Annie's Amazing Grammar Quiz

by Darlene Ryan

My friend Annie is a spelling and grammar junkie. Ask her to explain the difference between lay and lie or who and whom and her eyes light up. Not only does Annie love word quizzes, she also likes to make them up and send them to me. This weekend she’s put together a grammar quiz especially for PDD readers. The answers follow the questions. You’re on your honor not to cheat. Please share your score in comments. (I got 7 out of 10.)

Annie’s Amazing Grammar Quiz

1. Which phrase is correct?

A. Peter and John’s boat.

B. Peter’s and John’s boat.

2. Which sentence is correct?

A. Between you and I, the book is boring.

B. Between you and me, the book is boring.

3. You have two neighbors. You mention one of them in a letter to your sister. Which sentence is correct?

A. My neighbor, Lynn, has a gorgeous flower garden.

B. My neighbor Lynn has a gorgeous flower garden.

4. Neither of the stars____coming to the premiere.

A. is

B. are

5. Which sentence tells the reader every boy got a cookie?

A. I gave cookies to the boys who had behaved.

B. I gave cookies to the boys, who had behaved.

6. Which sentence is correct?

A. Who’s bringing the cake, and whose cottage is whose?

B. Whose bringing the cake, and whose cottage is who’s?

C. Who’s bringing the cake, and who’s cottage is whose?

D. Who’s bringing the cake, and who’s cottage is who’s?

7. Remember to pick up Bill and ____tomorrow.

A. me

B. I

8. If you only have one grandmother, which sentence is correct?

A. My grandmother, Edith, went sky-diving on her birthday.

B. My grandmother Edith went sky-diving on her birthday.

9. Tom Milne,____my sister has always secretly loved, is getting married.

A. who

B. whom

10. Which sentence is correct?

A. The winning bid was your’s.

B. The winning bid was yours.

Answers: (No peeking before trying the questions.)

1. Answer: A

In this case the boat belongs to Peter and John so only the second name gets the possessive. If the sentence was referring to one boat belonging to Peter and one belonging to John it would read “Peter’s and John’s boats.”

2. Answer: B

Between is a preposition. You and me are objects of that preposition. I can’t be the object of a preposition. “Between you and I” is always wrong.

3. Answer: B

The second sentence, without any commas, tells the reader Lynn is one of your neighbors, but not the only one.

4. Answer: A

The subject of the sentence is neither, which is singular, and thus requires a singular verb.

5. Answer: B

Using the comma makes the phrase after it a non-restrictive clause. The phrase could be taken out of the sentence and the meaning would still be clear.

6. Answer: A

Who’s, a contraction for who is, is the correct word at the beginning of the sentence. Whose is the possessive case of who, thus “whose cottage is whose” is correct.

7. Answer: A

The sentence needs an object pronoun. I is a subject pronoun. Me, an object pronoun, is correct. To make it easier rearrange the sentence removing Bill and chose between me and I:

Remember to pick up____tomorrow. The correct choice is me, the object pronoun.

8. Answer: A

Commas before and after the name tell the reader you only have one grandmother.

9. Answer B

Who is a subject pronoun like she, he and they. Whom is an object pronoun like her, him and them. To make it easier to decide whether you need a subject pronoun or an object pronoun, rearrange the phrase and chose between him and he:

My sister has always secretly loved______. The correct choice is him, the object pronoun, which means you need whom in the original sentence.

10. Answer B

Yours is the possessive pronoun.

I’ve been torturing…I mean testing my friends all week and no one has gotten all the questions right. So, how did you do?

Son of the Monday Mystery Quiz

By Julia Buckley
As a continuation of last week's mystery quiz, here are some more questions to test your mystery mettle. Last week's champion: Lori Lake. (This week's answers to be posted later if people don't identify them).

1. Which English chief inspector was often accompanied in his office by an extremely intelligent (and elusive) cat named Cyril?

2. In which Sue Grafton novel did Kinsey develop a relationship with Robert Dietz, the tough bodyguard?

3. What was the pseudonym of writer and critic William Anthony Parker White?

4. What noted science fiction writer published his first detective novel at the age of sixty-five? (In 1985)

5. Who created the character of Professor Kate Fansler?

6. This award winning author of Glitz was quoted as saying of his writing, "I try to leave out the parts that people skip."

7. What was the shared pseudonym of the two cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee (both born in 1905)?

8. What award-winning English mystery writer also uses the name Barbara Vine?

9. Who wrote "Rear Window?"

10. Dorothy Gilman is famous for the creation of what beloved fictional character?

Monday Mystery Quiz

Happy Monday! While you contemplate this old picture of my son dressed as Sherlock Holmes (would that he were still that tiny!), I have some mystery questions for you to answer. Let's see how many of you can get a perfect score.

1. Which mystery heroine had a best friend named Bess Myerson?

2. Which fictional detective first met his romantic interest when she was on trial for poisoning her lover?

3. Which hard boiled detective enjoyed playing chess by himself?

4. Which world-famous, prolific mystery writer lived for many years in Iraq?

5. Which famous fictional detective once said, "Women are never to be entirely trusted; not the best of them."

6. Which novelist and playwright won an Edgar for her novel A Dram of Poison?

7. Who came first, Auguste Dupin or Sherlock Holmes?

8. Which MWA Grand Master created Chief Inspector Jules Maigret?

9. Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo won an Edgar for their fourth novel, The Laughing Policeman. What else is distinctive about this writing team?

10. What are the names of the novels written by the Poe's Deadly Daughters? :)


Okay, how did you do? Are you a mystery expert? Let us know! (Answers to be posted later).