Common Grammar Mistakes Practice Test — Basic

45 multiple-choice questions with answers and explanations · Free

🌱 Basic level

Basics of common grammar mistakes. 45 questions on double negatives, misplaced modifiers, and subject-verb agreement errors.

What this test covers

  • Double Negatives
  • Misplaced Modifiers
  • Subject-Verb Agreement Errors
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  1. Q1I don't have ____ in my bag.

    Answer: C. any money

    In English, we don't use two negative words together. Since 'don't' is already negative, we use 'any money.' Using 'nothing' or 'no money' would be a 'double negative,' which is incorrect.

  2. Q2Find the correct version of: 'For men, the store sells clothes that are cheapened.'

    Answer: A. The store sells cheap clothes for men.

    We put describing words right before the thing they describe. Here, the clothes are cheap, not the men. Saying 'clothes for cheap men' makes it sound like the men are cheap!

  3. Q3Everyone ____ the rules of the game.

    Answer: A. knows

    Words like 'everyone,' 'someone,' and 'nobody' act like a single person (he/she/it). In the present tense, we add an '-s' to the verb: 'everyone knows.'

  4. Q4Find the correct version of: 'She told anybody.'

    Answer: D. She didn't tell anybody.

    'Didn't' is already a negative word. In English, we only need one negative. If you say 'didn't tell nobody,' it is a mistake because there are two negatives. Use 'anybody' instead.

  5. Q5Find the correct version of: 'He almost drove his children to school every day.'

    Answer: C. He drove his children to school almost every day.

    We want to say he drove them 5 or 6 days a week (almost every day). If you put 'almost' before 'drove,' it sounds like he nearly crashed or didn't actually start the car!

  6. Q6There ____ many people waiting outside the café.

    Answer: B. are

    We use 'are' because 'many people' is plural (more than one). If it was just 'one person,' we would use 'is.'

  7. Q7Find the correct version of: 'We can find nowhere to park the car.'

    Answer: C. We couldn't find anywhere to park the car.

    The word 'couldn't' is negative. To avoid having two negatives in one sentence, we use 'anywhere.' Saying 'couldn't find nowhere' is a common mistake.

  8. Q8Find the correct version of: 'He bought a dog for his sister called Rover.'

    Answer: A. He bought a dog called Rover for his sister.

    You should put the name 'called Rover' right after 'dog.' In the phrase 'for his sister called Rover,' it sounds like the sister's name is Rover!

  9. Q9Neither the manager nor the employees ____ happy with the decision.

    Answer: D. were

    When you use 'neither... nor...', the verb matches the word closest to it. 'Employees' is plural, so we use 'were' instead of 'was' or 'is.'

  10. Q10There isn't ____ milk left in the fridge.

    Answer: B. any

    In negative sentences (using 'not' or 'isn't'), we use 'any.' We don't use 'no' or 'none' here because 'isn't' is already negative.

  11. Q11Find the correct version of: 'I want to talk only to you (and no one else).'

    Answer: C. I want to talk only to you.

    Put 'only' right before the word you want to emphasize. Placing it before 'to you' makes it clear that you don't want to talk to anyone else. 'I want only talk to you' is incorrect because it is missing the word 'to' before 'talk'. 'I only want to talk to you' changes the emphasis so it sounds like the only thing you want to do is talk, rather than emphasizing who you want to talk to.

  12. Q12Either the teacher or the students ____ responsible for the mess.

    Answer: D. are

    When using 'either... or...', the verb follows the noun that is right next to it. Since 'students' is plural, we use 'are' instead of 'is' or 'has.'

  13. Q13Find the correct version of: 'She can barely not walk after her long run yesterday.'

    Answer: D. She can hardly walk after her long run yesterday.

    The word 'hardly' already means 'almost not.' Because it is a negative word, you cannot use 'not' with it. Saying 'cannot hardly' is a mistake.

  14. Q14Find the correct version of: 'She served sandwiches to the children that were on paper plates.'

    Answer: C. She served sandwiches on paper plates to the children.

    This sentence is clear because 'on paper plates' is placed right after 'sandwiches,' making it obvious that the sandwiches (not the children) are on the plates. 'She served sandwiches to the children that were on paper plates' implies the children were on the plates. 'She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates' has the same problem. 'On paper plates she served to the children sandwiches' has an unnatural, confusing word order.

  15. Q15Somebody ____ calling you from the office.

    Answer: D. is

    Words like 'somebody,' 'anybody,' and 'nobody' are treated as singular (one person). So, we use 'is' just like we would say 'he is' or 'she is.'

  16. Q16Find the correct version of: 'They won't go no place this weekend.'

    Answer: D. They won't go anywhere this weekend.

    'Won't' is short for 'will not.' Since it is negative, we use 'anywhere.' Using 'nowhere' or 'no place' would create a 'double negative,' which is incorrect.

  17. Q17Find the correct version of: 'The man ate the sandwich that had a blue shirt.'

    Answer: C. The man with the blue shirt ate the sandwich.

    Always put the description ('with the blue shirt') right next to the person it describes. If you say 'the sandwich that had a blue shirt,' it sounds like the sandwich is wearing a shirt!

  18. Q18Neither the boys nor Tom ____ at school today.

    Answer: A. is

    With 'neither... nor...', the verb looks at the noun closest to it. 'Tom' is one person (singular), so we use 'is' instead of 'are.'

  19. Q19Find the correct version of: 'He hasn't never said anything to me about the party.'

    Answer: B. He never said anything to me about the party.

    'Never' is a negative word. In English, we don't use two negatives together. So, we use 'anything' instead of 'nothing,' and we don't use 'didn't' with 'never.'

  20. Q20Find the correct version of: 'She spent all her money nearly.'

    Answer: B. She spent nearly all her money.

    'Nearly' describes 'all her money.' It means she has almost nothing left. If you put 'nearly' before 'spent,' it sounds like she almost went to the shop but didn't actually buy anything.

  21. Q21Each student ____ a textbook for the class.

    Answer: D. needs

    The word 'each' means we are looking at every student one by one. Because of this, we use a singular verb with an '-s' like 'needs.'

  22. Q22Find the correct version of: 'There weren't no place to sit in the waiting room.'

    Answer: D. There wasn't anywhere to sit in the waiting room.

    'Wasn't' is negative. To keep the sentence correct, we use 'anywhere.' Using 'nowhere' or 'no place' would be using two negatives together, which is a mistake.

  23. Q23Find the correct version of: 'The money found he kept in a box.'

    Answer: A. He kept the money that he found in a box.

    We put 'that he found' right after 'money.' This shows he found the money. If we say 'a box that he kept,' it sounds like he kept the box, not the money!

  24. Q24Find the correct version of: 'There are a problem with my order.'

    Answer: D. There is a problem with my order.

    We use 'is' because 'a problem' is singular (just one). If there were many problems, we would say 'there are problems.'

  25. Q25Find the correct version of: 'Nobody doesn't know the secret.'

    Answer: A. Nobody knows the secret.

    'Nobody' is already negative, so you don't need 'don't' or 'doesn't.' Also, 'nobody' acts like 'he' or 'she,' so we add '-s' to the verb: 'knows.'

  26. Q26Find the correct version of: 'The cat chased the mouse that was running across the floor.'

    Answer: C. The cat chased the mouse running across the floor.

    By putting 'running across the floor' right after 'mouse,' we know the mouse was the one running. If we put it at the start, it might sound like the cat was the one running while chasing.

  27. Q27Find the correct version of: 'The team were decided to change the plan.'

    Answer: B. The team has decided to change the plan.

    Even though a team has many people, we usually talk about the team as one single group. So, we use 'has' instead of 'have' or 'are'. 'Were decided' and 'are decided' are grammatically wrong. 'Is decided' is also incorrect here.

  28. Q28Find the correct version of: 'She didn't buy no things at the market.'

    Answer: B. She didn't buy anything at the market.

    'Didn't' is negative, so we use 'anything.' If you say 'didn't buy nothing,' it is a double negative, which is incorrect in English.

  29. Q29Find the correct version of: 'I saw a car with a flat tire drove down the street.'

    Answer: D. Driving down the street, I saw a car with a flat tire.

    The person who was 'driving' is 'I.' When you start with 'Driving down the street,' the next word should be the person doing it. Otherwise, it sounds like the car was driving itself!

  30. Q30Find the correct version of: 'Neither the staff nor the director were invited.'

    Answer: D. Neither the staff nor the director was invited.

    When using 'neither... nor...', the verb matches the noun closest to it. 'Director' is one person, so we use 'was' instead of 'were' or 'are.'

  31. Q31Find the correct version of: 'We hardly weren't having any time to finish the work.'

    Answer: C. We hardly had any time to finish the work.

    'Hardly' is a negative word. You should not use it with other negatives like 'didn't' or 'hadn't.' 'Hardly had any time' is the correct way to say you had almost no time.

  32. Q32Find the correct version of: 'The book with the red cover read by her in the library.'

    Answer: C. In the library, she read the book with the red cover.

    By saying 'the book with the red cover,' we know the book is red. If we put 'in the library' between them, it might sound like the library has a red cover!

  33. Q33Find the correct version of: 'Everyone were come to the meeting.'

    Answer: B. Everyone has come to the meeting.

    'Everyone' sounds like many people, but grammatically it is a singular word (like 'he' or 'she'). Because of this, we use 'has' instead of 'have' or 'are.'

  34. Q34Find the correct version of: 'He didn't see no one on his way home.'

    Answer: D. He didn't see anyone on his way home.

    'Didn't' is negative. To avoid a double negative, we use 'anyone.' Words like 'nobody' or 'no one' should not be used after 'didn't.'

  35. Q35Find the correct version of: 'Worksheets were handed out to the students that were difficult.'

    Answer: B. The teacher handed out difficult worksheets to the students.

    Put the describing word ('difficult') right before the thing it describes ('worksheets'). If you say 'worksheets to the difficult students,' it sounds like the students are the ones who are difficult!

  36. Q36Find the correct version of: 'There was several reasons for his absence.'

    Answer: B. There are several reasons for his absence.

    Use 'are' because 'reasons' is plural (more than one). If it was just one reason, we would use 'there is a reason.'

  37. Q37Find the correct version of: 'She barely couldn't say anything about the situation.'

    Answer: D. She barely said anything about the situation.

    'Barely' is a negative word that means 'almost nothing.' Since it is already negative, we don't add 'didn't' or 'couldn't.' We use it with a normal verb: 'she barely said.'

  38. Q38Find the correct version of: 'He almost eat the whole cake.'

    Answer: D. He ate almost the whole cake.

    Put 'almost' before 'the whole cake' to show how much he ate. If you say 'He almost ate,' it sounds like he thought about eating but then didn't eat anything at all!

  39. Q39Find the correct version of: 'Either the students or the teacher have been wrong.'

    Answer: B. Either the students or the teacher is wrong.

    With 'either... or...', look at the noun closest to the verb. 'Teacher' is singular (one person), so we use 'is' instead of 'are.'

  40. Q40Find the correct version of: 'There wasn't nothing left in the box.'

    Answer: A. There wasn't anything left in the box.

    'Wasn't' is a negative word. We use 'anything' with it. If you say 'wasn't nothing,' you are using two negatives together, which is a mistake.

  41. Q41Find the correct version of: 'She watched the sunset sit on the porch.'

    Answer: C. Sitting on the porch, she watched the sunset.

    The phrase 'Sitting on the porch' describes 'she.' When you start a sentence like this, the very next person mentioned must be the one doing that action.

  42. Q42Find the correct version of: 'Nobody don't know the answer to the question.'

    Answer: A. Nobody knows the answer to the question.

    'Nobody' is treated as a singular subject (like 'he' or 'she'). In the present tense, we add an '-s' to the verb: 'nobody knows.'

  43. Q43Find the correct version of: 'They haven't no been to the new museum yet.'

    Answer: D. They haven't been to the new museum yet.

    'Haven't' is negative. Don't add another negative word like 'never' or 'not.' Just use 'haven't been' to say they did not go.

  44. Q44Find the correct version of: 'Vegetables only I eat on Mondays.'

    Answer: B. I eat vegetables only on Mondays.

    Place 'only' right before the part you want to limit. Putting it before 'on Mondays' means Monday is the only day you eat them. If you say 'I only eat,' it sounds like eating is the only thing you do in life!

  45. Q45Find the correct version of: 'Neither the director nor the staff members is told.'

    Answer: B. Neither the director nor the staff members were told.

    In a 'neither... nor...' sentence, the verb matches the noun closest to it. 'Staff members' is plural, so we use 'were' instead of 'was' or 'is.'

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