MUGs (Grammar and Usage)

Front

What is a restrictive clause?

Back

A restrictive clause is a part of a sentence that provides essential information about the noun it modifies. It is not set off by commas. Example: "The book that I borrowed was fascinating."

Front

What is a non-restrictive clause?

Back

A non-restrictive clause adds extra information to a sentence but is not essential to its meaning. It is set off by commas. Example: "My brother, who lives in New York, is visiting this weekend."

Front

What is the purpose of apostrophes?

Back

Apostrophes are used to indicate possession (e.g., "the dog's leash") or to form contractions (e.g., "can't" for "cannot").

Front

What is a pronoun?

Back

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence to avoid repetition. Examples include "he," "she," "it," "they," and "them."

Front

What is the difference between 'its' and 'it's'?

Back

'Its' is a possessive pronoun meaning 'belonging to it,' while 'it's' is a contraction for 'it is' or 'it has.'

Front

What is a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., 'and,' 'but,' 'or'). Example: "I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain."

Front

What is a complex sentence?

Back

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Example: "Although it was raining, we went for a walk."

Front

What is the function of commas in a sentence?

Back

Commas are used to separate items in a list, set off non-restrictive clauses, and indicate pauses in sentences for clarity.

Front

What is subject-verb agreement?

Back

Subject-verb agreement means that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural). Example: "She runs" (singular) vs. "They run" (plural).

Front

What is a dangling modifier?

Back

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. Example: "Running down the street, the dog barked at me." (It sounds like the dog was running.)