Academic Grammar and Syntax Flashcards
7 cards from real CALP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Academic Grammar and Syntax flashcards as text
Which sentence correctly avoids a dangling modifier?
Answer: After analyzing the data, the researchers found surprising results.
A dangling modifier lacks a clear noun to modify; 'the researchers' correctly follows the participial phrase to show who performed the analysis.
Which sentence correctly uses a past perfect tense in an academic context?
Answer: The researchers had published their findings before the conference ended.
The past perfect ('had published') correctly signals that one past action (publishing) was completed before another past event (the conference ending).
Which correctly identifies the error in this sentence: 'Neither the control group nor the experimental groups was affected.'?
Answer: The verb 'was' should be 'were' to agree with the nearer subject 'experimental groups.'
With 'neither...nor' constructions, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it ('experimental groups,' which is plural), requiring 'were'.
Which sentence demonstrates correct academic use of a complex sentence with an adverbial clause of purpose?
Answer: The sample size was increased so that the results would be more reliable.
'So that' is the correct conjunction to introduce an adverbial clause of purpose, typically followed by a modal verb ('would') in formal academic writing.
In the sentence 'It is essential that students understand academic syntax,' what grammatical structure is 'that students understand academic syntax'?
Answer: A noun clause serving as the true subject
When a sentence begins with an expletive 'it,' the noun clause ('that students understand academic syntax') is the true subject displaced to the end of the sentence.
Which sentence correctly uses a gerund as the subject of the sentence?
Answer: Synthesizing sources effectively is a core academic skill.
A gerund (verb + -ing used as a noun) can serve as a sentence subject; 'Synthesizing sources effectively' is a gerund phrase functioning as the singular subject requiring 'is'.
Which sentence correctly uses correlative conjunctions to maintain parallel structure?
Answer: The essay must both argue a clear thesis and support it with evidence.
With correlative conjunctions 'both...and,' both elements must be grammatically parallel; 'argue' and 'support' are both base-form verbs, maintaining correct parallel structure.