English Grammar Test Sentence Structure 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which correctly identifies the direct object in: 'Maria sent her friend a birthday card'?
- Maria
- her friend
- birthday card (Correct answer)
- sent
Correct answer: birthday card
The direct object receives the action of the verb directly; 'birthday card' is what Maria sent.
Question 2: What is the indirect object in: 'The teacher gave the students a test'?
- teacher
- students (Correct answer)
- test
- gave
Correct answer: students
The indirect object tells to whom or for whom the action is done; the teacher gave the test *to the students*.
Question 3: Which sentence uses a noun clause as the subject?
- What she said surprised everyone. (Correct answer)
- She said something surprising.
- Everyone was surprised by her.
- Her words were surprising.
Correct answer: What she said surprised everyone.
'What she said' is a noun clause functioning as the subject of the verb 'surprised.'
Question 4: Choose the sentence with a correctly placed only.
- She only told me the truth.
- Only she told me the truth. (Correct answer)
- She told only me the truth.
- She told me only the truth.
Correct answer: Only she told me the truth.
'Only' should be placed immediately before the word it modifies; 'Only she' means no one else told you the truth.
Question 5: What is a predicate nominative?
- A noun that receives the verb's action
- A noun that renames the subject after a linking verb (Correct answer)
- A noun that modifies another noun
- A noun functioning as an adverb
Correct answer: A noun that renames the subject after a linking verb
A predicate nominative follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject, as in 'She is a doctor.'
Question 6: Which sentence avoids a comma splice?
- It was cold, we stayed inside.
- It was cold, so we stayed inside. (Correct answer)
- It was cold, therefore we stayed inside.
- It was cold, however we stayed inside.
Correct answer: It was cold, so we stayed inside.
A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma; using the coordinating conjunction 'so' after the comma is correct.
Question 7: In a periodic sentence, where does the main clause appear?
- At the beginning
- In the middle
- At the end (Correct answer)
- It has no main clause
Correct answer: At the end
A periodic sentence withholds the main clause until the end, creating suspense or emphasis.
English Grammar Test Sentence Structure 5
Which correctly identifies the direct object in: 'Maria sent her friend a birthday card'?