Grammar and Sentence Structure Practice Test 5 Flashcards

Which sentence is grammatically 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.

Fill in the blank: 'By the time we arrived, the movie _____ already started.'

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.

Which sentence uses the correct subject-verb agreement?

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.

Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'He has been working here _____ five years.'

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.

Which sentence is written in the correct passive voice?

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.

Fill in the blank: 'If it _____ tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.'

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.