Grammarly Certified Advanced Grammar and Language Specialist Sentence Clarity and Conciseness 3

Question 1

Which revision eliminates the expletive construction: 'There are three factors that affect the outcome'?

Accepted Answer

Three factors affect the outcome.

Answer

Removing 'there are' and the relative clause produces a direct, active sentence.

Question 2

Which sentence demonstrates unnecessary nominalization (turning a verb into a noun)?

Accepted Answer

She made a decision to resign.

Answer

Nominalization converts 'decided' into 'made a decision,' adding unnecessary words; the verb form is more concise.

Question 3

What is a squinting modifier?

Accepted Answer

A modifier that could logically modify either the word before it or after it

Answer

A squinting modifier is ambiguously placed between two elements so it is unclear which one it modifies.

Question 4

Which is the best revision of: 'The new policy will help in improving employee productivity'?

Accepted Answer

The new policy will improve employee productivity.

Answer

Removing 'help in improving' and using the simple verb 'improve' eliminates unnecessary words.

Question 5

Which sentence demonstrates correct use of a restrictive clause (no commas needed)?

Accepted Answer

The report that I submitted yesterday was approved.

Answer

A restrictive clause ('that I submitted yesterday') identifies which specific report, so no commas are used.

Grammarly Certified Advanced Grammar and Language Specialist Practice Test