Diagnostic Quiz: Parts of Speech
For each underlined word, identify the part of speech the word is acting as—noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, conjunction, or preposition.
You(1) read and write critically(2) every day—even if you don’t realize it. You read accounts of(3) sporting(4) events to analyze why one team won—or(5) lost; you read leases to see if you can abide by the(6) terms. In short, every day you employ(7) many of the same reading and writing strategies you need to succeed in(8) college. Reading and writing critically offer you the opportunity(9) to evaluate key points(10) and the amount of support each merits, what needs to be said, and what is purposefully left unsaid.
1. ______NOTES:
2. ______
3. ______
4. ______
5. ______
6. ______
7. ______
8. ______
9. ______
10.______
Diagnostic Quiz: Sentence Types
Label the sentences with the appropriate purpose: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory.
1. _____ The runners from Kenya won the race.
2. _____ Who holds the record?
3. _____ Compare their times with the record.
4. _____ What a tough race that was!
5._____ Move that chair to the window.
6. _____ Why must I always answer the same questions?
7._____ I think it was Bill who ate the last cookie.
8._____Try a different screwdriver.
Notes:
Diagnostic Quiz: Subjects and Predicates
1. Underline the subject (1 word):
The quarterback passed the ball to the wide receiver.
2. Underline the predicate (1 word):
The goalie has blocked the shot.
3. Underline the compound subject (2 words):
Republicans and democrats are debating the issues.
4. Underline the compound predicate (2 words):
The candidate stated his view but did not discuss stem cell research.
5. Underline the auxiliary verb (1 word):
They were hungry when they got home.
6. Underline the helping verbs (2 words):
They have been working as volunteers at the hospital.
7. Underline the subject (1 word):
There were no exercise machines.
8. Underline the subject:
It is essential that children learn about nutrition.
Notes:
Diagnostic Quiz: Objects
1. Underline the direct object:
My roommate loves to write journal entries.
2. Underline the indirect object:
She lent me her laptop.
3. Underline the direct object:
Steve invented the bucket seat in 1960.
4. Underline the indirect object:
She sent them contracts in the mail.
5. Underline the object complement:
News of the strike left the fans disappointed.
6. Underline the object complement:
Sports reporters called the rookie the best player of the year.
7. Underline the linking verb:
The game is a test of endurance.
8. Underline the subject complement:
The winner is you.
9. Underline the predicate nominative:
You are the best candidate for the job.
10. Underline the predicate adjective:
This soup tastes really bad.
NOTES:
Diagnostic Quiz: Sentence Patterns
1. S-IV
2. S-V-DO
3. S-V-IO-DO
4. S-V-DO-OC
5. S-LV-SC
Label each sentence with the appropriate sentence pattern.
1. Dr. Vice is the discussion leader. ______
2. The new leaders declared the county a separate nation. ______
3. Prices dropped suddenly. ______
4. An Irish skater won the gold medal. ______
5. The student teacher read them a story. ______
6. I gave Ramon the gift last night. ______
7. Hopefully, it will rain. ______
8. I finished my assignment on Friday. ______
9. The rain became unbearable. ______
NOTES:
Diagnostic Quiz: Prepositional Phrases
Underline the prepositional phrase:
1. With great feeling, he read his speech.
2. The lecture on censorship stirred controversy.
3. Everyone in the class was upset.
4. Some students met the professor after class.
5. After supper is too late!
6. According to Louise, Ray will be very late.
7. Because of the time frame, we won’t be able to finish.
8. I will be away until next Tuesday.
9. Besides a salad, we had soup and crackers.
Underline the object of the preposition:
10. Barb collects postcards from foreign countries.
11. In the park, people gathered.
Notes:
Diagnostic Quiz: Appositive Phrase
Which underline portion in each sentence illustrates the correct use of the appositive?
1. Mary Carney, our first speaker, is a member of a citizen’s group
A B C
which advocates lower taxes.
D
2. The citizens’ choice for the medal of distinction was James Turner,
A B C
A musician and a scholar.
D
3. After seven innings, the pitcher had only given up one hit, a single
A B C D
to the opposing pitcher.
4. At the front of the room, John, our class president, asked the
A B
teacher a question while the rest of us completed the assignment.
C D
Underline the appositive phrase:
5. Their car, an old heap of junk, is in our driveway.
6. Dan’s dog, a pug, is five years old.
7. A gift from his grandfather, the ring was silver and turquoise.
Notes:
Diagnostic Quiz: Participle Phrases
1. Which of the following sentences does not contain a participle?
a. Walking quickly, I arrived home before it rained.
b. The players waiting in the locker room grew very nervous.
c. We saw the bird perched in the tree.
d. Waiting in a dentist’s office is so fun.
2. How many participial phrases are in the following sentence?
Leaving the room I noticed the papers sitting on the teacher’s desk where she had placed them.
a. one
b. two
c. three
d. four
3. Which addition to the sentence would include a participial phrase?
We saw the crowd…
a. as they exited from the theatre.
b. as they cheered the musicians.
c. leaving the theatre.
d. from our window across the street.
4. Which one of the following sentences contains a participial phrase?
a. the books stacked on the desk are no longer used.
b. Sitting at a restaurant can be an awful experience.
c. Mrs. Stiles, our principal, introduced the speaker.
d. in the first five minutes, the other team scored two touchdowns.
Underline the participial phrase:
5. Grinning broadly, Jenny accepted the award.
Underline the participial phrase and CIRCLE the word it modifies.
6. Addressing the senior class, the principal praised the prom committee.
7. Today’s newspaper, printed last night, made no mention of the crime.
Notes / Rules:
Diagnostic Quiz: Gerund Phrases
1. Which of the following sentences does not contain a gerund?
a. Getting good grades is essential for a student hoping to go to college.
b. He had a good reason for buying a new car.
c. Absorbed in reading, he did not hear the disturbance down the hall.
d. He was afraid of losing his courage at the critical moment.
2. Which part of the sentence is a gerund phrase?
The teachers objected to having duty after school hours and wrote to the principal.
a. The teachers
b. objected to
c. having duty after school hours
d. and wrote to the principal
3. Identify the function of the gerund in the following sentence:
The social director making the decisions had a good idea for planning the party.
a. subject
b. appositive
c. direct object
d. object of a preposition
4. How many gerunds are in the following sentence?
Watching the children climbing up the rocks was exciting.
a. none
b. one
c. two
d. three
Underline the gerund phrase and identify the function of the gerund in each sentence.
5. Give traveling by rail a try. ___
6. Slyvia’s method of making decisions reveals a great deal about her. ___
7. Ms. Smith finished writing her paper. ___
Notes / Rules:
Diagnostic Quiz: Infinitive Phrases
1. Which of the following sentences includes an infinitive?
a. Carl wanted to play football after dinner.
b. The children walked to the store for an ice cream cone.
c. I like reading when I have the time.
d. Hosting the show, the star introduced a newcomer to the audience.
2. Which of the following sentences includes an infinitive as a subject?
a. Does your friend want to go with us?
b. To the left sat the club president.
c. He had the ability to do whatever he wanted.
d. To become a lawyer was his goal.
3. Which of the following sentences includes an infinitive used as an adjective?
a. I could not stand to listen any longer.
b. He was the person to be honored at the commencement.
c. To succeed at business, a person must devote time and energy.
d. The comedian enjoyed performing for an audience.
4. Which of the following sentences includes an infinitive used as an adverb?
a. To avoid damaging his knee, he gave up football.
b. The picnic was over when we ran out of food.
c. To win the contest would be easy for an excellent writer.
d. The group members made a lust of items to discuss.
Underline the infinitive phrase and identify how it is used in the sentence:
5. He is eager to give Chris the award. ___ADV
6. We have time to walk to the concert. ___ADJ
7. To get a medical degree is her goal. ____N
Notes / Rules:
Diagnostic Quiz: Independent / Dependent Clauses and Noun Clauses
Underline the independent clause:
1. The dream I had last night was scary, but I already forgot what it was about.
2. I feel that Stacey should be president because she is smart.
Underline the dependent clause:
3. We know who won the contest.
4. Because she is so slow, we never finished the project.
Underline the subordinate clause:
5. Green beans are my favorite because they taste good.
6. She acted as though she didn’t know me.
7. Which sentence includes a noun clause used as a subject?
a. Whoever is late will be assigned detention.
b. What are you doing in the hall?
c. Earning a good salary is important.
d. Looking back at his career, he realized he had done wrong.
8. Which sentence includes a noun clause used as a direct object?
a. I felt secure in doing that task.
b. I know who cheated on the test.
c. Who got an A on the test is a mystery.
d. Getting a good grade seemed impossible.
9. Which sentence includes a noun clause used as a linking verb compliment?
a. He feared flying for the first time.
b. His major fear was that the engine would fail.
c. That the engine would fail was his fear.
d. the engine failure which he had feared never occurred.
10. Which sentence contains a noun clause uses as an object of a preposition?
a. He gave the tickets to the winning team.
b. We gave the tickets to the fans who arrived first.
c. He gave the tickets to whoever wanted them.
d. We gave the tickets to the team having the lowest score.
NOTES:
Diagnostic Quiz: Adjective Clauses
1. Which sentence includes an adjective clause?
a. June is the month when we go on vacation.
b. We meet our friends at the beach.
c. Boys waiting to try out for the team should report to the locker room today.
d. I wanted to redecorate my room.
2. Which segment of the sentence is an adjective clause?
a. Marie, an inspiring novelist
b. could have been
c. the woman
d. who had her story accepted
3. Which sentence includes an adjective clause?
a. One car missed the stop sign and crashed.
b. The book that I read was a biography.
c. We appreciate his understanding of the problem.
d. The circus performers celebrated when the performance was over.
4. Which addition to the sentence would create an adjective clause?
We climbed the mountain
a. to the peak.
b. and gazed over the valleys.
c. through the clouds.
d. which was covered with snow.
NOTES:
Diagnostic Quiz: Adverb Clauses
1. Which sentence includes an adverb clause?
a. The team bus broke down on the way home.
b. After class ended, we handed in our books.
c. Laughing at the movie, the girls spilled their popcorn.
d. The dog greeted me at the door, his tail wagging back and forth.
2. Which sentence includes an adverb clause?
a. Before leaving, we said good-bye.
b. The paper streamers were twisting and turning on the pole.
c. The new students gathered in the office to register for their courses.
d. The musicians began to play while the late arrivals took their seats in the symphony hall.
3. Which segment of the sentence is an adverb clause?
a. If I change my mind,
b. I will call
c. the girl
d. who is giving the party.
4. Which segment of the sentence is an adverb clause?
a. Mr. Stormas
b. our real estate representative,
c. called us
d. although no one offered to buy our home.
NOTES:
Diagnostic Quiz: Sentence Structures
Label each as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.
1. Great literature stirs the imagination. ____
2. We can drive, or we can take the train. ___
3. Whatever you can give will be very much appreciated. ___
4. The interest that you pay on a car loan will increase the cost of the car, so be sure to shop for the lowest interest rate. ___
5. If you examine the self-portrait, you will see that he was a deep man. __
6. Throughout his life, Lewis produced many works. ___
7. We should leave early; otherwise, we may be late. ___
8. He drew many cartoons, which have lately become worth a lot of money. ___
Notes:
Diagnostic Quiz: Modifiers
1. Which illustrates the correct usage of well and good?
a. I played well and the team did good.
b. She sang good and the chorus received a good evaluation.
c. They worked well together and produced a good report.
d. he felt good and the doctor said he was doing good too.
2. Which part of the sentence illustrates an incorrect usage of an adverb?
The teacher said I had done badly on the test and I felt miserably about my grade.
a. I had done
b. badly
c. on the test
d. miserably
3. Which sentence includes no errors in the use of adverbs?
a. Drive careful.
b. I can do these errands easily and well.