VERSANT Sentence Builds Part 1 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which rule governs the order of multiple adjectives before a noun in English?
- Adjectives must always come after the noun
- Opinion → size → age → shape → color → origin → material → purpose (Correct answer)
- Color must always come first before any other adjective
- Adjectives can be placed in any order before a noun
Correct answer: Opinion → size → age → shape → color → origin → material → purpose
English follows a specific adjective order: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose. For example, "a lovely small old rectangular red Italian silver whittling knife." Violating this order sounds unnatural to native speakers.
Question 2: Which sentence correctly uses a gerund as the subject?
- To swim in the ocean is her favorite activity.
- Swimming in the ocean is her favorite activity. (Correct answer)
- She swims in the ocean is her favorite activity.
- Swims in the ocean is her favorite activity.
Correct answer: Swimming in the ocean is her favorite activity.
"Swimming in the ocean is her favorite activity" uses a gerund (swimming) as the subject. Gerunds (verb + -ing) function as nouns and can serve as subjects. Both gerunds and infinitives (to swim) can function as subjects, but in modern English, gerunds are more natural as subjects of preference statements.
Question 3: Rearrange: [not / finished / yet / she / has / the / report] into the correct sentence.
- She has the report not finished yet.
- She has not yet finished the report. (Correct answer)
- She not has finished yet the report.
- She has finished not the report yet.
Correct answer: She has not yet finished the report.
"She has not yet finished the report" is correct. In present perfect negative sentences, "not" follows the auxiliary (has), and "yet" typically appears at the end or after "not." "She has not yet finished" places "not yet" together — a common and natural construction.
Question 4: Which sentence correctly uses a noun clause as the object of the verb?
- She knows that the meeting is at three. (Correct answer)
- She knows, that the meeting is at three.
- She knows the meeting at three that is.
- That the meeting is at three she knows.
Correct answer: She knows that the meeting is at three.
"She knows that the meeting is at three" correctly uses a noun clause (that the meeting is at three) as the object of the verb "knows." Noun clauses introduced by "that" are common in reported speech and indirect statements. No comma is needed before "that" in this construction.
Question 5: Which is the correct sentence order for expressing a negative imperative?
- Not turn off the lights please.
- Please not turn off the lights.
- Please do not turn off the lights. (Correct answer)
- Do not please turn off the lights.
Correct answer: Please do not turn off the lights.
"Please do not turn off the lights" is the standard form for a polite negative imperative in English. The structure is: (Please) + do not + base verb. "Please" can appear at the beginning or end of the sentence.
Question 6: Identify the correct sentence from these scrambled words: [by / deadline / must / submitted / the / be / report / the / Friday]
- The report must be submitted by the Friday deadline. (Correct answer)
- The deadline report must be submitted by Friday.
- The report must submitted be by the Friday deadline.
- By the Friday deadline the report submitted must be.
Correct answer: The report must be submitted by the Friday deadline.
"The report must be submitted by the Friday deadline" uses correct passive voice (must be + past participle) with appropriate prepositional phrase placement. "By the Friday deadline" specifies the time constraint, correctly following the verb phrase.
VERSANT Sentence Builds Part 1 3
Which rule governs the order of multiple adjectives before a noun in English?