English Grammar quiz

More questions about English Grammar

These visible examples show the question style. LearnClash turns the full topic into ranked duels and spaced repetition.

1. 1 Easy

   How do English speakers form comparative adjectives when comparing two things?

   Answer: Adding -er or using "more"

   Why: Shorter one-syllable adjectives usually take '-er', while longer multi-syllable adjectives almost always require 'more'.

2. 2 Medium

   Which phrase is the most famous English grammar example of a split infinitive?

   Answer: To boldly go

   Why: The first known complaint, an 1834 letter signed only P., blamed uneducated writers rather than Latin, and linguists now call the Latin story folklore.

3. 3 Hard

   What term describes a word that is its own opposite, like 'oversight'?

   Answer: contranym

   Why: Cleave is the sharpest example, meaning both to split apart and to cling to.

4. 4 Easy

   What is the main function of an adjective in an English sentence?

   Answer: Modifying a noun

   Why: In English, adjectives almost always come before the noun they describe, unlike in Romance languages like Spanish or French.

5. 5 Medium

   In English grammar, what term describes words formed by blending two existing words?

   Answer: Portmanteau

   Why: Lewis Carroll coined the sense in Through the Looking-Glass, comparing two meanings packed into one word to a folding suitcase.

6. 6 Hard

   In what century did the singular use of 'they' first appear?

   Answer: 14th century

   Why: Chaucer and Shakespeare both used it, so the objection is younger than the usage it objects to.