Use these Basic Grammar practice questions to review comparative adjectives, verb forms, punctuation, sentence clarity, pronoun case, modifiers, and common usage errors. After answering each question, open the explanation to see the grammar rule behind the correct answer.
Basic Grammar Topics Covered
- Comparative adjectives
- Lie vs. lay
- Commas after introductory clauses
- Essential and nonessential clauses
- Adjectives and adverbs
- Sentence clarity
- Redundancy
- Misplaced modifiers
- Who vs. whom
- Subjective and objective pronouns
Sample Questions
- A. more prettier
- B. prettier
- C. pretty
- D. prettiness
Show Answer
The sentence compares the blue dress with the green dress, so it needs the comparative form of the adjective pretty.
Prettier is the correct comparative form.
More prettier is incorrect because prettier is already comparative. Pretty is not comparative, and prettiness is a noun.
- A. lay
- B. laid
- C. lie
- D. lain
Show Answer
The correct phrase is to lie down.
Lie means to recline. In this sentence, the person wants to recline, so lie is correct.
Lay means to place something down and normally takes a direct object. Laid is the past tense of lay, and lain is the past participle of lie.
- A. Because she arrived late she was given detention.
- B. Because she arrived late; she was given detention.
- C. Because she arrived late: she was given detention.
- D. Because she arrived late, she was given detention.
Show Answer
The words Because she arrived late form an introductory dependent clause.
When a dependent clause comes before the main clause, it should be followed by a comma.
A semicolon cannot separate a dependent clause from an independent clause, and a colon is not appropriate here.
- A. Marcus who lives in Dallas, is visiting this weekend.
- B. Marcus; who lives in Dallas, is visiting this weekend.
- C. Marcus who lives in Dallas is visiting this weekend.
- D. Marcus, who lives in Dallas, is visiting this weekend.
Show Answer
The clause who lives in Dallas adds information about Marcus, but it is not needed to identify him.
A nonessential clause should be set off with a comma before and after it.
A semicolon should not be used to separate the clause from the rest of the sentence.
- A. good
- B. well
- C. goodly
- D. clear
Show Answer
The blank describes how someone will write, so the sentence needs an adverb.
Well is the correct adverb.
Good and clear are adjectives. Goodly is not the standard adverb form of good.
- A. After driving for 30 years, my first accident happened.
- B. After 30 years, the accident happened while driving.
- C. After driving for 30 years without an accident, I had my first one.
- D. Driving for 30 years, my first accident occurred.
Show Answer
The introductory phrase After driving for 30 years without an accident correctly modifies I, the person who was driving.
In choices A and D, the wording incorrectly suggests that the accident was doing the driving.
Choice B is vague and awkward because it does not clearly identify who was driving.
- A. I do not want to repeat this again. You better reconsider again.
- B. I do not want to repeat this. You had better reconsider.
- C. I do not want to repeat this twice. You had better reconsider it again.
- D. I do not want to repeat this you should reconsider.
Show Answer
Choice B is concise and uses the standard expression had better.
Choices A and C contain unnecessary repetition, including repeat this again and repeated uses of again.
Choice D incorrectly joins two independent clauses without appropriate punctuation or a conjunction.
- A. In his office, the doctor keeps photos showing his children at different ages.
- B. The doctor in his office keeps at different ages photos of his children.
- C. The doctor keeps photos of his children in his office at different ages.
- D. At different ages in his office, the doctor keeps photos of his children.
Show Answer
Choice A clearly states where the photos are kept and what the photos show.
The other choices place phrases where they could modify the wrong word or create an awkward meaning.
Clear modifier placement prevents readers from wondering whether the doctor, the children, the photos, or the office is being described by at different ages.
- A. The other witness, which was my brother, arrived later.
- B. The other witness, whom was my brother, arrived later.
- C. The other witness, what was my brother, arrived later.
- D. The other witness, who was my brother, arrived later.
Show Answer
The word witness refers to a person, so the relative pronoun should be who.
Who is the subject of the clause who was my brother.
Which generally refers to things, whom is an object form, and what cannot introduce this type of relative clause.
- A. her and me
- B. she and I
- C. her and I
- D. she and me
Show Answer
The word between is a preposition, so the pronouns after it should be in the objective case.
Her and me are objective-case pronouns.
She and I are subject-case pronouns, so they should not be used after between.
How to Use These Basic Grammar Practice Questions
Start by answering each question without looking at the explanation. Then open the answer and compare your response to the grammar rule provided. If you miss a question, review the rule and try a similar example before moving on.
For extra review, focus on the question types you miss most often. Grammar questions often depend on small distinctions, such as adjective versus adverb usage, correct pronoun case, sentence clarity, and proper punctuation.
Last Updated: July 21, 2026