Comprehensive Test
Traditional English Grammar

(This test is to measure your awareness of grammatical terms and 
rules prior to the start of Traditional English Grammar. There will be 
a similar post-test at the end of the course to measure progress.
For items that you are unsure about, give your best common-sense 
guess based on your feel for the language.  

DIRECTIONS 1-5: Identify the part of speech of the italicized word.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1. Most students think tests are a bore. a. noun b. verb c. pronoun d. adjective 2. However there are a few things about tests that students do not know. a. verb b. adverb c. adjective d. conjunction 3. Who do they suppose makes the tests out? a. noun b. verb c. interjection d. pronoun 4. Students take only one test, but the poor teachers have to grade all of them. a. adjective b. conjunction c. verb d. adverb 5. After all, elves don't come in and do them. a. conjunction b. preposition c. adverb d. adjective DIRECTIONS 6-10: Select the sentence which is correct.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
6 . a. He finally has lain all his cards on the table. b. Finally, he lay all his cards on the table. c. He laid all his cards on the table, finally. 7. a. I surely do think Mr. Humphries is a really good teacher. b. You should read Arrowsmith; it's a real good book. c. When we went to the game last week, the weather was real good. 8. a. I found the lost book lying behind the sofa. b. The decorator sat the tall lamp on the mahogany table. c. I did not notice the letter laying by the mailbox. 9. a. It was a real fine performance of Gypsy. b. The boat towing the skier is moving too slowly. c. With his ankles taped tight, the quarterback was able to play Saturday. 10. a. He laid his end of the stretcher down and run to his friend. b. Set the first aid kit here. c. Without a compass, he had lead them directly to the place where John had fallen. DIRECTIONS 11-15: Identify the function of the italicized word(s).
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
11. Most dogs like playing fetch. a. direct object b. objective complement c. indirect object d. subjective complement 12. They give their owners lots of love. a. objective complement b. indirect object c. subjective complement d. direct object 13. Also, they pooh on the floor sometimes. a. retained object b. subject c. direct object d. subjective complement 14. They will destroy whatever they can find. a. predicate adjective b. predicate noun c. direct object d. objective complement 15. My puppy is utterly worthless, but I wouldn't part with him for anything in the world. a. predicate noun b. direct object c. objective complement d. predicate adjective DIRECTIONS 16-20: Indicate the correct sentence.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
16. a. Some of the senior class has already signed up for cheerleader tryouts. b. Some of the senior class have already signed up for cheerleader tryouts. c. Neither Igor nor his friend have elected to take the course. 17. a. Mary as well as Clara washed their own clothes. b. Everyone is supposed to attend the Christmas concert if they possibly can. c. Every one of the frightened horses neighed, got to its feet, and ran. 18. a. They analyzed the program in their English class which they had heard over the radio. b. I did not even buy a season ticket, which was very disloyal to my school. c. He answered every question that the teacher asked. 19. a. The solution to the city's traffic problems is certain to require long study. b. Please keep this information between you and I. c. The only fruit on the market now are peaches. 20. a. Could it be she? b. When he gives the signal, everyone yell their loudest. c. Nearly everybody has some worthless souvenirs which they would not willingly part with. DIRECTIONS 21-23: Identify the italicized phrases:
21. 22. 23.
(a) Gerund (b) Participle (c) Infinitive 21. Fred always has money to spare. 22. Completing the project was the goal of the committee. 23. Studying furiously, the student mounted one last attack on verbals. DIRECTIONS 24-25: Choose the answer that identifies the italicized phrase.
24. 25.
24. Last night, Jerry, a rat of the first order, showed up an hour late. a. infinitive b. preposition c. participle d. appositive 25. Leaving him in the lobby would have been too easy. a. absolute b. gerund c. participle d. preposition DIRECTIONS 26-30: Identify the italicized clauses:
26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
(a) Noun (b) Adjective (c) Adverb
26. When I said to study dependent clauses, I intended that you should study dependent clauses. 27. Why I chose writing as a profession is a point that I ponder regularly. 28. Watching television is a pastime that too many people do too much of. 29. Who you know is what you are. 30. Although I have enough evidence to convict, I don't want the case to come to trial yet. DIRECTIONS 31-35: Choose the appropriate description of the following items:
31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
(a) Sentence fragment (b) Comma splice (c) Run-on sentence (d) Correct
31. In the long hall a large and sad-faced man pacing restlessly and smoking one cigarette after another. 32. When Tom arrived, the guests were already leaving, he did, however, see Mr. Wilkins. 33. Cooking is my one vanity I love to hear praise. 34. Since we live in a temperate zone with a climate that makes people energetic and productive. 35. When I was a child, I took piano lessons, my mother wanted me to play well. DIRECTIONS 36-40: Select the correct sentence in the following entries.
36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
36. a. Feeling very cheerful and happy, we decided to entertain our visitors. b. Knowing the kind of meeting to expect, it was decided to provide refreshments. c. Realizing the test was next Friday, several reviews needed to be made. 37. a. I was so hungry I almost ate three hamburgers. b. The teacher needed to give the assignment only once. c. He only needed to read one more book for the assignment. 38. a. His duties are cleaning up the cabin and to look after the boats. b. Frank's favorite sports are hunting, fishing, and swimming. c. We need to prepare daily assignments, review rules, and we can pass the test. 39. a. William is a boy who likes hunting, fishing, hiking, and even to supervise camping trips. b. Because Henry had read the assignments, kept up with homework, and done the outside readings, he made a good grade on the test. c. Jerry is a boy with good scholastic ability and who is a great asset to the football team. 40. a. She promised to visit him on her way home. b. The world traveler talked during the dinner of poisonous snakes in Africa. c. I visited the little girl who had been hit by the car in the hospital. DIRECTIONS 41-45: Select the sentence which is correct.
41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
41. a. Tacoma, Washington is located on Puget Sound, isn't it? b. However we decide to go; we should try to be there by morning. c. John studied more than any other boy in his class, for he wanted to make the highest grade. 42. a. "Ode on a Grecian Urn", a poem by Keats, is a good example of imagery. b. The poem "My Last Duchess," was written by Robert Browning. c. My favorite poem, "Ulysses," is one of Tennyson's most famous works. 43. a. The armistice, which ended World War I, was signed November, 11, 1918. b. The Fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 marked the beginning of the French Revolution. c July 4, 1776, was a red-letter day in American history. 44. a. The meaning of the term equality has been expanded to cover social injustices. b. The best time to plant the shrub would be in the Spring or the Fall. c. My grandfather enjoyed reading the novel The Mill on the Floss. 45. a. Bob asked, "Who said, 'In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love'?" b. One of Shakespeare's characters asks, "What is pomp, rule, reign, but earth and dust"? c. The teacher asked, "Who said, 'A thing of beauty is a joy forever?" DIRECTIONS 46-50: In the following sentences, choose the one that is correct.
46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
46. a. I used to think that I would know everything when I received my college diploma. b. I got my degree, I had just begun my education. c. We live and learn, then we die and forget it all. 47. a. Tom quickly almost drank a quart of water. b. If anyone wants to contribute to the class discussion, you may do so. c. The Boy Scout leader wanted everyone in Troop 27 to prepare his campsite by himself. 48. a. The concrete and metal used in todays modern buildings hold the heat for long periods of time. b. Have you noticed how peaceful and quiet everything seems to be? c. City life has it's good points. 49. a. T.S. Eliot who was born in Missouri acquired British citizenship in 1927. b. The boy who went to school at the University of Georgia, graduated last summer. c. Thomas Brown, who was born in Gainesville, Georgia, now lives in Tacoma. 50. a. I am saving the last piece of pie for whomever gathers the most junk. b. Measles is a bad children's disease; I'm glad I never had it. c. The fresh air and the smell of pine trees seems to fill you with vigor.

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