Grammar Gauntlet
This type of sentence features an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. What is a _______ sentence?
Complex sentence
Used to indicate a sudden break or interruption in thought, this punctuation mark often appears in dialogue. What is an _______?
em dash (-)
This literary device gives human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract concepts. What is _______?
Personification
"The tired traveler longed for a comfortable bed." In this sentence, the underlined word is the main part of this type of verb phrase.
Predicate (or verb phrase)
This word, meaning "to make something less severe," is often misspelled with an "i" before the "l." Spell _______.
Alleviate
Often confused with a conjunction, this part of speech is used to connect words, phrases, or clauses and show the relationship between them. What is a _______?
Preposition
While often used interchangeably with a comma, this punctuation mark is specifically used to introduce a list when the list is preceded by a complete sentence. What is a _______?
Colon (:)
A word that has the same pronunciation as another word but a different meaning and spelling, like "write" and "right," is known as what?
A homophone
"She sang beautifully at the concert." The underlined word modifies the verb "sang," but it also has a specific name based on its ending. What kind of adverb is it?
Adverb of manner
This word, meaning "to surrender or give in," is often misspelled with "ie" instead of just an "e." Spell _______.
Accede
Used to express strong emotion, this type of sentence often ends with an exclamation point. What is an _______ sentence?
Exclamatory sentence
"Although I love to read, I haven't had much time lately." The comma in this sentence is used to separate this type of clause from the main clause. What is an _______ clause?
Subordinate clause (or dependent clause)
This term refers to the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. What is _______?
Satire
"The book on the table is mine." The underlined word shows the relationship between the book and the table. What part of speech is it?
Preposition
This word, meaning "to publicly declare something to be true," is often misspelled with an "e" at the end. Spell _______.
Avow
"She was walking to the store when she saw her friend." The underlined verb tense is an example of this, which describes an action in progress when another action occurred. What is the _______?
Past progressive tense
This punctuation mark can be used to join two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction. What is a _______?
Semicolon (;)
This playwright, known for his tragedies like "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet," is considered one of the greatest writers in the English language. Who is _______?
William Shakespeare
"She is taller than her brother." The underlined word compares two people. What type of adjective is this?
Comparative Adjective
This word, meaning "a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts," is often misspelled with an "a" instead of an "e" in the second syllable. Spell _______.
Reverie
"The dog, a golden retriever with a wagging tail, happily chased the frisbee." The phrase between the commas is an example of this type of phrase that provides extra information about a noun. What is an _______?
Appositive phrase
"My favorite poem is 'The Raven' by Edgar Allan Poe." In this sentence, the title of the poem should be enclosed in these punctuation marks. What are _______?
Quotation marks (" ")
This Old English epic poem tells the story of a hero who battles a monster named Grendel. What is _______?
Beowulf
"Swimming is my favorite summer activity." The underlined word is a form of a verb functioning as a noun in this sentence. What is this called?
Gerund
This word, meaning "a feeling of intense dislike or disgust," is often misspelled with a single "r" Spell _______.
Abhorrence