Word Usage Flashcards

1. Whom did you talk to at the information desk at the airport? No error.

Answer: E

The sentence is grammatically correct. "Whom" is correctly used as the object of the preposition "to." To check, one can rephrase the question as "You did talk to whom?" or "You did talk to him/her," where "him/her" (objective case) corresponds to "whom." Therefore, "No error" is the correct choice.

2. Ellen always got into more trouble than me. No error.

Answer: D

In a comparison using "than," the pronoun following "than" should be in the same case as the pronoun or noun it is being compared to. Here, Ellen (subjective case) is being compared to another person, so the pronoun should also be in the subjective case ("I"), not the objective case ("me"). The full implied comparison is "Ellen always got into more trouble than I did."

3. The title of salutatorian goes to whomever has the second highest academic average. No error.

Answer: B

The pronoun in question, "whomever," is the subject of the verb "has" within its own clause ("whoever has the second highest academic average"). As a subject, it requires the subjective case, "whoever," not the objective case "whomever." The entire clause "whoever has the second highest academic average" functions as the object of the preposition "to," but the case of the pronoun within the clause is determined by its function *within that clause*.

4. Do you feel good enough to go to the store? No error.

Answer: B

The verb "feel" is a linking verb in this context, connecting the subject "you" to a description of your state. While "good" is an adjective, some prescriptive grammar rules suggest using "well" (which can also function as an adjective meaning "healthy") when referring to physical health. Therefore, "well" would be the more precise and traditionally preferred adjective to describe one's physical condition for going to the store.

5. Bolivar, an idol between his contemporaries, has been the inspiration for many modern revolutions. No error.

Answer: A

The preposition "between" is typically used when referring to two distinct items or people. However, "contemporaries" implies a group of three or more individuals. In such cases, the correct preposition to use is "among" to indicate a relationship within a larger group.

6. Birds fly south in the winter threw an instinct not completely understood by scientists. No error.

Answer: C

The word "threw" is the past tense form of the verb "to throw." In this sentence, a preposition is needed to indicate the means by which birds fly south. The correct word for this context is "through," which functions as a preposition meaning "by means of" or "from one side to the other."

7. No animal has yet been discovered that can "see" infrared light with its eyes. No error.

Answer: E

The sentence is grammatically correct and contains no errors in spelling, punctuation, or word usage. The possessive pronoun "its" correctly refers to "No animal," and the quotation marks around "see" are appropriate for emphasizing a specific, perhaps non-literal, sense of the word. Therefore, "No error" is the correct choice.

8. Lying there in the half-dark of my room, I could see my shelf, with my books-some of them prizes I had won in high school. No error.

Answer: E

The sentence is grammatically correct and contains no errors in spelling, punctuation, or word usage. The dash is appropriately used to introduce an explanatory or amplifying phrase ("some of them prizes I had won in high school") that provides additional information about "my books." Therefore, "No error" is the correct choice.

9. The man who sat beside Ben and I was running for the city council. No error.

Answer: C

The pronouns "Ben and I" are functioning as the objects of the preposition "beside." Objects of prepositions must always be in the objective case. Therefore, "I" (subjective case) should be changed to "me" (objective case) to correctly form "Ben and me."

10. Whom did you say sent this package? No error.

Answer: A

The pronoun "Whom" is incorrectly used here. To determine the correct pronoun, consider the clause "____ sent this package." In this clause, the pronoun is the subject of the verb "sent," requiring the subjective case. Therefore, "Who" should be used instead of "Whom," as "Who sent this package?" is the grammatically correct form.

11. There isn't scarcely room on the front steps to pose the entire class for a picture. No error.

Answer: A

The sentence contains a double negative with "isn't" (is not) and "scarcely." Both words convey a negative meaning, and using them together creates a grammatical error. To correct this, one of the negatives should be removed, for example, by changing "isn't scarcely" to "is scarcely" or "isn't much."

12. Haven't none of you seen my dog? No error.

Answer: B

The sentence contains a double negative with "Haven't" (have not) and "none." Both words express negation, which results in a grammatical error. To correct this, one of the negatives should be removed, such as changing "Haven't none" to "Have none" or "Haven't any."

13. I found the expensive vase broken when I first came in the room. No error.

Answer: D

The phrase "came in the room" is grammatically incomplete or awkward. To express movement from outside to inside, the correct preposition is "into." Therefore, the phrase should be "came into the room" to clearly indicate the direction of entry.

14. Mrs. Clement, my English teacher, said that I could of improved my reading comprehension score if I had spent more time reading great literature. No error.

Answer: C

The phrase "could of" is a common grammatical error. The correct auxiliary verb phrase is "could have," which expresses a past possibility or unfulfilled condition. "Of" is a preposition and cannot function as a helping verb in this context.

15. If you sign up as a volunteer for the special olympics, you will find that you receive as much as you give. No error.

Answer: A

"Special Olympics" is the proper name of a specific international organization and athletic event for people with intellectual disabilities. As a proper noun, both words should be capitalized. Therefore, "special olympics" is incorrectly lowercased.

16. "Your themes," said Ms. Buchanan, will be due in class on September 7; late papers will lose one full grade." No error.

Answer: A

The sentence contains a split quotation, but the second part of the direct speech is not properly enclosed in quotation marks. The phrase "will be due in class on September 7; late papers will lose one full grade" is a continuation of Ms. Buchanan's exact words. Therefore, an opening quotation mark is missing before "will be" to correctly enclose the entire direct quote.

17. What should I do when the computer says, "Sorry, try again?" No error.

Answer: D

The sentence incorrectly places the question mark inside the closing quotation mark. The quoted material, "Sorry, try again," is a statement or command, not a question itself. The main sentence, "What should I do when the computer says...", is the question. Therefore, the question mark should be placed outside the closing quotation mark to correctly punctuate the entire interrogative sentence.

18. "Whose in the office now?" asked Mom. No error.

Answer: A

The error is in the use of 'Whose'. The sentence requires the contraction 'Who's', which means 'who is', to ask about the person in the office. 'Whose' is a possessive pronoun, indicating ownership, which is grammatically incorrect in this context.

19. Parking her car at the depot, Ms. Jones decided to take the bus to town. No error.

Answer: E

This sentence is grammatically correct and contains no errors in punctuation, spelling, or usage. The participial phrase 'Parking her car at the depot' correctly modifies Ms. Jones, and the rest of the sentence follows standard English syntax.

20. In 1936, Adolph Hitler refused to congradulate the great Jesse Owens, winner of four gold medals in the Berlin Olympics. No error.

Answer: B

The word 'congradulate' is misspelled in the sentence. The correct spelling is 'congratulate', meaning to express pleasure to someone on an occasion of success or good fortune.