Conventions of English 2

Read the directions.

1 . First, put soil in a flowerpot until it is half full.

2 . Next, add about tweunty flower seeds.

3 . Cover the seeds with an inch of soil.

4 . Your seeds are ready to grow.

Which underlined word is spelled wrong?

• half

• tweunty

• inch

• ready

Answer explanation

The word 'tweunty' is spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is 'twenty', which refers to the number of flower seeds to be added.

Read the sentence.

The sun __________ very bright to us yesterday because there were

no clouds in the sky.

Which verb or verb phrase completes the sentence?

• is looking

• looks

• will look

• looked

Answer explanation

The correct verb is 'looked' because the sentence refers to a past event ('yesterday'). 'Looked' indicates that the sun appeared bright at that specific time, aligning with the context of no clouds.

Read the sentences.

The writer has an interesting way of telling a story. Most readers like

her_____ of writing.

Which word best completes the sentence?

• style

• surprise

• wisdom

• gladness

Answer explanation

The correct word is 'style' because it refers to the distinctive manner in which the writer expresses her storytelling. The other options do not fit the context of describing a way of writing.

Read the paragraph.

(1) Some people like to pick their own berries instead of buying them

at the store. (2) They take buckets out to places where there are many

berry plants. (3) Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries all grow on

bushes. (4) A persons bucket may be full of berries after picking for

only a short time.

Which word needs an apostrophe added?

• berries in sentence 1

• places in sentence 2

• bushes in sentence 3

• persons in sentence 4

Answer explanation

The word 'persons' in sentence 4 should be corrected to 'person's' to indicate possession, as it refers to the bucket belonging to a person.

Read the sentence.

The reader felt the character’s _________ when the character’s team won

the big game.

Which word best completes the sentence?

• power

• sadness

• bravery

• pride

Answer explanation

The character likely felt 'pride' when their team won the big game, as winning typically evokes feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. The other options do not fit the context of a victory.

Read the sentences from a story.

(1) On a warm summer’s day, Mark went with his family to pick

strawberries. (2) He was given his very own box to fill. (3) In less than

an hour, his box ___________.

Choose the most descriptive group of words to complete sentence 3.

• had more than enough strawberries in it

• had plenty of good strawberries in it

• was packed full of juicy strawberries

• was all filled with wonderful strawberries

Answer explanation

The phrase 'was packed full of juicy strawberries' vividly describes the box being overflowing with strawberries, enhancing the imagery of a successful strawberry-picking experience, making it the most descriptive choice.

Which sentence needs a comma and quotation marks?

• Our teacher told us about our trip to the aquarium.

• He said that we would see fish of all different sizes.

• I was excited when he said we would also see turtles.

• I’m going to have fun at the aquarium I told my mom.

Answer explanation

The sentence 'I’m going to have fun at the aquarium I told my mom.' needs a comma and quotation marks to separate the direct speech: 'I’m going to have fun at the aquarium,' I told my mom.' This clarifies who is speaking.

Read the sentences.

Many different animals live on or near my uncle’s farm. There are

ponys in the field. There are geese near the water. There are even deer

in the woods.

Which underlined word should be changed to correct the mistake?

• animals

• ponys

• geese

• deer

Answer explanation

The word 'ponys' is incorrect because the correct plural form is 'ponies'. Therefore, 'ponys' should be changed to 'ponies' to correct the mistake.