The correct answers are Frankly, Arguably, and evidently.
- Frankly is a sentence adverb used to show that the speaker is giving their honest (and often critical) opinion.
- Arguably is a sentence adverb meaning "it can be argued that." Do not confuse it with argumentatively, which is a manner adverb meaning "in a way that shows a desire to argue."
- Evidently modifies the entire clause "believes that true culinary art...", showing that the critic is drawing a conclusion based on the evidence of the tiny portion sizes!
Adverb
Adverb vs adjective: adjectives describe things; adverbs describe actions, qualities, or degrees. The mix-up usually happens after action verbs — she sings beautiful (wrong) vs she sings beautifully (right).
An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb: incredibly fast, she spoke softly, we go often.
Diagnostic: ask what word is this describing? If it's a verb (an action) → adverb. If it's a noun (a thing) → adjective. Exception: linking verbs (be, seem, taste) take adjectives, not adverbs.
Sentence
Sentence vs clause vs phrase: a phrase has no subject-verb pair. A clause has subject + verb. A sentence is one or more clauses packaged with end punctuation as a complete thought. These three levels — phrase ⊂ clause ⊂ sentence — are the structural hierarchy of English.
A sentence is the largest grammatical unit: one+ clauses ending with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark. Four structural types: simple, compound, complex, compound-complex.
Diagnostic: does it have at least one independent clause AND end punctuation? Yes → sentence. Missing independent clause? → fragment. Missing end punctuation? → run-on.
Clause
Clause vs phrase: a clause has a subject + verb (she runs); a phrase does not (in the morning, running fast). This is the first distinction to make when analysing sentence structure.
A clause is a grammatical unit built around a verb: independent clauses make complete sentences; dependent clauses attach to them as modifiers or complements.
Diagnostic: find the verb. If there's a subject doing or being something → clause. If there's no subject-verb pair → phrase.
Word order
English (SVO) vs other patterns: English relies on word ORDER to show who does what (Dog bites man ≠ Man bites dog). Inflected languages (Latin, Russian, German) use case endings and can scramble order freely. In English, changing order changes meaning or requires special constructions (inversion, cleft sentences).
Word order = how English marks grammatical relationships. SVO is the default; fixed adjective order; adverb placement varies by type.
Diagnostic: does your sentence sound "off" even though all word forms are correct? → probably a word order issue. Try moving the element back to default SVO position.
C1 | Advanced
C1 vs C2: C1 means fluent and flexible use with occasional gaps in very unfamiliar domains. C2 means native-like command of idiom, irony, and register across any subject. If you can handle advanced grammar but still miss cultural nuance or very rare idioms, you're C1.
C1 is the advanced CEFR level: inversion, cleft sentences, subjunctive mood, advanced conditionals, and precise register control in professional and academic contexts.
Diagnostic: can you write persuasively in different registers and catch subtle irony? Consistently → C2. Sometimes → C1.
Hard
Hard vs Medium: Medium tests one rule with realistic distractors. Hard tests interacting rules, edge cases, or context-dependent answers where multiple options seem correct until you think deeply. If you're scoring 80%+ on Medium, try Hard to find your real gaps.
The Hard tag filters for B2+ challenges with layered difficulty: rule interactions, subtle distractors, and contexts that demand genuine grammatical reasoning.
Diagnostic: if Hard questions feel impossible, drop to Medium and master the individual rules first. Hard assumes you already know each rule — it tests whether you can apply them together.