How well do you remember your grade school grammar? Test your knowledge of subjects, objects, transitive and intransitive verbs, clauses, run-ons, and more!

What term describes "Before school begins" in the sentence below

Before school begins, I am going to buy new pencils.

subordinate clause

prepositional phrase

independent clause

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"Before school begins" is, first of all, a clause. It contains a subject (school) and a verb (begins). "Before" is a subordinating conjunction. Together these elements form a subordinate clause.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"Before school begins" is, first of all, a clause. It contains a subject (school) and a verb (begins). "Before" is a subordinating conjunction. Together these elements form a subordinate clause.

Which term describes "Before the final exam" in the sentence below?

Before the final exam, Rob plans to reread the entire textbook.

prepositional phrase

subordinate clause

independent clause

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"Before" is a preposition. The object of the preposition is the final exam. There's no verb, so it's not a clause.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"Before" is a preposition. The object of the preposition is the final exam. There's no verb, so it's not a clause.

What is the antecedent of "he" in this example?

Madge told George that he was no longer welcome in the store.

Madge

George

was

store

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

A pronoun's antecedent is the noun or pronoun it refers back to or replaces.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

A pronoun's antecedent is the noun or pronoun it refers back to or replaces.

What is the indirect object in this example?

Hans gave me his red leather notebook.

Hans

the red leather notebook

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The red leather notebook is the direct object. "Me" is the indirect object.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The red leather notebook is the direct object. "Me" is the indirect object.

Is "to chase" a transitive verb or an intransitive verb?

transitive

intransitive

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Transitive verbs take direct objects; intransitive verbs do not. "Chase" requires a direct object. You can't say "Buffy chased," but you can say "Buffy chased the rabbit."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Transitive verbs take direct objects; intransitive verbs do not. "Chase" requires a direct object. You can't say "Buffy chased," but you can say "Buffy chased the rabbit."

What kind of conjunction is "while"?

coordinating conjunction

subordinating conjunction

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"While" is a subordinating conjunction and introduces dependent clauses, as in:

While you were sleeping, we ate your pizza.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"While" is a subordinating conjunction and introduces dependent clauses, as in:

While you were sleeping, we ate your pizza.

Which of these examples is a compound sentence?

Carl took the car and Jay took the scooter.

Carl had already taken the car, so Jay took the scooter.

both of the previous options

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses. Both of these sentences contain two independent clauses combined by a coordinating conjunction.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses. Both of these sentences contain two independent clauses combined by a coordinating conjunction.

Which of these is a run-on sentence?

Mo talked Bo walked.

It was too late for Jacques to start training for the marathon, so he told me I could take his race number, but I refused because it was prohibited by the race rules.

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

A run-on is two independent clauses put together with inadequate glue, as in "Mo talked Bo walked." The second sentence may be a lot longer, but it has all the necessary parts.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

A run-on is two independent clauses put together with inadequate glue, as in "Mo talked Bo walked." The second sentence may be a lot longer, but it has all the necessary parts.

What is "have arrived" in the following sentence called?

The Jeffersons have arrived at the fundraiser.

present continuous

present perfect

past perfect

present tense

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Present perfect consists of (1) a present-tense form of "to have" + (2) a past participle ("arrived" in this case).

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Present perfect consists of (1) a present-tense form of "to have" + (2) a past participle ("arrived" in this case).

Which instance of "editing" is a gerund in the sentence below?

Editing is not her favorite professional responsibility, but when she was editing her brother's book, she really enjoyed it.

first one

second one

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The first word of the sentence, "Editing," is acting as a noun and is therefore a gerund. The second instance of "editing" is acting as a verb. It therefore cannot be a gerund.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The first word of the sentence, "Editing," is acting as a noun and is therefore a gerund. The second instance of "editing" is acting as a verb. It therefore cannot be a gerund.