Subject: ESL
Name ______Date ______
Clauses Exam
A. Identifying Phrases
In each of the following sentences, identify each italicized phrase as prepositional, participial, gerund, or infinitive.
1. Now I would like to tell you about my sister Alexandra.
2. She likes arriving at school early.
3. By doing so, she can spend extra time preparing for her day.
4. She will resort to anything to get to school early, including waking me up, too.
5. For example, when the beeping of my alarm woke me yesterday, the sky was as dark as night.
6. I soon realized that Alexandra had adjusted the alarm to wake up later.
7. It was, I could see, an occasion for applying my special technique.
8. Called my slow-motion technique, it always achieves the result I want.
9. I moved around the house as if I were underwater; Alexandra watched until she could stand it no longer.
10. Then, I moved faster; I certainly did not want to be late for school.
B. Identifying and Classifying Prepositional Phrases
Identify the prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Then, state whether the prepositional phrase is an adjective phrase or an adverb phrase.
1. A daily newspaper has something for almost everyone.
2. In addition to news, the paper offers entertainment, classified ads, and much more.
3. Our entire family reads the newspaper in the morning.
4. Dad always begins with the sports pages; Mom prefers the general news.
5. My sister's favorite part of the newspaper is the lifestyle section.
6. She enjoys features like "How-to-Hints."
7. I find the editorial and opinion pages interesting, especially when a debate between two sides develops.
8. Sometimes I see the logic behind an argument.
9. Other times I wonder why grown people argue about a trivial issue.
10. I also like to read news about local events.
C. Identifying Verbals
Identify each italicized verbal in the following sentences as a participle, a gerund, or an infinitive.
1. Many amateur athletes want to earn medals for their abilities.
2. Enjoyed by people throughout history, amateur athletic competitions can be very beneficial.
3. Winning an event is only part of the reason athletes compete.
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Subject: ESL
4. When talented amateurs compete to test their skills, they learn a great deal about their sport.
5. In addition, the love of a sport, the best reason for entering into competition, usually grows as an athlete's performance improves.
6. Furthermore, sharing hard work with teammates leads a person to appreciate cooperative efforts.
7. Competitions organized on many levels give amateur athletes a motive for increased practice.
8. Participating in state, national, and international competitions is important to many amateur athletes.
9. Wanting to be recognized for their talent, the athletes compete against their peers in such events.
10. These competitions also provide athletes with opportunities to put their abilities to test.
D. Identifying Verbal Phrases
In each of the following sentences, identify the italicized verbal phrase as participial phrase, an infinitive phrase, or a gerund phrase.
1. Maxine gets her exercise by dancing for a least three hours a week.
2. Eddie likes to make pizza for his friends.
3. The mother baboon watched her infant eating a berry.
4. Yolanda went to get her book.
5. Is the man pushing the grocery cart an employee or a customer?
6. Winning the contest was a thrill for our cheerleaders.
7. I made a tote bag to hold my gym clothes.
8. Richard's summer job is delivering groceries to the hospital.
9. Enzo Ferrari became famous by building fast and stylish cars.
10. Preparing for that play took quite a long time.
11. Samantha overheard Tina and Sue talking about their vacation plans.
12. Prepare to run your fastest.
13. Excited by the thought of the trip, we finished packing early.
14. Koalas get most of their nutrition by eating eucalyptus leaves.
15. Tired of the noise outside, we closed the window.
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Subject: ESL
Test on Clauses
Answer Sheet
A: Identifying Clauses
Identify each italicized clause in the following sentences as independent or subordinate.
1. The fire started because someone did not smother a campfire.
2. The family that bought our house is moving in next week.
3. Did you know that Dr. Joel is the new ambassador to Lebanon?
4. Mr. Kim will buy the store if the bank lend him the money.
5. According to Ms. Garza, our math teacher, the binary system is important to know.
6. Wherever Maggie goes, her poodle Jack follows.
7. She won the golf match because she had practiced diligently.
8. Whatever you decide is fine with me.
9. I saw the job advertised in the school paper and decided to apply for it.
10. We were proud that you conceded defeat so graciously.
B: Identifying and Classifying Subordinate Clauses
Identify the subordinate clause in each of the following sentences. Tell whether each clause is used as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun.
1. Emily Dickinson, who was born in 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts, was a great American poet. adj.
2. She appeared to lead a fairly normal life until she became a recluse in her family's home. adv.
3. There she wrote poems that literary critics now call "great American poetry." adj.
4. Unfortunately, only a few of Dickinson's poems were published while she was alive. adv.
5. After she died in 1886, her other poems were published. adv.
6. I think everyone should read at least some of Dickinson's poetry. n.
7. Dickinson is a poet whose work I now read often. adj.
8. The Poems I have just finished reading are "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass" and "Apparently with No Surprise." adj.
9. The rhythms of Dickinson's poems are best appreciated when you read the poems aloud. adv.
10. Whatever I read by Emily Dickinson surprises and inspires me. n.
C. Identify Independent and Subordinate Clauses.
Identify all subordinate and independent clauses.
1. After eating and drinking, the elephants galloped through the wheat field.
2. Mr. Chisholm wanted to go bowling, but Mrs. Chisholm preferred the dinner theater.
3. Ten steps up the dark staircase, the twins lost their nerve; dinner at home suddenly seemed much more appealing.
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Subject: ESL
4. Kenzuo insisted that the bullet train was the best way to get to Osaka after midnight.
5. When the travelers arrived at the inn, the innkeeper greeted them.
Source: department.monm.edu 2
Subject: ESL
6. Dr. Bourgeois knew that singing loudly would only irritate others, so he decided to keep his high spirits to himself.
7. While preparing to eat, the dog spotted itself in the mirror.
8. Mom always wanted to live in New Mexico, but Dad was too used to living in North Carolina to move.
9. Before the concert began, the first violinist leaned forward to tie his shoe; this innocent action set off a whole chain of unlikely events.
10. Tom Bell is Angela's favorite actor, but Sally like Ricky Blake.
11. While washing the car, Benito paused to admire the vintage biplane flying overhead.
12. Joseph had worked hard for straight A's on his exams, and when the results came in, he discovered that his hard work had paid off.
13. When the crocodile approached, the heron flew away.
14. Arnie carefully lined up the pieces on the chessboard; however, Dario's foot caught the edge of the board, and both board and pieces flew into the air.
15. We had hoped that being subtle would be enough, and, indeed, for a while this tactic seemed to be working; but as the day wore on, we slowly realized that a bolder approach was needed.
Source:http://department.monm.edu/english/kroberts/english201/project2002/group10/testonclauses.htm
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