ELPT - English Language Proficiency Sentence Structure and Correction Questions and Answers

Question 1

An editor is reviewing a document and finds the following sentence: 'The new software is very efficient, it has significantly reduced our processing time.' Which of the following revisions corrects the error in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The new software is very efficient, so it has significantly reduced our processing time.

Answer

The original sentence contains a comma splice, which is the error of joining two independent clauses with only a comma. An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. 'The new software is very efficient' and 'it has significantly reduced our processing time' are both independent clauses. The correct revision adds the coordinating conjunction 'so' after the comma to properly connect the two clauses, showing a cause-and-effect relationship.

Question 2

Which of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier?

Accepted Answer

Typing quickly, the document was completed just before the deadline.

Answer

A dangling modifier is a phrase that describes a subject that is not actually in the sentence. In the correct answer, the introductory phrase 'Typing quickly' has no subject to modify. It seems to describe 'the document,' but a document cannot type. To fix this, one would need to add the person who was typing, for example: 'Typing quickly, *I* completed the document just before the deadline.'

Question 3

The project plan requires researching competitors, analyzing market trends, and _______.

Accepted Answer

creating a detailed budget

Answer

This question tests parallel structure, which requires that items in a list or series follow the same grammatical form. The first two items in the list, 'researching competitors' and 'analyzing market trends,' are gerund phrases (using the -ing form of a verb as a noun). To maintain parallelism, the third item must also be a gerund phrase. 'Creating a detailed budget' correctly follows this pattern.

Question 4

A student wrote the following: 'The city council approved the new park. Because the community had been requesting it for years.' Which of the following best describes the error in the student's writing?

Accepted Answer

It contains a sentence fragment.

Answer

The second part, 'Because the community had been requesting it for years,' is a sentence fragment. It is a dependent clause that starts with the subordinating conjunction 'Because' but does not have an independent clause to complete the thought. It cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. The correct way to write this would be to combine it with the preceding sentence: 'The city council approved the new park because the community had been requesting it for years.'

Question 5

Which of the following sentences is structured correctly and is free of errors?

Accepted Answer

Covered in flour, the baker put his apron in the wash.

Answer

This question tests for a misplaced modifier. A misplaced modifier is a descriptive phrase that is not placed near the word it is intended to modify, creating confusion. In options A, B, and C, the phrase 'covered in flour' incorrectly appears to describe the apron or is placed awkwardly. Option D is correct because the modifier 'Covered in flour' is placed directly before 'the baker,' the person it logically describes.

ELPT - English Language Proficiency Test Practice Test

ELPT - English Language Proficiency Test Practice Test

ELPT - English Language Proficiency Sentence Structure and Correction Questions and Answers