Jack's Grammar Quiz for Professional Writers  
 

1. "I've been watching ______ house while they're away for the weekend."
Jim and Tammy's
Jim's and Tammy's

2. "I reviewed the Ohio State game tapes with the football team for three days running, Hank, but it didn't make much difference. On game day, none of them ______."
A. knew his job.
B. knew their jobs.
C. Either way

3. ____ do I give the package to?
Who
Whom

4. How long has he ____ on the floor like that? Has anybody tried to wake him?
A. lay
B. been lying
C. been laying
Click here for a conjugation table of LIE and LAY

5. The morning storm took out the power on the east end of town, and a number of businesses ____ still shut down at dusk.
was
were

6. My brother Kelly is a little too laid back for her taste, I think. Assuming the sentence is written correctly, how many brothers do I have?
A. At least two
B. Two
C. One

7. "We're getting two entirely different stories here, Sam. Either the coach or the players ____ lying."
is
are

8. Which of these sentences do you think is correct?
The professor gave a long, boring speech about the need to be concise when expressing ideas.
The professor gave a long boring speech about the need to be concise when expressing ideas.

9. Sometimes a sentence is grammatically correct but overblown. In nonfiction, conciseness is pretty much a rule of the road. Even in fiction, it's generally better to express an idea as directly and concisely as possible unless you have a creative reason not to. The sentence below doesn't contain any grammar or spelling mistakes, but it has useless words that can be ditched without changing the meaning. What are they?
My Aunt Hildy, who is an "animal psychic," believes dogs are animals that have souls.
A. who is
B. are animals
C. are animals that
D. who is    are animals
E. who is    are animals that

10. Which of the following sentences is punctuated incorrectly?
A. Nicky Danisi, a gangster of the old school, didn't trust many non-Sicilians, but he trusted Mike Donovan.
B. Nicky Danisi, a gangster of the old school, didn't trust many non-Sicilians; however, he trusted Mike Donovan.
C. Nicky Danisi a gangster of the old school didn't trust many non-Sicilians, but he trusted Mike Donovan.
D. All of the above.
E. None of the above

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