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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 sentence that begins with the main idea and then attaches modifiers - qualifiers - and additional details.






2. A group of related words that functions as a unit but lacks a subject - verb - or both. WITHOUT THE RESOURCES TO CONTINUE.






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






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






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






6. The order or arrangement of words in a sentence.






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






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






9. 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.]






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






11. 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.]






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






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






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






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






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






17. A group of words with a subject and verb that can stand alone as a sentence. [RACCOONS STEAL FOOD.]






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






27. 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]






28. 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.






29. A word or group of words that expresses the action or indicates the state of being of the subject. Verbs ACTIVATE sentences.






30. 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].






31. The form of a noun or pronoun that reflects its grammatical function in a sentence as subject (THEY) - object (THEM) - or possessor (THEIR).






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






33. 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.]






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






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






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






37. 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].






38. 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]






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






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






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






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






43. A feature of nouns - pronouns - and a few verbs referring to singular or plural.






44. A group of words that is not grammatically a complete sentence but is punctuated as one: BECAUSE IT MATTERED GREATLY.






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






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






47. 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]






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






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






50. 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]