LANGUAGE ARTS
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Grammar and Usage
In the
following sentences, four parts of each sentence are underlined. If you think
any one of the underlined parts is incorrect, choose the letter under that part
as your answer. If you think the sentence is correct as written, choose (E) as
your answer. Please note: read together, all of the sentences in this section
make up a story.
1. Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam, are the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. No
Error.
A: ARE is wrong here.
Vietnam is a single country (singular), not plural. Therefore, IS
should be used in place of ARE.
2. With an estimated
90.3 million inhabitants as of 2012, it is the eighth-most-populous
asian country. No
Error.
A: ASIAN must be
capitalized. Asian, not asian.
3. The name Vietnam translate
as "Southern Viet" and was first officially
adopted in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long and
again in 1945 with the founding of the Democratic Republic
of Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh. No
Error.
A: The subject of this sentence is
the name, which is singular. Therefore, TRANSLATES (a singular verb) should be
used.
4. The Country is
bordered by China to the north, Laos to the
northwest, Cambodia to the southwest,
and the South China
Sea to the east. No Error.
A: Country is not a
proper noun here and should not be capitalized.
5. It’s capital
city has been Hanoi since the
reunification of North and South Vietnam in
1976. No Error.
A: IT’S refers to the contraction of
it is, not the possessive form of it. ITS is the possessive from of it and
should be used here.
6. The Vietnamese became independent from Imperial China in 938
AD, following the resounding vietnamese victory in the Battle of
Bạch Đằng River. No Error.
A: Vietnamese is a proper
noun and must be capitalized. Vietnamese, not vietnamese.
7. Successive Vietnamese royal dynasties flourished as
the nation expanded geographical and politically into
Southeast Asia. No Error.
A: Geographical is wrong here. You
need an –LY ending. Sentence should read “Geographically.” An adverb is designed
to modify or quantify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. An adverb is
used primarily to modify a verb.
8. Following a Japanese occupation in the
1940s, the Vietnamese fought French rule in the first Indochina War,
eventually expelling the french in 1954. No Error.
A: French is a proper noun and must
be capitalized. “French”
9: Thereafter Vietnam was divided politically into two rival states. No
Error.
A: You need a comma after
THEREAFTER. You always need a comma after a transition. A comma indicates a
pause in between parts of a sentence.
10: Conflict among the
two sides intensified, with heavy foreign intervention,
during the Vietnam War,
which ended with a North Vietnamese victory in 1975. No
Error.
A: AMONG is wrong here. Use “among”
only when dealing with three or more. Use “between” when you are certain that
you are dealing with two. Here, the sentence clearly says “two” so you must use
“between”
11. Vietnam was then unified under a Communist government,
but they was politically isolated and impoverished. No
Error.
A: THEY is wrong here. Vietnam is a
single country, so you must use IT, not THEY
12. In 1986, the government initiated a
series of economic and
political reforms, which began Vietnams path
towards integration into the world economy. No Error.
A: You need an apostrophe here.
“Vietnam’s” path.
13. By the year 2000 the country had established diplomatic relations with most nations.
No Error.
A: “By the year 2000, the country” –
You need a comma after 2000. To avoid confusion, use commas to
separate words and word groups within a series of three or more. Also use a
comma to separate two adjectives when the word “and” can be inserted between
them. Here, use a comma after phrases of more than three words that begin a
sentence. If the phrase has fewer than three words, then the comma is optional.
14. Vietnams economic growth has
been among the highest in the world since
2000. No Error.
A:
“Vietnam’s” because you need possession here.
15. Vietnam had
the higher Global Growth Generators Index among 11 major economies
in 2011. No Error.
A:
HIGHER is wrong here. Only use ER endings when you have exactly two. Otherwise
use EST endings.
16. It’s successful economic reforms resulted in it joining
the World Trade Organization
in 2007. No Error.
A:
IT’S is wrong here. You must use ITS successful reforms because you need to
show a possession (Vietnam’s reforms). You cannot use IT’S because that is a
contraction for IT IS.
17. However, the
country still suffer from relatively high levels of income inequality,
disparities in healthcare provision,
and poor gender
equality. No Error.
A:
SUFFER is wrong here. The country is ONE country and it is SINGULAR, no matter
how many people live in the country. Remember: A family of five IS large! A
class of 30 students IS a large class! Focus on the subject. A country with
100,000,000 people IS a large country.
18. As a
coastal country Vietnam has many major
seaports, including: Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Gai, Qui Nhơn, Vũng Tàu and
Nha Trang. No Error.
A:
“Country, Vietnam” – the comma is missing here.
19. According to the 2005 National
Environmental Present Condition Report, Vietnam is one of
twenty-five countries considered to possess a unique high
level of biodiversity. No Error.
A:
UNIQUE should be replaced with “uniquely.” Remember to use an adjective after
the verb, or in this case the infinitive of the verb. “Uniquely” is appropriate
here. Remember: “Drive safely,” “Speak softly”
20: In agricultural genetic diversity, Vietnam is one
of the worlds twelve original cultivar centers. No
Error.
A: “WORLD’S” You
need an 3apostrophe here to show possession. “John’s car” “Rachel’s house”
“world’s centers”
