Hard English Quiz Questions And Answers

Parallel structure, or parallelism, ensures that all elements in a sentence follow the same grammatical form. "She enjoys reading, swimming, and painting" correctly maintains parallelism by keeping all three verbs in the gerund (-ing) form. In contrast, "to swim" and "to paint" break this structure in other options. Using the same grammatical format within lists or compound structures improves readability and clarity. Parallelism is essential for creating balanced and coherent sentences, especially when listing actions, making comparisons, or constructing paired elements. Without it, sentences sound awkward and inconsistent, weakening the overall impact of the statement.

In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence. Conjunctions are used to coordinate and link different elements, facilitating a smooth flow of ideas and creating logical relationships between them.

Examples of conjunctions include "and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "yet," and "so." These words function to connect similar elements, contrast different ideas, or indicate a cause-and-effect relationship. The primary role of conjunctions is to join various parts of a sentence, making the overall structure coherent and cohesive.

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together. "Neither/nor" is a correlative conjunction used to present two negative options. Option B should use "and" instead of "or." Option C should use "or" instead of "nor." Option D should use "but" instead of "and."

The word "benefited" follows the standard spelling in English. It is spelled with two e's after the letter 't'. The correct spelling adheres to the general rule for forming past tense verbs by adding "-ed" to the base form of the verb.



Therefore, the correct spelling is "Benefited," and the other variations "Benifited" and "Benefeted" are incorrect.

The correct answer is "He calmly warned her that if she didn’t keep quiet, he would tell the teacher." In indirect speech, the pronouns and tense need to change appropriately. "I" becomes "he," and "shall" changes to "would" to align with the shift to indirect speech. The sentence maintains the original calm tone while presenting the statement in a reported form. Additionally, the structure remains clear and grammatically correct, preserving the original meaning without losing the context of the warning.

Parliament: A noun referring to the legislative body or assembly, typically composed of elected representatives who make laws, debate policies, and represent the interests of the people.



Parliamentary: The adjective form derived from "parliament." It is used to describe anything related to or characteristic of a parliament. For example, "parliamentary procedure" refers to the rules and methods used in the functioning of a parliament.



So, if you want to describe something that is associated with or related to a parliament, you would use the adjective "parliamentary."

While many interjections express strong emotions and are followed by exclamation marks (e.g., "Wow!", "Ouch!", "Hooray!"), they can also end with periods or even question marks, depending on the context and the intensity of the emotion.

For example:

Mild surprise: "Oh."

Questioning: "Huh?"

Statement with a pause: "Well,..."

Therefore, it's not accurate to say that most interjections end in exclamation marks.

The subjunctive mood is used to express hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations. "If I were taller, I would play basketball" is correct because "were" is the correct subjunctive form of "to be" when discussing an unreal condition. "Was" is used for indicative statements about real situations, while "am" and "be" are grammatically incorrect in this context. The subjunctive is typically used after "if" in hypothetical statements, as in "If I were you, I would..." This rule ensures that the verb agrees with the implied unreal scenario rather than the subject itself, maintaining proper grammatical structure in conditional statements.

Liz: This is the subject of the sentence. It's the person the sentence is about.



Stayed: This is the linking verb. Linking verbs connect the subject to a noun or an adjective that renames or describes the subject.



Actress: This is the predicate noun (or predicate nominative). It follows the linking verb "stayed" and renames or identifies the subject "Liz." In this case, it tells us what Liz stayed as, indicating her profession or role.



So, the sentence is stating that Liz remained in the state or role of being an actress. "Actress" is the predicate noun because it identifies what Liz stayed as.

This sentence consists of two simple independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction "and." In this case, a comma is not needed before the conjunction.

Option B incorrectly places a comma before "and." Option C needs a conjunction to join the clauses correctly. Option D uses a semicolon, which is typically used to separate two closely related independent clauses, but a comma or conjunction is more appropriate here.

The use of "has written" indicates that the action of writing dramas by Shakespeare is completed, but the relevance or impact extends into the present. It suggests a connection between the past and the present. The focus is on the result of the action (the existence of the written dramas) rather than the specific time when the writing occurred. In this context, the sentence emphasizes that Shakespeare's dramas continue to have appeal across different ages, and the writing itself is a completed action with ongoing relevance.

The subject of the sentence is "students," which is plural. Therefore, we need the plural form of the verb "to come," which is "come."

• "Comes" is singular.


• "Came" is the past tense.


• "Are coming" implies an ongoing action, but the question asks about a current state.

When converting from indirect to direct speech, we need to:

• Change the tense: "was not working" becomes "are not working."


• Change the pronoun: "he" becomes "you" to reflect the speaker addressing the person directly.


• Use quotation marks: Enclose the spoken words within quotation marks.


• Use appropriate reporting verb: "said to him" is more suitable than "told to him" in this context.

Option D correctly incorporates all these changes, making it the most accurate representation of the original sentence in direct speech.

The sentence uses the word "like" to compare the woman's hair to gravy. This direct comparison using "like" or "as" is the defining characteristic of a simile.

• Metaphor makes a comparison without using "like" or "as."


• Onomatopoeia uses words that imitate sounds.


• Personification gives human qualities to non-human things.

In this context, "against" is the appropriate preposition to indicate the direction of the leaning. When someone leans "against" something, it means they are in contact with and supported by that object. In this case, the person is leaning against a lamppost, suggesting physical contact and support from the lamppost.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement ensures that pronouns correctly match their antecedents in number and gender. "Each student must submit his or her assignment on time" is correct because "each student" is singular, requiring a singular pronoun. "Their" is incorrect because it is plural, creating a mismatch. While singular "they" is widely accepted in modern usage, formal grammar still favors "his or her" for clarity. "Its" is incorrect because it refers to non-human subjects, and "they're" is a contraction of "they are," making it grammatically incorrect. Proper agreement avoids ambiguity and maintains grammatical precision in academic writing.

Subject-verb agreement requires that singular subjects take singular verbs. "Neither of the candidates is qualified" is correct because "neither" is singular, meaning "is" should be used rather than "are" or "were." Even though "candidates" is plural, the phrase "neither of" makes the subject singular. "Have been" is incorrect because it suggests a plural subject. Many grammatical errors arise from misunderstanding words like "neither," "each," or "everyone," which seem plural but require singular verbs. Proper subject-verb agreement ensures logical consistency and grammatical accuracy, particularly in complex sentence structures where the true subject may not be immediately apparent.

Restrictive clauses are essential to a sentence's meaning and are not set off by commas. "The book that I borrowed from the library was fascinating" is correct because the clause "that I borrowed from the library" specifies which book is being discussed. "Which" is generally used for nonrestrictive clauses, which provide extra information and require commas. Using "that" correctly distinguishes crucial information from supplementary details. The restrictive clause ensures clarity by limiting the subject to a specific reference, whereas a nonrestrictive clause could imply additional, non-essential information about the book in general.

"Dotage" specifically refers to the mental decline associated with old age, often characterized by foolish behavior.  

• Miser describes someone who hoards wealth.  


• Superannuation refers to a pension or retirement fund.  


• Imbecility means a lack of intelligence, but it doesn't specifically relate to old age.