Grammar, Style and Language Basics MCQ

1. Coordination tells a reader that __________.

2. To avoid using qualifiers, you should do more research.

3. Reduce the use of prepositions.

4. Possessives and contractions are pretty much the same thing.

5. “First annual” is an example of a redundancy.

6. Go through each sentence you write and try to insert words and phrases that add length whenever possible.

7. Clichés are good to use because everyone knows them.

8. Write quickly but edit slowly.

9. The Associated Press Stylebook serves as the primary source for standardization of content for newspapers, magazines, and websites.

10. Ten percent of the rules in the AP Stylebook cover 90% of style questions.

11. ______ is often the BEST way to help you determine if a sentence is too long or has construction issues.

12. ______ sentences pack a punch.

13. ______ will control the pace and flow of your writing.

14. Active voice writing is beneficial for all of the following reasons EXCEPT ______.

15. As you build each sentence, start ______.

16. You should write ______.

17. Writing the cleanest possible copy should matter a great deal to you because of all of the following EXCEPT ______.

18. The simple predicate of a sentence that provides the ____ for the sentence is called a verb.

19. A grammatical construct in which the writer places words between “to” and the verb within an infinitive verb form is called split infinitive.

20. In sentence diagramming a writer _____ dissects a sentence to assess its grammatical structure.

21. Prepositional phrase is a series of words that begins with a _____ and concludes with the object of a preposition.

22. A word that indicates geographic or temporal placement is called _____.

23. Possessive is a  grammatical construct that indicates ______.

24. A form of sentence structure that places the subject of the sentence in a position in which it is receiving the action of the verb is known as ____.

25. Noun is a simple subject of  a sentence that explains ____ or ____ the sentence is about.

26. Misplaced modifier is also known as a dangling modifier.

27. Indirect object is the element of the sentence that is indirectly affected by the action of the verb.

28. Gender neutral is a term that indicates that an item is neither ____ or _____.

29. Empty word is a _____ term that fails to add information to a sentence.

30. Empty subject is an opening of a sentence that lacks value but takes up the ____.

31. Cluster of words that fails to add information to a sentence is called _____.

32. Direct object is an element of the sentence that is acted____.

33. A structural deficiency in a sentence that results in a word or phrase that can be misapplied to the description of another word or phrase is called a dangling modifier.

34. Contraction is a grammatical construct that uses an _____ to combine two words.

35. Cliche is an _____ statement that lacks imagination.

36. The requirement that nouns and their pronouns be ______ in terms of singularity or plurality is called antecedent-pronoun agreement.

37. Active voice is a sentence that places the subject in a position where it performs action in the _____.