Writing and Composition Flashcards

Which sentence uses correct subject-verb agreement?

Answer: The students were excited about the field trip.

'Students' is a plural subject, so it requires the plural verb 'were,' making 'The students were excited' the only grammatically correct option.

What does it mean to 'revise' a piece of writing?

Answer: Improve the content, organization, and clarity

Revision involves making improvements to the content, structure, and clarity of a draft, which is different from editing (fixing grammar/spelling) or publishing.

Which sentence contains a comma splice error?

Answer: He ate dinner, he watched TV afterward.

'He ate dinner, he watched TV afterward' incorrectly joins two independent clauses with only a comma, which is a comma splice error.

When writing in third person point of view, which pronoun would an author use?

Answer: He/She/They

Third person point of view uses pronouns such as he, she, it, or they to refer to characters or subjects outside the narrator.

What is the function of a thesis statement in an essay?

Answer: To state the central argument or main point of the essay

A thesis statement presents the central argument or main claim of the essay, guiding the direction of all supporting paragraphs.

Which word is spelled correctly?

Answer: Achieve

'Achieve' is the correctly spelled word; the others violate the common 'i before e except after c' spelling rule.

A student writes: 'The dog ran quickly across the yard.' Which revision makes this sentence more vivid and descriptive?

Answer: The golden retriever bolted across the sun-drenched yard.

Using specific nouns ('golden retriever') and strong verbs ('bolted') along with descriptive details creates a more vivid and engaging sentence.