Language Arts Writing Flashcards

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: For homes in typically colder geographic regions

The original phrase "For homes in typically colder geographic regions" is grammatically correct and concise. Other options introduce redundancy (e.g., "people in homes"), awkward phrasing, or unnecessary changes. The phrase effectively describes the target for the homes without adding superfluous words or altering the intended meaning.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: and napkins from the coffee shop, but no gloves.

The original sentence likely had a construction like "there were a few napkins... and there were no gloves." Option D improves parallelism and conciseness by directly listing the items. It maintains a clear and direct flow, stating "napkins from the coffee shop, but no gloves," which is more efficient than repeating "there were" or using awkward phrasing like "not any gloves."

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: understand global warming but also to prevent its growth.

The phrase "not only... but also" requires parallel structure, so "to understand" should be paired with "to prevent." Option D correctly uses "but also to prevent" and improves specificity by adding "its growth," referring to the growth of global warming, which is a more precise objective than simply "prevent it." Additionally, "its" (possessive) is correctly used, unlike "it's" (it is).

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: laugh when the sheriff throws his mug.

The sentence describes a habitual action or a general truth, implying that people *always* or *regularly* laugh when the sheriff throws his mug. Therefore, the present tense is appropriate for both verbs to maintain consistency. "Laugh" and "throws" correctly convey this ongoing or repeated action, making the sentence grammatically sound.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: Alumni who have worked hard since graduation and now consider themselves successful usually look forward to high school reunions.

The original sentence uses 'that' to refer to people ('alumni'), but 'who' is the correct relative pronoun for people. Additionally, option C revises the sentence from passive voice ('are usually looked forward to by alumni') to active voice ('Alumni... usually look forward to'), which generally results in a clearer and more direct statement. This makes option C the most grammatically sound and stylistically improved choice.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: Yesterday I fell down the stairs and then

Option A, 'Yesterday I fell down the stairs and then,' is grammatically correct as a clause that can be followed by another action or clause. The conjunction 'and then' properly connects sequential events. The other options introduce grammatical errors such as comma splices (B, C) or incorrect use of semicolons (D, E), making them unsuitable revisions.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: making student’s valuables susceptible to theft

The correct answer, 'making student’s valuables susceptible to theft,' uses the singular possessive 'student’s,' implying the valuables belong to a single student. If the intention was to refer to multiple students, the plural possessive 'students’' would be used. Since option A is marked correct, it means the singular possessive is the intended and grammatically acceptable form in this context, and the other options either change the possessive form or introduce unnecessary structural changes.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: the terrified couple spotted a building that looked safe.

Option B, 'the terrified couple spotted a building that looked safe,' is the most grammatically correct, clear, and concise choice. It uses active voice and the correct relative clause 'that looked safe' to describe the building. The other options introduce issues such as passive voice, awkward phrasing ('safe looking' instead of 'safe-looking' or 'that looked safe'), or incorrect verb tense/aspect.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: have been increasingly effecting

The correct answer, 'have been increasingly affecting,' properly uses 'affecting' as a verb meaning 'to influence' or 'to have an impact on,' which is the correct usage in most contexts where something is changing or influencing another. 'Effecting' as a verb means 'to bring about' or 'to accomplish,' which does not fit the likely meaning here. Additionally, 'have been' correctly maintains subject-verb agreement for a plural subject.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised.

Answer: therefore

The word 'therefore' is a conjunctive adverb used to indicate a consequence or result. It establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between the preceding statement and the one that follows. The other options ('however,' 'nevertheless,' 'yet') typically indicate contrast, while 'and' indicates addition, none of which fit the implied logical flow as well as 'therefore' for expressing a conclusion.

Which option makes the following sentence better? The SEC sent an auditor to scrutinize the company's records after it became apparent that the hedge fund had been involved in some shady transactions.

Answer: Change pour to pore.

The phrase 'pore over' means to examine or study something with great attention, which is appropriate for an auditor scrutinizing records. The word 'pour' means to cause a liquid to flow. Therefore, changing 'pour' to 'pore' corrects the word choice, ensuring the sentence accurately conveys the auditor's action.

Which sentence or paragraph in the passage below needs to be modified for spelling, punctuation, word choice, or length?

Answer: only mildly aggravated me,

The comma after 'me' in 'only mildly aggravated me,' is incorrectly placed. When 'but' connects two independent clauses, the comma should precede 'but,' not follow the verb of the first clause. The sentence should read 'At first the constant teasing only mildly aggravated me, but after a few months it became truly irritating' or 'At first the constant teasing only mildly aggravated me but after a few months it became truly irritating' if the clauses are short and closely related.

Which sentence or paragraph in the passage below needs to be modified for spelling, punctuation, word choice, or length?

Answer: Susan’s primary criteria

The noun 'criteria' is the plural form of 'criterion.' Since 'criteria' is plural, it requires a plural verb. The sentence incorrectly uses the singular verb 'is' ('Susan’s primary criteria... is low gas mileage'), when it should be 'are' to maintain proper subject-verb agreement.

Which option makes the following sentence better? He regretted abruptly canceling the appointment, but there was no way he could arrive on time.

Answer: Change badly to bad.

This question is flawed as the word 'badly' does not appear in the original sentence. However, assuming a hypothetical sentence like 'He felt badly about abruptly canceling...', the correct usage would be 'felt bad.' 'Bad' is an adjective used to describe a state of being or feeling, while 'badly' is an adverb describing how an action is performed. Therefore, to describe a feeling, 'bad' is appropriate.

Pick the solution that best rephrases the paragraph in italics. Select option A if you believe the original phrase is the strongest. She attended public schools in Montana, and graduated from the University of Montana at Missoula in 1902 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.

Answer: She attended public schools in Montana and

A comma is not needed before the coordinating conjunction 'and' when it connects two verbs that share the same subject, forming a compound predicate. In the original sentence, 'She attended' and 'graduated' both refer to the subject 'She,' so the comma before 'and' is superfluous and should be removed for correct punctuation.

Pick the solution that best rephrases the paragraph in italics. Select option A if you believe the original phrase is the strongest. Although nectar plants that monarch butterflies depend on for sustenance have dried up due to the terrible drought conditions.

Answer: Extreme drought conditions have

The original phrase is a sentence fragment because it begins with the subordinating conjunction 'Although' but lacks an independent clause to complete the thought. Option C corrects this by removing 'Although,' thereby making the clause an independent sentence. It also correctly uses the plural verb 'have' to agree with the plural subject 'conditions.'