not'. Misplacing that apostrophe produces 'have't' or 'have'nt', and adding a possessive apostrophe to 'students' is wrong because nothing here is being possessed.