Advanced Grammar
Word Usage Nuances
Parts of Speech
Sentence Structure
5. Common Mistakes in Academic Writing
100

Identify the correct verb form: “Neither of the students ___ prepared for the exam.”

is

100

Choose the correct word: “She has a ___ understanding of grammar.” Options: profound, profane

profound

100

Identify the noun: “The cat slept on the sofa.”

cat, sofa

100

Identify if sentence is simple, compound, or complex: “She runs every morning, and he swims in the evening.”

compound

100

Choose the correct form: “Its/It’s a great day.”

It’s

200

Correct the misplaced modifier: “Walking down the street, the flowers caught her attention.”

…while she was walking down the street, the flowers caught her attention

200

Identify the misused word: “He literally exploded with laughter.”

“literally” is incorrect, should be “figuratively”

200

Identify the verb: “She runs every morning.”

runs

200

Correct the run-on sentence: “I went to the store I bought milk.”

I went to the store, and I bought milk.

200

Identify the punctuation error: “However I disagree, we can try.”

Missing comma after “However”

300

Choose the correct tense: “If he ___ earlier, he would have seen it.”

had arrived

300

Select the correct idiom: “She decided to bite the ___.” Options: bullet, tongue, nail

bullet

300

Identify the adjective: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

quick, brown, lazy

300

Transform passive to active: “The homework was completed by the student.”

The student completed the homework.

300

Subject-verb agreement?: “The data shows.”

The data show

400

Combine these sentences using a relative clause: “The professor is brilliant. She teaches linguistics.”

The professor who teaches linguistics is brilliant.

400

Differentiate between affect vs. effect: “The weather will ___ the event.”

affect

400

Identify the adverb: “He spoke very softly during the meeting.”

very, softly

400

Combine into one complex sentence: “He studied hard. He passed the exam.”

Because he studied hard, he passed the exam.

400

Misused word or correct: “He did good on the exam.”

good → well

500

Identify the subtle error in parallel structure: “She likes reading, to jog, and swimming.”

to jog → jogging

500

Identify the precise meaning: “He was an ambivalent participant.”

Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something

500

Identify the prepositional phrase: “The book on the table belongs to Sarah.”

on the table

500

Correct?: “Although she tried her best.”

It is a fragment; needs main clause.

500

Revise awkward sentence: “Due to the fact that he was late, he missed the meeting.”

Because he was late, he missed the meeting.