Which sentence corrects the error in verb usage?

Martha insists that Mary washes the dog before dinner.

Sydney took great pride in her outdoor aquarium of exotic fish. Word got around about her ability to take care of such unusual fish, and the local news decided to do a special report on her aquarium. The day before the big event, Sydney noticed that weeds were starting to invade her fish pond. She decided that a few granules of weed killer would do the trick. Later that evening, she went to feed her fish when her cell phone rang. Engrossed in a conversation with her best friend, Sydney grabbed the small bottle of weed killer instead of the fish food. As she was chit-chatting away, she unscrewed the top of the weed killer. "Oh, Mikaela, that's outrageous," Sydney said as she held the bottle over the aquarium. "He did?" She asked, as she began to shake the contents into the water. “Well, I need to get plenty of rest before tomorrow,” she told her friend as she placed the bottle next to the fish food and went inside to go to bed.

How does the use of dramatic irony add to the story above?

Picture this, elephants, tigers, and clowns fly past you at sixty miles per hour. What do you see? It must be a circus train! Before circus trains, these operators had to lug around all of their animals, performers, and equipment with a team of more than 600 horses. Since there were no highways, these voyages were rough and took a long time. Circuses would stop at many small towns between the large venues. Performing at many of these small towns was not very profitable. After they began using circus trains, Barnum and Coup only brought their show to large cities. These performances were much more profitable and the profits went toward creating an even bigger and better circus. Multiple rings were added and the show went on. Today, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus still rely on the circus train to transport their astounding show, but now they use two.

What is the central idea of the text above?

Picture this, elephants, tigers, and clowns fly past you at sixty miles per hour. What do you see? It must be a circus train! Before circus trains, these operators had to lug around all of their animals, performers, and equipment with a team of more than 600 horses. Since there were no highways, these voyages were rough and took a long time. Circuses would stop at many small towns between the large venues. Performing at many of these small towns was not very profitable. After they began using circus trains, Barnum and Coup only brought their show to large cities. These performances were much more profitable and the profits went toward creating an even bigger and better circus. Multiple rings were added and the show went on. Today, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus still rely on the circus train to transport their astounding show, but now they use two.

Which choice below provides the BEST summary?

A summary covers the MAIN points in the order they occured. It should NOT include your opinion of the story.

Identify the sentence that shows inconsistency in verb mood.

Hint: Inconsistency means the verbs are not supposed to be used together. Look for the one where the verbs are WRONG.

Zach liked Jocelyn more than any other girl in the school, but he had an odd way of showing it. When she walked ahead of him in line, he kicked at her shoe. When she passed him in the hall, he called her names. He even wrote a mean word on her homework during the bus ride to school. But what puzzled Jocelyn the most was receiving an invitation to Zach’s birthday party. Figuring that he was just planning a mean trick on her, Jocelyn decided not to go. While Zach eagerly awaited her arrival, Jocelyn went to the park with a guy who had been asking her out for weeks. When Zach realized that Jocelyn was not coming to his party, he was down in the dumps.

Which sentence from the text best supports the theme- It’s best to share your true feelings.

(Remember, a theme is usually revealed when the character learns his/her lesson)

When Zach realized that Jocelyn was not coming to his party, he was down in the dumps.

The idiom “down in the dumps” means ...

Identify the sentence that demonstrates correct verb usage.

Identify the function of the underlined phrase.

Floating on a ship is a great way to spend Spring Break.

Identify the function of the underlined phrase.

Josh and Cason enjoy singing folksongs.

Any submissions under five hundred words will be considered for Mr. Berkley's, the mayor, annual essay contest.

Which sentence shows the correct way to use an ellipsis to omit words from the sentence above?

"Don't talk to me about voting or politics. I'm not interested. All politicians are self-serving and corrupt. My vote won't change a thing."

Identify the author’s tone in the text above.

Correct the errors in verb usage.

If we had gone to a McDonald's, we would eat more.

Which sentence below demonstrates correct verb usage?

Which sentence below demonstrates an inappropriate use for a comma.

Hint: Inappropriate--you are looking for the one that has a comma error.

Crack! Thunder struck and rain poured. Sally stared blankly out the window, trying to contain her emotions that raged like the weather. She was beginning to lose it. Dropping the kite from her hand, Sally broke out into full sob. Her mother comforted her, "There, there, Sally. We'll just find something else to do." She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered her a sandwich. Sally snapped, "I don't wanna sand-mich!" A flash from the sky lit up the living room. Boom! Mom sighed.

Which detail supports the inference that Sally is upset because she wanted to play outside?

Hint: Take your time!!!! There are TWO important parts of question that you should make sure your answer proves.

Which of these best identifies the shift of mood in this sentence?

Sit down and study, and you prepare for your test.

Hint: A shift in mood means that part of the sentence is in one verb mood and the other half is in another verb mood.

Some people believe that bringing the Olympics to our city would motivate officials to improve our transportation system and build up the waterfront area. ________ major and costly construction projects would snarl traffic in areas that already suffer with congestion and poor traffic flow.

What word would best connect the ideas in the paragraph?

¹ Congratulations! You have been offered a job. ²The time has come to negotiate your salary. ³ The question to ask yourself is: "How much am I worth?" ⁴ Your answer will likely affect the outcome of your salary negotiation. ⁵The point is, in order to negotiate the best possible salary, you must convince both yourself and the employer of the value that you will bring to the job.

Which sentence expresses the central idea of the letter?

(HINT:- Choose the sentence that presents the idea that MOST OF THE SENTENCES support.)

¹I noticed a tiny penny in the crevice of the sidewalk. ² The penny was dusted off. ³ That’s when I noticed the penny had my face on it, and the year was 2058. ⁴ Only then did I realize everything around me had changed.

What revision should be made to maintain active voice?

Hint: Is the subject DOING the action? Yes? ACTIVE

Can you use "by zombies"? If so, it's passive. (most of the time)

Which sentence contains an error in verb mood?

Anna looked at the clock radio and frowned. The game would be starting in just a few minutes. She had been looking forward to watching it on television all week. Her social studies report, which was assigned last week, was due the next day. She started that morning, but it was taking much longer than she had expected. She could put off the report until after the game, but that would mean staying up late.

Which sentence should be added to provide the BEST conclusion for a problem/solution structure?

HINT: If it is a problem/solution structure, your answer MUST provide a SOLUTION to the problem.

Anna looked at the clock radio and frowned. The game would be starting in just a few minutes. She had been looking forward to watching it on television all week. ________ her social studies report, which was assigned last week, was due the next day. She started that morning, but it was taking much longer than she had expected. She could put off the report until after the game, but that would mean staying up late.

What transitional word could be added to the paragraph above to best link the ideas presented in the two sentences?

Anna looked at the clock radio and frowned. The game would be starting in just a few minutes. She had been looking forward to watching it on television all week. ________ her social studies report, which was assigned last week, was due the next day. She started that morning, but it was taking much longer than she had expected. She could put off the report until after the game, but that would mean staying up late.

What is a possible theme for the passage?

Identify the sentence that demonstrates active voice.

After I finish my chores, I will be given my allowance.

Identify the sentence that corrects the shift in verb voice.

Hint: a shift would mean that 1/2 of the sentence is active and 1/2 is passive. Make BOTH active

Which sentence represents a correct use of the dash?

(Make sure everything OUTSIDE of the dashes makes a complete thought.)

Which sentence is written in formal style?

There are many reasons why our school should stress punctuality. Since learning how to manage time is critical to our futures, having students arrive on time to class would have many benefits. If punctuality were encouraged, this school will have a better environment for learning.

Having a tardy rule is basic to enforcing punctuality, and our school does have a tardiness policy. It is not so much what our schools are doing, but what they are not doing that is working. Do students really understand why being ten or so minutes late to class is harmful to them as individuals? By being ready when class begins, students will be able to focus their time on learning.

What evidence best supports the writer's claim?

What sentence should be added at the beginning so the purpose of the paragraph is clear?

_______________. I enjoy summer sports like water skiing and baseball. Eventhough I can participate in them year round, I prefer to run the bases and slice through the water on those hot summer days. The bright sunny days and the time off from school give me the opportunity to go to the beach almost every day, so as spring ends, I anxiously await those precious days of summer. Also, gardening is my hobby, and this is the time of year to do a lot of planting. Unfortunately, the days pass too quickly in summer.

Identify the sentence that DOES NOT contain ineffective wordiness.

Hint: Ineffective wordiness is often referrencing using words that mean the exact same thing.

Student A made the claim, “Due to its extremely dangerous nature, which has shockingly gone unnoticed for far too long, football should be banned as a sport from schools.”

Which of the following is an example of an appropriate counterclaim the student might make?

Hint: Just look for the counterclaim. The choices below do NOT show how he would CRUSH their claim.