STEP Grammar and Structure 2

Question 1

Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?

Accepted Answer

Neither the teacher nor the students were absent.

Answer

With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the nearer subject: 'students' (plural) → 'were.' 'News' is uncountable singular (the news is). In American English, collective nouns like 'team' and 'committee' typically take singular verbs.

Question 2

Select the correct sentence with a gerund:

Accepted Answer

I enjoy swimming in the sea.

Answer

'Enjoy' is followed by a gerund (verb + -ing), not an infinitive. 'Enjoy swimming' is correct. Other verbs that require gerunds: avoid, consider, finish, keep, mind, practice, suggest. Compare with verbs requiring infinitives: want, need, decide, hope.

Question 3

Choose the correct preposition: 'She is interested _____ learning about Saudi history.'

Accepted Answer

in

Answer

'Interested in' is a fixed collocation (adjective + preposition combination) in English. Other examples: 'good at,' 'responsible for,' 'different from,' 'afraid of.' Learning these fixed combinations is essential for the STEP exam.

Question 4

Which sentence correctly uses a comparative form?

Accepted Answer

This book is better than that one.

Answer

'Better' is the irregular comparative form of 'good.' Using 'more better' is a double comparative error. Irregular comparatives: good→better, bad→worse, far→farther/further, little→less, much/many→more.

Question 5

Identify the correct use of reported speech: 'He said, "I am going to Jeddah."'

Accepted Answer

He said that he was going to Jeddah.

Answer

In reported speech, tenses shift back: 'am going' (present continuous) becomes 'was going' (past continuous). Pronouns also change: 'I' becomes 'he.' The reporting verb 'said' triggers these changes in indirect/reported speech.

STEP Practice Test

STEP Practice Test

STEP Grammar and Structure 2