Question 1

Which sentence contains the present participle of the regular verb calculate?
A) Christine is calculating the contract total.
B) Christine calculates all figures carefully.
C) Christine calculated all financial statement figures last week.
D) Christine has calculated all previous statements with 100 percent accuracy.

Accepted Answer

"Calculating" is the present participle of the verb "calculate." It is used in present continuous tense in the sentence "Christine is calculating the contract total."

Question 2

Which sentence contains a gerund?​
A) Exercising is not only my passion but also my favorite pastime.
B) ​Bob was majoring in criminal justice at the Wilshire Academy.
C) ​Kendra and Kyle were attending the conference in Salt Lake City.

Accepted Answer

"Exercising" is a gerund, which is a verb that functions as a noun in a sentence. It is the subject of the sentence.

Question 3

Which sentence is best expressed?
A) Being as gas prices are now increasing again, would you like to form a carpool?
B) Because gas prices have increased so much, would you like to form a carpool?
C) ​Being that gas prices have increased so much, would you like to form a carpool?

Accepted Answer

"Because" is a more concise and clear way to express the cause-effect relationship between the rising gas prices and the suggestion to form a carpool. "Being as" and "Being that" are informal and clunky expressions that are best avoided.

Question 4

Which sentence contains the past participle of the regular verb work?
A) Juan is working on a big project for a major client.
B) Juan works on many projects at the same time.
C) Juan worked overtime last Friday.
D) Juan had worked for his employer for six years.

Accepted Answer

The past participle of the regular verb work is worked, and it is used correctly in sentence D, "Juan had worked for his employer for six years."

Question 5

What _____ the names of the companies that contributed to last year's United Way campaign?
A) are
B) were
C) was

Accepted Answer

The answer of What _____ the names of the companies...

Question 6

(Past tense) CompTechs ____ Tyler as the new IT networking software specialist.
A) will hire
B) hired
C) hires

Accepted Answer

The sentence is in past tense and is indicating that CompTechs already made the decision to hire Tyler as the IT networking software specialist. Therefore, the past tense form "hired" is the most appropriate choice.

Question 7

Verbs whose meanings are complete without objects are ____.
A) intransitive
B) transitive
C) linking
D) ​helping

Accepted Answer

Intransitive verbs denote actions or occurrences that do not require a direct object to make sense. They are complete on their own. Examples include "run," "sleep," "arrive," "laugh," and "die."

Question 8

Active-voice verbs​ ______.
A) ​should be avoided in business writing
B) ​direct the action of the verb toward the subject
C) ​require at least one helping verb
D) ​direct the action of the subject toward the object of a verb

Accepted Answer

Active-voice verbs direct the action of the subject toward the object of a verb, making sentences clearer and more direct.

Question 9

I appreciate ____ writing of my letter of recommendation.
A) your
B) you
C) ​you're

Accepted Answer

"Your" is the possessive form of "you" and shows ownership. In this sentence, the writer is thanking someone for their specific act of writing, so the possessive form is necessary. "You're" is a contraction for "you are" and would not make sense in this context.

Question 10

(Future tense) New staff members ____ an orientation on June 1.
A) attend
B) attended
C) will attend

Accepted Answer

Since the orientation is scheduled for a future date (June 1), we need to use the future tense. "Will attend" is the correct future tense form. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 11

In the sentence The employees with the most seniority are Rachel and Joe, the verb are is ____.
A) transitive
B) intransitive
C) linking
D) helping

Accepted Answer

The verb "are" in this sentence is a linking verb that connects the subject "employees with the most seniority" to the predicate nominatives "Rachel and Joe." The verb "are" does not take a direct object, so it is not transitive, and it is not expressing any action, so it is not intransitive. It is also not a helping verb, as it is the main verb of the sentence.

Question 12

In the sentence Jon tweeted on his new Samsung smartphone, the verb tweeted is ____.
A) transitive
B) intransitive
C) linking
D) helping

Accepted Answer

The verb tweeted is intransitive, as it does not have a direct object.

Question 13

All of the following sentences use active-voice verbs except ______​
A) The speaker gave his presentation at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
B) ​Our company was restructured to reduce middle-management positions.
C) ​Darrin voiced his opinion about the company merger during the all-staff meeting.

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses passive voice ("was restructured") instead of active voice.

Question 14

(Present tense) She ____ herself with great poise and confidence.
A) carrys
B) carries
C) ​will carry
D) ​carried

Accepted Answer

The correct verb form for present tense third-person singular (referring to "she") is "carries".

Question 15

All gerunds end in ______.​
A) ​ier
B) ​ing
C) ​ed
D) ​est

Accepted Answer

Gerunds are formed by adding "-ing" to a verb, therefore all gerunds end in "ing".

Question 16

All of the following sentences use transitive verbs except ______
A) ​Marian updated her Facebook status to inform her friends and family about her new job.
B) ​After the business meeting, the office manager hosted a reception for the visiting representatives.
C) ​Employees from the finance department worked diligently on the next year's budget.

Accepted Answer

Transitive verbs require an object to complete their meaning, while intransitive verbs do not. In sentence A, "updated" is a transitive verb because it takes the object "her Facebook status." In sentence B, "hosted" is a transitive verb because it takes the object "a reception." However, in sentence C, "worked" is an intransitive verb because it does not take an object. Therefore, C is the answer because it uses an intransitive verb.

Question 17

A(n) ____ verb expresses an action directed toward a person or thing.
A) intransitive
B) transitive
C) linking
D) ​helping

Accepted Answer

A transitive verb takes an object, which means it expresses an action directed toward a person or thing. In contrast, an intransitive verb does not take an object but instead expresses an action that is not directed toward a person or thing. Linking verbs connect the subject of the sentence to a subject complement, and helping verbs assist main verbs in forming verb phrases.

Question 18

In the sentence All completed applications should be submitted to the human resources department, the verb be is ____.
A) transitive
B) intransitive
C) linking
D) helping

Accepted Answer

The verb "be" is acting as a helping verb in this sentence, helping to form the passive voice construction "should be submitted."

Question 19

A noun, pronoun, or adjective that renames or describes the subject is called a ______.​
A) ​participle
B) ​direct object
C) ​gerund
D) complement

Accepted Answer

A complement is a noun, pronoun, or adjective that renames or describes the subject of a sentence. Participles and gerunds are verb forms, while a direct object is a noun, pronoun, or phrase that receives the action of the verb.

Question 20

(Present tense) Jeff ____ his followers on Twitter daily.
A) checks
B) will check
C) checked

Accepted Answer

The sentence is in the present tense, so the verb needs to be conjugated accordingly. "Checks" is the correct present tense form of the verb. "Will check" is future tense, and "checked" is past tense, neither of which are appropriate for this sentence.

Quiz 5: Verbs

Which sentence contains the present participle of the regular verb calculate?

Which sentence contains a gerund?

Which sentence is best expressed?

Which sentence contains the past participle of the regular verb work?

What _____ the names of the companies that contributed to last year's United Way campaign?

(Past tense) CompTechs ____ Tyler as the new IT networking software specialist.

Verbs whose meanings are complete without objects are ____.

Active-voice verbs ______.

I appreciate ____ writing of my letter of recommendation.

(Future tense) New staff members ____ an orientation on June 1.

In the sentence The employees with the most seniority are Rachel and Joe, the verb are is ____.

In the sentence Jon tweeted on his new Samsung smartphone, the verb tweeted is ____.

All of the following sentences use active-voice verbs except ______

(Present tense) She ____ herself with great poise and confidence.

All gerunds end in ______.

All of the following sentences use transitive verbs except ______

A(n) ____ verb expresses an action directed toward a person or thing.

In the sentence All completed applications should be submitted to the human resources department, the verb be is ____.

A noun, pronoun, or adjective that renames or describes the subject is called a ______.

(Present tense) Jeff ____ his followers on Twitter daily.