Writing Skills Flashcards

Which sentence demonstrates correct parallel structure?

Answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and running.

Parallel structure requires all items in a list to use the same grammatical form—here, all gerunds (-ing).

What type of error appears in this sentence: 'I went to the store, I bought milk.'

Answer: Comma splice

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined only by a comma without a coordinating conjunction.

Which option correctly rewrites the following fragment: 'Because the storm knocked out the power.'

Answer: Because the storm knocked out the power, the game was cancelled.

A subordinate clause beginning with 'because' must be attached to an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

Choose the sentence with correct pronoun-antecedent agreement: 'Each student must submit _______ essay by Friday.'

Answer: his or her

When the antecedent is a singular indefinite pronoun like 'each,' traditional grammar uses 'his or her' for formal agreement.

Which sentence avoids redundancy?

Answer: The committee reached a conclusion after deliberation.

'Final conclusion,' 'cooperate together,' and 'repeated the same mistake again' all contain redundant words that repeat meaning.

Which version of the underlined portion best improves this sentence: 'The scientist, who had studied the virus for decades, and she made a breakthrough.'

Answer: for decades made

Removing the extra subject 'she' eliminates the double-subject error and makes 'The scientist…made' the clean main clause.

Which sentence uses a colon correctly?

Answer: She brought everything we needed: sunscreen, water, and snacks.

A colon should follow a complete independent clause before introducing a list or explanation.