Welcome to our extensive collection of 50 basic-level descriptive-type questions and answers on English grammar. This blog post is designed to aid your preparation for competitive exams such as APSC, APDCL, and AEGCL AAO. English grammar is an essential component of these exams, and having a solid grasp of it can significantly boost your performance.
These questions cover a wide range of topics, including sentence structure, parts of speech, punctuation, and common grammatical errors. By practicing these descriptive questions, you will improve your understanding and readiness for the exams.
50 Basic-Level Descriptive Questions and Answers on English Grammar
1. What is a noun?
Answer: A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
2. What is a pronoun?
Answer: A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Examples are he, she, it, they.
3. What is a verb?
Answer: A verb is a word that expresses action or a state of being.
4. What is an adjective?
Answer: An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun.
5. What is an adverb?
Answer: An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
6. What is a sentence?
Answer: A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.
7. What is a subject in a sentence?
Answer: The subject is the part of a sentence that tells who or what the sentence is about.
8. What is a predicate in a sentence?
Answer: The predicate is the part of a sentence that tells what the subject does or is.
9. What is a simple sentence?
Answer: A simple sentence has one independent clause and no dependent clauses.
10. What is a compound sentence?
Answer: A compound sentence has two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction.
11. What is a complex sentence?
Answer: A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
12. What is a preposition?
Answer: A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence.
13. What is a conjunction?
Answer: A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses.
14. What is an interjection?
Answer: An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion or surprise.
15. What is a clause?
Answer: A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb.
16. What is an independent clause?
Answer: An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.
17. What is a dependent clause?
Answer: A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and depends on an independent clause.
18. What is the subject-verb agreement?
Answer: Subject-verb agreement means the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural).
19. What is a pronoun-antecedent agreement?
Answer: Pronoun-antecedent agreement means a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender.
20. What is a direct object?
Answer: A direct object receives the action of the verb.
21. What is an indirect object?
Answer: An indirect object tells to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done.
22. What is a compound subject?
Answer: A compound subject has two or more subjects joined by a conjunction.
23. What is a compound predicate?
Answer: A compound predicate has two or more verbs joined by a conjunction.
24. What is an article?
Answer: An article is a word that defines a noun as specific or unspecific. Examples are a, an, the.
25. What is a possessive noun?
Answer: A possessive noun shows ownership or possession.
26. What is a singular noun?
Answer: A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea.
27. What is a plural noun?
Answer: A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
28. What is a proper noun?
Answer: A proper noun names a specific person, place, thing, or idea and is always capitalized.
29. What is a common noun?
Answer: A common noun names any one of a class of people, places, things, or ideas and is not capitalized.
30. What is a collective noun?
Answer: A collective noun names a group of individuals or things.
31. What is a demonstrative pronoun?
Answer: A demonstrative pronoun points out a specific person, place, thing, or idea. Examples are this, that, these, those.
32. What is an interrogative pronoun?
Answer: An interrogative pronoun introduces a question. Examples are who, whom, which, what.
33. What is a reflexive pronoun?
Answer: A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the sentence. Examples are myself, yourself, himself.
34. What is an intensive pronoun?
Answer: An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent. Examples are myself, yourself, himself.
35. What is a transitive verb?
Answer: A transitive verb is an action verb that takes a direct object.
36. What is an intransitive verb?
Answer: An intransitive verb is an action verb that does not take a direct object.
37. What is an auxiliary verb?
Answer: An auxiliary verb (helping verb) helps the main verb express action or a state of being.
38. What is a linking verb?
Answer: A linking verb connects the subject to a subject complement. Examples are am, is, are, was, were.
39. What is a gerund?
Answer: A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun.
40. What is a participle?
Answer: A participle is a verb form that functions as an adjective.
41. What is an infinitive?
Answer: An infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by the word ‘to.’ It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
42. What is a predicate nominative?
Answer: A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames the subject.
43. What is a predicate adjective?
Answer: A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject.
44. What is a relative pronoun?
Answer: A relative pronoun introduces a dependent clause. Examples are who, whom, whose, which, that.
45. What is a coordinating conjunction?
Answer: A coordinating conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses of equal rank. Examples are and, but, or.
46. What is a subordinating conjunction?
Answer: A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause. Examples are because, although, if.
47. What is a correlative conjunction?
Answer: A correlative conjunction is a pair of conjunctions that work together. Examples are either/or, neither/nor, both/and.
48. What is a run-on sentence?
Answer: A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or conjunction.
49. What is a fragment?
Answer: A fragment is an incomplete sentence that lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.
50. What is a modifier?
Answer: A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes or changes the meaning of another word, phrase, or clause.
The Botton Line
Thank you for going through our set of 50 basic-level descriptive-type questions and answers on English grammar. We hope this resource has been beneficial for your preparation for competitive exams like APSC, APDCL, and AEGCL AAO.
Regular practice is key to mastering English grammar and performing well in your exams. Keep revisiting these questions to reinforce your knowledge and improve your skills. Best of luck with your studies and future exams!
Abdur Rohman is an Electrical Engineer from Charaideo, Assam, who wears multiple hats as a part-time teacher, blogger, entrepreneur, and digital marketer. Passionate about education, he founded The Assam School blog to provide free, comprehensive textbook solutions, MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions), and other academic content for students from Class V to XII.