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/lit/ - Literature

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3451728 No.3451728 [Reply] [Original]

How about a /lit/-relevant quiz?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-twork/teacher-blog/quiz/2013/feb//grammar-punctuation-quiz-test

>> No.3451742

13 out of 14
I got 11 wrong. I wish the fire would destroy my life, the embarrassment.

>> No.3451743

12/14

:| Screwed up on the abstract and collective.

>> No.3451748

>>3451743
>>3451742
casuals

>> No.3451749
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3451749

>You scored 13 out of a possible 14
>Thank you for taking our quiz.

I wish they told which one was wrong.

>> No.3451752

>>3451749
Click 'see answers'

>> No.3451753

>>3451742
13 out of 14 means you got 1 wrong, dude.

>> No.3451755

>>3451753
He meant that he got number 11 wrong.

>>3451748
Nou

>> No.3451756

>>3451753
Number 11

>> No.3451757

>>3451753
>implying objective truth

>> No.3451766

this quiz is pointless shit unless maybe if you're trying to learn english and don't want to get your words mixed up or something

>> No.3451773

>>3451766
Don't worry, post your score, it's anonymous!

>> No.3451794

Non-English here, 11/14. 7, 8 & 13 were wrong. Now, what's the difference between abstract and collective nouns?

>> No.3451804

>>3451794
Collective is what it sounds like, a collection of something. Like audience, it's referring to a number of things. Abstract is in opposition to concrete. Concrete is popularly described as "what you can put in a wheelbarrow", it's on some level referencing something physical, whereas an abstract known is not something you can put in a wheelbarrow, like justice or morality. In the case of pride, you have it in the abstract sense of being proud, and in the collective sense of "a pride of lions", the word for a group of lions, analogous to a flock of birds or school of fish

>> No.3451827

>>3451804
Thanks for that!

>> No.3451835

13/14

How is "Pride" a collective AND and abstract noun? I can see the argument for it being collective (like a group of lions) OR abstract (the concept of pride), but not both simultaneously.

>> No.3451840

>>3451835
I missed that one, too. If "pride" is both collective and abstract, then so is "truth".

Flawed test, flawed test.

>> No.3451852

>>3451840
How is 'truth' a collective noun?

Protip: It's not.

>> No.3451847
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3451847

Anyone getting less than 14 should leave and have a serious chat with themselves.

>> No.3451848

>>3451840
How is truth collective?

>> No.3451855

>>3451835
It's a trick question, which tends to be the mainstay of selective tests for primary school students.

>> No.3451858

>>3451835
Because you can have a 'pride of lions' - a collective noun.

>> No.3451859

>>3451840
I think it's because "pride" has two meanings - either the abstract noun for self-esteem and hubris, or the collective noun for a group of lions.

which is a completely bullshit answer, but there you go

>> No.3451860

>>3451847
You Googled what a Gerund was, I can tell.

>> No.3451861

>>3451848
>>3451852
How is pride?

Protip: it's not.

The reading comprehension here is dazzling as ever, /lit/. Read up on "if...then" statements.

>> No.3451864

>>3451860
Don't think so, son. I've seen gerunds and gerundatives since doing Latin and Greek for nearly 20 years.

>> No.3451869

>>3451861
> A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion

I think you better educate yourself before throwing accusations around, son.

>> No.3451866

>>3451861
A Pride of Lions
A Truth of Tooths

One of these isn't real

>> No.3451873

>>3451866
Yeah but otoh it's completely fucking bullshit to ask whether or something is an abstract or collective noun, when it's only a collective noun if used in a completely different, incidental, and totally unrelated sense to its main usage as an abstract noun.

To put it another way - it's not an abstract, collective noun. It's always either an abstract or collective noun, depending on the sense in which it is used. It can never be both at the same time.

>> No.3451874

10/14

Pretty fine, considering I simply rely on instinct to get things grammatically correct. The terminology is alien to me.

>> No.3451882

>>3451864
I can totally tell that you Googled it.

>> No.3451885

>>3451873
You're thinking too much about it.

'Pride' is an abstract noun for the feeling of hubris, etc. AND a noun for a collection of lions.

'Truth' is ONLY an abstract noun for the concept of 'being right/correct'.

That's it. End of story.

>> No.3451878

>>3451860
I have to be honest, I was disappointed one of the options wasn't "-und"

>> No.3451879

>subordinate clause
can't into grammer here. i'm out

>> No.3451886

>>3451869
>>3451866
Right, but like >>3451835 said, it makes more sense to say that "pride" is an abstract OR collective noun.

Because if "pride" is used in the abstract noun's sense, in that case it is not of the collective meaning. And if it is a collective one, in that case it is not of the abstract meaning.

Do you get me, sweethearts?

>> No.3451891

>>3451885
yes, in a technical sense that is true, but in a larger and more relevant sense, it is bullshit, because those two uses are fundamentally unrelated, and it's a titchy, pedantic, meaningless, fundamentally useless thing to say that it's both

it's a dumb pedantic trick question, which perhaps should have been expected from the guardian, but still, it's bs

>> No.3451892

>>3451886
See
>>3451885

It's a simple word game, guys. If you didn't know that 'pride' has two meaning, then now you do.

>> No.3451893

>>3451728
13 out of 14. I thought "team" was both abstract and collective. Not bad though.

>> No.3451897

>>3451879
It'll be the clause that can't form a complete sentence on its own, that only makes sense in reference to the other clause. Just divide the clauses up and see which one doesn't at least have the bare minimum subject and verb

>> No.3451901
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3451901

>>3451869
You can talk all you want, but you still won Lit's Nitwit of the day award.

>> No.3451904

>>3451892
>>3451885
The question is clearly flawed, regardless of whether or not one knows it has two different meanings (which almost everyone does).

>> No.3451908

what's a main clause i never went to a murican grade school to learn this crap

>> No.3451907

>>3451901
Yes, be quiet.

>> No.3451912

>>3451901
The judges are back, and the winner goes to >>3451861

>> No.3451914

>>3451904
It's not flawed, it's very simple, at least for normal people who don't have too much pride (an abstract noun).

>> No.3451915

>>3451908
Your main subject, the verb it's doing and maybe the object it's doing it to too if the verb is transitive.

>> No.3451928

jesus christ this is like medieval metaphysics

14/14 thanks grammer teacher anon

>> No.3452053

This poll is difficult for me because I only understand grammar intuitively, and don't know much about the theory or terminology. I had to look up a lot of things. English isn't my first language, but I know even less about grammar in my own language.

And after pressing the submit button, my score is...

12 out of 14.

Should be 13 because I accidentally chose the wrong answer for one. So the only error was the question about active voice. I figured it must be the last one, because the first two seemed passive and were essentially identical, which would make the third answer the correct one. I know what passive/active voice is, but I don't understand why my answer wasn't correct. What's the difference between "The fire had destroyed all life" and "All life had been destroyed by the fire"?

>> No.3452078

13/14 despite the fact that I'm absolutely awful when it comes to grammar.

>> No.3453175

>>3452053
when A causes B, A is the actor and the active voice is A cause B. B caused by A is passive for soem retarded reason don't ask me

>> No.3453195

>>3452053
Same, I got 12/14, and I consider myself pretty good at writing (I get paid to write copy), but I've never been taught grammar.

>> No.3453208

>subordinate clause
I don't even know what the fuck Santa and BDSM has to do with penguins.

>> No.3453222

>>3453195
You really think being able to identify the subordinate clause and the prepositions have anything to do with how well you write?

>> No.3453236

14/14

I was expecting something challenging, but it's just a vanity quiz.

>> No.3453240

>>3451860
>googling what a gerund is

Do you even grade school?

>> No.3453279

>>3453222
It's not necessary, but it certainly helps.