Grammar Exam
Name:__________________________________ Date:_________________________
Part One:
Verb Tense
Read the following paragraph. Then cross out the ten verbs that are inconsistent in tense and write the corrections above them.
Last night, someone do me a great favor, and I never got to thank that person. At 10:00 p.m., when I came home from work, I park my car in the parking lot next to my apartment and settle in for the night. After eating a microwave pizza and some cookies, I checked my email, listen to some music, and fell into a deep sleep by midnight. When my alarm rings at 7:00 a.m., I was still sleepy. Half awake, I stumbled into the shower, brush my teeth, and threw on some clothes. Grabbing a cold can of Coke, I walked to my car in a daze. I was about to turn the key in the ignition when I see a note placed under one of the windshield wipers. Irritated, I think it was another advertising flyer and planned to crumple it up and toss it in the back of my car. However, it was a handwritten note that warns me about my left front tire, which was nearly flat. That note kept me from driving off, still half asleep and unaware of any danger, with a bad tire. Thanks to a stranger, I was able to take care of my tire before I wind up stuck on the highway—or worse.
Subject Verb Agreement
Circle the correct verb form for each sentence.
1. Gina seems like the kind of person who (cares, care) more about style than about substance.
2. There (was, were) five people absent from last night’s class.
3. The portable television and the radio (runs, run) on batteries or house current.
4. Either construction work or accidents (snarls, snarl) expressway traffic every morning.
5. Along with two graduate assistants, the professor (has, have) conducted the experiment hundreds of times.
6. At least a few of the gray hairs on your poor father’s head (is, are) due to you and that no-good brother of yours.
7. Each runner, summoning all the courage and adrenaline that he has left, (finds, find) that the ultimate challenger is himself.
8. Lined up outside the movie theater (is, are) dozens of impatient children and their angry parents.
9. Politicians, I have noticed, often (seem, seems) to choose words very carefully, as if selecting stones to step on while crossing a stream.
10. I find it almost impossible to believe that anybody with rumpled clothes (is, are) a mass murderer.
Verb Tense: Name the verb tense for the following sentences.

1. Guy Fawkes was a revolutionary.
___________________________________
2. Sarah had never gone to the beach before today. ________________________
3. I have written over 100 papers in my life.
_________________________________
4. She has been reading that book for hours.
________________________________
5. Kelley will have been working for fifteen hours today at 5:00pm.
_________________________________
6. I will go to Starbucks later this afternoon.
________________________________
7. My teacher will have taught me a great deal by the time the semester is over.
___________________________________________
8. Going to the grocery store is challenging with little children.
__________________________________

9. My grandfather had gone fishing before his accident.
________________________________________
10. Tomorrow will be better than today.
__________________________________________
Prepositions
In each of the following sentences, circle all the prepositions, underline the object of the prepositions, and put brackets around the prepositional phrase(s). Label the phrase as adjective or adverb and draw an arrow to what it modifies.
1. Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the national anthem of our country.
2. However, the music itself came from a popular drinking song.
3. Francis Scott Key witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814.
4. He was inspired by the sight of the American flag flying over the fort.
5. During the attack, he