Grammar Quiz

Question 1

Fill in the blank.
"I always check the latest tech news on ___ internet."

"The internet" always takes the definite article — it refers to one specific, shared global network. ✓ on the internet / I read it on the internet.

Question 2

Fill in the blank.
"We're planning a company retreat in ___ August."

Months never take an article in English. ✓ in August / in March / in December. Same with days: on Monday, on Friday — no article needed.

Question 3

Fill in the blank.
"The way the news ___ presented these days is very biased."

"News" is uncountable in English and always takes a singular verb. ✓ The news is good. / The news was shocking. Same group: information, advice, research, progress — all singular.

Question 4

Fill in the blank.
"After months of hard work, I finally made ___ lot of progress on the project."

"A lot of" is a fixed expression — "a" is always required. ✓ a lot of progress / a lot of work / a lot of time. Never "the lot of" or just "lot of."

Question 5

Fill in the blank.
"He told me he ___ finish the report by Friday."

In reported speech, when the reporting verb is past (told), tenses shift back: will → would. ✓ He told me he would finish it. Same pattern: can → could, am/is/are → was/were.

Question 6

Fill in the blank.
"She told me she ___ really tired after the meeting."

After a past reporting verb (told), present tense shifts back to past. ✓ She told me she was tired. Think of it as a chain — the past verb pulls everything that follows one step back in time.

Question 7

Which sentence uses reported speech correctly?

After the past verb said, "will" must backshift to "would." ✓ She said she would join us. The other options keep the original tense — incorrect in reported speech with a past reporting verb.

Question 8

Fill in the blank.
"He was surprised that I ___ at the office — he thought I had the day off."

The main verb is past (was surprised), so the embedded clause shifts back: am → was. ✓ He was surprised that I was there. This came up several times in your sessions — it's a recurring pattern to lock in.

Question 9

Which sentence is grammatically incorrect?

"Suggest" cannot be followed by object + to-infinitive. Correct patterns: suggest + -ing / suggest that + subject + base verb. To use a person as the object, switch to "advise": ✓ I advised her to take the job.

Question 10

Fill in the blank.
"My doctor recommended ___ more water every day."

"Recommend" takes a gerund (-ing form): ✓ recommend doing something. Unlike "advise," it cannot be followed directly by object + to-infinitive. Also correct: I recommend that you drink more water.

Question 11

Fill in the blank.
"She suggested that we ___ the deadline by a week."

After "suggest that + subject," use the bare base form (bare subjunctive) — no "to," no "-s," no "-ing." ✓ She suggested that we extend it. / I recommend that he go there. / They insist that she be present.

Question 12

Fill in the blank.
"I advised him ___ the contract carefully before signing."

"Advise" always takes object + to-infinitive. ✓ I advised him to read it. Quick guide: advise someone TO do / suggest doing / suggest that someone do.

Question 13

Fill in the blank.
"With AI handling more creative tasks, many experienced copywriters feel they've ___ their edge."

"Lose your edge" is the fixed idiom — it means to lose your competitive advantage or sharpness. ✓ They've lost their edge. / With AI taking over, many professionals lose their edge.

Question 14

Fill in the blank.
"Without genuine ___, you can't recognize the gaps in your own work."

"Expertise" means deep, specialized professional skill — the only word here that describes the knowledge needed to evaluate your own work. From the Dunning-Kruger video: "You need genuine expertise to recognize a mistake for what it is."

Question 15

Fill in the blank.
"The expansion plan is ___ — we're waiting for board approval before moving forward."

"In limbo" describes a state of suspended uncertainty — waiting, with no clear outcome yet. ✓ The project is in limbo. / Americans are sitting in limbo. (From the travel industry article.)

Question 16

Fill in the blank.
"Before concluding it's a bug, we need to ___ any issues with the user's setup."

"Rule out" means to eliminate something as a possibility. ✓ We need to rule out any hardware issues. / The doctor ruled out a serious illness. (From the travel article: "He refused to rule out price increases.")

Question 17

Fill in the blank.
"The drop in sales was ___. Nobody in the industry had predicted a decline that sharp."

"Staggering" (adjective) describes a number or fact that is shockingly large or extreme. ✓ a staggering amount / a staggering result. "Staggered" means arranged in an offset pattern — a different word entirely.

Question 18

Fill in the blank.
"___ the presentation, someone's phone rang and disrupted the whole room."

During + noun phrase. ✓ During the presentation / during the meeting / during class. "While" needs a full clause: while someone was presenting. Rule: During precedes a noun; While precedes a subject + verb.

Question 19

Fill in the blank.
"___ he was reviewing the code, I updated the documentation."

While + subject + verb. ✓ While he was reviewing the code… What follows is a full clause (subject + verb), not a noun — so "during" cannot be used here.

Question 20

Fill in the blank.
"Please send me the updated figures ___ end of day Thursday."

By = deadline (completed at or before that point). ✓ Send it by Thursday / finish by 5 p.m. "Until" describes a continuing state: I'll wait until Thursday / I'm working until 8 p.m. — not for one-time deliverables.

Question 21

Fill in the blank.
"I have two proposals ready. One focuses on cost reduction, and ___ focuses on growth."

With exactly two items, use the other for the second — it's already defined. ✓ One is red and the other is blue. "Another" implies a third option exists. Quick rule: 2 things → the other; 3+ things → another or the others.