Test your basic knowledge |

Elements Of Style Vocab

Subjects : english, grammar
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A feature of nouns - pronouns - and a few verbs referring to singular or plural.






2. A phrase that functions as an adverb. [Landon laughs WITH ABANDON]






3. A verb that joins the subject of a sentence to its complement. [They WERE ecstatic.]






4. The time of a verb's action or state of being - such as past - present - or future.






5. The predicating verb in a main clause or sentence.






6. A sentence that expresses the main idea at the end.






7. A word that modifies - quantifies - or otherwise describes a noun or pronoun. [DRIZZLY November]






8. The words - A - AN - and THE - which signal or introduce nouns. THE refers to a particular item - whereas A and AN refer to a general item.






9. A verbal that functions as an adjective. Present participles end in -ING; past - -D - -ED; or -EN. Other forms: BROKEN






10. Two or more simple subjects joined by a coordinating or correlative conjunction. [HEMINGWAY AND FITZGERALD had little in common.]






11. A word that names a person - place - or thing.






12. A verb that combines with the main verb to show differences in tense - person - and voice. The most common auxiliaries are forms of BE - DO and HAVE. [I AM going; we DID not go]






13. A pronoun that functions as a subject or a subject complement.






14. A word that relates its object to another word in the sentence. [She is the leader OF our group.]






15. The verb and its related words in a clause or sentence. The predicate expresses what the subject does - experiences - or is. [Birds FLY.]






16. The noun or pronoun that completes a prepositional phrase or the meaning of a transitive verb.






17. The name of a particular person - place or thing.






18. A word or expression appropriate to informal conversation but not usually suitable for academic or business writing. [They wanted to GET EVEN.]






19. A group of related words that contains a subject and predicate. [MOTHS SWARM around a burning candle.]






20. Any of the verbs that combine with the main verb to express necessity [MUST] - obligation [SHOULD] - permission [MAY] - probability [MIGHT] - possibility [COULD] - ability [CAN] - or tentativeness [WOULD].






21. A verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning: they WASHED their new car.






22. The noun to which a pronoun refers. A pronoun and its antecedent must agree in person - number - and gender. [Michael and HIS teammates moved off campus]






23. A word - phrase - or clause that acts as an adjective in qualifying the meaning of a noun or pronoun. [YOUR country]






24. A group of words that includes a subject and verb but is subordinate to an independent clause in a sentence. [IF - BECAUSE - SINCE - etc...]






25. A phrase of clause that does not limit or restrict the essential meaning of the element it modifies.






26. The case of nouns and pronouns that indicates ownership or possession.






27. The -ING form of a verb that functions as a noun: HIKING - PLAYING - etc...






28. A clause dependent on the main clause in a sentence. AFTER WE FINISH OUR WORK - we will go out for dinner.






29. Two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction - a correlative conjunction - or a semicolon. [Caesar conquered Gaul - but Alexander the Great conquered the world.]






30. A verb that does not take a direct object. [His nerve FAILED.]






31. The noun or pronoun that indicates what a sentence is about - and which the principal verb of a sentence elaborates.






32. A word that modifies or otherwise qualifies a verb - an adjective - or another adverb. [Gestures GRACEFULLY]






33. A noun or pronoun that indicates to whom or for whom - to what or for what the action of a transitive verb is performed. [I asked HER a question.]






34. Correlative conjunctions [BOTH - AND; EITHER - OR; NEITHER - NOR] join the same kinds of elements (as conjunctions)






35. A noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb. [Pearson publishes BOOKS.]






36. A clause introduced by a relative pronoun - such as WHO - WHICH - THAT - or by a relative adverb - such as WHERE - WHEN - WHY.






37. A verb form that functions in a sentence as a noun - an adjective - or an adverb rather than as a principal verb. [THINKING can be fun.]






38. A group of words consisting of a preposition - its object -and any of the object's modifiers. [Georgia ON MY MIND.]






39. A pronoun that refers to an unspecified person (ANYBODY) or thing (SOMETHING)






40. A present or past participle with accompanying modifiers - objects or complements.






41. A word that joins words - phrases - clauses - or sentences. [For - And - Nor - But - Or - Yet - So --> FANBOYS]






42. The attribute of a verb that indicates whether its subject is active [Janet PLAYED the guitar]






43. A word or phrase that qualifies - describes - or limits the meaning of a word - phrase - or clause. [FRAYED ribbon]






44. A pronoun that connects a dependent clause to a main clause in a sentence: WHO - WHOM - WHOSE - WHICH - etc...






45. The correspondence of a verb with its subject in person and number [Karen GOES to Cal Tech; her sister GO to Ucla] - and a pronoun with its antecedent in person - number - and gender [as soon as Karen finished the exam - SHE picked up HER books].






46. A shortened form of a word or group of words: CAN'T for cannot; THEY'RE for they are.






47. A word or phrase (especially a noun or adjective that completes the predicate. [Martha is my NEIGHBOUR.]






48. A word or group of words that aids coherence in writing by showing the connections between ideas.






49. An independent clause which can stand alone as a grammatically complete sentence.






50. Possessive pronouns such as HERS - ITS and THEIRS.