Can You Pass This English Test for Non-Native Speakers?

Becky

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About This Quiz

Did you ace all of your English courses? Do you consider yourself a proud member of the grammar police? If you think you can hang with the upper echelons of the English language, take this quiz to find out how much you really know about the English language.

Many people who learn English as a second language have indicated that English is one of the more difficult languages to learn for several reasons. One of these reasons is that, in English, we place adverbs and adjectives, the words that describe and modify verbs and nouns, respectively, in front of the words they modify. In other languages, modifiers come after the words they modify. For instance, in English, we would say "the blue ball," whereas, in many other languages, they would say "the ball blue." Weird right? Well, it's weird to us, but non-native English speakers often stumble on what English speakers consider to be a simple rule. So, next time you're having a conversation with someone who is learning English as a second language, and they say something like "I bought a sweater red yesterday," remember, according to the rest of the world, we're the oddballs.

We challenge you to ace this English test for non-native speakers.

Which word belongs in this sentence? The scary movie had no _______ on me.

The correct sentence is, "The scary movie had no effect on me." The words "affect" and "effect" are often confused.

Which word is incorrect? They took they're dogs to the park.

The word "they're" is used incorrectly in this sentence. The word "they're" is a contraction that combines the words "they" and "are," which is not correct in this sentence. The correct sentence is, "They took their dogs to the park." The word "their" is used to show possession.

Can you select the correct word? That is not _________ house.

The correct sentence is, "That is not Sally's house." The use of an 's indicates possession.

Can you pick the right word? ________ not going to the farm.

The correct sentence is, "They're not going to the farm." The word "they're" is a contraction that combines the words "they" and "are."

What part of speech is the word "Canada"?

The word "Canada" is a proper noun. A noun is a person, place, or thing. A proper noun is always capitalized.

Which word is the correct choice? I would like ___ apple.

The correct sentence is, "I would like an apple." Use the word "an" when the following word begins with a vowel.

In the sentence, "Carl played the piano," what part of speech is the word piano?

In the sentence, "Carl played the piano," the word piano is a noun. A noun is a person, place, or thing.

What is wrong with this sentence? Michael cant go to his friend's house.

The sentence has a punctuation error. The sentence should read, "Michael can't go to his friend's house."

Which word is correct? I am going ___ the store.

The correct sentence is, "I am going to the store." The words "of" and "at" are incorrect.

What kind of error is present in this sentence? She bought pears oranges and kiwis.

This sentence has a punctuation error. The sentence should read, "She bought pears, oranges, and kiwis." Use a comma to separate items in a list.

In the sentence, "Sally went to the store, but she forgot to buy peppers," what part of speech is the word "but"?

In the sentence, "Sally went to the store, but she forgot to buy peppers," the word "but" is a conjunction. A conjunction is a word that is used to join words, phrases or clauses.

Which word would be correct in this sentence? I got ___ bad grade on my math test.

The correct word to use is "a." The sentence should read, "I got a bad grade on my math test."

Can you select the correct word? We all went ___ the movies after school.

The correct sentence is, "We all went to the movies after school." The words "too" and "two" would be incorrect.

Can you identify the error? Sally and Barry sees the car.

This sentence has a subject verb agreement error. In a sentence, if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural, and vice versa. So, the correct sentence is, "Sally and Barry see the car."

In the sentence, "My dog jumped over the fence," what part of speech is the word "jumped?"

In the sentence, "My dog jumped over the fence," the word "jumped" is a verb. A verb is an action word.

Can you fill in the blank? ____ she like to go fishing?

The correct word to use is "does." The sentence should read, "Does she like to go fishing?"

In the sentence, "Wow, that girl can run fast," what part of speech is the word "wow"?

In the sentence, "Wow, that girl can run fast," the word "wow" is an interjection. An interjection is a word used to express emotion.

What type of error is present in this sentence? She don't got no candy.

This sentence contains a double negative. The sentence should read, "She doesn't have any candy."

In the sentence, "The gray sky hovered overhead," what part of speech is the word "gray"?

In the sentence, "The gray sky hovered overhead," the word "gray" is an adjective. An adjective describes or modifies a noun.

Can you select the correct word? She has _______ than four dolls.

The correct word to use is "fewer." The sentence should read, "She has fewer than four dolls." Use the word "fewer" when something can be quantified.

A paragraph should have how many sentences?

A paragraph should have at least three sentences. Three to five sentences is recommended.

Which word is correct? Los Angeles is _______ than Cambridge.

The correct word is "bigger." The sentence should read, "Los Angeles is bigger than Cambridge."

Which word does not belong?

The word "cow" does not belong. The words "boy" and "man" are related.

In the sentence, "The girl ran quickly to get out of the rain," what part of speech is the word "quickly"?

In the sentence, "The girl ran quickly to get out of the rain," the word "quickly" is an adverb. An adverb is a word that describes or modifies a verb.

What type of error is present in this sentence? Bobby asked carrie if she wanted to go to the dance.

This sentence has a capitalization error. The word "Carrie" is a proper noun and should be capitalized.

Which word belongs in this sentence? I can't believe that _______ going to the ball.

The word "you're" belongs in this sentence. The word "you're" is a contraction that combines the words "you" and "are."

What type of error is present in this sentence? She accepted the complement with grace.

The sentence has a spelling error. Although the word "complement" is definitely a word, it means to make something better, whereas the word "compliment" means to give praise. The sentence should read, "She accepted the compliment with grace." The words compliment and complement are often confused.

Which word is correct? My car is more _________ than yours.

The correct word is "expensive." The sentence should read, "My car is more expensive than yours."

In the sentence, "She wanted to cook dinner by herself," what part of speech is the word "she"?

In the sentence, "She wanted to cook dinner by herself," the word "she" is a pronoun. A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun.

What type of error is present in this sentence? Her house is bigger.

This sentence is an incomplete comparison. To correct the error, write, "Her house is bigger than any other house in the neighborhood." A comparison must compare more than one item.

Can you pick the correct word? The best things about the dance _____ the music and the cake.

The correct word is "were." The sentence should read, "The best things about the dance were the music and the cake."

What part of speech identifies a person, place or thing?

A noun is a person, place or thing. A noun is an important part of a sentence - the subject.

In the sentence, "He waited for his friends by the tree," what part of speech is the word "by."

In the sentence, "He waited for his friends by the tree," the word "by" is a preposition. A preposition is a word that is placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase that modifies another word in the sentence.

Which word doesn't belong?

The word "box" doesn't belong. The words "cat" and "dog" are related.

In the sentence, "Shari's cat ran away," what part of speech is the word "cat"?

In the sentence, "Shari's cat ran away," the word "cat" is a noun. A noun is a person, place or thing.

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