GED practice test

GED Language and Editing Practice Test

Edit short drafts for commas, agreement, apostrophes, pronouns, verb tense, transitions and commonly confused words. Here are 10 GED language and editing questions, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-14 by the Tigertest team. Based on the assessment targets in the GED Testing Service Assessment Guide for Educators (October 2020 edition). Original questions; not affiliated with GED Testing Service.

1. (1) The childrens' coats are hung by the door. (2) Parents may pick them up at 3 p.m. (3) Please sign the log before leaving.

   1.

   Which revision of sentence 1 is correct?

   • A.

     The children's coats are hung by the door.

   • B.

     The childrens coats are hung by the door.

   • C.

     The childrens' coats are hung by the door.

   • D.

     The children's coat's are hung by the door.

   Answer: A.

   "Children" is already plural, so the possessive adds an apostrophe and s: "children's." "Childrens" is not a word, and "coat's" wrongly adds an apostrophe to a simple plural.

2. (1) The store has been open since 1985. (2) Last year it expanded into the building next door. (3) Since the expansion, sales grew by 20 percent.

   2.

   Which revision of sentence 3 is correct?

   • A.

     Since the expansion, sales will grow by 20 percent.

   • B.

     Since the expansion, sales had grown by 20 percent.

   • C.

     Since the expansion, sales have grown by 20 percent.

   • D.

     Since the expansion, sales are growing by 20 percent since then.

   Answer: C.

   "Since the expansion" describes a change that started in the past and continues now, which takes the present perfect "have grown," matching "has been open" in sentence 1. "Will grow" is future, "had grown" needs a later past event, and the last version repeats "since."

3. (1) Dana and her assistant finished the report early. (2) The director praised she and the assistant at the staff meeting. (3) Both received a bonus.

   3.

   Which revision of sentence 2 is correct?

   • A.

     The director praised she and the assistant at the staff meeting.

   • B.

     The director praised herself and the assistant at the staff meeting.

   • C.

     The director praised she and her assistant, at the staff meeting.

   • D.

     The director praised her and the assistant at the staff meeting.

   Answer: D.

   Dana receives the praise, so the object pronoun "her" is needed: "praised her." "She" is a subject pronoun, "herself" would mean the director praised the director, and the comma before "at the staff meeting" is wrong.

4. (1) Before the store opens each morning the manager counts the registers. (2) The count is recorded in the log. (3) Any difference over $5 is reported to the district office.

   4.

   Which revision of sentence 1 is correct?

   • A.

     Before the store opens, each morning the manager counts the registers.

   • B.

     Before the store opens each morning, the manager counts the registers.

   • C.

     Before the store opens each morning the manager, counts the registers.

   • D.

     Before, the store opens each morning the manager counts the registers.

   Answer: B.

   "Before the store opens each morning" is an opening clause, so a comma follows it, right before the main sentence. The other versions split the opener in the wrong place or put a comma between the subject "the manager" and its verb.

5. (1) The new hire is punctual, organized, and she works hard. (2) Customers have already mentioned her by name. (3) We plan to offer her more hours.

   5.

   Which revision of sentence 1 is correct?

   • A.

     The new hire is punctual, organized, and she is a hard worker.

   • B.

     The new hire is punctual, organized, and working hard.

   • C.

     The new hire is punctual, organized, and hardworking.

   • D.

     The new hire is punctual and organized, and she works hard also.

   Answer: C.

   The list should use the same form for all three items. "Punctual, organized, and hardworking" are three adjectives. The other versions mix adjectives with a clause or a verb, or add a wordy "also."

6. (1) Our team finished the inventory count on Friday. (2) The totals matched the system, we sent the report to the district office. (3) The manager thanked everyone for staying late.

   6.

   Which revision of sentence 2 is correct?

   • A.

     The totals matched the system we sent the report to the district office.

   • B.

     The totals matched the system, so we sent the report to the district office.

   • C.

     The totals matched the system, therefore we sent the report to the district office.

   • D.

     The totals matched the system, we sent, the report to the district office.

   Answer: B.

   Sentence 2 joins two complete sentences with only a comma, a comma splice. Adding "so" after the comma fixes it. Removing the comma makes a run-on, "therefore" after a comma is still a splice, and the extra comma after "sent" breaks the sentence apart.

7. (1) Last month the clinic began offering evening appointments. (2) Since then, the number of missed appointments has dropped by half. (3) Patients say they appreciate not having to leave work early, and the front desk managers will have reported fewer no-shows.

   7.

   Which is the best way to write the underlined part of sentence 3?

   • A.

     will have reported

   • B.

     had reported

   • C.

     reporting

   • D.

     have reported

   Answer: D.

   The paragraph describes results that began last month and continue now, and sentence 2 already uses "has dropped." "Have reported" keeps that present perfect tense. "Will have reported" points to the future, "had reported" to a time before another past event, and "reporting" leaves the clause without a complete verb.

8. (1) The regional manager asked Priya and I to present the sales figures. (2) We prepared slides showing each store's totals. (3) After the meeting, she thanked us for the clear summary.

   8.

   Which revision of sentence 1 is correct?

   • A.

     The regional manager asked Priya and me to present the sales figures.

   • B.

     The regional manager asked Priya and myself to present the sales figures.

   • C.

     The regional manager asked I and Priya to present the sales figures.

   • D.

     The regional manager asked Priya and I to present, the sales figures.

   Answer: A.

   Priya and the writer receive the action of "asked," so the object pronoun "me" is needed. A quick check is to drop Priya: "asked me," not "asked I." "Myself" is only for reflecting back on the subject, and the comma before "the sales figures" is wrong.

9. (1) The training covers three skills: greeting customers, how to process returns, and handling complaints. (2) Each session lasts two hours. (3) New hires must complete all three before working the register.

   9.

   Which revision of sentence 1 is correct?

   • A.

     The training covers three skills: to greet customers, processing returns, and handling complaints.

   • B.

     The training covers three skills: greeting customers, how to process returns, and to handle complaints.

   • C.

     The training covers three skills: greeting customers, processing returns, and handling complaints.

   • D.

     The training covers three skills: greet customers, processing returns, and handling complaints.

   Answer: C.

   Items in a list should share the same form. "Greeting, processing, handling" are all -ing forms. The other versions mix an -ing form with "to greet," "how to process" or the bare verb "greet."

10. (1) The committee met on Tuesday. (2) At this point in time, the members are of the opinion that the budget should be approved. (3) A final vote is scheduled for next week.

    10.

    Which revision of sentence 2 is most concise?

    • A.

      At this point in time, the members believe that the budget should be approved.

    • B.

      The members are currently of the opinion that the budget should now be approved.

    • C.

      Now, at this point, the members think that the budget should be approved.

    • D.

      The members now believe the budget should be approved.

    Answer: D.

    "At this point in time" means "now," and "are of the opinion that" means "believe." The shortest version says the same thing with no wasted words. The other versions keep one or both of the wordy phrases.