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Grammar Mastery Fall Semester Practice Test

A. Parts of Speech--Mulptiple Choice
In each of the following sentences, identify the part of speech of the underlined word by selecting the letter of one of the 5 possible answers listed below the sentence.

Example: Late students may miss the bus.
a. noun      b. pronoun      c. adjective      d. adverb      e. prepostion

In the example given above, the word late is used as an adjective, so the answer is "c."

 

 

 1. 
Thursday, April 4, 1974, was a day that will always be remembered in the history of baseball.
a.
adjective
b.
adverb
c.
verb
d.
conjunction
e.
pronoun
 

 2. 
At 2:40 P.M. in Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Henry Aaron of the Atlanta Braves tied Babe Ruth’s unbroken record of 714 home runs during a major league baseball career.
a.
noun
b.
verb
c.
interjection
d.
adverb
e.
preposition
 

 3. 
Aaron was at bat for the first time in the baseball season.
a.
adverb
b.
noun
c.
adjective
d.
pronoun
e.
verb
 

 4. 
Nevertheless, he hit a 3-1 pitch that sailed 400 feet, zooming neatly over the fence in left center field and driving in the first runs of the 1974 season.
a.
pronoun
b.
verb
c.
adverb
d.
adjective
e.
noun
 

 5. 
Jumping to their feet, Braves fans yelled “Bravo!” from the packed stands.
a.
interjection
b.
pronoun
c.
verb
d.
conjunction
e.
adjective
 

 6. 
The ball was caught by Clarence Williams, a Cincinnati police officer standing behind the fence.
a.
verb
b.
preposition
c.
adjective
d.
noun
e.
pronoun
 

 7. 
“I couldn’t see what was going on,” said Williams, one of Aaron’s fans, “but I knew he was up when I saw 44 on the scoreboard under the ‘at bat’ sign.”
a.
verb
b.
pronoun
c.
noun
d.
adverb
e.
adjective
 

 8. 
While being interviewed by the press after the game. Aaron smiled in his usual gracious way and said he was positively delighted to have tied the Babe’s longstanding record.
a.
verb
b.
preposition
c.
conjunction
d.
noun
e.
pronoun
 

 9. 
Later that month, on April 8, Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record, a feat that many had thought they would never see.
a.
noun
b.
pronoun
c.
verb
d.
preposition
e.
adverb
 

 10. 
Student art and GIS maps were on exhibit throughout the International Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel.
a.
noun
b.
pronoun
c.
interjection
d.
conjunction
e.
preposition
 

 11. 
This could be the opportunity I have been waiting for.
a.
noun
b.
preposition
c.
verb
d.
pronoun
e.
adverb
 

 12. 
These books are by my favorite author.
a.
adjective
b.
adverb
c.
verb
d.
interjection
e.
preposition
 

 13. 
The caller is sobbing too hard to speak.
a.
noun
b.
adverb
c.
adjective
d.
pronoun
e.
verb
 

 14. 
Alcohol is illegal to buy or possess if you are under 21 years of age.
a.
verb
b.
preposition
c.
adverb
d.
pronoun
e.
noun
 

 15. 
If you are not required to use a cover page on your essay or research paper, then the first page should carry a heading on the left margin and a header on the right margin.
a.
adverb
b.
noun
c.
interjection
d.
preposition
e.
verb
 

 

B. Complete Subjects and Predicates. For each numbered sentence below. identify the choice in which the subject and predicate are correctly separated by a diagonal line (forward slash).

Example:

a. The city / of Philadelphia has a program to fight graffiti.
b. The city of / Philadelphia has a program to fight graffiti.
c. The city of Philadelphia / has a program to fight graffiti.
d. The city of Philadelphia has / a program to fight graffiti.
e. The city of Philadelphia has a program / to fight graffiti.

 

In the sentences above, selection "c" correctly divides the subject and predicate.

 

 16. 
Everyone in the band helped with these activities.
a.
Everyone / in the band helped with these activities
b.
Everyone in the band helped / with these activities
c.
Everyone in the band / helped with these activities
d.
Everyone in the band helped with / these activities
e.
Everyone in the / band helped with these activities
 

 17. 
They earned almost three thousand dollars through car washes, bake sales, and a flea market.
a.
They earned / almost three thousand dollars through car washes, bake sales, and a flea market.
b.
They / earned almost three thousand dollars through car washes, bake sales, and a flea market.
c.
They earned almost three thousand dollars / through car washes, bake sales, and a flea market.
d.
They earned almost three thousand dollars through / car washes, bake sales, and a flea market.
e.
They earned almost three thousand dollars through car washes, / bake sales, and a flea market.
 

 18. 
All the band members will march into the stadium in uniform.
a.
All / the band members will march into the stadium / in uniform.
b.
All the band members will march / into the stadium in uniform.
c.
All the band / members will march into the stadium in uniform.
d.
All the band members / will march into the stadium in uniform.
e.
All the band members will march into the / stadium in uniform.
 

 19. 
A committee raised the money for the uniforms.
a.
A committee / raised the money for the uniforms.
b.
A committee raised the money / for the uniforms.
c.
A committee raised the money for the / uniforms.
d.
A committee raised the / money for the uniforms.
e.
A committee raised / the money for the uniforms.
 

 20. 
Ansel Adams’ style of photography is called straight photography.
a.
Ansel Adams’ / style of photography is called straight photography.
b.
Ansel Adams’ style of photography / is called straight photography.
c.
Ansel Adams’ style of photography is / called straight photography.
d.
Ansel Adams’ style / of photography is called straight photography.
e.
Ansel Adams’ style of photography is called / straight photography.
 

 

C. Simple Subjects and Verbs. In the next set of sentences, identify which of the underlined words is the simple subject or verb as indicated at the beginning of the sentence.

Example: (Verb) A resounding clap of thunder shook the building.

a. resounding b. clap c. thunder d. shook e. building

 

In this sentence, the verb is "shook," so the correct answer is "d."

 

 21. 
(Subject) Martin Miller is a geologist and a photographer.
                      
a.
Martin Miller
b.
is
c.
geologist
d.
and
e.
photographer
 

 22. 
(Verb) In the desert, strong winds can carve deep ridges in the rocks.
a.
In
b.
winds
c.
can carve
d.
ridges
e.
rocks
 

 23. 
(Subject) The woman in the red car just got a speeding ticket.
a.
The
b.
woman
c.
car
d.
got
e.
speeding
 

 24. 
(Verb) The subject is the part that names the person or thing spoken about in the rest of the sentence.
a.
subject
b.
is
c.
person
d.
about
e.
rest
 

 25. 
(Subject) Similarly, those fierce winds blast clouds of flying sand against the rocks.
a.
Similarly
b.
fiercs
c.
winds
d.
blast
e.
sand
 

 26. 
(Subject) In the September 1993 issue of Earth magazine, readers can see examples of his photographs.
a.
September
b.
issue
c.
magazine
d.
readers
e.
can see
 

 27. 
(Verb) Standing in a dramatic row in one of Miller’s desert photographs are huge sand dunes.
a.
Standing
b.
dramatic
c.
row
d.
photographs
e.
are
 

 28. 
(Verb) The powdery dunes may be compressed into hard layers of sandstone after many thousands of years.
a.
dunes
b.
may be compressed
c.
layers
d.
sandstone
e.
thousands
 

 

D. Complements. Identify the underlined compliments in each of the following sentences.

Example: John hit the baseball.

a.
direct object
b.
predicate nominative
c.
predicate adjective
d.
indirect object

In this sentence, "baseball" is the direct object, so the correct answer is "a."

 

 29. 
James Michener has published a book of short stories.
a.
direct object
b.
predicate nominative
c.
predicate adjective
d.
indirect object
 

 30. 
His book is quite good in its blending of appearance and reality
a.
direct object     
b.
indirect object
c.
predicate nominative
d.
predicate adjective
 

 31. 
I’ll give you this book about interesting sights in Monterey.
a.
direct object
b.
predicate nominative
c.
indirect object
d.
predicate adjective
 

 32. 
Most of the campers are boys and girls from big cities.
a.
predicate nominative
b.
predicate adjective
c.
direct object
d.
indirect object
 

 33. 
At first, some of the new arrivals seemed a little scared of the woods.
a.
predicate nominative
b.
predicate adjective
c.
direct object
d.
indirect object
 

 34. 
Amy Tan published her first novel in 1989.
a.
predicate nominative
b.
predicate adjective
c.
direct object
d.
indirect object
 

 35. 
My favorite food is pizza.
a.
predicate nominative
b.
predicate adjective
c.
direct object
d.
indirect object
 

 36. 
Juan built his sister a shelf for her books.
a.
predicate nominative
b.
predicate adjective
c.
direct object
d.
indirect object.
 

 37. 
The wind felt cold on my face.
a.
predicate nominative
b.
predicate adjective
c.
direct object
d.
indirect object
 

 38. 
My grandfather visited three cities in the Southwest.
a.
predicate nominative
b.
predicate adjective
c.
direct object
d.
indirect object
 

 

E. Identifying Sentence Types. Read each group of words below and identify the type of sentence the group of words represents.

Example: is the cornbread out of the oven

a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment

This group of words represents a question or interrogative sentence, so the correct answer is "b."

 

 39. 
have you seen all three of the Idiana Jones movies
a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment
 

 40. 
The first one, Raiders of the Lost Ark, came out in 1981
a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment
 

 41. 
the fastest runner on the whole team
a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment
 

 42. 
Wow, that experience must have been terrifying
a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment
 

 43. 
call the video store, and ask if they have Raiders of the Lost Ark in stock
a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment
 

 44. 
watch out for the falling rocks, Indy
a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment
 

 45. 
did you think that Karen Allen was a better heroine than Kate Capshaw
a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment
 

 46. 
although audiences had seen Harrison Ford as Hans Solo in Star Wars, he became a star when he took on the role of Indiana Jones
a.
declarative
b.
interrogative
c.
imperative
d.
exclamatory
e.
fragment
 

 

F. Prepositional Phrases. Each of the following sentences contains a prepositional phrase. Identify the prepositional phrase and its use from the choices given.

Example: I walked up the hill.

a.
I walked - adj
b.
I walked - adv
c.
walked up - adv
d.
up the hill - adj
e.
up the hill - adv

In this example, the prepositional phrase is "up the hill" and it is used as an adverb, so the correct answer is "e."

 

 47. 
The walls around us were a brilliant yellow.
a.
around us-adj
b.
around us-adv
c.
were a brilliant yellow-adj
d.
were a brilliant yellow-adv
e.
The walls around-adj
 

 48. 
Hunger of Memory is an autobiographical story by Richard Rodriguez.
a.
is an autobiographical story-adj
b.
is an autobiographical story-adv
c.
by Richard Rodriguez-adj
d.
by Richard Rodriguez-adv
e.
story by Richard Rodriguez-adj
 

 49. 
Lightning flashes appeared repeatedly for an hour.
a.
flashes appeared-adv
b.
flashes appeared-adj
c.
appeared repeatedly-adj
d.
appeared repeatedly-adv
e.
for an hour-adv
 

 50. 
The whirligig was spinning out of control.
a.
of control-adj
b.
of control-adv
c.
out of control-adv
d.
was spinning out-adj
e.
was spinning out-adv
 

 51. 
Mom opened the can of beans very carefully.
a.
of beans-adj
b.
of beans-adv
c.
Mom opened the can-adv
d.
Mom opened the can-adj
e.
very carefully-adv
 

 52. 
Germaine’s dog Rosamunda hid under the bed.
a.
Rosamunda hid-adj
b.
Rosamunda hid-adv
c.
hid under the bed-adj
d.
hid under the bed-adv
e.
under the bed-adv
 

 53. 
Which of these books do you want?
a.
Which of these-adv
b.
Which of these-adj
c.
of these books-adv
d.
of these books-adj
e.
do you want-adv
 

 54. 
His sister Elena ran through the house, pretending she was a rescue worker.
a.
pretending she was-adj
b.
pretending she was-adv
c.
through the house-adj
d.
through the house-adv
e.
His sister Elena-adv
 

 

G. Verbal Phrases. Identify the verbal phrase in each of the following sentences by indicating both the correct verbal phrase and type of verbal phrase.

Example: I enjoy riding my bicycle.

a.
enjoy riding - ger
b.
enjoy riding - part
c.
riding my bicycle - ger
d.
riding my bicycle - part
e.
riding my bicycle - inf

In this sentence, "riding my bicycle" is the verbal phrase and it is a gerund, so "c" is the correct answer.

 

 55. 
Leaving their children at story hour, the parents run their errands.
a.
Leaving their children - inf
b.
Leaving their children - ger
c.
Leaving their children - part
d.
Leaving their children at story hour - part
e.
Leaving their children at story hour - ger
 

 56. 
The new puppies enjoy chasing each other around the house.
a.
chasing each other around the house - part
b.
chasing each other around the house - ger
c.
chasing each other around the house - inf
d.
chasing each other - ger
e.
chasing each other - part
 

 57. 
Losing your job might cause you to make such a move.
a.
Losing your job - ger
b.
Losing your job - part
c.
Losing your job - inf
d.
might cause you - ger
e.
might cause you - part
 

 58. 
To prepare the most delicious pizza ever was their objective.
a.
To prepare - part
b.
To prepare - ger
c.
To prepare the most delicious pizza ever - inf
d.
To prepare the most delicious pizza ever - part
e.
To prepare the most delicious pizza ever - ger
 

 59. 
Shanti reads with the children gathered in a circle around her.
a.
gathered in a circle - part
b.
gathered in a circle -ger
c.
gathered in a circle around her - inf
d.
gathered in a circle around her - ger
e.
gathered in a circle around her - part
 

 60. 
Looking for something to use as my first prop, I found a shoebox in my closet.
a.
to use as my first prop - part
b.
to use as my first prop - ger
c.
Looking for something to use as my first prop - inf
d.
Looking for something to use as my first prop - part
e.
Looking for something to use as my first prop - ger
 

 61. 
The photographer’s job was taking pictures of the island’s scenery for a travel article.
a.
taking pictures of the island’s scenery for a travel article - inf
b.
taking pictures of the island’s scenery for a travel article - ger
c.
taking pictures of the island’s scenery - ger
d.
taking pictures of the island’s scenery - part
e.
taking pictures of the island’s scenery - inf
 

 

H. Subordinate Clauses. Choose the answer that correctly identifies both the subordinate clause and the type of clause contained in each of the following sentences.

Example: I decided to try high-diving, although it looks difficult.

a.
I decided to try high-diving - noun
b.
to try high-diving - adj
c.
it looks difficult - noun
d.
although it looks difficult - adv
e.
looks difficult - adj

In this sentence, "although it looks difficult" is the subordinate clause and it is used as an adverb, so choice "d" is the correct answer.

 

 62. 
Cesar Chavez, who spent much of his life trying to improve the lives of migrant farm workers, believed in the power of nonviolent protests.
a.
trying to improve the lives of migrant farm workers - adj
b.
trying to improve the lives of migrant farm workers - adv
c.
who spent much of his life - noun
d.
who spent much of his life trying to improve the lives of migrant farm workers - adj
e.
who spent much of his life trying to improve the lives of migrant farm workers - noun
 

 63. 
While we were camping in August, we saw a meteor shower.
a.
While we were camping in August - adj
b.
While we were camping in August - adv
c.
While we were camping in August - noun
d.
While we were camping -adj
e.
While we were camping - adv
 

 64. 
What changed her mind was her discovering a baby opossum in our backyard.
a.
a baby opossum in our backyard - adj
b.
a baby opossum in our backyard - noun
c.
What changed her mind - adv
d.
What changed her mind - adj
e.
What changed her mind - noun
 

 65. 
My sister carefully wrapped the baby opossum in whatever soft rags were at hand and took it to the center.
a.
whatever soft rags were at hand - noun
b.
whatever soft rags were at hand - adv
c.
whatever soft rags were at hand - adj
d.
whatever soft rags were at hand and took it to the center - noun
e.
whatever soft rags were at hand and took it to the center - adj
 

 66. 
November is a good month to watch for meteors, because the Leonid meteor shower occurs every November.
a.
a good month to watch for meteors - noun
b.
a good month to watch for meteors - adj
c.
because the Leonid meteor shower occurs every November - adj
d.
because the Leonid meteor shower occurs every November - adv
e.
because the Leonid meteor shower occurs every November - noun
 

 67. 
Stephen Hawking is a scientist whom I greatly admire.
a.
a scientist whom I greatly admire - noun
b.
a scientist whom I greatly admire - adv
c.
a scientist whom I greatly admire - adj
d.
whom I greatly admire - adv
e.
whom I greatly admire - adj
 

 68. 
After we viewed the sunset, we watched the sky and saw a fine show.
a.
After we viewed the sunset - adj
b.
After we viewed the sunset - adv
c.
watched the sky and saw a fine show - noun
d.
watched the sky and saw a fine show - adj
e.
watched the sky and saw a fine show - adv
 

 69. 
She realized that it was too tiny to survive on its own.
a.
to survive on its own - adj
b.
to survive on its own - adv
c.
to survive on its own -noun
d.
that it was too tiny to survive on its own - noun
e.
that it was too tiny to survive on its own - adj
 



 
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