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ACCUPLACER ESL Language Use study materials
ACCUPLACER ESL Language Use study resources

ACCUPLACER ESL Language Use practice questions

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Question 1Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Several ______ were waiting in the lobby when the doors opened.

  1. children Correct answer.
  2. childs
  3. childes
  4. childrens

Explanation

Child has an irregular plural: children. A small group of very common nouns (child, man, woman, foot, tooth) form the plural by changing the vowel rather than adding an ending. Adding -s or -es to child does not produce a standard English form.

Question 2Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

My brother ______ to work by bus every morning.

  1. gone
  2. goes Correct answer.
  3. going
  4. go

Explanation

The subject brother is third-person singular, so the simple present verb takes -s: goes. The phrase every morning signals a habitual action, which calls for the simple present tense.

Question 3Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

______ and I are going to the concert tonight.

  1. Her
  2. She Correct answer.
  3. Herself
  4. Hers

Explanation

The pronoun is part of the compound subject, so it must be in subject case: She and I. Her is an object form, hers is a possessive pronoun, and herself is reflexive.

Question 4Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

She is ______ honest person who always keeps her promises.

  1. a
  2. the
  3. some
  4. an Correct answer.

Explanation

Use an before a vowel sound. The h in honest is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound. A is used before consonant sounds, the marks a specific person, and some is not used with a singular count noun here.

Question 5Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Yesterday she ______ a beautiful song at the ceremony.

  1. sang Correct answer.
  2. sung
  3. singed
  4. sings

Explanation

Yesterday marks a completed action in the past, so the simple past is required. Sing is irregular and follows the pattern sing, sang, sung.

Question 6Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

This box is ______ than the one we packed last week.

  1. heavier Correct answer.
  2. heaviest
  3. heavy
  4. more heavy

Explanation

Short adjectives form the comparative with -er, and than introduces the second item being compared. Heaviest is the superlative used for three or more items, and more heavy combines two comparative markers.

Question 7Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

He drives very ______ on the highway at night.

  1. careful
  2. carefully Correct answer.
  3. care
  4. carefulness

Explanation

The verb drives is modified by an adverb, so carefully is correct. Careful is an adjective describing nouns, while carefulness and care are nouns.

Question 8Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The ______ toys were scattered across the living room floor.

  1. childrens'
  2. children
  3. children's Correct answer.
  4. childrens

Explanation

Plural nouns that do not end in -s take an apostrophe plus s to show possession: children's. Children is already the plural of child, so possessive -s is added directly to it.

Question 9Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

She ______ in this city since 2010.

  1. lives
  2. is living
  3. has lived Correct answer.
  4. lived

Explanation

Since 2010 introduces a situation that began in the past and continues to the present, which calls for the present perfect: has lived. The simple past would suggest the situation ended.

Question 10Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Between you and ______, this plan needs a lot more work.

  1. I
  2. me Correct answer.
  3. mine
  4. myself

Explanation

Between is a preposition, and prepositions take the object case, so me is correct. I is the subject form, myself is reflexive, and mine is possessive.

Question 11Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The teacher ______ we met yesterday was very kind.

  1. who
  2. which
  3. whose
  4. whom Correct answer.

Explanation

The relative pronoun is the object of met, so the object form whom is required. Who is the subject form, which refers to things, and whose marks possession.

Question 12Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

She didn't have ______ information about the change in the flight schedule.

  1. a few
  2. much Correct answer.
  3. many
  4. few

Explanation

Information is a noncount noun, so it takes much in negative statements and questions. Many, few, and a few are used with count nouns that have plural forms.

Question 13Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

By the time we arrived, the movie ______.

  1. was already starting
  2. had already started Correct answer.
  3. has already started
  4. already starts

Explanation

The past perfect had started places one past action before another past action (we arrived). The arrival is the later event, so the starting of the movie must be earlier in the past.

Question 14Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The children built the entire treehouse ______.

  1. theirselves
  2. themselves Correct answer.
  3. theirself
  4. themself

Explanation

A reflexive pronoun must match its antecedent in number and person. Children is plural, so the correct form is themselves.

Question 15Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The box of old photographs ______ in the attic for many years.

  1. were
  2. are
  3. have been
  4. was Correct answer.

Explanation

The subject is box, which is singular. The phrase of old photographs is a prepositional phrase and does not change the number of the subject, so the singular verb was is required.

Question 16Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

My doctor suggested ______ more exercise during the week.

  1. getting Correct answer.
  2. to get
  3. to getting
  4. to have got

Explanation

The verb suggest is followed by a gerund, not an infinitive: suggested getting. Infinitive patterns such as to get or to getting do not follow suggest.

Question 17Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Of the two sisters, Maria is ______.

  1. tallest
  2. tall
  3. more tall
  4. the taller Correct answer.

Explanation

When exactly two items are compared, use the comparative form, and the is common before it: the taller. The superlative tallest is used for three or more items.

Question 18Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Walking through the park early this morning, ______.

  1. beautiful flowers were seen
  2. I saw beautiful flowers Correct answer.
  3. the beauty of flowers was seen
  4. the flowers were beautiful

Explanation

An introductory participial phrase describes the subject of the main clause. Only I can be the person walking through the park, so the main clause must begin with I.

Question 19Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

When I was a child, I ______ swimming every summer at the lake.

  1. had went
  2. go
  3. went Correct answer.
  4. have gone

Explanation

The clause When I was a child sets a past time frame, so the main verb must be in the past tense: went. Present and present perfect forms clash with that frame.

Question 20Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The dog wagged ______ tail happily when it saw its owner.

  1. its'
  2. it
  3. it's
  4. its Correct answer.

Explanation

Its is the possessive form of it and is needed before the noun tail. It's is a contraction of it is, and its' is never correct in English.

Question 21Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Neither the manager nor the employees ______ aware of the schedule change.

  1. is
  2. were Correct answer.
  3. was
  4. has been

Explanation

With neither...nor, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it. Employees is plural, so the plural verb were is required.

Question 22Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The committee recommended that the report ______ before Friday.

  1. submits
  2. be submitted Correct answer.
  3. will be submitted
  4. is submitted

Explanation

Verbs such as recommend, insist, and demand take the subjunctive in a that-clause. The subjunctive uses the base form be, even in the passive: be submitted.

Question 23Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The more you practice speaking English, ______ at expressing your ideas.

  1. you will become better
  2. the more better you become
  3. the best you will become
  4. the better you become Correct answer.

Explanation

This double comparative construction requires parallel clauses with the plus a comparative: the more..., the better.... Both halves must follow that pattern.

Question 24Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

If I ______ about the meeting earlier, I would have attended it.

  1. would know
  2. knew
  3. have known
  4. had known Correct answer.

Explanation

This is a past unreal condition: if plus past perfect, then would have plus past participle. Had known is the past perfect needed in the if-clause.

Question 25Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The prize goes to ______ finishes the race first.

  1. whoever Correct answer.
  2. whom
  3. who
  4. whomever

Explanation

The pronoun is the subject of the verb finishes, so subject case is needed. Because the clause has no separate antecedent, the fused relative whoever is required, even though the whole clause is the object of a preposition.

Question 26Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Everyone in the audience ______ to remain seated during the short intermission.

  1. have been asked
  2. was asked Correct answer.
  3. were asked
  4. were asking

Explanation

"Everyone" is a singular indefinite pronoun, so it requires a singular verb. The phrase "in the audience" sits between the subject and the verb but does not change the agreement. The past passive "was asked" fits the past setting of the sentence.

Question 27Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

After the chef added fresh herbs, the soup tasted ______.

  1. deliciously
  2. deliciousness
  3. delicious Correct answer.
  4. more deliciously

Explanation

"Taste" functions as a linking verb here, connecting the subject to a word that describes it. Linking verbs take predicate adjectives, so "delicious" is correct. Adverbs describe how an action is performed rather than a state of the subject.

Question 28Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The farmer counted the ______ grazing on the hillside.

  1. sheep Correct answer.
  2. sheepes
  3. sheep's
  4. sheeps

Explanation

"Sheep" is an irregular noun whose singular and plural forms are identical. The sentence needs a plural with no possessive meaning, so the base form "sheep" is correct. Adding -s or -es creates forms that do not exist in standard English.

Question 29Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

There were ______ people at the concert than we had expected.

  1. fewer Correct answer.
  2. fewest
  3. lesser
  4. less

Explanation

"People" is a plural countable noun, so the correct comparative quantifier is "fewer." "Less" is used with uncountable quantities such as water or time. The word "than" confirms that a comparative form is needed.

Question 30Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

My grandfather ______ his bicycle to work every day before he retired.

  1. uses to ride
  2. is used to ride
  3. used to ride Correct answer.
  4. use to ride

Explanation

"Used to" followed by a base verb expresses a past habit that no longer continues. The time phrase "before he retired" confirms the habit belongs to the past. The form never changes for person or number.

Question 31Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

She is responsible for ______ the weekly sales reports.

  1. prepared
  2. preparing Correct answer.
  3. to prepare
  4. prepare

Explanation

A preposition such as "for" must be followed by a noun or a gerund. The gerund "preparing" therefore fits, while an infinitive or a base verb cannot follow a preposition.

Question 32Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

That was the ______ performance I have ever seen at this theater.

  1. most bad
  2. baddest
  3. worst Correct answer.
  4. worse

Explanation

"Bad" has the irregular forms worse (comparative) and worst (superlative). The pattern "the ... I have ever seen" calls for the superlative "worst." Superlatives compare one member with a whole group.

Question 33Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

By next June, my sister ______ in Toronto for five years.

  1. will be living
  2. will lived
  3. will have lived Correct answer.
  4. would have lived

Explanation

A future deadline combined with a length of time requires the future perfect: "will have lived." The form stresses that the five-year period will be complete by that date. The conditional "would have" would need an if-clause.

Question 34Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The number of applications ______ steadily since the new website launched.

  1. has risen Correct answer.
  2. have risen
  3. have been rising
  4. are rising

Explanation

The subject is "the number," which is singular, so the verb must be singular: "has risen." The phrase "of applications" merely describes the number. Note that "a number of applications" would take a plural verb.

Question 35Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Having checked the weather forecast carefully, ______.

  1. postponing the trip was the decision
  2. it was decided to postpone the trip
  3. the hikers postponed the trip Correct answer.
  4. the trip was postponed by the hikers

Explanation

An opening participial phrase must describe the subject of the main clause. The people who checked the forecast are the hikers, so "the hikers" must be the subject that follows. Any other subject creates a dangling modifier.

Question 36Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

My cousins painted the whole garage by ______ last weekend.

  1. theirself
  2. themselves Correct answer.
  3. theirselves
  4. themself

Explanation

The reflexive pronoun for third-person plural is "themselves," matching the subject "cousins." The form "theirselves" is a common nonstandard variant. Reflexive pronouns must agree with their subject in person and number.

Question 37Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The three-hour lecture was so ______ that half the audience fell asleep.

  1. bore
  2. boring Correct answer.
  3. bored
  4. boringly

Explanation

The adjective describes the lecture, which caused the feeling in the audience. Adjectives ending in -ing describe the thing that produces a feeling, while -ed adjectives describe the person who experiences it.

Question 38Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

He is one of the volunteers who ______ every Saturday at the animal shelter.

  1. work Correct answer.
  2. is working
  3. has worked
  4. works

Explanation

The relative pronoun "who" refers to "volunteers," which is plural, so the verb inside the relative clause must be plural: "work." The phrase "one of the" does not control the verb of the relative clause.

Question 39Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

You ______ me you were bringing guests; I would have made more food.

  1. would have been told
  2. must tell
  3. should tell
  4. should have told Correct answer.

Explanation

Criticism or regret about a past obligation that was not fulfilled uses "should have" plus a past participle. The second clause, "would have made," confirms that the situation is in the past. Present forms such as "should tell" do not express this regret.

Question 40Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The internship teaches students not only technical skills ______ the value of teamwork.

  1. as well as
  2. and also
  3. but also Correct answer.
  4. but

Explanation

"Not only ... but also" is a fixed correlative pair, and the words after each part must be parallel. Here "technical skills" and "the value of teamwork" are both noun phrases.

Question 41Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

She ______ three chapters of the novel so far, and she plans to finish it this weekend.

  1. reads
  2. is reading
  3. has read Correct answer.
  4. read

Explanation

"So far" refers to a period that is still open, which requires the present perfect "has read." The second clause shows the action is unfinished. Simple past would place the reading in a completed past period.

Question 42Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The jury ______ its verdict after deliberating for two days.

  1. has reached Correct answer.
  2. are reaching
  3. were reaching
  4. have reached

Explanation

A collective noun such as "jury" acting as a single unit takes a singular verb, and the pronoun "its" confirms the singular view. "Has reached" also matches the completed action described.

Question 43Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Yesterday afternoon the cat ______ on the warm windowsill for hours.

  1. laid
  2. lied
  3. lay Correct answer.
  4. lain

Explanation

The verb "lie" meaning "to recline" is intransitive, and its simple past form is "lay": the cat lay on the sill. "Laid" is the past of the transitive "lay" (to place something), "lain" is the past participle of "lie," and "lied" means told an untruth.

Question 44Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

She found a ______ table at the antique market.

  1. wooden beautiful old
  2. beautiful old wooden Correct answer.
  3. old beautiful wooden
  4. beautiful wooden old

Explanation

English adjectives normally appear in the order opinion, age, material, then the noun. Here "beautiful" gives an opinion, "old" gives an age, and "wooden" gives the material. Only one option follows that sequence.

Question 45Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Among the reasons for the delay ______ the heavy snow and the closed highway.

  1. was
  2. were Correct answer.
  3. has been
  4. is

Explanation

The prepositional phrase comes first, so the subject follows the verb. The real subject is the compound "the heavy snow and the closed highway," which is plural and requires "were."

Question 46Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

This year's profits are noticeably higher than ______ of last year.

  1. them
  2. that
  3. these
  4. those Correct answer.

Explanation

The comparison substitutes a demonstrative pronoun for "profits" to avoid repetition. Since "profits" is plural, the plural substitute "those" is required. "That" would substitute for a singular noun.

Question 47Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

The witness seems ______ the details of that night already.

  1. to be hearing
  2. to hear
  3. to have heard Correct answer.
  4. hearing

Explanation

The verb "seem" is followed by a to-infinitive. Because the hearing happened before the seeming, the perfect infinitive "to have heard" is needed to show the earlier time.

Question 48Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

You had better ______ your passport before the trip.

  1. renewed
  2. to renew
  3. renewing
  4. renew Correct answer.

Explanation

The fixed expression "had better" is followed by the bare infinitive, so "renew" is correct. It expresses strong advice about the future and never takes "to."

Question 49Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

Either the twins or their father ______ driving the van this afternoon.

  1. are
  2. have been
  3. were
  4. is Correct answer.

Explanation

With "either ... or," the verb agrees with the subject that is closer to it. The nearer subject is "their father," which is singular, so "is" is correct.

Question 50Grammar and Usage (nouns, pronouns, verb tense and agreement, modifiers, comparatives)

In 1998, the company ______ its first overseas office in Singapore.

  1. was opening
  2. had opened
  3. opened Correct answer.
  4. has opened

Explanation

A completed action placed at a specific past time takes the simple past. The date phrase 'In 1998' anchors the event firmly in the past, so a tense that links the past to the present or that depends on another past event does not fit.