Interactive Self-Testing Activities

Grammar and Spell Check Answers

(Answers to Ex ‘How good is your English?’ Spelling and Grammar Exercise.)

Choose the correct word in each of the nine statements below:

They took there/their/they’re dog with them on the walk.

their

In order to improve morale/moral, the company decided to increase pay.

morale

The most relevant/relative ideas were those which helped solve the problem.

relevant

‘It is defiantly/definitely/definately the correct answer!’ he shouted.

definitely

He was unsure whether/weather to choose the black or brown shoes.

whether

‘Of course, the main question is which/witch road to choose’.

which

‘Let’s start at the begging/beginning, shall we?’

beginning

The biggest affect/effect he had was to cause the company to close down.

effect

You’re/your clearly the tallest person here.

You’re

didn’t want to take his advice/advise.

advice

It was common practice/practise to plagiarise work.

practice

Three weeks ago, he choose/chose to finish his employment.

chose

Please choose the correct spelling in each of the 18 statements below:

Accommodation        Accomodation            Acommodation

Accommodation

Conscus          Conscious       Conscous

Conscious

Embaras         Embarrass     Emmbaras

Embarrass

Immediatly     Immediately   Imediately

Immediately

Ocasion           Occasion         Occassion

Occasion

Preferred       Prefered         Prefferd

Preferred

Personel          Personnel       Personnal

Personnel

Separat           Separete         Separate

Separate

Necesary         Nesessary       Necessary

Necessary

Devided          Divided           Dividid

Divided 

Benefited        Benefitted       Bennefited

Benefited

Disappeared   Disapeared     Disappered

Disappeared

Ocured           Occurred        Occured

Occurred

Comitted        Committed     Comited

Committed

Garantee        Guarantee      Guarante

Guarantee

Laison      Liason       Liaison

Liaison

Questionare    Questionnaire            Questionaire

Questionnaire

Posess         Posses       Possess

Possess

 

Please indicate which of the following sentences use the apostrophe (’) correctly:

The students’ had always liked the lecturer.

Incorrect

The students had always liked the lecturer’s.

Incorrect

Sometimes the lecturer’s liked the students.

Incorrect

The lecturer’s books were on the shelf.

Correct

The students usually kept their books’ on the floor.

Incorrect

The parents were worried about their children’s studies.

Correct

The students and lecturers always got on well with each other.

Correct

It was nice of the lecturers to care about their student’s.

Incorrect

It was nice of the lecturers’ to care about their students’.

Incorrect

The apostrophe (‘) is only ever used for two purposes:

  1. To abbreviate a word (such as it is becomes it’s).
  2. To indicate possession (such as the lecturer’s book means the book belonging to the lecturer).

It should never be used to indicate plurals (e.g. the student’s thought that he was a good lecturer).

If the word requiring the apostrophe ends in –s, then the apostrophe goes at the end of the word: the lecturers’ books means the books of the lecturers. (The lecturer’s books would indicate the book of the single lecturer.)