answer key

Here is the answer key to the super advanced grammar quiz. Or maybe it's just a rough draft of the answer key.

1. To the people that say "take," I say "give."

Replace "that" with "who."

2. That is going to be you and I someday.

Split up the pronoun pair "you and I" and try them one at a time. "That is going to be you someday. That is going to be me someday," but it is never going to be "I someday." That is going to be you and me, baby.

3. His family were gathered all around him.

Mom is right, "all gathered" is better. I hadn't thought of that...I was looking at whether "family" should be singular or plural. The short answer is singular (although sometimes plural in the UK). But then can you say "His family was all gathered around him"? No. "The members of his family were all gathered...," but simplicity is always best: "His family was gathered around him."

4. He laughed at the girl, who he now had a low opinion of.

"The girl" is the object of the laughing, and "who" is a pronoun for "the girl." So it has to be "whom he now had a low opinion of." The rule is use "whom" if you're talking about the object of a verb or a preposition. "Who loves you?" is okay because "who" is the subject. "Whom do you love?" is correct because "whom" is the object of the love.

Mom really cut to the chase, though, reminding me of this: many people think it is not okay to end a sentence a preposition with. As I understand, that is an outmoded throwback to Latin, wherein prepositions are somehow always attached to other words (Those fluent in Latin, please chime in...since I may not really know about what I am talking).

5. What do you want to revenge?

Correct as is!

I had to look it up when I saw the above sentence in a novel last week. I thought revenge was a thing--and that you could seek this thing in order to avenge some other thing. But no, revenge is a verb, and it has to have an object, either a past act, as in "Billy shot his father to revenge a thousand beatings," or a person "Billy shot his father to revenge his little brother, who had endured a thousand beatings."

6. I am thankful to have a family who supports me.

Back to the tricky "family." Change "who" to "that." A family is a thing that supports (well, except in poor Billy's case), not a person who supports.

7. The main parts in the play went to her and Becky.

Correct as is! See #2.

8. Each person should take a page, then they can share their favorite part.

"Each person" has to be followed up with "he or she," then "his or her." Awkward? Yes. Also, the first pronoun is unnecessary (mom's right again). So "each person should take a page, then share his or her favorite part." There are a few progressive grammarphiles out there who think "they" and "their" should be accepted as singular. I assume someone will let us know when they think this is officially true. :0)

9. If she was well, she could travel.

"If she were well, she could travel."

Subjunctive mood indicates things wished for or possible. But the past is the past: "If she was well, she would have been there, but I didn't see her, so maybe she wasn't well that day."

10. Of the two books you read last week, which did you enjoy most?

Debatable. I want someone to help me with this one. I think you want "more," not "most," because we are only talking about two books. "Of the THREE books, you enjoyed one most," whereas "Of the TWO books, you enjoyed one more."

Hope that was as fun for you as it was for me! Next: Punc'ation!!!?