Year-End Quiz: 2021
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Year-End Quiz: 2021
Another year of exploring the vast terrain of American English comes to a close. Once again, our routes of study with you have been rich with thought and discovery. We are thankful that you, our dedicated readers, joined us in the pursuit of greater precision and eloquence for self-expression.
Each year, we wrap up the last twelve months of grammar discussion with a comprehensive review of what we’ve considered together. The 2021 master quiz features twenty-five items that draw from the year’s GrammarBook articles. This is your chance to test what you’ve learned along the way.
Choose your answers and then check them against our answer key that follows. If you would like to re-examine a topic, we’ve also included the title and date of the source article with each answer.
Best of luck to you on the quiz. We hope it reinforces how much you grew as a communicator and a student of American English in 2021!
Jumbo Pop Quiz: 2021 in Twenty-five Questions
1. I’d walk two miles for a Chocorific milkshake. [hyperbole / not hyperbole]
2. Does this sentence make proper use of the present perfect tense? [Yes / No]
The store has had two flash sales last month.
3. The ice on that pond looks thick. [linking verb / not linking verb]
4. Which sentence is a palindrome?
a. I ran the can all the way to the van.
b. Some men interpret nine memos.
5. Is this sentence acceptable American English? [Yes / No]
The next level of proficiency Ernestine will advance to.
6. We have to consider what we want to include for the birthday party ([i.e., / e.g.,] streamers, balloons, themed plates and napkins, a personalized cake).
7. Wanda just bought a car [that / which] gets sixty miles per gallon.
8. Identify any transitive verbs in the following sentence:
The new vice president of operations wants a workplace culture that removes the inefficiencies of ego and rewards the open sharing of the best ideas.
9. How can this sentence be abbreviated?
Helena will be at the book club meeting at 1783 East Barney Boulevard on Friday, January 24.
10. Since [their / they’re] last available overtime shift was [mine / mine’s], let’s make the next one [your’s / yours] so you can earn some extra money too.
11. Change the adjective in parentheses into its proper comparative form:
Joel thinks that these instructions are (simple) than those.
12. Capitalize the following title properly:
“learning to bake like never before”
13. Identify the adverbial phrase:
Camille worked on writing her story throughout the night.
14. Identify the interrogative pronouns:
What is the facility’s policy, and whom should we ask for more information?
15. Identify the indefinite pronoun acting as a determiner in the following sentence:
Several great deals can still be found in the clearance section of the store.
16. Does the following sentence contain a phrasal verb? [Yes / No]
If it’s okay with you, I would like to treat you to lunch this afternoon.
17. Identify the subordinating conjunction in the following sentence:
Until we have more information, we will not be able to make a decision.
18. Does this sentence include text that can be emphasized with quotation marks? If so, place them around it. If not, identify “no quotation marks.”
Samaira thinks her 4,000-square-foot house is too big.
19. Identify the relative pronoun in the following sentence. Also indicate if the relative pronoun is in an adjective clause or a noun clause.
Do you know whose hockey stick this is?
20. Is this a compound sentence? [Yes / No]
Markus will change the headlight bulb today, and then he will replace the battery tomorrow.
21. Form proper contractions from the text in parentheses.
(She is) adding one more item to the to-do list that (we will) review later.
22. Use proper negation to express the opposite of the following sentence.
All musicians are formally trained.
23. Correctly conjugate the enclosed infinitive verb.
Henrika has suggested that François (to be) in charge of the games at the picnic.
24. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the third person singular feminine personal pronouns.
_____ has been driving that make and model of car for many years. That one there is _____, and if you ask ____, ____ can tell you what ____ likes and doesn’t like about it.
25. Form the verb in parentheses into the present progressive passive tense.
The public-awareness campaign (to lead) by advocates for physical fitness.
Jumbo Pop Quiz Answers
1. I’d walk two miles for a Chocorific milkshake. hyperbole
What Is Hyperbole? 1-13
2. Does this sentence make proper use of the present perfect tense? No
The store has had two flash sales last month. (This tense does not use specific, concluded times of past occurrence. A revision could be the store has had two flash sales during the last month.)
Present Perfect Tense 1-20
3. The ice on that pond looks thick. linking verb
Linking Verbs: What Is a Linking Verb? 2-3
4. Which sentence is a palindrome?
b. Some men interpret nine memos.
What Is a Palindrome? 2-17
5. Is this sentence acceptable American English? No
The next level of proficiency Ernestine will advance to. (The sentence should be revised to Ernestine will advance to the next level of proficiency.)
Ending a Sentence in a Preposition 3-24
6. We have to consider what we want to include for the birthday party (e.g., streamers, balloons, themed plates and napkins, a personalized cake).
i.e. vs. e.g.: How to Use i.e. or e.g. 3-31
7. Wanda just bought a car that gets sixty miles per gallon. Which vs. That 4-21
8. The new vice president of operations wants a workplace culture that removes the inefficiencies of ego and rewards the open sharing of the best ideas. Transitive Verbs: What Is a Transitive Verb? 4-28
9. Helena will be at the book club meeting at 1783 E. Barney Blvd. on Fri., Jan. 24.
Punctuation for Abbreviations 5-5
10. Since their last available overtime shift was mine, let’s make the next one yours so you can earn some extra money too.
Possessive Pronouns 5-19
11. Joel thinks that these instructions are simpler (or more simple) than those.
Comparative Adjectives 6-9
12. “Learning to Bake Like Never Before” Capitalizing Titles 6-23
13. Camille worked on writing her story throughout the night.
What Is an Adverbial Phrase? 7-21
14. What is the facility’s policy, and whom should we ask for more information?
Interrogative Pronouns 7-28
15. Several great deals can still be found in the clearance section of the store.
Indefinite Pronouns 8-4
16. Does the following sentence contain a phrasal verb? No
If it’s okay with you, I would like to treat you to lunch this afternoon.
Phrasal Verbs 8-11
17. Until we have more information, we will not be able to make a decision.
Subordinating Conjunctions 8-25
18. Samaira thinks her 4,000-square-foot house is too big. no quotation marks
Quotation Marks for Emphasis 9-8
19. Do you know whose hockey stick this is? noun clause (The clause “whose hockey stick this is” is the direct object of the sentence, making it a noun.)
Relative Pronouns: What Is a Relative Pronoun? 9-15
20. Is this a compound sentence? Yes
Markus will change the headlight bulb today, and then he will replace the battery tomorrow. Compound Sentences: What Is a Compound Sentence? 10-6
21. She’s adding one more item to the to-do list that we’ll review later.
Contractions in English 10-13
22. Not all musicians are formally trained.
Negative Words 10-27
23. Henrika has suggested that François be in charge of the games at the picnic.
English Verb Conjugation 11-3
24. She has been driving that make and model of car for many years. That one there is hers, and if you ask her, she can tell you what she likes and doesn’t like about it.
Personal Pronouns 11-10
25. The public-awareness campaign is being led by advocates for physical fitness.
Present Progressive Tense 12-1
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
I had trouble on some of the questions, because I don’t recall learning about all the varieties of parts of speech in such detail during my school years. However, I did get 16 correct.
This was a great exam, thank you.
I believe you should omit the word “that” in the following sentences. “That” is extremely overused and not necessary in many instances. Once you are aware of this, you will continually read sentences in all publications you come across by omitting unnecessary “thats” and you will find the sentences read in a much better fashion.
Please ensure that your question or comment relates to the topic of the blog post. Unrelated comments may be deleted.
11. Change the adjective in parentheses into its proper comparative form:
Joel thinks that these instructions are (simple) than those.
21. Form proper contractions from the text in parentheses.
(She is) adding one more item to the to-do list that (we will) review later.
23. Correctly conjugate the enclosed infinitive verb.
Henrika has suggested that François (to be) in charge of the games at the picnic.
We agree the word “that” can sometimes be omitted; however, for the purpose of instruction for those learning the English language, we think using the conjunction “that” adds clarity to the three quiz examples.