Grammar and the Land of Oz Trivia Quiz

Answer: an interjection

An interjection is a word which expresses strong emotion or constitutes a sound filler. Words such as "ow", "gosh", "um" and "er" are examples of interjections. Hunk wanted to show Zeke that he was angry at being hurt by Zeke's clumsiness. In this quote, "got" is a verb.

Answer: a modal verb

Modal verbs are used to change the mood of a sentence. Some common modal verbs are "can", "must", "might" and "should." Em wanted to express to Dorothy the impossibility of disobeying a court order that allowed Miss Gulch to take away Dorothy's dog, Toto.

Answer: the present continuous

The present continuous (progressive) tense describes action which is happening "right now." It consists of "is/are/am" plus the present participle of a main verb. Professor Marvel was trying to convince Dorothy to return to her farm. The simple present tense describes events which usually happen; it does not normally use an -ing verb form.

Answer: "I've never heard of a beautiful witch before!"

The present perfect tense is a bridge between past and present action. Dorothy was describing her entire life's experience when she used the form, "I've never..." The present perfect tense uses "has/have" plus the past participle of a main verb. The verb "didn't" indicates a past action; the other two choices in this question are written in the simple present tense.

Answer: before

A conjunction is a word which connects two clauses or sentences. Some common conjunctions are "if", "because", "and", "before" and "after". Glinda was combining sentences and thoughts when she warned the Wicked Witch. "House" and "somebody" are examples of nouns; "drops" is a verb and "too" is an adverb.

Answer: "You weren't around when I was stuffed and sewn together."

The passive voice consists of a form of the verb "be" plus the past participle of a main verb. In the passive voice, the person, or subject, doing the action is not as important as the object, or person, who is receiving the action. A farmer probably stuffed and sewed the Scarecrow, but the Scarecrow was more important to the movie viewers.

The other three choices in this question are written in the active voice.

Answer: "If I only had a heart..."

The subjunctive mood expresses commands or wishes / statements that are contrary to fact. The most common words used in the subjunctive are "wish" and "if." When the Tin Man says, "If I only had a heart", he believed that he did not have a heart. "If I could fly, I would soar like a bird" is another example of the subjunctive mood.

The other three choices in this question are written in the indicative (factual) mood.

Answer: "And you! I'll use you for a beehive!"

A preposition is a word which gives location to a noun. Some common examples of prepositions are "in", "on", "at" and "for". A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus a noun or noun phrase - in this case, "for a beehive". The Wicked Witch was speaking to the Tin Man when she uttered this nasty sentence.

Answer: "They sure knocked the stuffin' out of you, didn't they?"

We use tag questions to double-check or confirm our information. A tag question consists of a statement plus an auxiliary verb (tag). The auxiliary tag is normally the opposite form of the opening statement in declarative sentences: "You love grammar, don't you?" In the example from the quiz, the Lion saw that his friend the Scarecrow was badly hurt by the Wicked Witch's winged monkeys.

Answer: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"

The imperative mood of a verb expresses a command or a request. The unstated subject of the imperative form is "you." The Wizard was ordering Dorothy and her friends not to look at the man who was speaking behind the curtain. The other three choices in this question are examples of declarative sentences.