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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
In the cities of the Pacific Northwest, like Seattle and Portland, there isn't hardly a single day that passes without rain. No error
This sentence's meaning is confused because it uses two negative words: "isn't" and "hardly." Double negatives are grammatically incorrect in modern English and would technically yield a positive meaning, so we need to change out one of these negative words for a positive one. Since it isn't an option to change or omit "hardly," "isn't" contains the sentence's error and is the correct answer. One way to correct the sentence would be to change "isn't" to "is," yielding the sentence, "In the cities of the Pacific Northwest, like Seattle and Portland, there is hardly a single day that passes without rain."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Despite the poor weather, I was planning on attending the festival with her. No error
The proper idiom for planning an action is planning to do something, not planning on something. Thus, the clause should be "I was planning to attend the festival with him."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Even though Joseph is a big fan of cooking shows, he hasn't never cooked in his entire life. No error
Double negatives are grammatically incorrect in standard written English, so instead of saying "hasn't never cooked," one should say "has never cooked."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Given the disproportionate amount of deaths caused by drunk drivers, most states have passed strict legislation against individuals who choose to operate vehicles while inebriated. No error
"Amount of" refers to something that is not necessarily measured numerically, while "number of" refers to something that is measured numerically. Given that deaths incurred by drunk drivers is something that can be measured numerically, "number of" would be appropriate, not "amount of." If the sentence was "Given the disproportionate amount of heartache caused by drunk drivers . . .", the sentence would have been properly constructed because heartache generally cannot be measured numerically.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The Odyssey is a very long epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the long journey he undertakes to try to return to his home. No error
The sentence tells us (correctly) that the Odyssey is "a long epic poem," so as a long poem, its title should be italicized as "The Odyssey."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Every year, thousands of tourists swarm to New York City to view the impressive**,** timeless monument known as the Statue Of Liberty. No error
The preposition “of” in the title “Statue of Liberty” does not need to be—and should not be—capitalized.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
A fundraising campaign was started for the purpose to support ecological restoration projects in South America. No error
This sentence does not use the use the phrase “for the purpose of” correctly. This phrase is typically followed by a gerund, a verb that is used as a noun. The corrected sentence reads, "A fundraising campaign was started for the purpose of supporting ecological restoration projects in South America."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
While computers maybe an integral part of modern life, they cause problems as well as provide benefits. No error
"Maybe" is an adverb that means perhaps and is incorrectly used in this sentence. To correct the sentence's error, "maybe" needs to be changed to "may be."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
All of the chemistry teachers have decided, as of this morning, to unanimously postpone the midterm exam as a result of their students’ poor grades. No error
“To unanimously postpone” constitutes a split infinitive because the verb “to postpone” is split by the adverb. “Unanimously” should be placed elsewhere in the sentence.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The writing tutor noticed that her student's writing skills had significantly improved since their first session. No error
The sentence's error is a split verb phrase. Verb phrases, like "had improved," should be kept together and not split by adverbs, like "significantly." To correct the split verb phrase, the verb and adverb should be rewritten as "had improved significantly."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Margo was upset how the zoo was wasting valuable resources on moving sidewalks when the lions needed a new enclosure. No error
This sentence uses the wrong relative pronoun after the adjective "upset." Usually, "that" is used. The corrected sentence reads, "Margo was upset that the zoo was wasting valuable resources on moving sidewalks when the lions needed a new enclosure."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Nancy brought over the most heavenly-smelling batch of pecan rolls, that would have been lovely if I weren’t allergic to both nuts and gluten. No error
This sentence mixes up the words “that” and “which.” “Which” is used to start a phrase that provides additional information after a comma_._ The content of a which-phrase is loosely connected to the content of the main phrase, and the sentence would still make sense if the information contained in the phrase were omitted. “That” directly follows the word it’s modifying, with no comma intervening. The corrected sentence reads, "Nancy brought over the most heavenly-smelling batch of pecan rolls, which would have been lovely if I weren’t allergic to both nuts and gluten."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
I knew all of the information except for the material on the Civil War, that of course was the focus of the exam. No error
This sentence confuses the words “that” and “which.” "That" is used to begin restrictive clauses—clauses that provide necessary information about the sentence's subject and are not set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas. (An example of this would be, "The kitten that had a spot on its nose was Marlene's favorite.") "Which" is used to begin nonrestrictive clauses—clauses that are introduced by commas and provide extra information that could be omitted from the sentence without significantly altering its meaning. (An example would be "The kitten, which had a spot on its nose, slept peacefully.")
In the given sentence, the information "that of course was the focus of the exam" follows a comma, signaling that it is a nonrestrictive clause and should begin with "which," not "that." You could correct the sentence by changing "that" to "which," making it, "I knew all of the information except for the material on the Civil War, which of course was the focus of the exam."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
While I expected giraffes and monkeys at the zoo, I had no idea their were going to be naked mole rats as well. No error
In this sentence, the incorrect spelling of their/there/they’re is used. “Their” is a possessive pronoun (e.g. their giraffes), while “there” is used for existence (e.g. there are naked mole rats). The corrected sentence reads: While I expected giraffes and monkeys at the zoo, I had no idea there were going to be naked mole rats as well.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
I never admitted it to my daughter, but I lost the little sock puppet which traveled with us throughout Europe, posing in front of historic landmarks. No error
This sentence uses the word "which" where it should use the word "that," so "which" contains the sentence's error and is the correct answer.
"That" is used to signal the start of a restrictive clause, a type of clause that provides necessary information about the sentence's subject and is not set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas. (Example: "The fish that was frying in the pan smelled delicious.") "Which" is used to begin nonrestrictive clauses, which are introduced by commas and provide extraneous information that could be omitted from the sentence without significantly altering its meaning. (Example: "The pancakes, which were warm, were Jenna's favorite part of the breakfast buffet.")
In the given sentence, the phrase "which traveled with us throughout Europe, posing in front of historic landmarks" tells us important information that helps define its referent, so "that" should be used, not "which," making the corrected sentence, "I never admitted it to my daughter, but I lost the little sock puppet that traveled with us throughout Europe, posing in front of historic landmarks."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical about the idea of chickens as pets, but you’re chicken Spike’s friendliness and character took away all of my doubts. No error
In this sentence, the wrong version of you’re/your is used. “You’re” is a contraction of “you” and “are,” while “your” is the possessive pronoun that we want in this sentence. The corrected sentence reads, "I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical about the idea of chickens as pets, but you’re chicken Spike’s friendliness and character took away all of my doubts."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
My grandmother tells me that its the best time of the year to make homemade apple sauce, but she still won’t pass along her secret recipe. No error
This sentence uses the wrong form of its/it’s. “Its” is a possessive pronoun, while “it’s” is a contraction of “it is.” The latter is what is appropriate here. The corrected sentence reads, "My grandmother tells me that it’s the best time of the year to make homemade apple sauce, but she still won’t pass along her secret recipe."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The house on the corner near the evergreens has a gabled roof, that has always appealed to Anna. No error
Information that is added in a phrase that follows a comma should begin with "which," not "that." "That" is used at the start of a phrase not preceded by a comma that, if removed from a sentence, causes the sentence to not make sense. "Which," on the other hand, is used to begin a phrase that is set apart from the sentence by a comma and can be removed from the sentence without causing it to not make sense. IN this case, "that" should be changed to "which," since omitting the comma is not an option.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The hand jive is a dance from the '50s where one slaps and claps one's hands to the beat. No error
"Where" speaks to location. In this sentence, the clause should be "during which" or "in which." Note that '50s is appropriate: it is never "50's."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
It was so great to here from you last weekend; we need to make these lunches happen more often! No error
"Here" is an adverb that means in this current location, but the sentence is using it as if it were the verb "hear," which means recognize sounds from or listen to.
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