Literacy Skills Flashcards
6 cards from real QTS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Literacy Skills flashcards as text
Which of the following sentences contains a correctly used semicolon?
Answer: The pupils were excited; they had been looking forward to the trip all term.
A semicolon correctly separates two closely related independent clauses. Only the second option contains two complete clauses joined by a semicolon.
Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?
Answer: The children's books were on the shelf.
'Children' is already plural, so the possessive apostrophe goes before the 's': children's. This is a common irregular plural possessive.
Identify the subordinate clause in the following sentence: 'Although the weather was poor, the sports day continued as planned.'
Answer: Although the weather was poor
'Although the weather was poor' is a subordinate (dependent) clause — it cannot stand alone as a sentence and is introduced by the subordinating conjunction 'although'.
Which of the following words is a modal verb?
Answer: Should
'Should' is a modal verb, used to express obligation, advice, or expectation. Modal verbs also include can, could, may, might, must, shall, will, and would.
In the sentence 'The head teacher, who had been at the school for twenty years, announced her retirement,' what is the function of the clause between the commas?
Answer: It is a non-defining relative clause providing extra information
The clause between commas is a non-defining (non-restrictive) relative clause. It adds extra information about the head teacher but could be removed without changing the essential meaning.
Which sentence demonstrates the correct use of 'affect' and 'effect'?
Answer: The new policy will affect pupil behaviour.
'Affect' is typically used as a verb meaning 'to influence', while 'effect' is typically a noun meaning 'result'. The new policy will affect (influence) behaviour.