Parts of Speech
In the sentence "She ran through the fog," what is the verb?
Ran
Rationale: The verb shows the action the subject is performing—here, “ran” is the action verb.
True or False: You can use a colon before a quote if the lead-in is a full sentence.
True
If your lead-in is a full sentence (an independent clause), you may use a colon to introduce a quote—especially if you're emphasizing the quote.
Sometimes, he ___ down the alley, listening for sounds.
A) walk
B) walked
C) walks
C) Walks
Present tense matches the narrative style.
The sound of the bells ___ through the empty streets.
A) echo
B) echoes
C) echoed
D) are echoing
B) echoes
The subject is “sound” (singular), so it takes the singular present tense verb “echoes.”
The moonlight spilled over the city; ___ shimmer lit up the rooftops.
A) its
B) it’s
C) their
D) his
A) its
"Moonlight" is singular and non-human → use the possessive pronoun its.
(Just like your test’s frost → it or its)
Name the sentence type:
Jesus wept.
A. Simple
B. Compound
C. Complex
D. Compound-Complex
A. Simple
In the sentence “The glowing stars filled the sky,” what is the subject?
Glowing stars
The subject of a sentence is the noun or noun phrase that performs the action of the verb.
In this case:
"stars" is the main noun (simple subject).
"the glowing" is a modifier—"glowing" is a present participle that describes the stars
Which sentence correctly uses a colon?
A) She listed: books, pens, and folders.
B) She brought three things: books, pens, and folders.
B) She brought three things: books, pens, and folders.
A colon must follow a complete sentence (independent clause).
“She brought three things” is a full sentence → okay to add colon.
“She listed” is not a complete sentence, so a colon there is grammatically incorrect.
Choose the sentence with consistent tense:
A) He ran to the store and bought eggs.
B) He runs to the store and bought eggs.
C) He runs to the store and had bought eggs.
A) He ran to the store and bought eggs.
Neither the cat nor the dog ___ allowed on the furniture.
A) are
B) were
C) is
D) be
C) is
With “neither/nor,” the verb agrees with the subject closest to it—“dog” is singular → use “is.”
The officers left their radios on, so ___ voices echoed over the static.
A) his
B) their
C) it’s
D) its
B) their
Rationale: “Officers” is plural → match with plural pronoun their.
Which of the following is a helping verb?
A) run
B) had
C) quickly
D) hopes
B) Had
A helping verb (also called an auxiliary verb) is used with a main verb to show tense, mood, or voice.
“Had” is a helping verb in past perfect tense (She had eaten.)
“Run” is a main verb
“Quickly” is an adverb
“Hopes” is a main verb in the present tense (not a helper)
Which word is the main verb in this sentence: “He had been hiding in the garage.”
Hiding
Rationale: “Hiding” is the main action verb; “had been” is auxiliary (helping).
Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:
A) He whispered: “Don’t move.”
B) He whispered, “Don’t move.”
B) He whispered, “Don’t move.”
Rationale:
When introducing a quote with a simple dialogue tag like he said or she whispered, you use a comma, not a colon.
A colon is only appropriate if the lead-in is a full independent clause on its own (like in a formal announcement).
The silence of the neighborhood ___ heavy.
A) is
B) are
C) were
A) is
Silence” is singular; “is” agrees in present tense.
There ___ a dozen patrol cars in the garage.
A)are
B) is
C)was
D) be
A) Are
The true subject is “a dozen patrol cars” → plural → use “are.”
The robot extended ___ arm toward the glowing panel.
A) its
B) it’s
C) their
D) his or her
A) its
Robot” is singular and inanimate → use its. It’s = it is = wrong.
Which of the following sentences begins with a subordinating conjunction (AAAWWUBBIS word)?
A) She ran down the street and tripped.
B) Because it was late, we turned off the lights.
C) We waited, but the doors never opened.
D) The sun set behind the trees.
B) Because it was late, we turned off the lights.
A – After
A – Although
A – As
W – When
W – While
U – Until
B – Because
B – Before
I – If
S – Since
Identify the subject in the clause: “There was a strange noise in the distance.”
Noise
Rationale: Although “there” comes first, it’s a placeholder. The true subject is “noise.”
Which punctuation best completes the sentence?
He leaned closer__ “You dropped this.”
A) ,
B) :
C) and
A) ,
“He leaned closer” is not an independent clause—it’s a speech tag.
In that case, you use a comma before introducing the quote.
A colon is only used after a complete sentence.
“And” doesn’t make sense here grammatically.
The man with the flashlight ___ through the quiet streets.
A) walk
B) walks
C) walking
B) Walks
Singular subject “man” → “walks.”
Each of the robots ___ assigned a specific patrol zone.
A) were
B) are
C) is
D) have been
C) Is
“Each” is always singular, even if followed by a plural noun like “robots.” So: “is assigned.”
Neither the dog nor the cat had eaten ___ food.
A) their
B) its
C) his or her
D) it’s
C) his or her
C) his or her
Neither/nor” = singular subject. Use singular pronouns → his or her is the most precise choice.
Which of the following sentences contains a comma splice?
A) She turned off the light, and the room grew quiet.
B) He walked to the door, he didn’t open it.
C) Because it was cold, they stayed inside.
D) I was tired; I went straight to bed.
B) He walked to the door, he didn’t open it.
A comma splice happens when two independent clauses are joined by a comma instead of a coordinating conjunction or proper punctuation.
In this sentence, identify the verb and the subject:
“Each of the old books tells a story.”
Verb - Tells
Subject - Each
Rationale: “Each” is singular and is the true subject; “tells” is the verb agreeing with it.
Fix this sentence: He said and I quote “This is a disaster.”
Options:
Commas: He said, and I quote, “This is a disaster.”
Dashes: He said -- and I quote -- "This is a disaster."
1. The phrase “and I quote” is a parenthetical expression — a brief interruption that needs to be set off with sort of punctuation. Both work.
Choose the sentence that keeps the verb tense consistent.
A) She turned the corner and sees the light.
B) She turns the corner and saw the light.
C) She turned the corner and saw the light.
C) She turned the corner and saw the light.
Both verbs are in past tense.
The data collected by the scientists ___ to a surprising conclusion.
B) leads
“Data” can be plural or singular depending on context, but in formal writing it’s usually treated as plural—however, here, it's being used collectively as a singular set (the collection of data leads to a conclusion), so “leads” is acceptable in standard usage.
The group of engineers presented ___ final design to the committee.
A) their
B) its
C) it’s
D) his
B) its
Rationale: “Group” is a collective noun used as singular here. So, its is correct.
This question has two parts:
1) Name all the FANBOYS.
2) When are they used
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
FANBOYS are used to connect independent clauses in a compound sentence after a COMMA.