Worksheet 11: Diction Errors
554 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Circle any diction errors in each of the following sentences, and write the correct word(s) in the blank.
- The reason we canceled the trip is because Wynona couldn’t come on that weekend. __
- Most of the meeting was spent honing in on the final plans for building the float. __
- Matt was finally kicked off the starting squad for flaunting the team rules. __
- I tried to stay awake for the lecture, but I was so disinterested that I dozed off before the
professor was half finished. __ - Ms. Davis said that we should always try and speak as if we were trying to hold a conversation
with a person in the very back of the auditorium. __ - Jennifer was very reticent to speak about the incident, even many years after it occurred. __
- The article mentioned the low voter turnout in order to infer that the senator may not have
been elected by a true majority. __ - Even the ten-run deficit didn’t seem to phase the manager; he refused to waver in his optimism. __
- We decided that it was prudent to wait until the debris was cleared before we preceded. __
- Although the police initially had many solid leads, the suspect alluded them for several months. __
- It may be years before we understand how pollution from the new power plant might effect the
regional environment. __ - The new online store’s musical offerings run the gambit from arias to zydeco. __
- Heather was the principle author of the study that was recently published in a prominent
scientific magazine. __
14.We were thrilled to get such an imminent expert on world affairs to speak at our colloquium
on such short notice. __________15.All of the invited guests accept Anthony arrived promptly. __________16.Mrs. Sullivan went on all period about the illusions to Victorian society in
Alice in Wonderland. __________17.For nearly the entire semester, I felt so inhabited that I never so much as razed my hand in class. __________18.Since they did not have a plan for the project, they decided to refer their approval until later. __________19.Try as they might, the hikers could not find the anecdote to the snake venom. __________20.The acid solution was so potent that we had to delude it with water before we could use it safely. __________21.The symbols on the cave walls are ambivalent; scientists have been debating their meaning
for decades. __________22.Despite the setbacks with the caterers, the Breedens managed to give a splendidly eloquent party. __________23.As someone committed to fairness in education, she could not accept the iniquity of the
admissions policy. __________