BBC十道趣味语法题：测测你的语法学得怎么样？).doc

我们学习英语时最常接触的就是语法，那么你对所有格写法、分号、和分词结构究竟懂多少呢？BBC网站最近发布了十道语法测试题，难住了不少人。赶快来看看你能拿到多少分吧！（讲解也是BBC提供的哟）
1) The man next door has a garden that is being overrun with cats. Which of the following questions is correct?
1. Who's cats are using our neighbours garden?
2. Who's cats' are using our neighbours garden?
3. Whose cats are using our neighbour's garden?
4. Whose cats are using our neighbours' garden?
【正确答案：3】
【讲解】
Who's" is short for "who is", whereas "whose" is used to describe items that belong to someone. The garden belongs to the neighbour (singular) so needs an apostrophe before the "s"
"Who's" 是 "who is"的缩写，而 "whose" 则指某物为某人所有。句中描述花园主人时用的是单数，所以需要用单数加所有格符号"'s".

2) Lots of people are confused about when to use "may" and when to use "might". Which one is better here?
1. The win against Australia might have been a turning point, but it didn't turn out like that
2. The win against Australia may have been a turning point, but it didn't turn out like that
【正确答案：1】
【讲解】
The use of may or might varies according to context. In this case, because the victory did not result in a turning point, one chooses the more hypothetical might. May would be correct only if the turning point had happened.
由句子可知，胜利并未带来预期的转折点。因此要用假设语气更强的"might"，只有在"turning point"真正出现时才可以用"may"。

3) Read this sentence carefully. "I'd like to introduce you to my sister Clara, who lives in Madrid, to Benedict, my brother who doesn't, and to my only other sibling, Hilary." Which of the following is correct?
1. Hilary is male
2. Hilary is female
3. It's impossible to know from the context
【正确答案：1】
【讲解】
The absence of a comma before "who doesn't" implies that there are other brothers. A comma after "my brother" would mean that there was only one brother.
"my brother"和 "who doesn't" 之间没有用逗号隔开，暗示还有其他的兄弟，"who doesn't"只是限定修饰其中之一。如果 "my brother" 之后有逗号，说明只有一个兄弟。

4) Less and fewer often cause people grief. Which of the following is wrong?
1. There's less water in the river these days
2. I eat fewer than five apples a week
3. I drink less than three coffees a day
【正确答案：3】
【讲解】
For "countable" things use fewer. For things that are not "countable" - such as water in the river - use less.
可数名词用“fewer”，不可数名词用“less”。句中“coffees”指的是“几杯咖啡”。

5) Which of the following sentences correctly contains a semi-colon?
1. My uncle's whiskers are magnificent indeed; but I have no desire to stroke them.
2. Landing a plane isn't hard; I once saw a child do it.
3. There are two countries beginning with Z; Zimbabwe and Zambia.
【正确答案：2】
【讲解】
Here it links two independent clauses. You do not use it before a conjunction such as "and" or "but". A colon or dash would work better in the last sentence.
分号用来连接两个独立的子句，这时句中不会出现"and" 或"but"等连词。最后一句用冒号或破折号更好。

6) "This is the kind of tedious nonsense up with which I will not put!" Which grammar rule was Winston Churchill supposed to have objected to?
1. Don't start a sentence with but.
2. Avoid splitting an infinitive.
3. Never end a sentence with a preposition.
【正确答案：3】
The story is apocryphal. It is likely that the comment came from a memorandum written by one of Churchill's civil servants.
这个定语从句分写成简单句是：This is the kind of tedious nonsense. I will not put up with the nonsense.
7) Sometimes you should use "that" and sometimes "which". Which sentence here is wrong?
1. The car which ran me over was speeding.
2. The car that ran me over was speeding.
3. The car, which was speeding, ran me over.
【 正确答案：1】
【讲解】
"That" defines something, whereas "which" adds new information in a separate clause, often needing commas.
"that" 用于定义某物状态、性质，而 "which" 会在从句中增添新的信息，并且时常会用逗号隔开。

8) Consider this sentence: "Do you mind my asking you?" Which of the following does it include?
1. Modal
2. Gerund
3. Imperative
【正确答案：2 】
【讲解】
A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing".
gerund：动名词；指由动词加"-ing"变为名词的情况。

9) Which of the following is not correct?
1. I was sitting in the chair
2. I sat in the chair
3. I was sat in the chair
【正确答案：3】
【讲解】
To use "was" requires the participle "sitting" after it.
"was" 后要用分词 "sitting" 。

10) "The Queen arrived at the castle with the King by her side, in a dress adorned with hand-sewn embroidered dragons." What kind of mistake is this?
1. Fallen subjunctive
2. Misplaced modifier
3. Dangling participle
【正确答案：2】
【讲解】
This is a clause placed so awkwardly as to create ambiguity or misunderstanding. A dangling participle is a type of misplaced modifier involving a participle. Fallen subjunctive does not exist.
这句话语序混乱表达不清。"dangling participle" 指的是垂悬分词，是"misplaced modifier" （修饰错位）的一种，涉及分词形式； "fallen subjunctive"是“错用虚拟”，本句没有用到虚拟语气。