Writing Skills Flashcards

Which sentence is written in active voice?

Answer: Maria wrote the essay in one afternoon.

In active voice, the subject performs the action; 'Maria' is the subject performing 'wrote.'

Identify the misplaced modifier: 'The teacher handed back the tests to the students covered in red ink.'

Answer: 'covered in red ink' should modify 'tests,' not 'students'

As written, 'covered in red ink' appears to describe 'students'; it should be placed next to 'tests.'

Which sentence uses consistent verb tense?

Answer: She walked in, sat down, and opened her book.

All three verbs—walked, sat, opened—are in the simple past tense, maintaining consistent tense throughout.

Which word is spelled correctly in this context: 'The council will _______ on the new policy tomorrow.'

Answer: proceed

'Proceed' means to move forward or continue; 'precede' means to come before something else.

What is wrong with this sentence: 'The data clearly shows that the hypothesis are correct.'

Answer: 'Data' is plural and requires 'show'; 'hypothesis' is singular and requires 'is'

In academic writing, 'data' is treated as plural (requiring 'show'), and 'hypothesis' is singular (requiring 'is').

Which revision best corrects the wordiness: 'Due to the fact that it was raining, we cancelled the picnic.'

Answer: Because it was raining, we cancelled the picnic.

'Because' is a concise subordinating conjunction that replaces the wordy phrase 'due to the fact that.'

Which option correctly punctuates this sentence containing a nonessential clause: 'My brother who lives in Raleigh is a nurse.'

Answer: My brother, who lives in Raleigh, is a nurse.

A nonessential (nonrestrictive) clause that adds extra information must be set off with commas on both sides.