ELTIS - English Language Test for International Students Grammar and Sentence Structure Practice Test 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence is grammatically correct?
- She don't like coffee in the morning.
- She doesn't likes coffee in the morning.
- She doesn't like coffee in the morning. (Correct answer)
- She not like coffee in the morning.
Correct answer: She doesn't like coffee in the morning.
With third-person singular subjects (she, he, it), the negative is formed with 'does not' (doesn't) followed by the base form of the verb. 'Doesn't like' is correct; 'don't like' uses the wrong auxiliary, and 'doesn't likes' incorrectly adds -s to the main verb.
Question 2: Fill in the blank: 'By the time we arrived, the movie _____ already started.'
- has
- had (Correct answer)
- have
- was
Correct answer: had
'Had started' is the past perfect tense, used to show that one past action (the movie starting) was completed before another past action (our arrival). 'Has started' is present perfect, 'have started' doesn't agree with the subject, and 'was started' changes the meaning.
Question 3: Which sentence uses the correct subject-verb agreement?
- The list of items are on the table.
- The list of items is on the table. (Correct answer)
- The list of items were on the table.
- The list of items be on the table.
Correct answer: The list of items is on the table.
The subject is 'the list' (singular), not 'items.' Prepositional phrases like 'of items' do not affect the verb. Therefore the singular verb 'is' is correct.
Question 4: Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'He has been working here _____ five years.'
- since
- for (Correct answer)
- ago
- during
Correct answer: for
'For' is used with a duration of time (five years). 'Since' is used with a specific point in time (since 2019). 'Ago' refers to a completed past time and cannot follow 'has been.' 'During' requires a named period, not a quantity.
Question 5: Which sentence is written in the correct passive voice?
- The teacher was taught the students.
- The students were taught by the teacher. (Correct answer)
- The students taught were by the teacher.
- The teacher taught were the students.
Correct answer: The students were taught by the teacher.
Passive voice follows the pattern: subject + to be + past participle (+ by + agent). 'The students were taught by the teacher' correctly places the receiver of the action as the subject and uses 'were taught' as the passive verb phrase.
Question 6: Fill in the blank: 'If it _____ tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.'
- rains (Correct answer)
- will rain
- rained
- is raining
Correct answer: rains
In a first conditional sentence (real possibility in the future), the if-clause uses the simple present tense, not the future. 'If it rains' is correct. Using 'will rain' in the if-clause is a common error in English.
ELTIS - English Language Test for International Students Grammar and Sentence Structure Practice Test 5
Which sentence is grammatically correct?