Tests
There are two tests on
this page. The first test is rated 'moderate difficulty'
and covers basic understanding of grammar. The second
test, rated 'moderate-to-hard', assesses your ability to
work with the scientific names of organisms.
In each test there are
several deliberate errors, which mimic the most common
errors found in students' writing. So this is
"real-life" stuff! I suggest that you print the
page, mark all the errors that you spot (and try to say
why they are wrong), then go to the correct version,
which highlights the errors and provides guidance notes
to help you improve your writing. Good luck!
Test
1 (rating: basic understanding)
The following
piece of text has a serious message, but it is a flawed
message. It contains 23 deliberate errors, all of them
common in students' essays. Some are errors of
punctuation, some of spelling, and some of grammatical
construction or word usage. How many can you spot?
Why should you bother
to read this web site? One reason is, that it will
help you to improve your writing skills as you work
through it's examples. You maybe able to find things
which have always caused you problems, once learnt
they will increase your confidence. This is not,
however the only way to use this site. You can e.g.
look-up specific points in the index. This site also
contains guidance on essay-writing, on how to avoid
plagiarism, abreviations, and the endings of some
latin and greek words. None of us are perfect;
everyone of us make mistakes occasionally. Hopefully,
you will find this site to be a readily-available
reference source. Although, its not overwhelming.
Perhaps the greatest value to be gained from working
through the examples are that you will start to
analyse, and think about, the way you write. You will
become increasingly disciplined in both your writing
and thinking. Your confidance will grow with every
step along this path. The future is your's. Go for
it!
To find the answers CLICK
HERE
Test
2 (rating: moderate to hard)
This test contains
17 deliberate errors, including spelling errors, faulty
punctuation, wrong endings of Latin words, faulty
construction, and one 'trick' to test your understanding
of elementary taxonomy. How many can you find?
Fungi are classified
as a distinct group of organisms, now regarded as a
kingdom. The fungi can, however be divided into
subgroups. The subgroup Basidiomycota have airborne
spores. Its also the subgroup which produces
mushrooms and toadstalls. The subgroup Ascomycota
produce spores in an asci, the yeast Saccharomyces
cerevisiae is an example. The subgroup Zygomycota
contains species like Mucor and Rhizopus,
each of which grows on dung and produces it's spores
in a sporangia. The subgroup Chytridiomycota, with an
aquatic lifestyle and spores that have flagellae,
being the most primative subgroup. The evolutionary
origin of fungi is unknown but is thought to be a
choanoflagellate protozoa.
To find the
answers CLICK HERE
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