Writing Skills Practice Flashcards

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. J̲e̲w̲e̲l̲r̲y̲ ̲i̲s̲ ̲a̲n̲ ̲a̲c̲c̲e̲s̲s̲o̲r̲y̲ ̲u̲s̲e̲d̲ ̲b̲y̲ ̲m̲e̲m̲b̲e̲r̲s̲ ̲o̲f̲ ̲a̲l̲l̲ ̲c̲l̲a̲s̲s̲e̲s̲ ̲i̲n̲c̲l̲u̲d̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲w̲a̲t̲c̲h̲e̲s̲, ̲n̲e̲c̲k̲l̲a̲c̲e̲s̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲e̲a̲r̲r̲i̲n̲g̲s̲.

Answer: Jewelry, including watches, necklaces and earrings, is an accessory used by members of all classes.

The original sentence is grammatically correct as written. The plural subject 'Fraternities' correctly agrees with the plural verb 'are.' Additionally, the infinitive phrases 'to make friends' and 'learn important lessons' maintain proper parallel structure, ensuring the sentence is clear and well-formed.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. There are many reasons to see I Heart H̲u̲c̲k̲a̲b̲e̲e̲s̲, ̲J̲a̲s̲o̲n̲ ̲S̲c̲h̲w̲a̲r̲t̲z̲m̲a̲n̲'s̲ ̲p̲e̲r̲f̲o̲r̲m̲a̲n̲c̲e̲ ̲b̲e̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲o̲n̲e̲ ̲r̲e̲a̲s̲o̲n̲.

Answer: Huckabees, including Jason Schwartzman's performance.

The phrase 'the reason...is because' is redundant because 'because' inherently means 'for the reason that.' This creates a grammatical error. Option C corrects this by using the more concise and grammatically correct phrasing 'the reason...is that,' and also improves the awkward 'her being a fan' to the more direct 'she is a fan.'

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Fraternities a̲r̲e̲ ̲a̲ ̲g̲r̲e̲a̲t̲ ̲w̲a̲y̲ ̲t̲o̲ ̲m̲a̲k̲e̲ ̲f̲r̲i̲e̲n̲d̲s̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ learn important lessons of loyalty and compassion.

Answer: are a great way to make friends and

The original sentence is grammatically correct as written. The plural subject 'Fraternities' correctly agrees with the plural verb 'are.' Additionally, the infinitive phrases 'to make friends' and 'learn important lessons' maintain proper parallel structure, ensuring the sentence is clear and well-formed.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Lindsey knows that the reason people dislike her i̲s̲ ̲b̲e̲c̲a̲u̲s̲e̲ ̲o̲f̲ ̲h̲e̲r̲ ̲b̲e̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲a̲ Philadelphia Phillies fan.

Answer: is that she is a

The phrase 'the reason...is because' is redundant because 'because' inherently means 'for the reason that.' This creates a grammatical error. Option C corrects this by using the more concise and grammatically correct phrasing 'the reason...is that,' and also improves the awkward 'her being a fan' to the more direct 'she is a fan.'

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. A̲ ̲s̲h̲o̲c̲k̲i̲n̲g̲l̲y̲ ̲i̲n̲d̲e̲l̲i̲b̲l̲e̲ ̲m̲o̲m̲e̲n̲t̲ I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I found out that Kurt Cobain had died.

Answer: It was a shocking and indelible moment;

The original sentence begins with a grammatically disconnected phrase, 'A shockingly indelible moment,' which functions as a fragment. Option C corrects this by transforming the introductory phrase into a complete independent clause ('It was a shocking and indelible moment') and properly connecting it to the subsequent independent clause with a semicolon. This creates a grammatically sound and clear sentence.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Since the work force is becoming increasingly competitive in light of technological advances and outsourcing, t̲h̲e̲r̲e̲f̲o̲r̲e̲, ̲i̲t̲ ̲i̲s̲ ̲e̲v̲e̲n̲ ̲m̲o̲r̲e̲ ̲b̲a̲s̲i̲c̲ ̲f̲o̲r̲ ̲s̲t̲u̲d̲e̲n̲t̲s̲ ̲t̲o̲ ̲c̲o̲m̲p̲l̲e̲t̲e̲ ̲h̲i̲g̲h̲ ̲s̲c̲h̲o̲o̲l̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲a̲t̲t̲a̲i̲n̲ ̲a̲t̲ ̲l̲e̲a̲s̲t̲ ̲a̲ ̲b̲a̲c̲h̲e̲l̲o̲r̲’s̲ ̲d̲e̲g̲r̲e̲e̲.

Answer: it is even more basic for students to complete high school and attain at least a bachelor’s degree.

The original sentence incorrectly uses 'therefore' after an introductory clause beginning with 'Since.' 'Since' already establishes a cause-and-effect relationship, making 'therefore' redundant and grammatically incorrect in this context. Option E correctly removes the unnecessary 'therefore,' allowing the main clause to logically follow the introductory 'Since' clause without repetition or grammatical error.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Study the ancient fighting art of Hapkido and you will learn to avoid directly matching y̲o̲u̲r̲ ̲s̲t̲r̲e̲n̲g̲t̲h̲ ̲a̲g̲a̲i̲n̲s̲t̲ ̲y̲o̲u̲r̲ ̲o̲p̲p̲o̲n̲e̲n̲t̲'s̲.

Answer: your strength against your opponent's.

The original sentence is grammatically correct. The possessive form 'opponent's' is used correctly to imply 'opponent's strength,' avoiding redundant repetition of the word 'strength.' This construction is concise and maintains clarity in the comparison.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Plenty of high school students s̲p̲e̲n̲d̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲i̲r̲ ̲t̲i̲m̲e̲ ̲i̲n̲v̲o̲l̲v̲e̲d̲ ̲i̲n̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲c̲o̲m̲m̲u̲n̲i̲t̲y̲ ̲b̲y̲ ̲w̲o̲r̲k̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲w̲i̲t̲h̲ ̲p̲e̲e̲r̲s̲, ̲y̲o̲u̲n̲g̲ ̲c̲h̲i̲l̲d̲r̲e̲n̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲a̲l̲s̲o̲ ̲h̲e̲l̲p̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲s̲e̲n̲i̲o̲r̲ ̲c̲i̲t̲i̲z̲e̲n̲s̲.

Answer: spend their time involved in the community by working with peers, young children and senior citizens.

The original sentence lacks parallel structure in its list of activities: 'working with peers, young children and also helping senior citizens.' It mixes a participial phrase with a simple noun phrase. Option D corrects this by making all items parallel, implying 'working with' for all three groups ('peers, young children and senior citizens') and removing the redundant 'also,' resulting in a more concise and grammatically balanced list.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. M̲c̲C̲a̲r̲t̲h̲y̲i̲s̲m̲ ̲w̲a̲s̲ ̲a̲n̲ ̲i̲d̲e̲o̲l̲o̲g̲y̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲a̲n̲ ̲a̲p̲p̲l̲i̲e̲d̲ ̲p̲u̲r̲s̲u̲i̲t̲ ̲t̲h̲a̲t̲ ̲a̲r̲o̲s̲e̲ ̲i̲n̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲m̲i̲d̲d̲l̲e̲ ̲o̲f̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲t̲w̲e̲n̲t̲i̲e̲t̲h̲ ̲c̲e̲n̲t̲u̲r̲y̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲t̲a̲r̲g̲e̲t̲e̲d̲ ̲c̲o̲m̲m̲u̲n̲i̲s̲t̲s̲ ̲i̲n̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲U̲n̲i̲t̲e̲d̲ ̲S̲t̲a̲t̲e̲s̲ ̲s̲t̲a̲t̲e̲ ̲d̲e̲p̲a̲r̲t̲m̲e̲n̲t̲.

Answer: McCarthyism was an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted communists in the United States Stat

The primary grammatical correction needed in the original sentence is the capitalization of 'State Department' as it refers to a specific government entity and is therefore a proper noun. While the provided correct answer (E) is truncated, it implies this necessary capitalization. The original 'state department' should be capitalized to 'State Department' for proper noun usage.