Name that Modifier and: Noun or Adjective Modifier
The old wooden cabin by the lake looked abandoned.
Adjective modifier: old (describes "cabin")
Noun modifier: wooden (a noun acting like an adjective, modifying "cabin")
The barking dog woke the neighbors.
Present participle: barking (modifies "dog")
Although she disliked the _______ ________ sculpture, she agreed to display it in the gallery.
"modern ugly" or "ugly modern"
Although she disliked the ugly modern sculpture, she agreed to display it in the gallery.
Modifiers of “sculpture”:
ugly (opinion)
modern (age)
Which word is used as both a conjunction and a preposition, depending on context?
Answer: "After"
Conjunction: "He left after I arrived."
Preposition: "He left after dinner."
Which word is the subject in this sentence?
The cat chased the mouse.
A. cat
B. chased
C. mouse
D. the
Answer: A. cat
Why: The subject is the noun that performs the action. 6x points
She bought a red silk dress for the ceremony.
Adjective modifier: red (describes "dress")
Noun modifier: silk (modifies "dress")
She picked up the broken glass carefully.
Past participle: broken (modifies "glass") 5x points
Because the ________ _______ package wouldn’t fit in the car, they had it delivered.
"rectangular enormous" or "enormous rectangular"
Because the enormous rectangular package wouldn’t fit in the car, they had it delivered.
What’s the difference in meaning between these two sentences?
"I had lived in Paris for five years."
"I have lived in Paris for five years."
Answer:
"Had lived" = past perfect → the action ended before another past event.
"Have lived" = present perfect → the action started in the past and continues to the present.
(×5 points).
Question:
Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentence:
By the time we arrived, she ___.
A. leave
B. left
C. had left
D. has left
Answer: C. had left
Why: Past perfect is used to show an action completed before another past action.
The tall office building was visible from miles away.
Adjective modifier: tall (describes "building")
Noun modifier: office (modifies "building")
We avoided the flooded road and took a winding path instead.
Past participle: flooded (modifies "road")
Present participle: winding (modifies "path")
Since the ________ ________ tablet was fragile, the archaeologists handled it with care.
"ancient stone" or "stone ancient"
ancient (age)
stone (noun used as modifier)
Identify the ambiguity in this sentence and explain both meanings:
"Visiting relatives can be annoying."
Answer:
Meaning 1: The act of visiting relatives is annoying. ("Visiting" as gerund)
Meaning 2: Relatives who are visiting can be annoying. ("Visiting" as participial adjective)
(Ambiguity arises from syntactic category of "visiting")
Question:
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
A. The list of items are on the desk.
B. The list of items is on the desk.
C. The lists of item is on the desk.
D. The list of items were on the desk.
Answer: B. The list of items is on the desk.
Why: The subject is list (singular), so the verb must also be singular: is. 4X points
They admired the ancient stone statue in the museum.
Adjective modifier: ancient (describes "statue")
Noun modifier: stone (modifies "statue") 3X points
The damaged car and the leaking tank were quickly removed.
Past participle: damaged (modifies "car")
Present participle: leaking (modifies "tank")
Even though he owned a ________ ________ car, he rarely drove it in bad weather.
"luxurious Italian" or "Italian luxurious"
Even though he owned a luxurious Italian car, he rarely drove it in bad weather.
What is the grammatical role of the word “that” in this sentence?
"That she won surprised everyone."
Answer:
“That” is a complementizer introducing a nominal (noun) clause. The entire clause “that she won” functions as the subject of the sentence.
Which sentence uses pronouns correctly?
A. Everyone must bring their pencil.
B. Each of the players removed their helmet.
C. Neither of the girls brought her lunch.
D. If someone calls, tell them I’m not here.
Answer: C. Neither of the girls brought her lunch.
Why: Neither is singular, so the singular pronoun her is correct. The other sentences use plural pronouns with singular antecedents, which is less formal or incorrect.
We sat under the large canvas tent during the storm.
Adjective modifier: large (describes "tent")
Noun modifier: canvas (modifies "tent")
Engineers inspected the bent pipe, the glowing wire, and the twisted panel.
Past participles: bent, twisted
Present participle: glowing
Because the _______ _______ dress caught everyone’s attention, she felt slightly embarrassed.
"red bright" or "bright red"
Because the bright red dress caught everyone’s attention, she felt slightly embarrassed. 2x Points
What grammatical principle is violated in this sentence, and how would you fix it?
"She likes reading more than her brother."
Answer:
The sentence is ambiguous due to ellipsis and unclear parallel structure. Two possible meanings:
She likes reading more than her brother does.
She likes reading more than she likes her brother.
The issue: The ellipsis omits a key verb or clause, leading to two possible interpretations.
Fixes:
To mean (1): "She likes reading more than her brother does."
To mean (2): "She likes reading more than she likes her brother."
This tests precision in syntax, meaning preservation, and clarity in writing—essential for advanced editors, translators, and writers.
Question:
Which sentence correctly converts the following active voice sentence into passive voice?
Active: The committee will review the proposal tomorrow.
A. The proposal will be reviewed by the committee tomorrow.
B. The proposal is reviewed by the committee tomorrow.
C. The proposal has been reviewed by the committee tomorrow.
D. The committee is going to be reviewed by the proposal tomorrow.
Answer: A. The proposal will be reviewed by the committee tomorrow.
Why: The correct passive form of "will review" is "will be reviewed."