which of the following sentences correctly uses a hyphen

ATI TEAS 7

English and Language Usage TEAS

1. Which of the following sentences correctly uses a hyphen?

A. Last year, many of the players felt unsure of the coach's methods.
B. Some of the furniture she selected seemed a bit over-the-top for the space.
C. Henry is a beagle-mix and is ready for adoption this weekend.
D. Geena works to maintain a good relationship with her ex-husband to the benefit of their children.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct usage of a hyphen is seen in sentence C, 'Henry is a beagle-mix and is ready for adoption this weekend.' The hyphen is used in 'beagle-mix' to link the two words together to describe Henry's breed accurately. Choice A contains a comma incorrectly placed after 'Last year.' Choice B uses hyphens as dashes, which is incorrect. Choice D does not require a hyphen as there is no compound term or adjective that needs to be linked.

2. Janine was so nervous that she was surprisingly graceless and awkward on stage. What is the meaning of the word 'graceless' as used in the sentence below?

A. Against fear
B. Without religion
C. Lacking elegance
D. Full of caution

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The word 'graceless' in this context means lacking elegance or poise. Janine's nervousness caused her to act awkwardly and without the elegance one would typically expect on stage. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. 'Against fear,' 'Without religion,' and 'Full of caution' do not accurately capture the meaning of 'graceless' in the given sentence.

3. Which of the following sentences contains a correct example of subject-verb agreement?

A. All of the board members are in agreement on the issue.
B. Each of the students was concerned about the test scores for the final exam.
C. Neither of the children is at home right now.
D. Any of the brownie recipes is perfect for the bake sale.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A. In this sentence, the subject 'all of the board members' is plural, and the verb 'are' agrees with it. In choice B, 'each of the students' is singular, so the verb should be 'was' instead of 'were.' Choice C should use 'is' instead of 'are' since 'neither of the children' is singular. In choice D, 'any of the brownie recipes' is singular, so 'is' should be used instead of 'are.' Therefore, only choice A demonstrates proper subject-verb agreement.

4. Which sentence uses the phrase 'by the way' correctly?

A. By the way, I forgot to tell you that I won the lottery!
B. He finished his report; by the way, it was very well-written.
C. I have some news for you, by the way.
D. By the way, the movie starts at 8 pm.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Option C correctly uses the phrase 'by the way' to introduce additional information that is not directly related to the previous sentence, making it a natural and appropriate use of the phrase in casual conversation. Choices A, B, and D do not use 'by the way' in the same context as option C. Choice A incorrectly uses 'by the way' to convey winning the lottery, which is not a casual or incidental piece of information. Choice B incorrectly uses 'by the way' after a semicolon in a way that disrupts the flow of the sentence. Choice D correctly uses 'by the way' but the information provided about the movie starting time is not a casual or incidental addition, unlike in option C.

5. The important decision will be made tomorrow. Which word is the comparative form of the adjective 'important'?

A. important
B. importantly
C. more important
D. most important

Correct answer: C

Rationale: In this sentence, 'important' is the positive form of the adjective. When comparing two things, the comparative form is used, which is 'more important' in this case. 'More important' indicates a higher degree of importance when comparing two things. Therefore, 'more important' is the correct comparative form of the adjective 'important' in this context. Choice A ('important') is the positive form, not the comparative form. Choice B ('importantly') is an adverb, not a comparative form of the adjective. Choice D ('most important') is the superlative form, used to show the highest degree of importance among three or more things, not for comparing two things.