Sentence Errors Quiz

Which of the following is a sentence fragment?

• She went to the store and bought some groceries.

• The sun was setting, casting a golden light across the sky.

• After the movie, we went for a walk.

• Because she was tired.

Answer explanation

The correct choice, 'Because she was tired.', is a sentence fragment as it does not express a complete thought. It lacks an independent clause, making it incomplete compared to the other full sentences.

What is the error in the following sentence? Incorrect: We went to the park. Waiting for the rain to stop.

• Comma splice

• Sentence fragment

• Fused sentence

• Parallelism error

Answer explanation

The error in the sentence is a sentence fragment. The second part, 'Waiting for the rain to stop,' lacks a subject and a verb, making it incomplete. It cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Which sentence is complete?

• The rain stopped. She went outside.

• After the rain stopped. She went outside.

• Walking outside. It felt great.

• As we walked through the park.

Answer explanation

The sentence 'The rain stopped. She went outside.' is complete as it contains two independent clauses that express full thoughts. The other options are fragments and do not convey complete ideas.

What is the problem in the following sentence? Incorrect: The teacher explained the assignment. Which was difficult.

• Fused sentence

• Comma splice

• Sentence fragment

• Parallelism error

Answer explanation

The problem in the sentence is that 'Which was difficult' is a sentence fragment. It does not stand alone as a complete sentence and lacks a main clause to connect it to the previous part.

Which of the following is a fused sentence?

• He loves to read books; he also writes his own stories.

• Sarah went to the store, she bought some milk.

• John studied for the test, and he passed it.

• He enjoys running and swimming.

Answer explanation

A fused sentence occurs when two independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation. 'Sarah went to the store, she bought some milk.' is a fused sentence because it improperly connects two complete thoughts with just a comma.

What is the error in the following sentence? Incorrect: I went to the park I played basketball with my friends.

• Comma splice

• Fused sentence

• Sentence fragment

• Parallelism error

Answer explanation

The sentence "I went to the park I played basketball with my friends" is a fused sentence because it improperly combines two independent clauses without a conjunction or punctuation. A comma or conjunction is needed to correct it.

Which of these is a correct way to fix a fused sentence?

• I went to the park. I played basketball with my friends.

• I went to the park and played basketball with my friends.

• I went to the park; played basketball with my friends.

• Both a and b

Answer explanation

A fused sentence can be corrected by using a conjunction or a semicolon. Option a combines the sentences with 'and', while option b incorrectly uses a semicolon. Therefore, the correct answer is 'Both a and b'.

What is the main problem in this sentence? Incorrect: The weather was perfect it was a great day for a hike.

• Comma splice

• Fused sentence

• Sentence fragment

• Parallelism error

Answer explanation

The main problem in the sentence is a fused sentence, where two independent clauses are incorrectly joined without proper punctuation. It should be separated by a period or a semicolon, or connected with a conjunction.

Which of the following is a comma splice?

• I love to read books, and I enjoy writing as well.

• He was tired, he still finished his homework.

• I will go to the park, I want to play basketball.

• She likes swimming and hiking.

Answer explanation

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by just a comma. In 'He was tired, he still finished his homework,' the two clauses are incorrectly connected by a comma, making it a comma splice.

What is the error in this sentence? Incorrect: I wanted to go shopping, I didn’t have enough money.

• Comma splice

• Fused sentence

• Sentence fragment

• Parallelism error

Answer explanation

The error in the sentence is a comma splice, which occurs when two independent clauses are joined by a comma without a coordinating conjunction. It should be corrected by using a period or a conjunction.