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






2. 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].






3. 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.]






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






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






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






7. 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]






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






25. 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.]






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






27. 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.]






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






38. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






46. 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]






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






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






49. 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.]






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