Perfect for pedants' corner

That emoticon should have been . Not a wrongly spelt embarrassed. Double

That's deep, Lilygran!
I don't necessarily disagree but remember being abolutely gobsmacked when an otherwise intelligent Sixth former in my A- level German class asked in all seriousness, "But what exactly is a verb Mrs Gracesmum?"

No one asked to differentiate between a gerund and verbal noun, not to mention the gerundive. Lot of old rubbish really.

If you can do this kind of exercise all it means is that you've learned some rules like learning tables in maths. You don't have to know what the thing is called to use it properly. It's a bit like faith and ethics

9 out of 14. [embarrased] but what I would say is that this test seems to just be about understanding "grammatical terminology" which is not the same as being able to write grammatically.

Having made many posts, I don't think I make too many grammatical errors, which has to be more important I hope!
I would be interested to know if anybody can be bothered to check stuff I have written.

There was an article in todays Telegraph about a teacher trying to get pupils in Teesside writing in "proper" English as opposed to using dialect.

One example given was instead of "Gizit'ere" pupils should say "Please give me it"

I was rather

Yes, graces, Tweeple use #es #Ithinkit'sfunAbsentthinksit'stiresome

I wondered that, just thought I was missing something. But harmless decoration eh? I'm assuming it's a bit Twitterish?
I suppose it could also be shorthand for making a bit of a # of something?

Why#?

Right
#enlightenedthankyou

Yes. But only one at a time

Is ########################the new must have?

No I didn't Ana.......#goodguesser

Moral: If you don't get the answer you expect, perhaps you are asking the wrong questions.

Well, as long as you didn't Google 'gerund' Ella, you've done better than me!
#notthatIcaremuch

Or maybe I mean "we might go to the beach"? scratching head emoticon

12/14 for me too, I'm gutted

"He thought" = straightforward past tense
Subordinate clause "that he might....." whatever = conditional
So no I don't agree with any of their options!

Example of a conditional verb? - If it wasn't raining, we would go to the beach. (I think)

So, graces, what's your view on the supposed conditional sentence?

I just think it is rich that The Grauniad published this test - the only newspaper ever heard of to mis-spell its own masthead. (Passive voice)
(You might have guessed that this would flush me out (subordinate clause)

I wasn't very good a English Language at school but I had a go and managed 14/14. I have to say rather a lot was what is called an educated guess! Still I learn something everyday.

Actually, I did suggest it was subjunctive (thought it anyway ). And I agree, absent, 'might' expresses doubt. The thinker isn't sure he can do something.

jane, thank you. Yes, I remember now, but I didn't know it didn't include thinking. I suppose thoughts don't count as actions. Why? They could, couldn't they? Mental action.

Anyway, which is the conditional bit if it's conditional? If he's able to? Hmm. He didn't think he would do it, he only thought he might be able to. Different.

12 but I googled gerund!

This really is Pedants' Corner isn't it?

feetlebaum It wasn't Bags who suggested the sentence was subjunctive; it was I. Might expresses doubt. Conditional, surely, is something along the lines of If the weather stays sunny, we shall have a picnic this afternoon.