Grammatical Misfits
Three of the four words in each set have something in common (grammatically). Underline the
word that doesn’t belong with them and tell what the three words have in common.
Example: car, house, trucks, fence
They are singular nouns.
1. make, shake, bake, take
2. Monday, Canada, February, Winter
3. recite, renew, say, speak
4. their, she, her, its
5. quickly, never, before, good
6. deer, pig, ox, mouse
7. I’ll, aisle, isle, ill
8. Who’s, Jim’s, Mary’s, Dogs’
Synonyms
Synonyms are words that have the same or almost the same meaning.
There is one word underlined in each sentence. Choose the word that is NOT a synonym of that
word (in the context of the sentence). If necessary, use a dictionary or thesaurus.
1. Karen has a very attractive smile.
a. appealing
b. pleasant
c. sticky
d. pretty
2. I’ll have to revise my speech before it’s ready to be presented.
a. edit
b. change
c. fix
d. replace
3. That one foolish act damaged his reputation.
a. harmed
b. broke
c. marred
d. blemished
4. Frank has a large collection of rare musical instruments.
a. extensive
b. huge
c. big
d. portly
5. Please consider the probable effect of the actions you’re about to take!
a. change
b. consequence
c. result
d. outcome
6. Let’s trail them to see where they’re going.
a. path
b. follow
c. pursue
d. stalk
1_______2_______3_______4_______5_______6_______
Antonyms
Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings.
There is one word underlined in each sentence. Choose the word that is an antonym of that word
(in the context of the sentence). If necessary, use a dictionary or thesaurus.
1. Our investigation will reveal the truth!
a. conceal
b. expose
c. inspect
d. announce
2. There are many ways to build a house.
a. some
b. few
c. numerous
d. bad
3. That car is too expensive for our budget.
a. inexpensive
b. costly
c. priced
d. small
4. The teacher read us a very entertaining book.
a. fictional
b. factual
c. silly
d. boring
5. Sunglasses will only hinder your ability to see at night.
a. accept
b. describe
c. equal
d. help
6. That barbell is light enough for a two year old to lift!
a. dark
b. serious
c. harsh
d. heavy
7. The new governor will free the innocent prisoner.
a. costly
b. imprison
c. imprisoned
d. release
8. My parents are hoping that I’ll do the right thing.
a. left
b. prohibition
c. proper
d. wrong
1_______2_______3_______4_______5_______6_______7_______8_______
Synonyms and Antonyms
There are two underlined words in each selection. They are either
synonyms or antonyms. Put an S (for “synonym”) or an A (for “antonym”)
in the blank after each number to indicate how the words are related.
1_____ I couldn’t recall her name and I don’t even remember where we
met.
2_____ Chris wasn’t in his seat when the teacher passed out the morning
assignment. He was tardy as usual. Then he missed the bus and was late
for supper.
3_____ I thought I had a rare old bicycle that was worth a fortune. It
turned out to be a common model that nobody wanted to buy.
4._____ “What is that awful smell?” Troy asked as Melinda entered the
room. “That wonderful fragrance is my perfume!” she replied.
5_____ Yes, taking your shoes off as we entered Patrick’s house was a
polite thing to do. However, placing them on his coffee table was rather
rude.
6_____ Mr. Smith never liked any of his daughter’s boyfriends. He
claimed that most of them were weird. He was even less comfortable about
any that he considered to be normal.
7_____ Miss Snowflake was convinced that George had turned the heat up
all the way. She demanded that he confess his guilt. The other kids knew
that George would never admit that he had done wrong.
8_____ Drinking the water in that lake is strictly prohibited. It could make
you sick. But for some reason, swimming is allowed.
Fewer or Less?
The words “less” and “fewer” have similar meanings.
However, they cannot be used interchangeably. Use
“fewer” when referring to an amount that could be
expressed as a specific number. Use “less” when
making comparisons that do not lend themselves to
numeric amounts.
Here’s an easy rule of thumb:
Use “fewer” to modify a plural noun.
Example: I have fewer papers to write than last year.
Use “less” to modify a singular noun.
Example: You’ll need less paper if you type your
report.
Write fewer or less in the blanks. The first two have been done for you.
1. A lighter car will use less gas.
2. There are fewer bugs in the updated software than in
the original version.
3. You’ll make ______________ errors when you take
more time.
4. This job is ______________ difficult than I imagined.
5. I would have ordered ______________ alligator
nuggets if I had noticed the price.
6. His speech could have had ______________ words!
7. I’ll have a little ______________ water in my cup,
please.
8. Which candidate would spend ______________
money on ineffective programs?
9. Which candidate would spend ______________
dollars on ineffective programs?
10. There are ______________ worms in my cream pie
than in Angela’s.
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