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.
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Which word is not spelled correctly in the context of the following sentence? Everyone in the fraternity found the four boys' pranks sophomoric.
- A. Everyone
- B. fraternity
- C. boys'
- D. sophomoric
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The word 'boys'' should be spelled as 'boys' in this context. The correct possessive form of the plural noun 'boys' does not require an apostrophe before the final S, which indicates possession. In this sentence, the intent is to show that the pranks belong to the four boys collectively, so the correct possessive form is 'boys' without the additional apostrophe.
Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? The professor was once an intern in this hospital back in the 1980s.
- A. professor
- B. once
- C. intern
- D. hospital
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In the given sentence, the word 'once' is used incorrectly. The original sentence implies that the professor was an intern in the hospital at a specific time in the past, not just once. The word 'formerly' would imply that the professor used to be an intern but is no longer. Therefore, 'once' is the incorrect word choice in this context. The other options ('professor,' 'intern,' 'hospital') are all used correctly in the sentence.
Select the word or phrase that makes the following sentence grammatically correct. The students promised ___________ themselves with quiet dignity.
- A. conduct
- B. conducting
- C. to conduct
- D. to be conducted
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C. The sentence requires an infinitive form of the verb 'to conduct' after the verb 'promised.' This structure is commonly used in English grammar, where the main verb 'promised' is followed by an infinitive verb form. Therefore, the sentence should read: 'The students promised to conduct themselves with quiet dignity.' Choice A ('conduct') is incorrect as it is not in the infinitive form required after 'promised.' Choice B ('conducting') is incorrect as a gerund does not fit the grammatical structure of the sentence. Choice D ('to be conducted') is incorrect as it changes the meaning of the sentence, suggesting that someone else will conduct the students, rather than the students conducting themselves.
What punctuation is needed in the following sentence to make it correct? In addition to the hospital's regularly scheduled festivities, the custodians celebrate with a party of their own.
- A. Period
- B. Comma
- C. Apostrophe
- D. Semicolon
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct punctuation needed in the sentence is a comma. A comma should be placed after 'festivities' to separate the two independent clauses in the sentence: 'In addition to the hospital's regularly scheduled festivities' and 'the custodians celebrate with a party of their own.' The comma helps in improving the clarity and structure of the sentence by indicating a pause between the clauses.
Choice A, 'Period,' is incorrect because a period would create two separate sentences rather than connecting the related clauses. Choice C, 'Apostrophe,' is incorrect as there is no need for an apostrophe in this context. Choice D, 'Semicolon,' is incorrect because a semicolon is used to join closely related independent clauses, which is not the case in the given sentence.
Select the phrase in the following sentence that is not used correctly. Before their hospitalization, the children had rarely eaten three meals a day.
- A. Before their
- B. children had
- C. had rarely
- D. rarely eat
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The phrase 'had rarely' is not used correctly in the sentence. The correct form should be 'rarely eaten' instead of 'had rarely' to convey the past tense of the children's eating habits before their hospitalization. 'Had rarely' is incorrect because it does not match the structure needed to describe the children's eating habits in the past. Choices A, B, and D are grammatically sound and fit appropriately in the sentence.