Skills Test Answers - English Language

Ted had three sisters, so by marrying him, Susan gained three ___.

sisters-in-law
sister's-in-law
sister-in-laws
sisters-in-laws



The books are ___ and ___ here to claim ___.

theirs, they're, them
they're, their, it
their, their, them
theirs, their, them
theirs, they're, it



______ going to drive me to the airport?

Whose
Who's
Both answers are correct, but "Whose" is more proper.



_______ makes the heart grow fonder.

Absence
Absense
Abcens
Abscense
Absens



What is an example of a homophone?

wear, where, ware
tiny, small
Good, bad
were, was
land line, cellular



Which is grammatically correct?

People continue to worry about the future; our failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk.
People continue to worry about the future our failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk.
People continue to worry about the future, our failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk.



Which sentence is correct?

It isn't fair that she gets to go to the fair.
It isn't fair that she gets to go to the fare.
It isn't fare that she gets to go to the fair.



Which sentence has the correct use of a semicolon?

While searching for a good place to get a unicorn burger; I traveled to Seattle; Tokyo; and London.
When dinosaurs agree on something; they'll often high five one another, dinosaurs are all about high fives.
My aunt's knuckles are hairy indeed; but I have no desire to stroke them.
Using a semicolon isn't hard; I once saw a party gorilla do it.



Words that sound the same are called:

palindromes
similes
homophones
synonyms



Identify the adverb: Broken baskets nearly ruptured my internal organs.

Nearly
Baskets
Broken
Internal
Rupture



Which of the following sentences uses the passive voice?

Velociraptors quietly stalk their prey.
I tried to prevent a pack of velociraptors from eating my best friend, but I wasn't fast enough.
Did you see where that last velociraptor went?
The hunter was mauled by a velociraptor.
"Please don't disembowel me, velociraptors," I cried.



Which of these is an example of an oxymoron?

Soft steps
A tall tale
Civilized warfare
A small tip
A big elephant



The judges considered his opinion to be myopic. What other word could replace the word "myopic"?

Shortsighted
Expert
Ludicrous
Longsighted



"Running" and "swimming" are examples of what?

Interlocutors
Prepositions
Nominals
Gerunds



Which of the following phrases is correct?

on it's own right
own its on right
in its own right



'The kitten's paw prints were all over the floor.' How many kittens were there?

One
more than one
we cannot tell from this statement



Which is correct?

It's been a while since I've seen it.
Its been a while since I've seen it.
It's been awhile since I've seen it.
It's been a while since I seen it.



'The kittens' paw prints were all over the floor.' How many kittens were leaving paw prints?

More than one
One
Either answer is correct



Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct.

The cupboards contains of 3 shelves and 2 drawers.
The cupboards comprises of 3 shelves and 2 drawers.
The cupboard is comprised of 3 shelves and 2 drawers.
The cupboard contains of 3 shelves and 2 drawers.



When the clock _____ twelve, Cinderella's carriage ____ back into a pumpkin.

struck; turns
striked; went
strikes; turned
struck; turned



Jenny, Tommy and ___ are in the car.

me
I
myself



Which of the following is NOT a preposition?

Where
Of
From
In
To



That ___ purse was stolen, and those ___ passports went missing.

womans', mens'
woman, men
woman's, men's
men's, woman's



Which of the following sentences is an example of simile?

Bill is as powerful as an ox.
Don is the smartest person in the history of the world.
Penny is a pretty powerful ping-pong player.
Erin is a tiger on the tennis court.
George put his John Hancock on the contract.



Which is first person plural past tense?

They were wrong.
I am wrong.
We were wrong.
We was wrong.
I were wrong.



My uncle left his fortune to my brother and ___.

I
mine
I'll
me
we



Past Tense of sentence "The barber cuts the hair".

The barber has cut the hair.
The barber would have cut the hair.
The barber had cut the hair.
The barber used to cut the hair.
The barber cut the hair.



Which one is an article

no
to
not
the
they



Which sentence properly uses semicolons?

A wiser man once said; "Use a semicolon before quotations."
A semicolon; sets apart the subject of the sentence for emphasis.
Use semicolons when listing things; places; ideas; and moustache styles.
The first part of this sentence could stand alone; this related second part justifies the semicolon.



The monster's ire was ___ ___ the dwarf's accusation.

aroused by
risen with
occupied by
visited upon



What is the subject of the following sentence: Go to the park!

you (implied)
go
park
to
the



Did you find out if you can come to the movies with __________?

Sam and I
I and Sam
Sam and me
All answers are correct.



The combination of three periods (. . .) is known as a(n)____ ?

Pause
Silence
Ellipsis
Parentheses
None of these



Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

There's a bigger discount on the first item then on the second one.
It's price has been reduced from $25 to $20.
The jeans are on sale. They're 25% off the original price.
After we finished shopping, than we went out for some food.
That car over their is for sale. It's only $1,000.



___ should I help?

Whom
Who



Juniper brought me a cheese croissant instead of a chocolate one. What is the direct object?

a cheese croissant
Juniper
me
a chocolate croissant



Which of the following is not a word?

suppression
suppressional
suppressiveness
suppressant
suppressor



The _____ man spoke _____ in his _____ 101 class.

English; English; English
English; english; english
english; english; English
English; english; English
English; English; english



What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?

A simile is spoken, a metaphor is written.
A metaphor uses 'as' or 'like', while a simile does not.
A metaphor uses 'as', while a simile uses 'like'.
There isn't a difference.
A simile uses 'as' or 'like' while a metaphor does not.



I ___ call him tomorrow.

will
shall
could
should
all are correct



Which is NOT a synonym pair?

indigent : poor
gullible : ingenious
secret : clandestine
diligent : hard-working
belittle : disparage



Correct the fault in the following sentence: "During his childhood, his mother had died."

Change "had" to "has"
Delete "had"
Remove comma after the word "childhood"
Add "when" after the comma



Identify the verb in this sentence: He is here.

He
None
Is
Here



"Phenomenon" and "Phenomena" - which is the plural form?

Phenomena
Phenomenon



Which of the following words is not like the others?

loquacious
talkative
reticent
garrulous
voluble



They ___ his passport carefully.

were checking
had to check
checked
had checked
(All are correct)



Fill in the blank: I'm going to wring ___ neck!

its
it is
you're
it's



Which part of speech are I, he, you, she, and it?

verbs
pronouns
nouns
adjectives



Which of the following is NOT an adverb?

Red
Savagely
Not
Well



What is the plural of SHEEP?

sheeps'
sheeze
sheeps
sheep's
sheep



If you ___ that, then you must have an upset stomach.

eat
eight
ate



Which is an example of onomatopoeia?

packing
inane
zone
zooming
dolt



What is the correct way to edit this sentence without changing its meaning? "Who'd you get those directions from?"

Did you get those directions from someone?
From who did you get those directions?
Where did you get those directions from?
How did you get those directions?
From whom did you get those directions?



Select the correct sentence:

Witch sandwitch would the wich want?
Which sandwitch would the which want?
Witch sandwich would the which want?
Which sandwich would the witch want?
Which sandwitch would the witch want?



That's Jeremy's and ____ favorite movie.

my's
I's
my
mine



Have you ever been guilty ___ a driving offense?

of
about
for
from
with



The word "Cognate" refers to

a term for a mechanical component in a gear
a foreign phrase commonly used in local dialect (e.g. 'hors d'oeuvres' in English)
a complex word with much simpler synonyms (e.g. 'diminuitive' is a cognate of 'small')
words in different languages that derive from the same original root



Carla is ______ focus on what she is good at.

loosing
losing
lose
lost



My friend traveled _____ to _____ America

South, South
south; South
South; south
south, south



Which of these is the strongest example of alliteration?

A bumbling bunch of big baboons.
A sharp crack rang through the air as the bat hit the baseball.
Carrie chewed celery.
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.



The word "whom" is:

Only used when it is the subject of a sentence.
Only used when it is the object of a sentence.
An outdated pronoun similar to "thou" or "thine"
A more proper way of saying "who".
Not a real word.



Which part of the following sentence is the predicate? "The fluffy cat jumped on the chair with graceful agility."

cat jumped on the chair
jumped on the chair with graceful agility
on the chair
The fluffy cat



Which sentence is correct?

The family's dogs are not housebroken; the puppy's constantly peeing on all of the three kids's toys.
The family's dogs are not housebroken; the puppies are constantly peeing on all of the three kids' toys.
The families dogs are not housebroken; the puppy's are constantly peeing on all of the three kids's toys.
The families dogs are not housebroken; the puppies are constantly peeing on all of the three kids toys.



They're is a contraction of _______.

their
They are
there
they really



Which of the following demonstrates INCORRECT syllabication?

knowl-edge
Shake-speare
de-scribe
at-mos-phere



Which of the following is not a possible definition of the word 'destroy'?

annihilate
rove
ruin
wreck



What is an example of a palindrome?

Hannah
happy, glad
to, two, too
happy, sad



Which of the following is correct?

I, John Walter, are a student of engineering.
I, John Walter, am a student of engineering.
I, John Walter, is a student of engineering.



My life experiences _____ been, for me, an amazing journey

has
have
are



Which of the following is not a phrasal verb?

Come up
Break in
Cut in
Butt in
Gut in



What is an adjective?

A person, place, thing, or idea.
A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.
A part of speech that derives from a verb but functions as a noun.
A part of speech that modifies a noun or a pronoun.



That was intense; I need to ___ down for a second.

laid
lie
Both "lie" and "lay" are correct.
lay
lain



My dog loves to chase ___ tail.

its
it's



I __ my key before I __home.

has lost, returned
lose, returned
had lost, returned
have lost, return



Kim ____ milk with her cookies.

drinked
dranked
drank
drunk



Which is the correct usage of English grammar?

You're are going to regret crossing me.
Your are going to regret crossing me.
You're going to regret crossing me.
Your going to regret crossing me.



Which is correct?

Who's books is these?
Who's books are these?
Whose books are these?
Whose books is these?



This shop is ___ on Sundays.

open
opens
opened
opening



When asked "____ did you see?" the reply is "I saw Nicolas Cage yesterday."

Who
Whom



This is my ___ dress.

mother-in-law's
mother-in-laws
mothers-in-law
mother's-in-law



We have _____ money left. We can't afford this ring.

plenty
small
little
few



Fill in the blank: I'm not sure if ___ still blue or if they changed its color.

it's
its
your



If it ____ rained, we would have canceled the party.

was
has
did
had



Which of these best describes writing in the "first person"?

A story from the perspective of a specific character, using the word "I"
A story where the narrator "knows all" with regard to every character and their motives
A real life story, with characters based or inspired by true events
A story written about characters, but with no insight into their internal thoughts or motives
A story written for children and aimed at beginner readers



Does this sentence use active or passive voice? "The pumps were destroyed by a surge of power."

Passive
Active



In stories written in the second person, which of these words would be used to reference the main character?

I or Me
Us
He or She
You
We



Which of these is correct?

They're over their by there bikes.
They're over there near their bikes.
There over their by they're bikes
They're over there next to there bikes.
Theyre over there near they're bikes.



I can't go right now because I still have ..... orders to fill by 5 o'clock.

little
a few
few
a little



Who is _____, Keshi or Lhiandra

more pretty
prettiest
prettier



If you want to be the ______ of this school, you must stick to your ______.

Principle; principals
principal; principles
principle; principals
Principle; Principles



Would you mind _______ that restaurant to make a reservation?

to call
make call
calling
call
in calling



I ___ the ___ in ___ feet and I stepped on a rock.

mowed / lown / bear
mowed / lawn / bare
mowwed / lown / bare
mowed / lawn / bear
mowwed / lawn / bare



What is the opposite of poor?

riches
poverty
poorness
wealthy
healthy



The special _____ in the show have greatly ______ my impression of its quality.

affects; effected
affects; affected
effects; affected
effects; effected



Omar owns a large _____ of cows.

hard
heard
head
had
herd



The dog ______ the boy yesterday.

bite
bitten
bited
bit



Despite _______________, he still couldn't convince them to invest.

try numerous attempts
he tried to make numerous attempts
numerous attempts
he tried numerous attempts



The past perfect simple is often used when we report what people had said/thought/believed.

False
Truth



His house is ___ the Downtown Area.

into
in
on
over



Swimming in heated pools ___ very common in this part of the country.

were
are
is
would have



The punctuation is correct in which of these sentences? (American English)

"Kiss me Kate!," said Job, sadly.
"Kiss me, Kate!" said Job sadly.
"Kiss me, Kate"! said Job, sadly.
"Kiss me, Kate!", said Job sadly.



We weren't surprised by the ......... of traffic going to the coast, but we did notice the .......... of cars towing caravans.

number number
amount, number
amount amount
number, amount



If you had advised me earlier...

... I wouldn't be made this mistake.
... I wouldn't have made this mistake.
... I wouldn't make this mistake.
... I wouldn't made this mistake.



Pattni owns a _________ of vehicles

flete
fleat
fleet
flight
flit



What form of speech is "and"?

Verb
Conjunction
Noun
Preposition
Adjective



This book is ___. That book is ___.

you're, theres
yours, theirs
your, their
your's, there's
your's, their's



We will meet ____ the afternoon. He arrived ____ Friday. Please don't call me ____ seven o'clock.

in; on; at
in; in; on
on; on; at
at; in; on
in; at; during



How long have you been studying in London?

since 5 years
5 years ago
for 5 years
at least 5 years ago



I live my life _____ words

with them
by this
by these
with this



"Could you _________ me your stapler?"

borrow
lend
lent
gave



Which of these is an irregular verb?

None of these verbs are irregular.
All of these verbs are irregular.
swim
cut
go



You ___ come.

cant
shouldnt have
shouldn't have
shouldn't of



Three ___ sat in the tree.

monkees
monkies
monkey
monkeys



"Everything is permitted in our secret club." In this sentence, "everything" is an example of a[n] _________.

indefinite noun
noun
indefinite pronoun
indefinite article
intensive pronoun



Complete the following sentence: "What will happen ..."

... if she would fail the exam?
... if she had failed the exam?
...if she failing the exam?
... if she fails the exam?



There is ___ coffee in your cup. Shall I give you some more?

a few
little
fewer
few



What is the past tense of "go"?

goed
gone
got
went



Jane _______ her special recipe for last night's dinner.

is cooking
cooks
cooking
cooked



Tom watches this TV show once in a blue moon. This means:

Tom watches this TV show when his friends put it on.
Tom rarely watches this TV show.
Tom is obsessed with this TV show.
Tom watches this TV show when the moon is full.
Tom regularly watches this TV show.



Which punctuation mark indicates excitement and emphasis?

colon
quotation mark
period
semicolon
exclamation point



Which answer is worded correctly?

If I were you, I would go to the library to pick up the book.
If I was you, I would go to the library to pick up the book.
If I am you, I would go to the library to pick up the book.
If I'm you, I would go to the library to pick up the book.



The reporter kept ________ me, so I decided ________ the interview.

interrupt; to leave
interrupting; leaving
interrupt; going to leave
interrupt; leaving
interrupting; to leave



Manny Pacquiao _____ deserve to be the subject of booing.

don't
dont
doesnt
doesn't



Mom said she wants only one ____, but I would like four _____ with my dinner.

potato, potatoes
potatos, potato
potato, potato
potatoes, potato
potato, potatos



If I _______ about the test, I would have studied for it.

new
had known
will know
would know



Choose the correct sentence.

When John came, they was already sitting at the table.
When John came, they were already sitting at the table.
When John comes they were already sitting at the table.
When John come they were already sitting at the table.



Since I started my new job, it seems like I have very ____ time to do the things I enjoy.

a few
little
few
a little



Whose turn is it? It is the ____ turn.

boy
his
boy's
boyses



She was wearing a skirt. She was _____-legged.

empty
beer
bare
bear



___ quite far from ___ home.

You're, your
you're, Your
your, You're
Your, you're
Your, You're



Ingrid and ___ know the answer.

me
I'm
I
us
we



Which phrase is grammatically correct?

If I where you
If I were you
If I was you



______ going to the fair. While they are ______, they will enter ______ pies in the contest.

Their; they're; there
There; they're; their
They're; their; there
Their; there; they're
They're; there; their



Give this to him, ___ give that to her.

than
then



Which word is the adjective in this sentence? "Laura is a pretty woman."

is
pretty
Laura
woman



He went to the station ______.

with taxi
on taxi
by taxi
in taxi



"It's raining cats and dogs." means:

The rain is falling with cats and dogs.
The rain is very light.
The rain is scaring cats and dogs.
The rain is falling very hard.
The rain is luring cats and dogs.



What ___ they ___ to you?

do, does
did, do
did, does
does, do



Which of the following is a split infinitive?

quick to climb
to be profitably run
All are split infinitives.
to accurately be drawn
to sing gleefully



"...... I take your coat, Sir?" asked the porter.

May
Can



The flowers need to be

watering.
watered.
waters.
water it.
weather.



She was so exhausted that she _____ down for a nap.

lied
laid
lay
lie



What is a verb?

A descriptive word
A word that conveys action, occurrence, or state of being.
A type of article
A person, place, thing, or idea.



What is the proper format?

Mr John Smith
Mr john smith
mr John Smith
Mr. John Smith
mr john smith



They cannot decide. They cannot make up ____ minds.

Their
there
they're
their



Varying punctuation in a sentence can change its meaning.

True
False



Which is the proper spelling?

a lot
alot



What's the opposite of 'optimistic'?

pessimistic
enthusiastic
fantastic
artistic
opportunistic



What is a noun?

the opposite of a yesun
a person, place, thing or idea
a descriptive modifier
an adverb
an action



Which example is grammatically correct?

Y'all is invited to attend my party.
You all invited to attend my party.
You are invited to attend my party.
Y'all invited to attend my party.
You all is invited to attend my party.



He's smarter ___ Jane.

than
then



Which is the correct usage of the word "too"?

There are pears. There are apples, too.
There is one pear and a bunch of oranges. There are too apples.



Which of the following is a grammatically correct sentence?

We walked tow far today.
We walked two far today.
We walked too far today.
We walked to far today.



"Could I ________ your pen?"

lent
borrow
borrowed
to lend



Irritated means the same as ________ .

happy
excited
annoyed
joyful



What is the plural form of WOMAN?

ladies
womens
womyns
women
womans



Which sentence is correct?

Shes walking dawn the street.
She's walking down the street.
Shes walking down the street.
Shes' walking down the street.



Lou and I _____the house on Monday.

will cleaned
will clean
shall cleaning
shall cleaned



Mr. Miller _______ own a car.

doesnt
don't
do not
doesn't



___ getting ___ numbers all wrong.

You're, your
Your, you're
You're, you're
Your, your



I will buy a bicycle instead of ___ the car.

to buying
having buy
to buy
buying
buy



Which sentence is correct?

Will you marry me?
Will you merry me?



Which word is NOT correct?

cooler
smarter
funner



I am ____ than you.

more smart
most smart
smarter
smarterer
smartest



Which is the correct usage of English Grammar?

She was full have grit and determination.
She was full of grit and determination.
She was fulla grit and determination.
She was full've grit and determination.



Do you know _____ way they went?

whitch
witch
which
wich



Which sentence is correct?

Students get confused, but sometimes your too shy to ask questions.
Students get confused, but sometimes they're too shy to ask questions.
Students get confused but sometimes theye to shy to ask questions.
___ did this?
Who
Whom



I want to go with her ___.

from
to
too
To



Which is correct?

There buying a house.
They're buying a house.
Their buying a house.



"Can't" is a contraction for:

Cannot
Can it
Both



Which is the correct spelling?

Restaraunt
Resteraunt
Restaurant
Resterant



Which one of these sentences is correct:

She were in the house yesterday.
She was in the house yesterday.
She is in the house yesterday.
She are in the house yesterday.



"I'm going to the store," says Sally. Tim replies, "Oh, please get napkins while ____ out."

ur
yore
you're
your



___ one do you like best?

Who
What
Which
That



It is time to do ____ homework.

yours
you're
your



Which sentence reads correctly?

We went to their house.
We went to they're house.
We went to there house.
We went to they house
We went to thems house.



In _______ opinion, do you think _______ the best at this test?

your; yore
you're; your
yore; you're
you're; yore
your; you're



Past tense of "run"?

runs
ron
ran
runned



He went with ___ to visit my friend.

I
I'll
me
I'm



How old are you?

I have 27 years old.
I am 27 years old.
I have 27 years.
I am fine.