Writing Skills Flashcards

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

Answer: After finishing the report, it was submitted by the student.

The modifier 'After finishing the report' has no logical subject in the main clause; the student finished the report, not 'it.'

Which revision eliminates the redundancy in this sentence? 'The witness gave a true and accurate account of the events.'

Answer: The witness gave an accurate account of the events.

'True' and 'accurate' are redundant because they mean essentially the same thing; using just 'accurate' is more concise.

Which sentence is written in passive voice?

Answer: An elaborate meal was prepared by the chef.

Passive voice occurs when the subject receives the action rather than performs it; 'an elaborate meal' receives the action of being prepared.

Which sentence correctly uses a comma with a dependent clause?

Answer: Although she was tired, she finished her homework.

When a dependent clause comes before the main clause, a comma separates them; when it follows the main clause, no comma is typically needed.

Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?

Answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and riding her bike.

Parallel structure requires matching grammatical forms; all three activities are in gerund (-ing) form in option C.

What does a topic sentence do in a body paragraph?

Answer: It introduces the main idea of that specific paragraph

A topic sentence states the controlling idea of a single paragraph and connects that paragraph's content to the essay's overall thesis.

Which is an example of a run-on sentence?

Answer: It was raining we stayed inside.

A run-on sentence joins two independent clauses ('It was raining' and 'we stayed inside') without any punctuation or coordinating conjunction.