English Language

English Grammar and Usage

2,711 Questions

English grammar and usage questions test fundamental sentence structure, correct verb forms, and accurate syntax. Topics include identifying grammatical errors, filling blanks with appropriate verbs, and changing narration. These are essential for the English language sections of competitive exams.

Verb FormsSentence CorrectionTense IdentificationNarration ChangeRelative PronounsSyntactic Productivity

English Grammar and Usage Questions

Multiple choice colon punctuation english

Choose the correct sentence of the given, in terms of the usage of 'colon'.

  1. In the rainy night, his eyes could focus only one thing the light house.

  2. In the rainy night, his eyes could focus only one thing: the light house.

  3. In the rainy night, his eyes: could focus only one thing the light house.

  4. None of these.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
According to general rule, a colon can be used to connect two independent clauses that are closely related or, when one illustrates or explains the other.
Thus, the correct answer is Option B.
The remaining options are incorrect.
Option A does not include a colon which is necessary for a pause between the clauses.
Option C does not distinct the clauses in the sentence.
Multiple choice colon punctuation english

Maya wrote "It is stormy at this time of the year."

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

  1. wrote.

  2. wrote:

  3. wrote;

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
The given sentence consists of two independent clauses. Quotation marks can be either preceded by a comma or a colon. However, in the case of independent clause, a colon must be opted for. Thus, the correct answer will be Option B.
The other options are not valid to be used before a quotation mark.
Multiple choice colon punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

Early dawn, clear mornings and cool weather; these were the things Eric enjoyed on his early morning runs.

  1. weather,

  2. weather:

  3. weather ...

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
The given sentence gives a list of items that Eric enjoyed on his early morning runs. A colon is used to introduce an item or list of items in a sentence. Thus, a colon should be used in the sentence in place of the semi colon. 
Option A - A comma is used before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses.
Option C - An ellipsis is used to represent a trailing off thought.
Option D - The use of semi colon is incorrect. A semi colon is used between two independent clauses when the coordinating conjunction is omitted.
Thus, the correct answer is Option B.
Multiple choice impersonal pronouns pronoun english

Identify the impersonal pronoun in the below sentence:

Raj walked his way to office everyday and he says it helped his fitness.

  1. Raj

  2. he

  3. it

  4. his
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Impersonal pronouns are used when we want to refer to people in general, to things, unspecified objects or animals. 'It' is the most commonly used impersonal pronoun. There are several situations where we can use 'it'. In this sentence, 'it' is used to refer to a preceding statement, 'Raj walked his way to office everyday'. Hence, Option C is correct since here 'it' is referring to him walking to office everyday. Raj is a proper noun because it is the name of a person. Thereby, Option A is incorrect. 'He' is a pronoun used to refer to a man or boy previously mentioned. Hence, Option B is incorrect. 'His' is used to as a connecting word or to show belonging. Hence, Option D is incorrect.

Multiple choice impersonal pronouns pronoun english

Identify the kind of pronoun used in the sentence:
It is very cold today.

  1. Personal pronoun

  2. Impersonal pronoun

  3. Interrogative pronoun

  4. Possessive pronoun
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The pronoun in the sentence is ‘It’. It is an impersonal pronoun that is used to denote an inanimate object/thing. Thus option B is correct. Whereas a personal pronoun is a pronoun that is associated with a particular person, like ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘they’. Since ‘It’ is the pronoun used and as 'it' doesn’t refer to a person option A is incorrect. On the other hand, interrogative pronouns that are used for asking questions, for example, ‘what’, ‘who’ and ‘which’. Thus option C is incorrect. Similarly, option D is unsuitable because possessive pronouns are used to talk about things that belong to people. The words ‘mine’, ‘yours’, ‘his’ ‘her’ etc are examples of possessive pronouns. Thus option D is incorrect.

Multiple choice impersonal pronouns pronoun english

Replace the underlined noun with the appropriate pronoun.

Jim used a spade to dig the garden. The spade was heavy.

  1. It

  2. He

  3. She

  4. Who
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A pronoun takes the place of a noun in a sentence. A personal pronoun is a pronoun that is associated with a particular person, like ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘they’. While an impersonal pronoun is commonly used to speak about inanimate objects/things. ‘It’ is an impersonal pronoun that is used for this purpose. In the given sentence the noun is a ‘spade’ therefore ‘it’ would be the apt answer. Thus option D is correct. On the other hand, ‘he’ and ‘she’ cannot be used since ‘spade’ is not a person. Thus options A and B are incorrect. ‘Who’ is an interrogative pronoun that is used to for asking questions. Since the sentence doesn’t pose a question, option C is incorrect.  

Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

The following sentence is correctly punctuated:
O! God! What do we do now?

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The statement is false because the sentence has not been punctuated correctly. When using the interjection "O", the exclamation mark is placed after the nominative of address. In the given sentence, the nominative of address is "God." Therefore, the correctly punctuated sentence would be:
O God! What do we do now?

Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the sentence at the underlined point:

What a beautiful morning?

  1. morning!

  2. morning.

  3. morning,

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Exclamation mark is used to express surprise, excitement or any other strong emotion. Given sentence describes excitement. Thus, option A is correct. Hence, sentence would become: What a beautiful morning !

Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the sentence at the underlined point.

How beautiful that fabric is!

  1. is.

  2. is,

  3. is?

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Exclamation mark is used to express surprise, excitement or any other strong emotion. Given sentence describes excitement which is grammatically correct. No change is required in this. Thus, option D is correct. 

Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the sentence at the underlined point.

What a beautiful landscape it was.

  1. was!

  2. was?

  3. was,

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Option A is the correct answer because the sentence is an exclamatory sentence that expresses surprise, astonishment, or any other such strong emotion. It is a rule that we use an exclamation mark at the end of such a sentence.

Option B is incorrect because a question mark is used only at the end of a question, however, the sentence is an exclamatory sentence and not a question.
Option C is incorrect because a comma is used to indicate a pause and we expect the sentence to continue after the comma. Hence using a comma at the end of this sentence would make it incomplete.
Option D is incorrect because an exclamation mark is required at the end of this sentence to make it complete.

Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the sentence at the underlined point:

What lovely green eyes you have.

  1. have!

  2. have,

  3. have.

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Exclamation mark is used to express surprise, excitement or any other strong emotion. Given sentence describes astonishment. Thus, option A is correct. Hence, the sentence would become: What lovely green eyes you have !

Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the sentence at the underlined point:

Oh, that looks like a thrilling ride. 

  1. Oh;

  2. Oh!

  3. Oh.

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
According to general rule, an exclamation mark is used after an interjection or exclamation to indicate strong feelings or high volume, or to show emphasis, and often marks the end o a sentence. is used to mark the end of a complete sentence. Thus, the correct answer will be Option B, in place of the comma. 
The remaining options are incorrect, as a comma is used to indicate a pause whereas, a semi colon is used to separate major sentence elements. A period is used to mark an end to a complete sentence.

Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word:
Wow. That is a beautiful new car.

  1. Wow?

  2. Wow!

  3. Wow,

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
Exclamation marks are used after interjections, or after sentences that express a strong emotion such as surprise, astonishment, etc. It may be used to end any exclamatory sentence to show emphasis. In the sentence given, 'Wow' is an interjection. Hence, the correct option is B) Wow!
Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

What a beautiful day it is.

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

  1. is?

  2. is!

  3. is ...

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
Exclamation marks are used after interjections, or after sentences that express a strong emotion such as surprise, astonishment, etc. It may be used to end any exclamatory sentence to show emphasis. It is also used at the end of greetings or wishes. The sentence given is an exclamatory one. Hence, the correct option is B) is!
Multiple choice exclamation mark punctuation english

Hello. It's been a while since we have met.

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

  1. Hello?

  2. Hello -

  3. Hello!

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
Exclamation marks are used after interjections, or after sentences that express a strong emotion such as surprise, astonishment, etc. It may be used to end any exclamatory sentence to show emphasis. It is also used at the end of greetings or wishes. In the sentence given, 'Hello' is a greeting. Hence, the correct option is C) Hello!