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English Grammar 100 Multiple Choice Questions on English Grammar Andreas Nordin 100 Multiple Choice Questions on English Grammar © October 2007, Andreas Nordin 100 Multiple Choice Questions on English Grammar Choose the correct answer – only one – for each question. 1 In which sentence is the verb do used in a do-construction? a) Do come and see me! b) Don’t come and see me! c) He said he’d come and see me and so he did. 2 Which sentence contains a Complement (Sw. predikatsfyllnad)? a) What are you doing? b) Are you lonesome tonight? c) Will you be there for me? 3 Which statement about Verb Phrases (VP) is correct? a) The finite verb is always the first verb in a VP. b) The finite verb can appear anywhere in a VP. c) The finite verb is always the last verb in a VP. 4 Which sentence contains an adverb? a) I’ll talk to her tomorrow. b) I’ll talk to her when she returns from Spain. c) I’ll talk to her about it one of these days. 5 Which sentence contains an adverb? a) You’re early! b) This happened in the early 1960s. c) He started composing as early as 1985. 6 Which sentence contains an adjective? a) How fast was she going? b) My watch must be fast. c) Mary’s wedding day was fast approaching. 7 In which sentence is down a preposition? a) Are you feeling a bit down? b) Hundreds died when the ferry went down. c) A pretty woman was walking down the street. 1 8 Which sentence contains a Noun Phrase without a premodifier? a) There were some difficult questions. b) All the ten paintings have been stolen. c) I like Australian wines. 9 Which sentence contains a conjunction? a) Did Peter leave a message before he left? b) This is just the calm before the storm. c) I’ve never been here before. 10 Which sentence contains the progressive form? a) She’s good at being bad. b) The lectures have been very interesting. c) I’ll be watching you. 11 Which sentence contains a past participle? a) The meeting has been put off. b) Don’t put all your eggs into one basket. c) We put up with that car for years! 12 Which group of words consists of possessive pronouns only? a) me, you, her, us, ours, your b) theirs, mine, its, our, my, his c) her, his, them, yours, their, ours 13 Which sentence contains Noun Phrases with specific reference? a) A beaver has built a dam. b) A beaver builds dams. c) Beavers build dams. 14 Which sentence contains a subjective genitive? a) I need my father’s permission to do this. b) This is a women’s college. c) My sister’s husband is a generous man. 15 What is meant by zero plural? a) No plural is possible. b) No singular is possible. c) The plural is identical to the singular. 2 16 Which statement about the definite article (the) is correct? a) It only has generic reference. b) It has both generic and specific reference. c) It only has specific reference. 17 Which sentence contains a passive construction? a) I was very surprised to hear that. b) She was being stalked by an obsessive fan. c) He was driving a stolen car. 18 Which sentence contains a Noun Phrase with a postmodifier? a) Have you seen that girl with red hair before? b) We parked the car outside the station. c) There was a small cottage on the heath. 19 Which sentence contains an auxiliary verb? a) I do most of my shopping online. b) She was determined to win. c) I am dreaming of a white Christmas. 20 In which sentence is there an adverb that functions as a premodifier of an adjective? a) We arrived too late. b) This disease can be detected at a very early stage. c) Much later I discovered that the money was gone. 21 Which sentence contains the present perfect? a) How many driving lessons have you had so far? b) I had never been there before. c) I had my audience listening attentively. 22 Which sentence contains a relative pronoun? a) Which jacket is yours? b) Houses which overlook the lake cost more. c) I don’t know which method is the best. 23 Which sentence contains an interrogative pronoun? a) She’s a woman whose opinion I respect. b) I do not know to whom I should address this letter. c) Mary, who is my sister, is a teacher. 3 24 Which of the following pronouns can be both a personal and possessive pronoun? a) her b) its c) their 25 In which sentence is that a conjunction? a) Have you seen that film before? b) Is it true that you used to be a rocket scientist? c) Is this the train that stops at Lewes? 26 Which sentence contains the past perfect? a) She had caught the flu. b) She would catch the flu. c) She has caught the flu. 27 Which group of words contains a demonstrative pronoun? a) herself, yours, any, one another, you, whose b) ours, themselves, nobody, whom, I, both c) mine, himself, these, some, each other, them 28 In which sentence can the relative pronoun who be replaced by whom? a) Peter, who is my eldest brother, is a carpenter. b) The man who has robbed you has been arrested. c) She was engaged to a sailor who she had met the year before. 29 Which sentence contains the future perfect? a) By that time she had left. b) By that time she will have left. c) By that time she would have left. 30 In which sentence is to a preposition? a) To be or not to be, that is the question. b) I’m looking forward to that. c) It appears advisable to compromise. 31 Which sentence contains the future in the past? a) He said he’d do it. b) He says he’ll do it. c) He said he’d done it. 4 32 Which sentence contains an emphatic do? a) Did I say that? b) I didn’t say that. c) I did say that. 33 In which sentence can the relative pronoun which be replaced by that? a) I will tell you the first thing which I can remember. b) She was late, which surprised me. c) The planets orbit the Sun, which is a star. 34 When can a relative pronoun be left out? a) If it is the Object in a non-restrictive relative clause. b) If it is the Object in a restrictive relative clause. c) If it is the Object in either a restrictive or non-restrictive relative clause. 35 In which sentence can the relative pronoun be left out? a) This is David, who I told you about. b) There’s a woman here who wants to talk to you. c) The man who I saw was an escaped convict. 36 Which statement about uncountable nouns is correct? a) They never have a plural form but can be constructed with a verb in the plural. b) They can never be constructed with the definite article. c) If they are replaced by a personal pronoun, the pronoun must be it, never they/them. 37 Which statement about the suffix -ly is correct? a) It is used exclusively to form adjectives. b) It is used to form both adjectives and adverbs. c) It is used exclusively to form adverbs. 38 Which sentence contains the present perfect? a) I’ve been thinking it over. b) I was talking to Jennie the other day. c) I was tired because I’d been working since dawn. 39 Which sentence contains a nominalized adjective? a) I like classical music more than modern. b) I prefer the blue car to the red. c) I fear the worst. 5 40 One of the following sentences has the following structure: Noun Phrase + Verb Phrase + Noun Phrase + Adjective Phrase Which? a) We consider this too difficult. b) I’ll see you tomorrow. c) The boy squeezed the girl’s hand hard. 41 Which sentence contains an indirect question? a) ‘Who is she?’ he asked. b) I met someone who said he knew you. c) I don’t know who she is. 42 Which sentence contains a that-clause? a) Look at that man over there. b) Where are the letters that came yesterday. c) It’s possible that she hasn’t received my letter. 43 Which sentence does not contain a that-clause? a) Have you forgotten about that money I lent you last week? b) I know that money isn’t everything. c) We were taken aback by the news that she had won. 44 In which sentence is the verb be used as a main verb? a) You’ll be met at the station. b) Are you coming with us? c) The town is five miles away. 45 One sentence below does not have the following structure: Subject + Verb + Complement Which? a) She’s grown old. b) She turned round. c) She appeared quick. 46 One sentence below has the following structure: Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement Which? a) She pushed the cart in front of her. b) She pushed the door open. c) She pushed him away. 6 47 Which sentence contains an Adverbial? a) Yesterday was a lovely day. b) We left at dawn. c) Do you know the woman over there? 48 Which sentence does not contain a Direct Object? a) Which is the better exercise – swimming or tennis? b) What did you say? c) Who did you invite to the party? 49 Which sentence contains an absolute superlative? a) This is a very interesting idea.
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