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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






10. 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].






11. 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]






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






19. 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.]






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






21. 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].






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






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






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






25. 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]






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






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






28. 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]






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






42. 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.]






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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