Think you've mastered sentence structure? Dive into our new grammatical syntax quiz designed to challenge learners like you and sharpen real-world skills. In this friendly grammar quiz , you'll tackle everything from subtle syntax nuances to advanced rules, testing your mettle with targeted grammar questions quiz rounds and an interactive English syntax test. Whether you crave a quick syntax practice test or enjoy a deep-dive sentence structure quiz, this is the perfect opportunity to boost confidence, identify areas to grow, and excel in writing. Ready to prove your prowess? Take on the General English Quiz now and start unlocking clearer, more compelling communication!
The list of items ___ on the table.
are
remain
were
is
The true subject of the sentence is "list," which is singular. The phrase "of items" is a prepositional phrase and does not change the number of the main subject. Therefore, the verb must agree with the singular noun "list," making "is" the correct choice. See subject - verb agreement rules at Wikipedia.
Which word is the simple subject in the sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
jumps
dog
fox
quick
In this sentence, the simple subject is the noun performing the action, which is "fox." Modifiers like "quick" and "brown" describe the fox but are not part of the simple subject. The full subject is "The quick brown fox," but the core element is "fox." For more on subjects and predicates, see Purdue OWL.
Identify the type of clause in the sentence: "The book that you gave me is fascinating."
Adjective clause
Adverb clause
Prepositional phrase
Noun clause
The underlined segment "that you gave me" is a relative clause modifying the noun "book." It answers the question "which book?" and functions as an adjective. Therefore it is called an adjective (or relative) clause. You can learn more about relative clauses at Wikipedia.
Determine the function of the phrase "Running in the morning" in the sentence: "Running in the morning is healthy."
Infinitive phrase
Gerund phrase as subject
Participial phrase
Prepositional phrase
The phrase "Running in the morning" uses the gerund "Running" as a noun, and the entire gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence. It is not an infinitive or participle clause. For further reading on gerunds and gerund phrases, see Wikipedia.
Choose the correct pronoun to complete the sentence: "Each of the players has ___ own locker."
their
them
his
its
The word "Each" is singular, so it requires a singular pronoun. In traditional usage, "his" is the correct default, though "his or her" may also be used for inclusivity. "Their" would be plural and thus incorrect here. See pronoun - antecedent agreement at GrammarBook.
Identify the direct object in the sentence: "She wrote several poems last year."
She
last year
wrote
several poems
In the sentence, "wrote" is the verb, and it acts upon "several poems," which makes that phrase the direct object. "Last year" is an adverbial phrase indicating time. For more on direct objects, see Purdue OWL.
Which word is an adverb in the sentence: "She quickly finished her homework."
homework
quickly
finished
She
The word "quickly" modifies the verb "finished," describing how she completed the action. Words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs are adverbs. For a deeper look at adverbs, visit Grammarly.
Choose the correct tag question: "He didn't want to go, ___ he?"
does he
did he
didn't he
doesn't he
When the main clause is negative ("didn't want to go"), the tag question is positive: "did he?" Also, the auxiliary verb and subject must match the main clause. Learn more about tag questions at Wikipedia.
Identify the error type in the sentence: "Walking through the park, the trees were beautiful."
Dangling modifier
Comma splice
Faulty parallelism
Sentence fragment
The introductory participial phrase "Walking through the park" has no clear subject and incorrectly modifies "the trees." This is a classic dangling modifier. A corrected version might be: "Walking through the park, I thought the trees were beautiful." More on participle placement at Purdue OWL.
Choose the revised sentence without a split infinitive: "She decided to quickly run to the store."
She decided quickly to run to the store.
She decided running to the store quickly.
She quickly decided to run to the store.
She decided to run quickly to the store.
A split infinitive occurs when an adverb is placed between "to" and the verb. By moving "quickly" after the verb, we avoid the split infinitive: "to run quickly." For more on this style guideline, see Wikipedia.
Select the sentence that demonstrates correct parallel structure:
He likes to hike, swimming, and biking.
He likes hiking, to swim, and biking.
He likes hiking, swimming, and to bike.
He likes hiking, swimming, and biking.
In parallel construction, each element must follow the same grammatical pattern. The correct sentence uses three gerunds: hiking, swimming, and biking. The other options mix gerunds with infinitives, which breaks parallelism. Read more at Purdue OWL.
Identify the verb mood in the sentence: "If I were you, I would apologize."
Imperative
Subjunctive
Conditional
Indicative
The use of "were" after "if I" indicates the subjunctive mood, which expresses hypothetical or non-factual conditions. The indicative mood would use "was" for factual statements. See subjunctive mood details at Grammarly.
Choose the correct relative pronoun: "That's the woman ___ car was stolen."
who
whose
whom
which
The pronoun "whose" indicates possession and correctly connects "woman" to "car." "Who" and "whom" refer to people but don't show possession, and "which" refers to things rather than people. Further explanation at Grammar Monster.
What is the function of the phrase "near the lake" in the sentence: "He sat on the bench near the lake."
Direct object
Subject complement
Adjectival modifier
Adverbial modifier
The prepositional phrase "near the lake" describes where he sat, modifying the verb "sat," and functions as an adverbial modifier of place. It is not describing a noun directly, so it is not adjectival. Read more at Chomp Chomp.
Choose the correct pronoun in the comparison: "She is taller than ___."
myself
the one
I
me
When a pronoun follows a comparison word like "than," it often takes the same case as it would in a complete clause: "She is taller than I am." Thus, "I" is correct. For more on pronoun case, see GrammarBook.
What syntactic structure is used in the sentence: "Not only did she win the race, but she also set a new record."?
Subordinate clause
Parallel clause
Passive voice
Inversion after negative adverb
The negative adverbial "Not only" at the beginning triggers subject - auxiliary inversion, placing the auxiliary "did" before the subject "she." This is a common inversion pattern in English for emphasis. Learn more at Wikipedia.
Select the sentence with the correct sequence of tenses: "He asked if I ___ the movie last week."
have seen
had seen
would see
saw
In reported speech after a past-tense reporting verb "asked," the past perfect "had seen" correctly indicates an action completed before another past action. The simple past "saw" can sometimes work, but past perfect is preferred for clarity. See sequence of tenses at Purdue OWL.
Choose the correct verb form for the subjunctive mood: "I insist that he ___ present at the meeting."
be
is
will be
was
After verbs of insistence, demand, or recommendation, English uses the base form of the verb in the subjunctive mood. Thus "be" is correct rather than "is" or "was." More on the mandative subjunctive at Grammarly.
Identify the function of the clause "What he did" in the sentence: "What he did surprised everyone."
Prepositional phrase
Adverb clause
Noun clause as subject
Adjective clause
The clause "What he did" functions as a noun clause and serves as the subject of the sentence. It encapsulates an entire idea and acts like a noun. For details on noun clauses, see Grammar Monster.
Choose the correct passive voice transformation: "They will complete the project by Monday."
The project will be completed by Monday.
The project will complete by Monday.
The project will have completed by Monday.
The project is completed by Monday.
To form the future passive, use "will be" followed by the past participle: "will be completed." The other options either omit the auxiliary or use incorrect tense. For more, see Grammarly.
Identify the error type in the sentence: "She looked at the painting with fascination hanging on the wall."
Comma splice
Dangling modifier
Misplaced modifier
Faulty parallelism
The participial phrase "hanging on the wall" is meant to modify "painting," but its placement next to "fascination" makes it ambiguous and misplaced. It should appear next to the noun it describes. More on modifier placement at Purdue OWL.
What mood is expressed in the sentence: "Long live the King!"
Indicative
Imperative
Subjunctive
Conditional
The sentence uses the present subjunctive form of "live" to express a wish or hope for the King's long reign. It is not a command (imperative) but an optative expression. See subjunctive usage at Wikipedia.
Which phenomenon best describes this sentence: "Which book did John say Mary thought Bill had read?"
Passive transformation
Long-distance wh-movement
Cleft construction
Subject - verb agreement
In this example, the wh-phrase "Which book" has been extracted from a deeply embedded clause and moved to the front, illustrating long-distance wh-movement in generative grammar. This displacement crosses multiple clause boundaries. For a detailed explanation, see Wikipedia.
What type of syntactic violation occurs in the sentence: "*What do you wonder whether Mary saw?"
Coordinate structure constraint
Wh-island violation
Left-branch violation
Subject island violation
Extraction of a wh-word out of a clause introduced by another wh-word ("whether") violates the wh-island constraint, making the sentence ungrammatical. This is known as a wh-island violation. For more, see Wikipedia.
Identify which binding principle is violated in this sentence: "John_i saw him_i at the store."
No violation
Principle A
Principle B
Principle C
Principle B of the binding theory states that a pronoun must be free in its local domain and cannot refer to a co-indexed subject in the same clause. Here, "him" cannot refer back to "John," hence the violation of Principle B. For details, see Wikipedia.
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AI Study Notes
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Study Outcomes
Identify Common Syntactic Errors -
Learn to recognize and correct typical mistakes in sentence structure, enhancing your accuracy in the grammatical syntax quiz.
Analyze Sentence Structure -
Break down complex English sentences into their components to understand how grammatical elements interact.
Apply Syntax Rules -
Use standard English syntax guidelines to construct clear, well-formed sentences in both the syntax quiz and everyday writing.
Differentiate Phrase and Clause Types -
Distinguish between various phrases and clauses to sharpen your skills in the sentence structure quiz and English syntax test.
Evaluate Quiz Performance -
Interpret your quiz results to identify strengths and areas for improvement in your grammar and syntax knowledge.
Refine Grammar Through Practice -
Build on feedback from the syntax practice test to continuously improve your sentence construction and stylistic clarity.
Cheat Sheet
Basic Sentence Patterns (SVO, SV, SVC) -
Understanding the core formulas like Subject + Verb + Object (SVO) or Subject + Linking Verb + Complement (SVC) lays a strong foundation for any grammatical syntax quiz. For example, "The cat (S) chased (V) the mouse (O)" clearly demonstrates SVO. Practice identifying these patterns to ace your English syntax test.
Clause Types and Subordination -
Distinguish independent clauses (complete thoughts) from dependent clauses (introduced by conjunctions like because, although, if) to excel on a syntax quiz. According to Purdue OWL, recognizing that "Although she studied (dependent), she was tired (independent)" helps you parse complex sentences. Practice linking clauses without punctuation traps on a sentence structure quiz.
Phrase Structure and Function -
Break sentences into noun phrases (NP) and verb phrases (VP) to see how words group together - NP often follows the pattern Determiner + Adjective* + Noun, as in "The quick brown fox." Using simple tree diagrams from Cambridge University Press can clarify these hierarchies. Mastering this helps boost your score on a grammatical syntax quiz.
Roles of Parts of Speech -
Know how nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions (remember FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) function in sentences to answer tricky grammar questions quiz items. Each word class serves a unique syntactic role, so labeling them accurately sharpens your syntax test performance. Try sorting a paragraph by part of speech to reinforce this skill.
Avoiding Common Syntax Errors -
Watch for misplaced modifiers ("Almost John ran to the store" vs. "John almost ran to the store") and dangling participles ("Walking home, the rain started") to maintain clarity in your writing. The British Council highlights these pitfalls as frequent traps on an English syntax test. Reviewing examples of correct vs. incorrect sentences will prepare you for any syntax practice test.
