What word is best to substitute for the underlined words in the following sentence? You can hear the nurses' laughter all the way down the hallway.
- A. his
- B. hers
- C. them
- D. their
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The phrase 'the nurses' laughter' indicates possession by the nurses, a plural subject. Therefore, the appropriate possessive pronoun to use in this context is 'their,' which correctly reflects possession by multiple nurses. Choice A ('his') is singular and refers to a male subject, not suitable for a group of nurses. Choice B ('hers') is singular and refers to a female subject, not suitable for a group of nurses. Choice C ('them') is a pronoun used for a group of people, but it doesn't indicate possession as required in the sentence.
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Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? Everybody pretends to do so, but few truly understand the essay.
- A. pretends
- B. truly
- C. understand
- D. essay
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The word 'understand' should be used instead of 'understands' to maintain subject-verb agreement. In this sentence, 'few' is a plural subject, requiring the plural verb 'understand' rather than 'understands.' The corrected sentence reads, 'but few truly understand the essay.' Choice A, 'pretends,' is used correctly in the sentence. Choice B, 'truly,' is also used appropriately. Choice D, 'essay,' is also correctly used in the sentence.
Select the phrase that will make the following sentence grammatically correct. Before I had finished supper, James ___________.
- A. is texting me on my cell phone
- B. had texted me on my cell phone
- C. texts me on my cell phone
- D. texting me on my cell phone
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The sentence starts with 'Before I had finished supper,' indicating that the action of James texting you on your cell phone had occurred before the completion of another past action (finishing supper). The past perfect tense 'had texted' is used to express an action that happened before another action in the past, making the sentence grammatically correct. Choice A is incorrect because it uses the present continuous tense, which is not suitable for indicating an action that occurred before finishing supper. Choice C is incorrect as it uses the simple present tense, which does not convey the sequence of events correctly. Choice D is incorrect as it presents the present continuous tense, which is not appropriate for the context of the sentence.
Select the phrase or clause that is misplaced in the following sentence: At a presentation, he informed us about the dangers of drugs and alcohol in the auditorium.
- A. At a presentation
- B. about the dangers
- C. of drugs and alcohol
- D. in the auditorium
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The phrase 'in the auditorium' is misplaced in the sentence because it suggests that the dangers of drugs and alcohol were in the auditorium, which is not the intended meaning. It would make more sense for this phrase to come immediately after 'he informed us' to indicate where the presentation took place. Choices A, B, and C are all correctly placed within the sentence, providing necessary information about the context and topic of the presentation.
Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? Moving stealthily, the sneaky little boy reached for the cookie jar on the topmost shelf.
- A. stealthy
- B. sneaky
- C. reached
- D. topmost
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The word 'stealthy' is used incorrectly in the sentence. The correct adverb form of the word should be 'stealthily' to modify the verb 'moving.' Therefore, it should be 'Moving stealthily, the sneaky little boy reached for the cookie jar on the topmost shelf.' Choices B, C, and D are all used appropriately in the sentence. 'Sneaky' describes the boy, 'reached' is the action verb, and 'topmost' correctly describes the location of the cookie jar.
Select the word or phrase that is misplaced in the following sentence. In the apartment house, the car with the white roof and new tires belongs to our friends.
- A. In the apartment house
- B. with the white roof
- C. and new tires
- D. to our friends
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The phrase 'and new tires' is misplaced in the sentence as it disrupts the flow of information. It introduces unnecessary detail that does not directly contribute to the main point of the sentence, which is identifying the ownership of the car. Choices A, B, and D are all essential parts of the sentence that help convey the location of the car and its ownership, making them correctly placed within the sentence.