Giant Lizard
This lizard can grow to be ten feet long and weigh up to 360 pounds. What is the name of this lizard?
To answer the question, read each sentence below and identify the sentence’s grammatical mistake. There will be no more than one mistake in each sentence. Select your answers from the choices that follow the sentences. Write the letter of each answer in the space above its sentence number at the bottom of the page. If there are no mistakes, write the letter for “correct.” Not all answers will be used.
1. There are about three thousand Species of lizards in the world.
Answer. Capitalization
2. Lizards is reptiles that are found mostly in warm climates.
Answer. Subject-verb agreement
3. Most lizards have a long body a long tail, short legs, and scales.
Answer. Comma
4. Some lizards were only a few inches long, but others are several feet in length.
Answer. Verb tense
5. Unlike mammals, lizards are cold-blooded; their bodies are the same temperature as the air
Answer. Period
6. Most lizards are harmless to people, but a few are poisonous.
Answer. Correct
7. Gila monsters’, which are common in New Mexico and Arizona, are poisonous lizards.
Answer. Apostrophe
8. If you want to learn more about lizards, a good book is Lizards of Planet Earth.
Answer. Italics
Pseudonym of a Famous Author
This author’s real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. What was his pseudonym, or pen name?
To answer the question, read each sentence below and identify the sentence’s grammatical mistake. There will be no more than one mistake in each sentence. Select your answers from the choices that follow the sentences. Write the letter of each answer in the space above its sentence number at the bottom of the page. If there are no mistakes, write the letter for “correct.” Not all answers will be used. You will need to divide the letters into words.
1. Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30 1835 in Missouri.
Answer. Comma
2. As a young man, Clemens wrote for the Hannibal Journal, a newspaper owned by his older brother.
Answer. Italics
3. Later he worked as a printer and a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi river.
Answer. Capitalization
4. After the Civil War, Clemens headed: west.
Answer. Colon
5. He eventually settled in Virginia City, Nevada, and he became a newspaper reporter.
Answer. Correct
6. I’m not certain if this was where he began signing his articles with a pseudonym
Answer. Period
7. The name he chose was a Mississippi phrase from his steamboat days that meant “two fathoms deep.
Answer. Quotation marks
8. Clemens dies in April of 1910.
Answer. Verb tense
Capital of the North
This city is the world’s northernmost capital. What is its name?
To answer the question, read each sentence below and identify the sentence’s grammatical mistake. There will be no more than one mistake in each sentence. Select your answers from the choices that follow the sentences. Write the letter of each answer in the space above its sentence number at the bottom of the page. If there are no mistakes, write the letter for “correct.” Not all answers will be used.
1. Despite its northern location this city has a surprisingly moderate climate.
Answer. Comma
2. Mild ocean currents that fl ow northward from the south “infl uence” the climate.
Answer. Quotation marks
3. Vikings explored and settled here well over a thousand years ago
Answer. Period
4. According to some historians, a norwegian by the name of Arnarson was among the fi rst settlers.
Answer. Capitalization
5. Today, this city is the capital of an island nation.
Answer. Correct
6. Roberta looked up information about this city in an atlas.
Answer. Italics
7. In another book she found that volcanoes and hot springs is located throughout the island.
Answer. Subject-verb agreement
8. Most buildings are heated by water; that is piped from nearby hot springs.
Answer. Semicolon
Ancient Historian
This man is often called the Father of History. Who was he?
To answer the question, read each sentence below and identify the sentence’s grammatical mistake. There will be no more than one mistake in each sentence. Select your answers from the choices that follow the sentences. Write the letter of each answer in the space above its sentence number at the bottom of the page. If there are no mistakes, write the letter for “correct.” Not all answers will be used.
1. This man was born about 484 B.C. in whats now Turkey.
Answer. Apostrophe
2. At that time, Turkey was known as persia.
Answer. Capitalization
3. Although he is born in Persia, he was Greek.
Answer. Verb tense
4. After leaving the land of his birth about 457 B.C., he traveled threw much of the ancient world.
Answer. Word usage
5. He learned much about the customs and history of the people of many lands.
Answer. Correct
6. He settled in southern Italy about 443 B.C
Answer. Period
7. It was here that he began writing a great book, simply titled History.
Answer. Quotation mark
8. This book deals: with the legends, traditions, and confl icts of the ancient world.
Answer. Colon
9. Most modern historians “consider this to be the fi rst true” history book.
Answer. Italics
Major Volcanic Eruption
Many scientists believe that the biggest volcanic eruption in modern times occurred on March 6, 1815. What was the name of this volcano?
To answer the question, read each sentence below and identify the sentence’s grammatical mistake. There will be no more than one mistake in each sentence. Select your answers from the choices that follow the sentences. Write the letter of each answer in the space above its sentence number at the bottom of the page. If there are no mistakes, write the letter for “correct.” Not all answers will be used. You will need to divide the letters into words.
1. The students in Mr. Jamisons science class were studying volcanoes.
Answer. Apostrophe
2. The students learned that volcanic eruptions is caused by molten rock that rises to the surface of the Earth.
Answer. Subject-verb agreement
3. Sometimes the molten rock, called magma erupts with great violence.
Answer. Comma
4. One of the greatest eruptions in modern times occurred in 1815 on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa.
Answer. Correct
5. So much dust and ash are sent into the sky that the sun’s light was dimmed for several months.
Answer. Verb tense
6. This triggered a period of: global cooling.
Answer. Colon
7. The following year came to be known as the ’year without a summer.’
Answer. Quotation marks
8. That year, summer frost killed crops as far south as Virginia, and snow fell in August in new England.
Answer. Capitalization
Delightful Idea
In 1904, Italo Marchiony was granted a patent for this delightful way to eat a favorite treat. What was his patent for?
To answer the question, read each sentence below and identify the sentence’s grammatical mistake. There will be no more than one mistake in each sentence. Select your answers from the choices that follow the sentences. Write the letter of each answer in the space above its sentence number at the bottom of the page. If there are no mistakes, write the letter for “correct.” Not all answers will be used. You will need to divide the letters into words.
1. Natalia was looking forward to her Birthday party.
Answer. Capitalization
2. “I can’t hardly wait,” she said to Jenna and Brittany. “Can you come early to help me set up?”
Answer. Double negative
3. “Sure,” said Jenna. “Brit and me will come around six.”
Answer. Pronoun usage
4. “Great” said Natalia. “Everything’s just about ready.”
Answer. Comma
5. Natalias mother helped her prepare for the party before the other girls arrived.
Answer. Apostrophe
6. “Do you think everyone will come” said Natalia.
Answer. Question mark
7. It wasn’t long before everyone started arriving.
Answer. Correct
8. Right after everyone sang Happy Birthday to You, Natalia began opening her gifts.
Answer. Quotation marks
Important Words
These words are the foundation of all spoken and written English. What are they?
To answer the question, read each sentence below and decide whether the statement is true or false. If it is true, write the letter for “true” in the space
above the sentence number at the bottom of the page. If it is false, write the
letter for “false.” You will need to reverse and divide the letters into words.
1. A verb can only show action.
C. True
E. False
Answer. E
2. A pronoun is a word that can take the place of a noun or another pronoun.
U. True
C. False
Answer. U
3. An adjective can modify nouns, pronouns, and other adjectives.
B. True
N. False
Answer. N
4. Adverbs modify nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
T. True
R. False
Answer. R
5. A preposition is a word that relates a noun or pronoun to another word in a sentence.
B. True
S. False
Answer. B
6. A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
O. True
A. False
Answer. O
7. A conjunction can join words and phrases, but not clauses.
J. True
V. False
Answer. V
8. An interjection always stands alone and has no grammatical relationship to other words in a sentence.
N. True
S. False
Answer. N
A Puzzle About You
If you get all of the following right, you will learn something about yourself. What are you?
To answer the question, read each sentence below and decide whether the statement is true or false. If it is true, write the letter for “true” in the space above the sentence number at the bottom of the page. If it is false, write the letter for “false.” You will need to divide the letters into words.
1. There are nine parts of speech in English.
S. True
I. False
Answer. I
2. A declarative sentence is a statement.
W. True
D. False
Answer. W
3. An imperative sentence asks a question.
O. True
E. False
Answer. E
4. A direct object gives action to a verb.
S. True
H. False
Answer. H
5. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence.
R. True
N. False
Answer. R
6. An indirect object can be the subject of a sentence.
O. True
A. False
Answer. A
7. Subjects must always agree with their verbs in number.
T. True
D. False
Answer. T
8. Both possessive nouns and possessive pronouns show ownership and require apostrophes.
T. True
M. False
Answer. M
9. Proper nouns and proper adjectives must be capitalized.
G. True
A. False
Answer. G