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Test your basic knowledge |
Elements Of Style Vocab
Start Test
Study First
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 noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb. [Pearson publishes BOOKS.]
Main clause
Possessive
Direct object
Syntax
2. A noun or noun phrase that renames or adds identifying information to a noun it immediately follows. [His brother - AN ACCOUNTANT WITH ARTHUR ANDERSON - was recently promoted]
Appositive
Complement
Case
Possessive
3. A pronoun that refers to an unspecified person (ANYBODY) or thing (SOMETHING)
Indefinite pronoun
Verbal
Preposition
Subordinate clause
4. A pronoun that connects a dependent clause to a main clause in a sentence: WHO - WHOM - WHOSE - WHICH - etc...
Relative pronoun
Syntax
Participle
Participial phrase
5. The attribute of a verb that indicates whether its subject is active [Janet PLAYED the guitar]
Voice
Conjunction
Appositive
Modal auxiliaries
6. A word or group of words that aids coherence in writing by showing the connections between ideas.
Agreement
Transition
Indefinite pronoun
Correlative expression
7. A word that modifies or otherwise qualifies a verb - an adjective - or another adverb. [Gestures GRACEFULLY]
Appositive
Adverb
Prepositional phrase
Gerund
8. A group of words that includes a subject and verb but is subordinate to an independent clause in a sentence. [IF - BECAUSE - SINCE - etc...]
Dependent Clause
Phrase
Predicate
Infinitive/split infinitive
9. A group of related words that functions as a unit but lacks a subject - verb - or both. WITHOUT THE RESOURCES TO CONTINUE.
Appositive
Phrase
Correlative expression
Conjunction
10. In the present tense - a verb phrase consisting of TO followed by the base form of the verb (TO WRITE). A split infinitive occurs when one or more words separate TO and the verb [TO BOLDLY GO]
Gerund
Infinitive/split infinitive
Verb
Preposition
11. The form of a noun or pronoun that reflects its grammatical function in a sentence as subject (THEY) - object (THEM) - or possessor (THEIR).
Syntax
Participle
Adverb
Case
12. 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].
Transitive verb
Agreement
Noun
Participle
13. A word - phrase - or clause that acts as an adjective in qualifying the meaning of a noun or pronoun. [YOUR country]
Adjectival modifier
Verbal
Main clause
Clause
14. An independent clause which can stand alone as a grammatically complete sentence.
Dependent Clause
Nonrestrictive modifier
Main clause
Antecedent
15. A group of related words that contains a subject and predicate. [MOTHS SWARM around a burning candle.]
Complement
Restrictive term - element - clause
Intransitive verb
Clause
16. A sentence that begins with the main idea and then attaches modifiers - qualifiers - and additional details.
Verbal
Loose sentence
Correlative expression
Agreement
17. The name of a particular person - place or thing.
Proper noun
Modifier
Complement
Transitive verb
18. Correlative conjunctions [BOTH - AND; EITHER - OR; NEITHER - NOR] join the same kinds of elements (as conjunctions)
Appositive
Indefinite pronoun
Modifier
Correlative expression
19. A feature of nouns - pronouns - and a few verbs referring to singular or plural.
Indefinite pronoun
Sentence fragment
Number
Tense
20. Two or more simple subjects joined by a coordinating or correlative conjunction. [HEMINGWAY AND FITZGERALD had little in common.]
Compound subject
Auxiliary verb
Intransitive verb
Object
21. A group of words with a subject and verb that can stand alone as a sentence. [RACCOONS STEAL FOOD.]
Clause
Compound subject
Indirect object
Independent Clause
22. A shortened form of a word or group of words: CAN'T for cannot; THEY'RE for they are.
Number
Contraction
Preposition
Sentence fragment
23. A word that modifies - quantifies - or otherwise describes a noun or pronoun. [DRIZZLY November]
Intransitive verb
Prepositional phrase
Conjunction
Adjective
24. A clause dependent on the main clause in a sentence. AFTER WE FINISH OUR WORK - we will go out for dinner.
Subordinate clause
Compound sentence
Verb
Gerund
25. A word that relates its object to another word in the sentence. [She is the leader OF our group.]
Sentence fragment
Preposition
Loose sentence
Periodic sentence
26. The order or arrangement of words in a sentence.
Agreement
Syntax
Prepositional phrase
Adjective
27. 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].
Loose sentence
Appositive
Modal auxiliaries
Pronominal possessive
28. A word or phrase (especially a noun or adjective that completes the predicate. [Martha is my NEIGHBOUR.]
Articles
Complement
Subject
Principal verb
29. A pronoun that functions as a subject or a subject complement.
Dependent Clause
Articles
Voice
Nominative pronoun
30. A phrase that functions as an adverb. [Landon laughs WITH ABANDON]
Preposition
Appositive
Adverbial phrase
Principal verb
31. 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.
Articles
Case
Restrictive term - element - clause
Phrase
32. 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]
Appositive
Restrictive term - element - clause
Antecedent
Correlative expression
33. A word that names a person - place - or thing.
Sentence fragment
Nominative pronoun
Loose sentence
Noun
34. 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]
Relative pronoun
Auxiliary verb
Agreement
Subordinate clause
35. A clause introduced by a relative pronoun - such as WHO - WHICH - THAT - or by a relative adverb - such as WHERE - WHEN - WHY.
Relative clause
Pronominal possessive
Conjunction
Restrictive term - element - clause
36. 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.]
Compound sentence
Number
Infinitive/split infinitive
Subordinate clause
37. A word or phrase that qualifies - describes - or limits the meaning of a word - phrase - or clause. [FRAYED ribbon]
Modifier
Linking verb
Relative clause
Nominative pronoun
38. A group of words consisting of a preposition - its object -and any of the object's modifiers. [Georgia ON MY MIND.]
Prepositional phrase
Nominative pronoun
Possessive
Independent Clause
39. A verbal that functions as an adjective. Present participles end in -ING; past - -D - -ED; or -EN. Other forms: BROKEN
Contraction
Participle
Phrase
Infinitive/split infinitive
40. A word or group of words that expresses the action or indicates the state of being of the subject. Verbs ACTIVATE sentences.
Verb
Contraction
Modifier
Case
41. The -ING form of a verb that functions as a noun: HIKING - PLAYING - etc...
Nominative pronoun
Gerund
Auxiliary verb
Loose sentence
42. A phrase or clause that limits the essential meaning of the sentence element it modifies or identifies. [Professional athletes WHO PERFORM EXCEPTIONALLY should earn stratospheric salaries.]
Restrictive term - element - clause
Noun
Conjunction
Auxiliary verb
43. A word or expression appropriate to informal conversation but not usually suitable for academic or business writing. [They wanted to GET EVEN.]
Colloquialism
Adjective
Voice
Noun
44. 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.]
Indirect object
Independent Clause
Direct object
Adverbial phrase
45. The predicating verb in a main clause or sentence.
Object
Principal verb
Adverb
Articles
46. The noun or pronoun that completes a prepositional phrase or the meaning of a transitive verb.
Case
Object
Pronominal possessive
Direct object
47. The verb and its related words in a clause or sentence. The predicate expresses what the subject does - experiences - or is. [Birds FLY.]
Predicate
Nonrestrictive modifier
Contraction
Infinitive/split infinitive
48. A phrase of clause that does not limit or restrict the essential meaning of the element it modifies.
Nonrestrictive modifier
Appositive
Adverbial phrase
Infinitive/split infinitive
49. The noun or pronoun that indicates what a sentence is about - and which the principal verb of a sentence elaborates.
Preposition
Auxiliary verb
Infinitive/split infinitive
Subject
50. The case of nouns and pronouns that indicates ownership or possession.
Possessive
Participle
Pronominal possessive
Participial phrase