English & Grammar

Which term refers to the arrangement of phrases and clauses within a sentence?

• grammar

• semantics

• morphemes

• syntax

What is the study of language and culture called?

• Syntactic Structure

• Ethnolinguistics

• Psycholinguistics

• Historical Linguistics

Answer explanation

Ethnolinguistics is that part of anthropological linguistics that is concerned with the study of the interrelation between a language and the cultural behaviour of those who speak it.

Which is the plural of vertebra?

• vertebrates

• vertebrae

• vertebraces

• few

Answer explanation

The plural of vertebra in English is the irregular form "vertebrae."

What is the smallest grammatical unit of speech?

• Phonetics

• Word

• Morpheme

• Form

What is a word or a group of words that is self-contradicting called?

• Oxymoron

• Antithesis

• Litotes

• Synecdoche

Answer explanation

An oxymoron is a word or group of words that is self-contradicting, as in a bittersweet or plastic glass.

What is the plural of bacteria?

• bacterias

• bacterial

• bacteri

• bacterium

Answer explanation

The plural of bacteria in English is the irregular form "bacterium."

Which language analysis recognizes the relationship among the various elements of a sentence?

• Generative grammar

• Prescriptive grammar

• Transformational grammar

• Descriptive grammar

Answer explanation

Transformational grammar uses processes or rules (some of which are called transformations) to express these relationships.

How many types of affixes are there?

• 3

• 5

• 7

• 8

Answer explanation

There are three main types of affixes:

- prefixes (beginning of a word)

- infixes (in the middle)

- suffixes (at the end)

In grammar, what is the name of a word that adds meaning to the basic meaning of the main verb?

• Intransitive verb

• Auxiliary verb

• Transitive verb

• Stative verb

Answer explanation

Auxiliary in grammar is a helping element, typically a verb, that adds meaning to the basic meaning of the main verb in a clause.

What word describes the formation of a word by changing the base or by adding a prefix or a suffix?

• Inflection

• Exposition

• Harangue

• Derivation

Answer explanation

Derivation, in descriptive linguistics and traditional grammar, is the formation of a word by changing the form of the base or by adding affixes to it (e.g., hope to hopeful).