Wonderlic Basic Skills Test

Rule busters represent exceptions to standard grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage rules in English. Understanding these exceptions is critical because test questions frequently target common misconceptions and irregular patterns that deviate from predictable language conventions.

English spelling contains numerous irregularities inherited from multiple linguistic origins including Latin, Greek, French, and Germanic languages. Mastering spelling rule exceptions prevents errors on vocabulary and language mechanics questions.

The i before e rule states that i comes before e except after c or when sounding like a as in neighbor and weigh. However, numerous exceptions exist: weird, seize, either, neither, leisure, protein, caffeine, foreign, forfeit, height, and species all violate this pattern. Memorizing high-frequency exceptions proves more practical than attempting to apply the rule universally.

Words ending in silent e typically drop the e before adding suffixes beginning with vowels: hope becomes hoping, write becomes writing, and love becomes lovable. Exceptions include words where the e preserves a soft c or g sound: noticeable retains the e to keep the c soft, manageable keeps the e for the soft g, and courageous maintains the e for pronunciation purposes. Additionally, some words retain the e for clarity: dyeing (coloring fabric) versus dying (ceasing to live), and singeing (burning slightly) versus singing (making music).

The doubling rule states that final consonants double before adding suffixes when the word ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel and the accent falls on the final syllable. Run becomes running, stop becomes stopped, and begin becomes beginning. Exceptions occur when the accent shifts: prefer becomes preference (not preferrence) because the accent moves to the first syllable. Words ending in w, x, or y do not double: rowing, boxing, and playing.

Words ending in y preceded by a consonant change y to i before adding suffixes: happy becomes happiness, carry becomes carried, and beauty becomes beautiful. Exceptions include keeping the y before ing (carrying, studying) and proper nouns (the Kennedys). Words with y preceded by a vowel retain the y: play becomes played, enjoy becomes enjoyable.

Pluralization exceptions challenge standard rules. Most nouns add s or es, but irregular plurals follow different patterns. Words from Latin and Greek retain original plural forms: datum becomes data, medium becomes media, criterion becomes criteria, phenomenon becomes phenomena, nucleus becomes nuclei, alumnus becomes alumni, fungus becomes fungi, and cactus becomes cacti. Some words offer both traditional and anglicized plurals: appendix can become appendices or appendixes, formula can become formulae or formulas.

Words ending in f or fe often change to ves in plural form: knife becomes knives, leaf becomes leaves, wife becomes wives, and life becomes lives. Exceptions include chiefs, roofs, beliefs, and safes, which simply add s. Some words accept both forms: hooves and hoofs, scarves and scarfs.

Compound nouns pluralize the principal word: mothers-in-law, attorneys general, courts-martial, and passers-by. When no word dominates, the final element pluralizes: breakdowns, follow-ups, and check-ins.

Subject-verb agreement follows the principle that singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs. Exceptions and complications arise with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and special constructions.

Collective nouns like team, committee, jury, family, and group take singular verbs when acting as a unit and plural verbs when acting as individuals. The committee has reached its decision (acting together). The committee have expressed their individual opinions (acting separately). American English generally prefers singular treatment of collective nouns.

Indefinite pronouns create agreement challenges. Singular indefinites requiring singular verbs include: anyone, everyone, someone, no one, anybody, everybody, somebody, nobody, anything, everything, something, nothing, each, either, neither, another, and one. Everyone has completed the assignment. Neither of the options works for our needs.

Plural indefinites requiring plural verbs include: both, few, many, several, and others. Both of the candidates have strong qualifications. Several were absent from the meeting.

Some indefinites can be singular or plural depending on the object of the prepositional phrase following them: all, any, most, none, and some. All of the cake was eaten (cake is singular). All of the students were present (students is plural). None of the water was wasted (water is singular). None of the answers were correct (answers is plural).

Subjects joined by or, nor, either/or, and neither/nor take verbs agreeing with the nearer subject. Neither the manager nor the employees were satisfied. Neither the employees nor the manager was satisfied. Either the students or the teacher is responsible.

Inverted sentence structures place verbs before subjects, requiring careful identification. There are several reasons for the delay. Here comes the bus. Under the bridge lives a family of ducks.

Amounts and measurements treated as single units take singular verbs. Twenty dollars is the admission price. Three miles is a long walk. Two-thirds of the budget was allocated.

Comma usage follows general rules with notable exceptions. Items in a series separated by commas may or may not include the Oxford comma before the conjunction. Both styles are acceptable, but consistency within a document matters. The flag is red, white, and blue (with Oxford comma). The flag is red, white and blue (without Oxford comma).

Commas separate independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), but very short clauses may omit the comma. She sang and he played guitar. The standard rule applies to longer clauses: She performed her new song, and he accompanied her on the guitar.

Introductory elements typically require commas, but very brief prepositional phrases may omit them. In the spring, the company expanded. In May the company relocated (brief phrase, comma optional). After the long and difficult negotiation process concluded successfully, the parties signed the contract (longer phrase, comma required).

Semicolons join independent clauses and separate items in complex lists. The exception involves conjunctive adverbs: semicolons precede them while commas follow. The project failed; however, we learned valuable lessons. Do not use semicolons with coordinating conjunctions unless the clauses contain internal commas.

Apostrophes indicate possession and contractions with exceptions for possessive pronouns and special plurals. Possessive pronouns (its, whose, yours, theirs, ours, hers) never take apostrophes. It's means it is or it has; its indicates possession. Singular nouns ending in s may take either apostrophe s or just an apostrophe: James's book or James' book, depending on pronunciation preference and style guide.

Joint versus individual possession affects apostrophe placement. Jack and Jill's pail (they share one pail) versus Jack's and Jill's pails (each has a separate pail). Compound possessives place the apostrophe on the final element: my mother-in-law's house.

Quotation marks interact with other punctuation according to American conventions. Periods and commas always go inside closing quotation marks. Colons and semicolons always go outside. Question marks and exclamation points go inside if part of the quoted material, outside if not. She asked, "Are you ready?" Did she say, "I am ready"?

Commonly confused words represent frequent test targets. Their indicates possession, there indicates location or introduces clauses, and they're contracts they are. Your indicates possession while you're contracts you are. Its indicates possession while it's contracts it is or it has.

Affect functions as a verb meaning to influence, while effect typically functions as a noun meaning result. Exceptions exist: effect can serve as a verb meaning to bring about (to effect change), and affect can serve as a noun in psychology referring to emotion or feeling.

Parallel structure requires consistent grammatical forms in series and comparisons. Exceptions occur with certain idiomatic expressions and when strict parallelism creates awkwardness. She likes hiking, swimming, and to ride bikes (faulty parallelism). She likes hiking, swimming, and biking (correct parallelism). She likes to hike, to swim, and to ride bikes (also correct).

Dangling and misplaced modifiers create confusion when not positioned adjacent to the words they modify. Running down the street, the bus was missed (dangling—who was running?). Running down the street, I missed the bus (correct). Exceptions for absolute phrases allow separation: Weather permitting, we will hold the picnic outdoors.

Split infinitives place words between to and the verb. Traditional rules prohibited splitting, but modern usage accepts it when alternatives create awkwardness. To boldly go where no one has gone before (split infinitive, widely accepted). To go boldly where no one has gone before (unsplit, acceptable but less emphatic).

Ending sentences with prepositions was traditionally prohibited but is acceptable in modern English when alternatives sound stilted. What are you looking for? (natural, acceptable). For what are you looking? (formal, often awkward). Choose the version that sounds natural in context.