Grammarly Certified Advanced Grammar and Language Specialist Grammar Error Detection and Correction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence contains an error in verb tense consistency?
- She opened the file and reviewed its contents.
- He walked into the room and sits down. (Correct answer)
- They submitted the form and waited for a response.
- We analyzed the data and drew our conclusions.
Correct answer: He walked into the room and sits down.
'Walked' (past) and 'sits' (present) are inconsistent; the sentence should use 'sat' throughout.
Question 2: Identify the error: 'The team of analysts are meeting at noon.'
- 'Analysts' should be 'analyst'
- 'Are' should be 'is' because the subject is the singular collective noun 'team' (Correct answer)
- 'Noon' should be '12 PM'
- No error; collective nouns always take plural verbs
Correct answer: 'Are' should be 'is' because the subject is the singular collective noun 'team'
In American English, collective nouns like 'team' are treated as singular and take a singular verb ('is').
Question 3: Which sentence uses 'fewer' and 'less' correctly?
- There are less employees this quarter.
- There are fewer employees this quarter. (Correct answer)
- We have less meetings scheduled now.
- Less people attended the event.
Correct answer: There are fewer employees this quarter.
'Fewer' is used with countable nouns ('employees'); 'less' is used with uncountable/mass nouns ('water,' 'time').
Question 4: What is wrong with: 'Having reviewed the file, the decision was made quickly'?
- 'Reviewed' should be 'reviewing'
- The sentence has a dangling participle — the decision did not review the file (Correct answer)
- 'Quickly' is misplaced
- 'Having' is incorrect; use 'After'
Correct answer: The sentence has a dangling participle — the decision did not review the file
The participial phrase 'Having reviewed the file' must be followed by the noun that performed the reviewing, not 'the decision.'
Question 5: Which sentence correctly uses 'lay' versus 'lie'?
- I need to lay down for an hour.
- She lay the book on the table yesterday.
- Please lay the documents on my desk. (Correct answer)
- He lied down on the couch after work.
Correct answer: Please lay the documents on my desk.
'Lay' is a transitive verb meaning to place something; here it correctly takes the direct object 'documents.'
Question 6: Identify the error in: 'The professor, along with her assistants, are grading the exams.'
- 'Grading' should be 'grade'
- The verb 'are' should be 'is' — the subject is 'professor,' not the phrase 'along with her assistants' (Correct answer)
- 'Assistants' should be 'assistant'
- No error; the compound subject takes a plural verb
Correct answer: The verb 'are' should be 'is' — the subject is 'professor,' not the phrase 'along with her assistants'
Phrases like 'along with,' 'as well as,' and 'together with' do not change the singular subject; the verb must be 'is.'
Grammarly Certified Advanced Grammar and Language Specialist Grammar Error Detection and Correction 2
Which sentence contains an error in verb tense consistency?