MLAT Identifying Grammatical Functions 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In 'The news that she had won surprised everyone,' what function does the clause 'that she had won' serve?
- Relative clause modifying 'everyone'
- Adverbial clause
- Noun clause as direct object
- Appositive clause modifying 'news' (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Appositive clause modifying 'news'
The clause 'that she had won' is an appositive clause that explains or identifies 'the news.'
Question 2: Which underlined word is functioning as a predicate adjective? A) 'She is a doctor.' B) 'He looks tired.' C) 'They bought groceries.' D) 'We ran fast.'
- doctor in A
- tired in B (Correct answer)
- groceries in C
- fast in D
Correct answer: tired in B
'Tired' follows the linking verb 'looks' and describes the subject 'He,' making it a predicate adjective.
Question 3: In 'Whoever finishes first will receive a prize,' what function does 'Whoever finishes first' serve?
- Adverb clause
- Adjective clause
- Noun clause as subject (Correct answer)
- Prepositional phrase
Correct answer: Noun clause as subject
The noun clause 'Whoever finishes first' serves as the subject of the main verb 'will receive.'
Question 4: What grammatical function does 'the championship game' serve in 'Winning the championship game was their goal'?
- Direct object of 'Winning' (Correct answer)
- Subject of the sentence
- Appositive
- Predicate nominative
Correct answer: Direct object of 'Winning'
'The championship game' is the direct object of the gerund 'Winning' within the gerund phrase.
Question 5: In 'The boy standing near the door is my brother,' what function does 'standing near the door' serve?
- Predicate of the sentence
- Participial phrase modifying 'boy' (Correct answer)
- Gerund phrase as subject
- Adverbial phrase
Correct answer: Participial phrase modifying 'boy'
The participial phrase 'standing near the door' modifies the noun 'boy.'
Question 6: Identify the function of 'his ambition' in 'His ambition, to become an astronaut, drove every decision.'
- Direct object
- Appositive renaming 'ambition' (Correct answer)
- Subject complement
- Indirect object
Correct answer: Appositive renaming 'ambition'
The infinitive phrase 'to become an astronaut' is an appositive that renames and explains 'His ambition.'
Question 7: In 'She works hard so that she can retire early,' what function does 'so that she can retire early' serve?
- Noun clause as direct object
- Adverb clause of purpose (Correct answer)
- Adjective clause modifying 'She'
- Appositive clause
Correct answer: Adverb clause of purpose
'So that she can retire early' is an adverb clause indicating the purpose of her hard work.
MLAT Identifying Grammatical Functions 3
In 'The news that she had won surprised everyone,' what function does the clause 'that she had won' serve?