Boundaries Punctuation and Grammar Flashcards

Which version of the sentence is most concise without changing the meaning?

Answer: Because it was raining, we stayed indoors.

'Because it was raining' is the most concise way to express the cause. The other options are wordy.

Which sentence correctly uses 'who' or 'whom'?

Answer: Whom did she choose as the winner?

'Whom' is used as an object. 'She chose whom as the winner' — 'whom' is the object. Correct.

Which sentence has correct pronoun-antecedent agreement?

Answer: Everyone should bring his or her own lunch.

'Everyone' is singular, so the grammatically strict agreement is 'his or her.'

Which revision best improves the underlined portion: 'The reason why we left is because it was too loud.'?

Answer: We left because it was too loud.

'The reason is because' is redundant. The clearest, most concise revision simply states 'We left because it was too loud.'

Which sentence correctly uses 'fewer' vs. 'less'?

Answer: There are fewer students in this class than last year.

'Fewer' is used with countable nouns (students); 'less' is used with uncountable nouns (water, time).

Which sentence avoids a misplaced modifier?

Answer: Almost every day, she drove her kids to school.

'Almost every day' correctly modifies the frequency of driving. Other placements change the meaning awkwardly.

Which sentence correctly uses parallel structure?

Answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and running.

Parallel structure requires the same grammatical form for all items in a list. All gerunds (-ing) is correct.

Which sentence uses the active voice most effectively?

Answer: The intern wrote the report.

Active voice: subject (intern) performs the action (wrote). More direct and concise than passive constructions.