Contact Information

This site uses the
Oxford English dictionary spelling

The Writing Centre

Moriset Hall
Room 0036 Ottawa, ON
Canada K1N 6N5

No telephone writing help available
Tel.: 613 562-5800 ext. 2267

No online writing help available
E-mail:
writcent@uOttawa.ca

 

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Question:
Sunita followed the recipe closely, but the cake smelled *** after twenty minutes in the oven.
Answer:
The answer strangely is not correct.
Explanation:
The adjective "strange" is correct because it is describing the noun "cake," not the verb "smelled." "Smelled" is a linking verb here, and "strange" is its subject complement. Remember that subject complements are always nouns or adjectives, never adverbs.
 
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Last updated: 2007.08.16