Ready to take your grammar from good to great? Dive into our free Choose the Correct Word or Phrase quiz and see if you can select correct word options in every sentence to boost clarity. Whether you're a budding writer or language lover, this correct word quiz tests your ability to choose correct phrase pairings, master tricky homophones, and sharpen your prose. Kick off with our brief choose the correct word or phrase guide, then challenge yourself in our interactive section. You'll discover why words like affect vs. effect make all the difference and leave each round more confident in your writing. Think you can pick the perfect fit? Pick the right word now and supercharge your writing confidence!
She ________ to the store every Sunday.
goes
go
going
gone
The subject she is third-person singular, so the simple present requires adding s to the verb. Goes is the correct third-person singular form of go. Other forms like go are used for plural subjects or different tenses. See more at GrammarBook.
The cat slept ________ the bed.
on
under
at
beside
When describing a position on a surface, use on. The cat slept on the bed indicates it was atop the mattress. Under would mean below the bed, and beside means next to it. For more on prepositions, see Grammarly.
I have ________ apple for lunch.
an
a
the
some
Use an before words beginning with a vowel sound like apple. An apple is grammatically correct, while a apple is not used before vowels. The and some change the meaning and are not appropriate here. See article usage at Grammarly.
They are going to visit ________ grandparents this weekend.
their
there
they're
theirs
Their is the possessive form when indicating ownership, as in grandparents belonging to them. There is an adverb for location, they're is a contraction of they are, and theirs is a pronoun meaning something belongs to them. For a guide, see GrammarBook.
______ is your name?
What
Who
Which
Where
What is used to ask for information such as someone’s name. Who asks for a person, which asks for a choice among options, and where asks for a place. For more on question words, see EnglishClub.
I ________ English every day.
study
studies
studied
studying
With I in simple present tense, use the base form study. Studies is used with third-person singular subjects, studied is past tense, and studying is a gerund or present participle. For tense usage, see Grammarly.
He ________ playing soccer right now.
is
are
am
were
He is a third-person singular subject, so the correct auxiliary for present continuous is is. Are is for plural subjects, am is for first-person singular, and were is past tense. See more at GrammarBook.
We ________ pizza last night.
ate
eat
eaten
eating
Last night indicates simple past tense; the past form of eat is ate. Eat is base form, eaten is past participle, and eating is present participle. For past tense forms, see EnglishPage.
Please pass ________ salt.
the
some
any
a
When referring to a specific shared item on the table, use the definite article the. Some or any imply an indefinite amount, and a salt is incorrect. For details on articles, see Purdue OWL.
My friend and I ________ cousins.
are
is
am
were
Compound subjects joined by and take a plural verb, so are is correct. Is is singular, am applies only to I, and were is past tense. See more at GrammarBook.
The sun ________ in the east.
rises
rise
rose
rising
The sun is third-person singular, and the simple present form requires adding s to rise. Rise without s is for plural subjects, rose is past tense, and rising is a participle. For more, see GrammarBook.
There ________ some milk in the fridge.
is
are
was
were
Milk is an uncountable noun in the singular, so use is. Are is for plural count nouns, was and were are past tense. For existential there usage, see Grammarly.
She wants ________ become a doctor.
to
for
of
at
After want, use the infinitive form with to. Wants to become is correct. Forms like want for become are ungrammatical. See infinitive usage at Grammarly.
This is ________ book I told you about.
the
a
an
that
The definite article the specifies a particular book already mentioned. A or an would introduce a new item, and that is a demonstrative pronoun. For articles, see Purdue OWL.
The children ________ loudly on the playground.
are playing
play
plays
playing
The sentence describes an ongoing action, so the present continuous form are playing is correct for the plural subject children. Play is simple present, plays is singular present, and playing alone is a participle. For continuous tenses, see Grammarly.
If I ________ enough time, I would travel more.
had
have
will have
would have
This is a second conditional expressing an unreal present situation, so the past form had is required in the if-clause. Have is simple present; will have and would have do not fit second conditional structure. See conditionals at EnglishPage.
She is one of the ________ students in the class.
most intelligent
more intelligent
intelligentest
intelligenter
When comparing more than two, use the superlative most intelligent. More intelligent is comparative for two items, and the other forms are incorrect. For superlatives, see Grammarly.
He didn't go to the party ________ he was sick.
because
although
but
however
Because introduces a reason clause explaining why he didn't go. Although expresses contrast, but and however do not fit causal explanation here. See conjunctions at Grammarly.
Neither the manager nor the employees ________ willing to compromise.
are
is
were
be
When subjects are joined by neither/nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject employees (plural), so are is correct. Is is singular, were is past tense, and be is base form. For subject-verb agreement, see Grammarly.
By the time we arrived, the show ________.
had started
started
was starting
has started
The past perfect had started indicates an action completed before another past action arrived. Started is simple past with ambiguous timing; was starting implies ongoing; has started is present perfect. See past perfect at Grammarly.
She's interested ________ learning French.
in
on
about
for
Interested is followed by the preposition in when paired with a gerund. Interested about and interested for are incorrect, while on does not collocate here. For prepositional phrases, see Cambridge Dictionary.
Not only did he win the award, ________.
but he also broke the record
but also he broke the record
and he also broke the record
but he broke also the record
The correlative pair not only... but also requires the structure but he also broke. Other options misplace also or use the wrong coordinating conjunction. For parallel structures, see Grammarly.
I wish I ________ you earlier.
had called
called
have called
would call
Expressing regret about a past action uses I wish + past perfect had called. Called is simple past, have called is present perfect, and would call is future-in-past. See subjunctive and wish usage at Grammarly.
She has been working here ________ 2010.
since
for
in
from
Since is used with a specific start point like 2010. For is used with durations, in indicates time within something, and from requires a to. For duration expressions, see Grammarly.
Everyone must submit ________ report by Friday.
his or her
their
them
they
Everyone is singular and traditionally takes singular pronouns his or her to avoid ambiguity. Their is plural and increasingly accepted in informal contexts, them and they are incorrect here. For pronoun agreement, see GrammarBook.
He is better ________ tennis than I am.
at
in
on
for
Better is followed by the preposition at when referring to skills. In or on do not collocate in this context, and for is incorrect. See adjective prepositions at Cambridge Dictionary.
I look forward ________ from you soon.
to hearing
hearing
to hear
hear
Look forward to is a phrasal verb followed by a gerund, so to hearing is correct. Hearing without to breaks the verb, to hear is infinitive not a gerund, and hear is base form. For gerunds and infinitives, see Grammarly.
The committee decided ________ the proposal.
to reject
reject
rejecting
to rejecting
Decided is followed by the infinitive form to reject. Reject without to is not correct here, rejecting is a gerund, and to rejecting is ungrammatical. For infinitives, see Grammarly.
She is capable ________ solving complex problems.
of
at
in
for
Capable is followed by of when introducing a gerund. At, in, and for are incorrect prepositions in this context. See adjective and preposition pairs at Cambridge Dictionary.
They accused him ________ theft.
of
for
about
with
Accuse someone of something uses the preposition of. Accused him for or about are incorrect, and with is not used in this idiom. For more, see Collins Dictionary.
Which sentence uses the subjunctive mood correctly?
If I were you, I would apologize.
If I was you, I would apologize.
If I am you, I would apologize.
If I be you, I would apologize.
The subjunctive mood expresses hypothetical situations and uses were for all subjects in 'If I were you'. Was and am are indicative, and be is ungrammatical here. See subjunctive mood usage at Grammar Monster.
The novel, along with its sequels, ________ sold millions of copies.
has
have
were
are
When using along with as a parenthetical phrase, the verb agrees with the main subject novel (singular), so has is correct. Have, were, and are are plural or incorrect tenses. For parenthetical expressions, see Grammarly.
This is the CEO ________ office you visited yesterday.
whose
who's
whom
which
Whose is the possessive relative pronoun used for people and their possessions like office. Who’s is a contraction, whom is object but not possessive, and which refers to things. See relative pronouns at EnglishClub.
He speaks English more fluently ________ he does Spanish.
than
then
as
so
Than is the conjunction used in comparisons (more fluently than). Then indicates time, as is used in comparisons with equal adjectives, and so is not correct here. For comparative structures, see Grammarly.
Hardly ________ they start the meeting when the fire alarm went off.
had
have
did
were
Inversion after adverbs like hardly requires auxiliary had before the subject for past perfect. Hardly have or did are incorrect, and were does not match the perfect tense. For inversion rules, see Grammarly.
No sooner had we reached the station ________ it began to rain.
than
when
then
that
No sooner... than is the correct correlative conjunction for two sequential events with inversion. When, then, and that do not fit this structure. For correlative pairs, see EF Education First.
The board demanded that she ________ her explanation immediately.
provide
provides
provided
providing
After verbs expressing demand or suggestion, use the bare infinitive in the subjunctive mood: provide. Provides is third-person singular indicative, provided is past tense, and providing is a gerund. For the mandative subjunctive, see Grammarly.
The data, as well as the analysis, ________ been submitted.
has
have
are
were
As well as is a parenthetical that does not change the subject-verb agreement, so the singular subject data (treated here as a singular dataset) takes has. Have and are imply plural agreement; were is past tense. For more see GrammarBook.
If it hadn’t been for your help, we ________ succeed.
wouldn’t have
wouldn’t
hadn’t
will not have
This third conditional uses had not been, ... we would not have (wouldn’t have) to express a hypothetical result in the past. Wouldn’t and will not have do not match the structure. See third conditionals at EnglishPage.
We plan on ________ the project by the end of the month.
completing
complete
to completing
completes
Plan on is followed by a gerund, so completing is correct. Complete is a base verb without gerund form, to completing is incorrect, and completes is third-person singular. For gerunds with prepositions, see Grammarly.
Neither of the solutions ________ feasible.
is
are
were
be
Neither is singular and takes a singular verb, so is feasible is correct. Are, were, and be are incorrect agreements or forms. For neither/nor agreement, see Grammarly.
The lawyer explained the terms so well that everyone ________.
understood
had understood
has understood
understanding
The past simple understood matches the past narrative context. Had understood is past perfect which is unnecessary, has understood is present perfect, and understanding is a gerund. For tense consistency, see Grammarly.
By this time next year, I ________ my degree.
will have finished
will finish
will have been finishing
finish
Future perfect (will have finished) describes completion before a future time. Will finish is simple future, will have been finishing is future perfect continuous, and finish is present simple. For future perfect tense, see EnglishPage.
She insisted that the documents ________ on her desk by 5 PM.
be
are
were
is
Insist that triggers the mandative subjunctive requiring the base form be. Are, were, and is are indicative forms not used in this structure. For the subjunctive mood, see Grammarly.
The movie was not only entertaining ________ thought-provoking.
but also
and also
but as well
and as well
Not only... but also is the correct correlative conjunction. And also adds an extra item without parallel structure, and as well versions are incorrect here. For correlative conjunctions, see Grammarly.
Identify the sentence with a dangling modifier.
Walking down the street, the flowers were beautiful.
Walking down the street, I saw beautiful flowers.
As I was walking down the street, I saw beautiful flowers.
The flowers were beautiful when I walked down the street.
A dangling modifier occurs when the introductory phrase does not clearly modify the subject; 'Walking down the street, the flowers were beautiful' implies the flowers were walking. The other sentences correctly attach the modifier to the subject. For modifiers, see Grammarly.
Choose the sentence with correct inversion for emphasis.
Rarely have I seen such dedication.
I have rarely seen such dedication.
Rarely I have seen such dedication.
I rarely have seen such dedication.
Inversion after adverbs like rarely places the auxiliary before the subject: Rarely have I seen. The other options keep the subject-verb order, so they are not inverted. For inversion rules, see Grammarly.
Select the option that correctly completes the conditional sentence: "Had they known about the delay, they _______."
would have arrived earlier.
would arrive earlier.
will arrive earlier.
arrive earlier.
This is an inversion of the third conditional; Had they known requires the result clause would have arrived earlier. Would arrive is second conditional, will arrive is first, and arrive is not conditional. For inverted conditionals, see Grammarly.
Which sentence correctly uses nominalization?
The committee's approval of the plan was swift.
The committee approved the plan swiftly.
The plan was approved by the committee swiftly.
The committee approving the plan was swift.
Nominalization turns verbs into nouns, as in approval from approve. The first sentence uses nominalization correctly. The other sentences use active or gerund forms without nominalizing. For more, see UNC Writing Center.
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Study Outcomes
Analyze contextual clues -
Learn to evaluate sentence context to choose the correct word or phrase, ensuring your writing remains clear and accurate.
Differentiate between similar terms -
Develop the skill to select correct words by comparing subtle differences in meaning and usage.
Apply grammar rules effectively -
Use real-world examples to reinforce grammar principles and confidently choose the correct phrase in varied sentence structures.
Refine editing techniques -
Engage with our correct word quiz to identify common errors and improve your ability to correct and polish text.
Build writing confidence -
Practice making precise word choices to boost your overall writing prowess and reduce hesitation when selecting proper vocabulary.
Cheat Sheet
Subject-Verb Agreement Essentials -
Ensure subjects and verbs match in number and person; for example, "The team looks" (not "look") when referring to a single unit (Purdue OWL). Remember the trick: "Neither/Nor" pairs take the verb closest to them (e.g., "Neither the manager nor the employees are ready"). Consistently checking this rule boosts clarity in every sentence.
Mastering Commonly Confused Words -
Distinguish pairs like affect/effect and their/there/they're by learning meanings: "affect" is a verb, "effect" a noun (Cambridge University Press). Create a mnemonic, such as "RAVEN" for "Remember A Verb Ends Notes" - to keep "affect" as action. Regular practice with example sentences cements the correct choice.
Maintaining Parallel Structure -
Use coordinate elements in the same grammatical form: "She likes hiking, swimming, and biking," not "hiking, to swim, and bikes" (University of Oxford). A quick formula is "X, Y, and Z" where each item is identical in form. This rhythm enhances readability and professionalism.
Choosing Idiomatic Phrases -
Learn standard collocations - like "make a decision" (not "do a decision") - by consulting resources such as the Oxford Collocations Dictionary. Flashcards with correct vs. incorrect examples help internalize patterns. Over time, you'll instinctively select the proper phrase.
Using Transitional Words Effectively -
Pick the right connector to guide readers: use "however" for contrast and "therefore" for conclusions (Grammarly Research). Remember FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) to link independent clauses smoothly. Strategic transitions improve flow and cohesion in your writing.
