Grammarly Certified Advanced Grammar and Language Specialist Sentence Clarity and Conciseness 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which revision best eliminates wordiness from: 'Due to the fact that the report was late, the meeting was postponed'?
- Because the report was late, the meeting was postponed. (Correct answer)
- The meeting was postponed owing to the lateness of the report.
- In light of the fact that the report was late, the meeting was postponed.
- Given that the report had been submitted late, the meeting was then postponed.
Correct answer: Because the report was late, the meeting was postponed.
'Because' is the concise replacement for the wordy phrase 'due to the fact that'.
Question 2: Which sentence uses the active voice correctly?
- The proposal was approved by the committee.
- The committee approved the proposal. (Correct answer)
- Approval of the proposal was given by the committee.
- The proposal, having been reviewed, was approved.
Correct answer: The committee approved the proposal.
Active voice places the subject ('the committee') before the verb ('approved'), making sentences clearer and more direct.
Question 3: Which of the following is a redundant phrase?
- final outcome
- brief summary
- past history
- All of the above (Correct answer)
Correct answer: All of the above
'Final outcome,' 'brief summary,' and 'past history' are all redundant because the modifier repeats information already contained in the noun.
Question 4: Identify the clearest revision of: 'It is important that you should always make sure to proofread.'
- Always proofread. (Correct answer)
- It is of importance that proofreading always happens.
- You should always make certain to proofread at all times.
- Proofreading is something that should always be done by you.
Correct answer: Always proofread.
Eliminating the expletive 'it is' and unnecessary verbs produces the shortest, clearest imperative.
Question 5: Which sentence avoids a dangling modifier?
- Running to catch the bus, her bag fell open.
- Running to catch the bus, she dropped her bag. (Correct answer)
- Having finished the test, the room was quiet.
- To improve clarity, wordy phrases must be avoided.
Correct answer: Running to catch the bus, she dropped her bag.
The subject 'she' correctly performs the action of 'running,' eliminating the dangling modifier.
Question 6: Which revision best corrects the misplaced modifier: 'She almost drove her children to school every day'?
- She drove her children to school almost every day. (Correct answer)
- Almost she drove her children to school every day.
- She drove almost her children to school every day.
- She drove her children almost to school every day.
Correct answer: She drove her children to school almost every day.
Placing 'almost' directly before 'every day' correctly modifies the frequency, not the action itself.
Grammarly Certified Advanced Grammar and Language Specialist Sentence Clarity and Conciseness 1
Which revision best eliminates wordiness from: 'Due to the fact that the report was late, the meeting was postponed'?