Intermediate phrases. 45 questions on adjective phrases, participial phrases, and infinitive phrases.
What this test covers
- Adjective Phrases
- Participial Phrases
- Infinitive Phrases
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1She is ___ about the result of the competition.
Answer: D. very happy
An adjective phrase consists of an adjective and any modifiers. In 'very happy', 'very' is an adverb modifying the adjective 'happy'. The noun 'happiness' and the adverbs 'happily' or the misspelled 'happyly' do not fit as subject complements here.
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Q2Identify the adjective phrase in this sentence: 'The student, eager to finish, worked fast.'
Answer: B. eager to finish
An adjective phrase provides more information about a noun. Here, 'eager to finish' describes 'the student'. 'Worked fast' is a verb phrase, and 'The student' is the noun phrase acting as the subject.
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Q3Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. The very hungry dog ate.
When an adjective phrase modifies a noun directly, it usually comes before the noun. In 'The very hungry dog', the adverb 'very' correctly precedes the adjective 'hungry'. Placing the phrase after the noun or splitting the adverb and adjective is incorrect in this attributive position.
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Q4They were ___ by the news that the flight was delayed.
Answer: A. shocked
We use past participles (ending in -ed) to describe how someone feels. 'Shocked' functions as an adjective here. 'Shocking' would describe the news itself, not the people's feelings. 'Shocked about' is incorrect here because the preposition 'by' is already provided.
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Q5Identify the adjective phrase: 'The cake is very delicious.'
Answer: B. very delicious
'Very delicious' is an adjective phrase acting as a subject complement after the linking verb 'is'. It consists of the head adjective 'delicious' and the intensifying adverb 'very'.
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Q6He is ___ of his achievements.
Answer: B. fond
The adjective 'fond' is commonly used with the preposition 'of' to form an adjective phrase describing a state. 'Proudly' and 'fondly' are adverbs, and 'fondness' is a noun, none of which follow the linking verb 'is' in this context.
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Q7Identify the adjective phrase: 'The team, confident in their victory, celebrated.'
Answer: D. confident in their victory
'Confident in their victory' is an adjective phrase modifying the noun 'team'. Adjective phrases can include prepositional phrases (like 'in their victory') as complements to the main adjective.
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Q8Which is the correct placement for the adjective phrase?
Answer: C. She is a mother proud of her son.
When an adjective is followed by a prepositional phrase (a complement), the entire adjective phrase usually follows the noun it modifies. Thus, 'a mother proud of her son' is the natural word order.
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Q9It was a task ___.
Answer: C. hard to complete
An adjective phrase can include an infinitive phrase (to + verb) as a complement. 'Hard to complete' correctly modifies 'task'. The adverb 'hardly' means 'almost not' and does not fit the grammatical structure here.
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Q10Identify the adjective phrase: 'The children were happy to see their parents.'
Answer: B. happy to see their parents
'Happy to see their parents' is an adjective phrase functioning as a subject complement. It follows the linking verb 'were' and describes the state of the children.
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Q11Identify the correct sentence structure:
Answer: D. The weather was extremely cold.
In an adjective phrase, an adverb of degree (extremely) must precede the adjective it modifies (cold). 'Extreme cold' would use 'extreme' as an adjective, but after a linking verb like 'was', we typically need an adverb-adjective pair to describe the subject.
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Q12She is ___.
Answer: A. full of surprises
'Full of' is a standard adjective phrase. We use the adjective 'full' followed by the prepositional complement 'of surprises'. 'Full with' is not the standard idiomatic expression in English.
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Q13Which sentence uses the adjective phrase correctly?
Answer: B. The problem was difficult to solve.
In this sentence, 'difficult to solve' is an adjective phrase acting as a subject complement. 'The difficult problem to solve i...' is incorrect because the pronoun 'it' is redundant, and 'The difficult to solve problem w...' is awkward because long adjective phrases are rarely placed before the noun.
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Q14Identify the adjective phrase: 'The sky is deep blue.'
Answer: D. deep blue
'Deep blue' is an adjective phrase where 'deep' modifies the color 'blue'. Together they describe the subject 'the sky' after the linking verb 'is'.
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Q15Identify the adjective phrase: 'The house, painted bright red, stood out.'
Answer: B. painted bright red
'Painted bright red' is a participial phrase functioning as an adjective phrase to modify the noun 'house'. It describes a characteristic of the subject.
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Q16Correct the dangling participle: 'Walking in the park, the sun began to set.'
Answer: A. Walking in the park, I watched the sun set.
A participial phrase at the start of a sentence must modify the subject of the main clause. In the original sentence, it sounds like the sun was walking. Changing the subject to 'I' ensures that 'Walking in the park' correctly describes the person.
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Q17Identify the participial phrase: 'Having finished her homework, she went out.'
Answer: B. Having finished her homework
A participial phrase begins with a participle. 'Having finished' is a perfect participle, indicating an action completed before the main verb 'went out'. The entire phrase provides background information for the main clause.
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Q18Is the phrase "Eating dinner" a gerund or participial phrase in the sentence: "Eating dinner, he watched TV."?
Answer: B. Participial phrase
In this sentence, 'Eating dinner' modifies the pronoun 'he,' describing what he was doing. Because it functions as an adjective, it is a participial phrase. A gerund phrase would function as a noun (e.g., as a subject).
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Q19Is the phrase "Eating dinner" a gerund or participial phrase in the sentence: "Eating dinner is my favorite time."?
Answer: A. Gerund phrase
Here, 'Eating dinner' is the subject of the sentence. When an -ing phrase acts as a noun, it is a gerund phrase.
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Q20___ by the loud noise, the baby woke up.
Answer: C. Startled
We use a past participle ('Startled') to show that the subject ('the baby') was affected by an action or state. 'Startling' would imply the baby was causing the noise, which doesn't fit the context 'by the loud noise'.
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Q21Correct the dangling participle: 'Reading the book, the phone rang.'
Answer: A. Reading the book, I heard the phone ring.
The person performing the action in the participial phrase ('Reading') must be the subject of the main clause. The phone cannot read, so 'I' must be the subject. This fixes the 'misplaced introductory phrase' error.
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Q22Identify the participial phrase: 'The man wearing the red hat is my uncle.'
Answer: B. wearing the red hat
'Wearing the red hat' is a present participial phrase that modifies the noun 'The man'. It identifies which man we are discussing.
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Q23___ the instructions, he started to build.
Answer: B. Reading
The present participle 'Reading' is used here to show an action performed by the subject ('he') immediately before or during the main action. 'Readed' is not a valid English word; the past form of 'read' is 'read'.
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Q24Which is the correct sentence?
Answer: B. All three sentences are correct.
Participial phrases are flexible. They can be placed at the start, in the middle (set off by commas), or immediately after the noun they modify.
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Q25Identify the participial phrase: 'Exhausted from the marathon, he sat down.'
Answer: A. Exhausted from the marathon
'Exhausted from the marathon' is a past participial phrase. It begins with the past participle 'Exhausted' and describes the subject 'he'.
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Q26___ to the radio, she fell asleep.
Answer: C. Listening
The present participle 'Listening' describes a continuous or simultaneous action performed by the subject. The infinitive 'To listen' would suggest she fell asleep with the specific purpose of listening, which is logicaly unlikely.
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Q27Correct the dangling participle: 'Watching the movie, the lights went out.'
Answer: A. Watching the movie, I noticed the lights go out.
The subject of the main clause must be the one watching the movie. Since 'the lights' cannot watch a movie, the subject must be 'I'. This avoids a misplaced introductory phrase.
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Q28Which is the correct version of the sentence: 'The dog barking loudly it woke the neighbors.'?
Answer: D. The dog barking loudly woke the neighbors.
The original sentence has a 'double subject' error. 'The dog' is the subject of 'woke', so the pronoun 'it' is redundant and should be removed. 'Barking loudly' is a participial phrase modifying 'dog'.
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Q29Identify the participial phrase: 'Seen from afar, the mountains look beautiful.'
Answer: A. Seen from afar
'Seen from afar' is a participial phrase using the past participle 'seen'. It modifies 'the mountains' by describing how they appear from a distance.
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Q30What is the function of the infinitive phrase: 'To master a language takes time.'
Answer: C. Subject
The infinitive phrase 'To master a language' is the subject of the verb 'takes'. It represents the activity the sentence is about.
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Q31What is the function of the infinitive phrase: 'She wants to buy a new car.'
Answer: A. Object
The infinitive phrase 'to buy a new car' is the direct object of the verb 'wants'. It answers the question: 'What does she want?'
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Q32What is the function of the infinitive phrase: 'He studies hard to pass the exam.'
Answer: D. Adverbial
When an infinitive phrase explains the reason or purpose for an action (answering 'why?'), it functions as an adverbial phrase.
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Q33___ is my goal.
Answer: A. To travel the world
An infinitive phrase ('To travel the world') can act as the subject of a sentence. 'To traveling' is incorrect because an infinitive must use the base form of the verb.
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Q34He promised ___.
Answer: D. to arrive on time
The verb 'promise' is followed by an infinitive (to + verb). Using a gerund ('arriving') or a base form ('arrive') after 'promised' is grammatically incorrect.
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Q35He refused ___.
Answer: C. to help
The verb 'refuse' requires an infinitive complement. Therefore, 'to help' is the correct choice following 'refused'.
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Q36He decided ___.
Answer: B. to go
'Decide' is a verb that must be followed by an infinitive. 'He decided to go' is the correct grammatical pattern.
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Q37What is the function of the infinitive phrase: 'He needs to find a job.'
Answer: C. Object
In this sentence, 'to find a job' follows the transitive verb 'needs' and functions as its direct object.
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Q38They stopped ___.
Answer: B. to buy coffee
'Stop + infinitive' means to interrupt an action in order to do something else (purpose). 'Stop + gerund' would mean ending a habit. Here, 'to buy coffee' shows the reason why they stopped.
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Q39Which is the correct sentence?
Answer: C. She hopes to win the lottery.
The verb 'hope' is followed by an infinitive ('to win'). It is not used with 'for + -ing' or a bare gerund in this context.
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Q40Identify the infinitive phrase: 'Her plan is to move to London.'
Answer: B. to move to London
The infinitive phrase 'to move to London' follows the linking verb 'is' and renames the subject 'Her plan'. This is a subject complement.
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Q41She offered ___.
Answer: C. to assist
The verb 'offer' is followed by an infinitive. 'To assist' is the correct form to complete the verb pattern.
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Q42She managed ___.
Answer: A. to finish
'Manage' is a verb that requires an infinitive ('to finish') to show the successful completion of an action.
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Q43___ is a great way to relax.
Answer: A. To read books
An infinitive phrase like 'To read books' can function as the subject of a sentence. While a gerund ('Reading books') is also possible, 'To read books' is the correct infinitive option provided.
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Q44Identify the infinitive phrase: 'To err is human.'
Answer: B. To err
'To err' is an infinitive phrase (to + verb) functioning as the subject of the sentence.
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Q45He failed ___.
Answer: A. to arrive
The verb 'fail' follows the pattern 'fail + infinitive'. Therefore, 'to arrive' is the only grammatically correct choice.
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