Quizzes on Sentence Writing

Name:______

Diagnostic Test I

Read the entire essay carefully. Next, proofread the essay for errors. If one of the underscored parts in a line is incorrect, circle the letter below the error on your answer sheet. If all underscored parts in a line are correct, circle E on your answer sheet. There is no more than one error in a line. You will have 40 minutes to complete the test.

When I opened the door. I could tell it was going to be a typical,

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sultry August afternoon. The sun and the high humidity was producing such

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intense heat that I felt as if theywere sitting on my doorstep. Stepping

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out to get the newspaper. I practically burned my bare feet on the steel

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porch, I decided then the only place to be on such a torrid day was the beach.

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I sprinted to my car and opened the door;fierce heat emerge as

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if I has just opened a blast furnace. I climbed into the car. My legs

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melting into the vinyl seat. My hands burned from the heat of the black

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steering wheel. Even the air conditioning, did not succeed in diminishing

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the heat in theirfour-wheel pressure cooker.

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As I drove through the suburban development; heat rose from the pavement

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in waves. I drove passed many people attempting to find relief from the heat.

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Childrentryed to cool off under whirling sprinklers and garden hoses.

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The temperatures of the rushing water however, must have been lukewarm instead

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of icy cold. After every spraying, the kids dodging the

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scorchingsidewalks to save his feet from blisters. When I drove

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through town,Citypublic works employees, drowsy from the intolerable

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heat, lounged on park benches for an all-day lunch brake. More fortunate

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people managed to have the day free, they sat under trees and by pools and

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sipped cold lemonades both the glasses of lemonade and the people sweated

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profusely. Everyone – young and old – trudged along the sidewalks,each

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wereclothed as comfortably as possible. Most people, seeking comfort,

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were wearing shorts and light-weight shirts; their feet encased in sandals.

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Only a few stalwartbusinesspeopleinsist upon wearing three-piece suits with

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long-sleeved shirts and vests. Even the gait of these intrepid souls eager

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to close lucrative business deals,were slowed by the waves of heat

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raising from the steamy concrete sidewalks and moltenasphalt roads.

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After seeing the city people struggling for comfort, I am glad

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to reach the nearest beach, where I heard radios. Blaring out cries

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for releif from the heat. I saw athletes playing volleyball in the

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scorching sand and swimmers bobbing up and down in the ocean’s waves,

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a few people sat by the water’s edge or waded in the shallow tidal

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pools some hardy people jogged down the beach in seeming comfort.

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I ran through the maze of bodies to find a empty spot on the beach.

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When I finally sat down, I noticed a slight ocean breeze but it did not

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lessen the intense heat of the suns rays. I soon became so dizzy from

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the heat that I drugmyself the shoreline of the cool ocean in hopes

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of regaining my strength the water’s temperature, however,was not refreshing.

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After wading aimlessly in the tepid water, Ihad begun to swim out to the breakers.

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Seeking cooler water, I doverepeated under the breaking, white-capped

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waves to lower depths. My efforts were in vain unfortunately, the water a few

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feet from the surface lacked the cool temperatures I craved and covered

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with salt and sand, I returned to the shore and laid down on my blanket.

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I then decided that my adventure to the beach was useless I was never

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going to conquer the heat. After a couple of hours at the beach; I headed home.

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As I drove away from the beach, the clear sky quickly became cloudy

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and high winds blew from the sea. A thunderstorm brokelose as a

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result of the day’s intense heat and humidity. The wind and rain

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cooled the air temporarily, after an hour, the sun reappeared, and

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the scorching heat returned,whichwas disappointing.

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Name:______

Diagnostic Test I Answer Sheet

Name:______

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Name:______

Diagnostic Test II

College demands a great deal from their students. They spend most of their

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time and effort preparing for tests. It would seem that watching television; reading

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a good book, and visiting friends are much easier tasks to perform, however, most

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college students chose demanding, stressful days and nights of studying (especially at

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exam time) over leisure pastimes. Thus, there must be major factors that motivates

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students to study. Self-satisfaction is certainly one motivation, in

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addition,Academic competition and a personal interest in the

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subject are also incentives that encourages students to spend long,

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tiring hours in the collegeLibrary to complete their work.

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First students study to fulfill personal goals; each individ-

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uals’ goal may be different. Some persons may feel that they have fulfilled

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their potential if they earn a “C” in the course. While other students

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may be satisfied with nothing less then an “A”. In either case, success

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encourages success. When students study competently for one test,

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and are rewarded with a high grade. Then they are encouraged to study

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more for the next test. This process had developedself-esteem and pride that,

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in turn,buildself-confidence. When students are confident of their abilities

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they are more likelytoo succeed at a chosen task. Consider, for example,

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students wholearned how to solve a chemical equation. Certainly,

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the next time theyencounter a similar problem, or even a more advanced one

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they will be better prepared to answer it correct. As confidence grows,

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so do the ability to do more. Each victoryinvites another one.

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Competition also encouragesstudents’ success. Students competing for

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high grades in the classroom as they do for records on athletic fields;

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however, academic competition can yeild rewards other than high grade-point

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average. For example, if students pushed themselves intellectually to

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compete for a scholarship, they also may develop new interests or

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skills. Students who strived to comprehendtheir most difficult

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subject will find that soon they will be able to enjoy them and see its

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applications in the “real world”. Students may also beginto

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synthesizematerials from a number of fields hence, they will be prepared to approach

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new challenges. Finally, they will began to enjoy learning simply for its own sake.

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Students nowwill possess one of the great rewards of education an intellectual

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curiosity about the world around him and a desire to learn more.

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A third motivation is a genuine interest in a particular subject

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when students are interested in a subject they tend to study harder,

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to devote more time to it, and to perform better. If students are interested

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in science, then they will probablydevoteadditional time to

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science courses and excell in them. Another factor in developing

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students’interest in a coarse is the instructor; if the

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instructor demonstratedknowledge and enthusiasm for the material,

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often the students will become interested in the subject when

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they developan interest in the material, they will bemotivated

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to learn it and learningwill be a pleasure, not a chore.

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Self-satisfaction, competition, and interest in the subject demand

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that students excel in college. For these reasons, serious students will often

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turn to their books on a dreary evening rather than to an episode of Friends

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or to someone’s party. The rewards they gain from their studying had been

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great. Gaining discipline, knowledge, a college degree, and employment

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in theirselect field. Certainly, college is worth the effort.

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Name:______

Diagnostic Test II Answer Sheet

Name:______

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Name:______

Quiz 1: Parts of Speech

Name
Date

In the following sentences identify the part of speech of each underlined word by writing the appropriate abbreviation in the space provided.

N for nounAdv for adverb

V for verbPrep for preposition

P for pronounC for conjunction

Adj for adjective

V / N / Example: The leaves clogged the gutters.
1.Careers in the sciences are becoming more attractive to young people.
2.Henry nearly collapsed in the locker room after a workout.
3.Many companies are having difficulty recruiting qualified employees.
4.That is a beautiful car.
5.Employees in the business world spend many hours incompany classrooms.
6.I really love this house.
7.He is in New Yorkfor a business meeting.
8.Last Saturday my uncle made a hole in one.
9.The United States has the highest rate of illiteracy of any industrialized
country.
10.We walked andshopped all day.
11.How many textbooks did you buy for your history class?
12.The morning train to Boston is seldom late.
13.Althea Wilson studied artwhile growing up in Africa.
14.Mary and Paul are living in a stilt house on PawleysIsland.
15.Can you bring me a quart of milk from the store?
16.Uncle Rainey has retired from the state audit department.
17.The rhododendron and mountain laurel were breathtakingly beautiful this year.
18.Teresa will be here early if she can find a ride.
19.I know that I need a comprehensive guide to landscaping.
20.The committee carefullyanalyzed each proposal.

Quiz 2: Parts of Speech

Name
Date

In the following sentences identify the part of speech of each underlined word by writing the appropriate abbreviation in the space provided.

N for nounAdv for adverb

V for verbPrep for preposition

P for pronounC for conjunction

Adj for adjective

Adj / V / Example: The gourmet cook snapped the beans.
1.The rain ruined the newspaper.
2.The main thing that keeps a bonsai small is careful pruning.
3.None in the class understood the assignment.
4.The puppy eventually dragged its blanket out of its bed.
5.My family recently visited my nephew at the NavalAcademy.
6.The first major league baseball game played at night took place in Cincinnati.
7.The squirrels hid pecans and acorns in the flower boxes.
8.The mockingbird woke me early with its beautiful song.
9.Libraries maintain many records of our past and present civilizations.
10.The car telephone is a time-saving device for business people.
11.The San Franciscowharf is noted for its seafood.
12.I didn’t order a pizza.
13.Please call uswhen you arrive home.
14.Ice hockey is a veryphysical game.
15.The children believed that the old, broken-down house was haunted.
16.During the twilight hours driving can be dangerous.
17.Miscellaneous subjects will be discussed at the seminar.
18.According to the National Association for the Visually Handicapped, there are
800,000 legallyblind Americans.
19.These are my favorite jeans.
20.Criticism is difficult to accept.

Quiz 3: Parts of Speech

Name
Date

In the following sentences identify the part of speech of each underlined word by writing the appropriate abbreviation in the space provided.

N for nounAdv for adverb

V for verbPrep for preposition

P for pronounC for conjunction

Adj for adjective

1.You must attend the three sessions or he will dock you a day’s pay.
2.John seemed tootired to answer any more questions.
3.We enjoyed the movie because it was a good comedy.
4.These are very troubled times that require all our strength.
5.The work was progressing according to schedule.
6.Will the girls practice laterthan they did last evening?
7.Among the visitors was a famous novelist.
8.Red is a very common autumn color.
9.Politics can be a very interesting topic of conversation.
10.For the winter formal, he boughthimself a new tuxedo.
11.In spite of the weather, we found the hidden cave.
12.John is a far wiser man since his defeat.
13.That is an impossible request, which I know I cannot fulfill.
14.Even though he was ill, he went to his classes.
15.The Pacific fleet was nearly destroyed in that attack.
16.It was a thrilling novel of the last war.
17.What kind of individual can he be?
18.The player who caught the pass is my roommate.
19.The senator came to the meeting, though she could remain only a few minutes.
20.We should have seen his car approaching earlier.

Quiz 4: Subjects and Verbs

Name
Date

Write the subject and verb of each of the following sentences in the space provided.

Subject / Verb
1.Please stop that noise.
2.Americans are famous for their optimism.
3.There are many opportunities for graduates in data processing.
4.Some young couples have decided to move to more rural areas in order to
avoid the pressures of city living.
5.Where is your parents’ summer cottage?
6.Bar Harbor and Galveston have excellent beaches.
7.Cody won $10,000 in Las Vegas.
8.At the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains is Skyline Drive.
9.Everyone has a radio in his or her car.
10.Unfortunately, rich desserts are loaded with calories.
11.At the end of the long, dark road stood a haunted house.
12.Have you ever thought of visiting New York City?
13.Joseph Conrad, a native of Poland, proved to be a major English writer.
14.Jealousy and envy are not admirable emotions.
15.Swimming and jogging are good for you.
16.Bruce Springsteen, a rock singer, grew up in New Jersey.
17.There are many advantages to traveling abroad.
18.In many southern states, the cost of living is less than in northern states.
19.Plants and flowers add a homey atmosphere to any apartment.
20.Uncle James, as well as Aunt Mary, enjoys spending the summer at the
shore.

Quiz 5: Subjects and Verbs

Name
Date

Write the subject and verb of each of the following sentences in the space provided.

Subject / Verb
1.Television provides entertainment and comfort for many people.
2.After all, Harriet is the best jockey in the state.
3.Maria and Tony dated for seven years and will be married in July.
4.Philadelphia and New York are close together and offer many cultural
opportunities.
5.Sit up straight and pass the chicken.
6.Teachers appreciate typed papers.
7.There is a long line at the theater.
8.An American Tragedy and The Great Gatsby, both major American novels,
were written in the 1920s.
9.Inflation eats away at an individual’s income and destroys savings.
10.Will you and Henry help me with this sofa?
11.Reading and swimming are Terry’s favorite pastimes.
12.Love and discipline are important elements in a child’s life.
13.Bilingual secretaries command higher salaries in certain areas of the
country.
14.Nearly everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.
15.Video games are a new form of entertainment.
16.Some artisans still practice the old crafts, such as pottery, quilting, and
glass blowing.
17.Photography, a relatively new art form, was once considered only a
means of recording a visual image.
18.Students and teachers prefer comfortable learning environments, such as
classrooms with carpeting and overstuffed chairs.
19.Polo is a sport for wealthy people.
20.Terry studies diligently every day.

Quiz 6: Subjects and Verbs

Name
Date

Write the subject and verb of each of the following sentences in the space provided.

Subject / Verb
1.My brother and his friend sold tickets for the field day.
2.Can somebody in command give us permission to moor our boat?
3.There were several excellent applicants for the position of dean of studies.
4.Now comes the best part of the entertainment.
5.Please read the minutes of the previous meeting.
6.During the first ten minutes of the game, our team, with two of the
players out on fouls, scored two goals.
7.Never again will I be able to speak to her about that.
8.There will be among your visitors today two agents from the Federal
Bureau of Investigation.
9.Both the coach and the players were angered by a series of unjust
penalties.
10.The cast was congratulated and given bonuses by a grateful producer.
11.Never again will Helen help her with the work.
12.A tour of the churches and castles of Denmark is a worthwhile experience.
13.Shut that window and take your seat.
14.Bill will help us to dig the foundation and to erect the framework of the
new building.
15.How many books are published each month on that particular subject?
16.Two important items on the agenda were salaries and a pension plan.
17.Her unassuming attitude and careful concern for details impressed her
employer.
18.The spectators stood, cheered, and waved their pennants.
19.Where have we placed those new suits?
20.Way up the steep mountain path stood William.

Quiz 7: Kinds of Sentences

Name
Date

Indicate the kind of sentence by writing the correct abbreviation in the blanks: S—simple; CP—compound; CX—complex; CC—compound-complex.

1.Traveling by train is better than traveling by airplane; for one thing, one can see the
entire country from ground level.
2.My father, who is a professional golfer, plans to enter the U.S. Open competition;
however, he doesn’t expect to win.
3.If couples decided to have fewer children, then the population growth in the United
States would slow down.
4.The Golden Gate Bridge is a triumph of modern engineering.
5.Both the Eagles and the ’76ers tried to win their championship games; however, the
Phillies did win the World Series.
6.At a baseball game, grown men reminisce about the glory of playing baseball when
they were children.
7.American children should learn foreign languages; if they did so, then, in another
generation, Americans could gain a better understanding of foreign countries and cultures.
8.Whether one graduates from college or high school, commencement day is an
important occasion.
9.Our society has very few ceremonial initiation rites; going on the first date and
getting a driver’s license are contemporary rites of initiation.
10.It is important to be aware of one’s responsibilities at all times.
11.Since housing costs are so high, many people feel that they will never be able to buy
a new house.
12.Students often do not realize that college requires a greater effort than high school
did; consequently, many freshmen do not learn how to budget their time until it is too late.
13.When American troops returned victorious from Europe and the Pacific after World
War II, they were greeted by huge crowds of happy people; when American troops returned from Vietnam, they were greeted by angry protesters.
14.Judy enjoys backpacking, but her husband enjoys staying at luxurious hotels.
15.After you have finished writing your essay, please give it to me.
16.Although the music was fast, all couples danced.

Quiz 8: Kinds of Sentences