nouns

In the sentence, "After weeks of practice, Maria became the team's star player," what is the function of the noun "player"?

• Subject complement (predicate nominative)

• Direct object

• Subject

• Object of a preposition

Answer explanation

The noun "player" is a subject complement because it follows the linking verb "became" and renames the subject, "Maria." It is not a direct object, which would receive an action; a subject, which would perform the action; or an object of a preposition, which would follow a preposition like 'of' or 'for'.

Complete the sentence with the most appropriate object complement: The judges declared my science project the best _____ in the competition.

• entry

• to enter

• entered

• entering

Answer explanation

An object complement is a noun or adjective that renames or describes the direct object. Here, the noun "entry" renames the direct object "project." The other options are verbals (an infinitive, a past participle, and a present participle) and cannot function as a noun to rename the object in this context.

True or False: In the sentence, "We elected Sarah our class president," the noun "president" functions as a subject complement.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The statement is false. The noun "president" is an object complement because it renames the direct object, "Sarah." A subject complement would follow a linking verb and rename the subject, "We."

You are given two ideas: 1) The team has a new mascot. 2) The mascot is a lion. Rewrite these ideas into a single sentence that uses the noun "lion" as a subject complement.

Answer explanation

Sample answers: The team's new mascot is a lion.; A lion is the team's new mascot.

In the sentence, "The coach gave the team a long pep talk before the game," what is the grammatical function of the underlined noun "team"?

• Indirect object

• Direct object

• Subject

• Object of a preposition

Answer explanation

The noun "team" is the indirect object because it is the recipient of the direct object ("pep talk"). The direct object, "pep talk," is what was given. The "team" is to whom or for whom it was given. "Coach" is the subject.

In which sentence is the noun "pizza" used as a direct object?

• We ordered a large pizza for dinner.

• The pizza was delivered late.

• My favorite food is pizza.

• The box for the pizza was huge.

Answer explanation

In this sentence, "pizza" is the direct object because it directly receives the action of the verb "ordered." In the other options, "pizza" is the subject of a passive verb, a subject complement, and the object of a preposition, respectively.

Complete the sentence with a noun that logically functions as the subject: After the heavy snowstorm, fallen _____ blocked the entire road.

• branches

• branch

• breaking

• below

Answer explanation

The subject performs the action of the verb "blocked." The plural noun "branches" is the most logical subject, as multiple branches would be needed to block an entire road. "Branch" is singular and less likely, while "breaking" (a gerund/participle) and "below" (an adverb/preposition) are grammatically incorrect in this slot.

Which sentence contains an error in pronoun case related to its function as an object?

• My brother gave I a new video game.

• The teacher assigned the students a project.

• The dog chased the ball across the yard.

• She and her friend went to the movies.

Answer explanation

The pronoun "I" is in the subjective case and is used for subjects. This sentence requires an indirect object, which must be in the objective case. The correct pronoun is "me." The other sentences use nouns and pronouns in their correct functions and cases.

Choose the correct possessive form to complete the sentence: The _____ laughter filled the entire playground.

• children's

• childrens'

• childs'

• childrens

Answer explanation

The noun "children" is an irregular plural. To make an irregular plural noun possessive, you add an apostrophe and an 's'. "Childrens'" and "childrens" are not real words, and "childs'" is an incorrect formation for the singular possessive, which would be "child's."

Which sentence uses a possessive noun incorrectly?

• All of the student's papers were graded.

• The children's toys were scattered all over the floor.

• My two cousins' house is just down the street.

• That is James's new backpack.

Answer explanation

The phrase "All of the" indicates multiple students, so a plural possessive is needed. The correct form is "students'," with the apostrophe after the 's'. "James's" is a correct way to form the possessive of a singular noun ending in 's' (though 'James'' is also acceptable).