Worksheet

Whose rule is right? Settle disputed usage

Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Usage note (written by PencilGo), split infinitives

    A split infinitive puts a word between to and its verb (to carefully check). Older handbooks forbade it. The Chicago Manual of Style has accepted it for decades when it reads more clearly. A few formal readers still object, so a writer for them may recast the sentence when the meaning stays the same. Decision: An editor for a general-interest magazine keeps this sentence: The plan is to slowly widen the trail over ten years.

  2. Zee reviews an editor's decision against the note. Which comment on the decision matches the note?

    • Fair: Chicago accepts the split when it reads clearly, and the objectors the note names are formal readers.
    • Unfair: to and its verb must stay side by side, so the editor should move slowly.
    • Fair, because magazine editors can set usage notes aside; what guides say does not matter.
    • Fair: no guide or reader objects to split infinitives anymore, so no one could complain.

  3. Usage note (written by PencilGo), fewer and less

    The traditional rule is fewer with things you count (fewer tickets) and less with amounts (less time). Less is standard with distances, money and time (less than five miles). Dictionaries record less with plural nouns over many centuries, but many editors and formal readers still expect fewer with countable items. Audience: a formal report. Draft: The coach lives less than five miles away. The team has less players this year.

  4. Tala edits a formal report. Which revision changes just what the note says a formal reader would object to?

    • The coach lives less than five miles away. The team has fewer players this year.
    • The coach lives less than five miles away. The team has less players this year.
    • The coach lives fewer than five miles away. The team has fewer players this year.
    • The coach lives fewer than five miles away. The team has less players this year.

  5. What the references say (summarized by PencilGo)

    APA Style: data takes a plural verb. AP style: singular for general readers, plural in science writing. Dictionaries: both uses are standard.

  6. Ren checks four draft usage notes against the references. Which note is accurate?

    • Data is singular now, and no guide asks writers to treat it as plural.
    • Data is plural, so treating it as singular is an error in any publication.
    • APA treats data as singular; AP treats it as plural for general readers. Follow your guide.
    • APA treats data as plural; AP treats it as singular for general readers. Follow your guide.

  7. Usage note (written by PencilGo), ending with a preposition

    A sentence may end with a preposition (the club I belong to). The Chicago Manual of Style says there is no rule against it. Some formal readers prefer the preposition earlier (the club to which I belong) when that reads smoothly, but forcing it earlier can sound stiff. Decision: The school paper's editor keeps this headline question: Which club should you sign up for?

  8. Pia reviews a headline decision against the note. Which comment on the decision matches the note?

    • Fair: no rule forbids a final preposition, and moving for would sound stiff in a school paper.
    • Fair, and a formal letter to a judge should also end with for whenever it can.
    • Unfair: a sentence may not end with a preposition, so the headline should be reworded.
    • Fair: no reader, formal or casual, prefers the preposition earlier anymore.

  9. Usage note (written by PencilGo), who and whom

    Whom is the object form (the coach whom we thanked); who is the subject form (the coach who thanked us). In speech and casual writing, who often replaces whom, and dictionaries note this. Formal writing keeps whom as an object. Whom as a subject (the coach whom thanked us) is an error in any register. Audience: a formal program. Draft: The guide who led the tour thanked the author who the club invited.

  10. Noah edits a formal program. Which revision changes just the form the note says a formal reader would object to?

    • The guide who led the tour thanked the author who the club invited.
    • The guide whom led the tour thanked the author who the club invited.
    • The guide whom led the tour thanked the author whom the club invited.
    • The guide who led the tour thanked the author whom the club invited.

  11. What the references say (summarized by PencilGo)

    APA Style: accepts singular they for a person whose gender is unknown. The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition): accepts it in speech and informal writing; advises recasting in formal writing.

  12. Milo compares four draft notes with the references. Which note is accurate?

    • APA accepts singular they; Chicago (17th edition) accepts it informally but advises recasting in formal writing.
    • Singular they is an error, so formal and informal writers both avoid it.
    • Chicago (17th edition) accepts singular they in formal writing; APA advises recasting it.
    • Singular they draws no objection from any guide, in formal or informal writing.

  13. Use this

    Usage notes (written by PencilGo). Whose with things (a tree whose leaves): accepted; standard in any register. Usage note (written by PencilGo), comprise: Traditionally, the whole comprises its parts (The club comprises four teams). Is comprised of is common, and dictionaries record it, but many usage guides object to it. In formal writing, use comprises or is composed of. Comprises of is an error. Audience: a formal county guide. Draft: The oak whose branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail is comprised of three loops.

  14. Kira edits a formal county guide using both notes. Which revision changes just what a formal reader would object to?

    • The oak of which the branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail comprises three loops.
    • The oak whose branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail comprises three loops.
    • The oak whose branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail is comprised of three loops.
    • The oak of which the branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail is comprised of three loops.

  15. What the references say (summarized by PencilGo)

    AP Stylebook: accepted hopefully for "it is hoped" in 2012. Dictionaries: record that use as standard. Some careful readers: still object to it.

  16. Jun checks four draft notes on hopefully against the references. Which note is accurate?

    • Hopefully for "it is hoped" is accepted by AP and dictionaries, and no reader objects to it now.
    • Hopefully means "in a hopeful way," and using it for "it is hoped" is a plain error.
    • Hopefully for "it is hoped" is accepted by AP and dictionaries, though some careful readers still object.
    • Some careful readers accepted hopefully for "it is hoped" in 2012, though AP still objects.

  17. Usage note (written by PencilGo), over and more than

    Over for "more than" with numbers (over 300 runners) was long criticized. The AP Stylebook dropped its objection in 2014, and dictionaries treat the use as standard. Some formal readers still prefer "more than." Decision: An editor at a general newspaper that follows AP style keeps this sentence: Over 300 runners entered the race.

  18. Esme reviews a newspaper editor's decision against the note. Which comment on it matches the note?

    • Fair: AP dropped its objection in 2014, and this paper follows AP.
    • Unfair: over describes a position, as in over the bridge, so it cannot mean more than.
    • Unfair: some formal readers prefer "more than," so this newspaper should switch for them.
    • Fair: no reader of any kind prefers "more than" to "over" these days.

  19. What the references say (summarized by PencilGo)

    Traditional rule: fewer with count nouns, less with amounts. Dictionaries: record less with plural nouns over many centuries; less is standard with distances, money and time. Many editors: still expect fewer with countable items.

  20. Ari checks four draft notes on fewer and less against the references. Which note is accurate?

    • Less with a plural noun is an error, so less than five miles is wrong too.
    • Less and fewer are interchangeable now, and editors have no preference between them.
    • Fewer is traditional with count nouns; less is recorded with them too, but many editors expect fewer.
    • Less is traditional with count nouns; fewer is recorded with them too, but many editors expect less in print.
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Whose rule is right? Settle disputed usage

Answer Key - Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Usage note (written by PencilGo), split infinitives

    A split infinitive puts a word between to and its verb (to carefully check). Older handbooks forbade it. The Chicago Manual of Style has accepted it for decades when it reads more clearly. A few formal readers still object, so a writer for them may recast the sentence when the meaning stays the same. Decision: An editor for a general-interest magazine keeps this sentence: The plan is to slowly widen the trail over ten years.

  2. Zee reviews an editor's decision against the note. Which comment on the decision matches the note?

    • Fair: Chicago accepts the split when it reads clearly, and the objectors the note names are formal readers.
    • Unfair: to and its verb must stay side by side, so the editor should move slowly.
    • Fair, because magazine editors can set usage notes aside; what guides say does not matter.
    • Fair: no guide or reader objects to split infinitives anymore, so no one could complain.

  3. Usage note (written by PencilGo), fewer and less

    The traditional rule is fewer with things you count (fewer tickets) and less with amounts (less time). Less is standard with distances, money and time (less than five miles). Dictionaries record less with plural nouns over many centuries, but many editors and formal readers still expect fewer with countable items. Audience: a formal report. Draft: The coach lives less than five miles away. The team has less players this year.

  4. Tala edits a formal report. Which revision changes just what the note says a formal reader would object to?

    • The coach lives less than five miles away. The team has fewer players this year.
    • The coach lives less than five miles away. The team has less players this year.
    • The coach lives fewer than five miles away. The team has fewer players this year.
    • The coach lives fewer than five miles away. The team has less players this year.

  5. What the references say (summarized by PencilGo)

    APA Style: data takes a plural verb. AP style: singular for general readers, plural in science writing. Dictionaries: both uses are standard.

  6. Ren checks four draft usage notes against the references. Which note is accurate?

    • Data is singular now, and no guide asks writers to treat it as plural.
    • Data is plural, so treating it as singular is an error in any publication.
    • APA treats data as singular; AP treats it as plural for general readers. Follow your guide.
    • APA treats data as plural; AP treats it as singular for general readers. Follow your guide.

  7. Usage note (written by PencilGo), ending with a preposition

    A sentence may end with a preposition (the club I belong to). The Chicago Manual of Style says there is no rule against it. Some formal readers prefer the preposition earlier (the club to which I belong) when that reads smoothly, but forcing it earlier can sound stiff. Decision: The school paper's editor keeps this headline question: Which club should you sign up for?

  8. Pia reviews a headline decision against the note. Which comment on the decision matches the note?

    • Fair: no rule forbids a final preposition, and moving for would sound stiff in a school paper.
    • Fair, and a formal letter to a judge should also end with for whenever it can.
    • Unfair: a sentence may not end with a preposition, so the headline should be reworded.
    • Fair: no reader, formal or casual, prefers the preposition earlier anymore.

  9. Usage note (written by PencilGo), who and whom

    Whom is the object form (the coach whom we thanked); who is the subject form (the coach who thanked us). In speech and casual writing, who often replaces whom, and dictionaries note this. Formal writing keeps whom as an object. Whom as a subject (the coach whom thanked us) is an error in any register. Audience: a formal program. Draft: The guide who led the tour thanked the author who the club invited.

  10. Noah edits a formal program. Which revision changes just the form the note says a formal reader would object to?

    • The guide who led the tour thanked the author who the club invited.
    • The guide whom led the tour thanked the author who the club invited.
    • The guide whom led the tour thanked the author whom the club invited.
    • The guide who led the tour thanked the author whom the club invited.

  11. What the references say (summarized by PencilGo)

    APA Style: accepts singular they for a person whose gender is unknown. The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition): accepts it in speech and informal writing; advises recasting in formal writing.

  12. Milo compares four draft notes with the references. Which note is accurate?

    • APA accepts singular they; Chicago (17th edition) accepts it informally but advises recasting in formal writing.
    • Singular they is an error, so formal and informal writers both avoid it.
    • Chicago (17th edition) accepts singular they in formal writing; APA advises recasting it.
    • Singular they draws no objection from any guide, in formal or informal writing.

  13. Use this

    Usage notes (written by PencilGo). Whose with things (a tree whose leaves): accepted; standard in any register. Usage note (written by PencilGo), comprise: Traditionally, the whole comprises its parts (The club comprises four teams). Is comprised of is common, and dictionaries record it, but many usage guides object to it. In formal writing, use comprises or is composed of. Comprises of is an error. Audience: a formal county guide. Draft: The oak whose branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail is comprised of three loops.

  14. Kira edits a formal county guide using both notes. Which revision changes just what a formal reader would object to?

    • The oak of which the branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail comprises three loops.
    • The oak whose branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail comprises three loops.
    • The oak whose branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail is comprised of three loops.
    • The oak of which the branches shade the trail is a century old. The trail is comprised of three loops.

  15. What the references say (summarized by PencilGo)

    AP Stylebook: accepted hopefully for "it is hoped" in 2012. Dictionaries: record that use as standard. Some careful readers: still object to it.

  16. Jun checks four draft notes on hopefully against the references. Which note is accurate?

    • Hopefully for "it is hoped" is accepted by AP and dictionaries, and no reader objects to it now.
    • Hopefully means "in a hopeful way," and using it for "it is hoped" is a plain error.
    • Hopefully for "it is hoped" is accepted by AP and dictionaries, though some careful readers still object.
    • Some careful readers accepted hopefully for "it is hoped" in 2012, though AP still objects.

  17. Usage note (written by PencilGo), over and more than

    Over for "more than" with numbers (over 300 runners) was long criticized. The AP Stylebook dropped its objection in 2014, and dictionaries treat the use as standard. Some formal readers still prefer "more than." Decision: An editor at a general newspaper that follows AP style keeps this sentence: Over 300 runners entered the race.

  18. Esme reviews a newspaper editor's decision against the note. Which comment on it matches the note?

    • Fair: AP dropped its objection in 2014, and this paper follows AP.
    • Unfair: over describes a position, as in over the bridge, so it cannot mean more than.
    • Unfair: some formal readers prefer "more than," so this newspaper should switch for them.
    • Fair: no reader of any kind prefers "more than" to "over" these days.

  19. What the references say (summarized by PencilGo)

    Traditional rule: fewer with count nouns, less with amounts. Dictionaries: record less with plural nouns over many centuries; less is standard with distances, money and time. Many editors: still expect fewer with countable items.

  20. Ari checks four draft notes on fewer and less against the references. Which note is accurate?

    • Less with a plural noun is an error, so less than five miles is wrong too.
    • Less and fewer are interchangeable now, and editors have no preference between them.
    • Fewer is traditional with count nouns; less is recorded with them too, but many editors expect fewer.
    • Less is traditional with count nouns; fewer is recorded with them too, but many editors expect less in print.