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PQRS arrangement with indirect speech — Order the pieces to state that he had read Milton in a prose translation borrowed from his teacher and had enjoyed it immensely, maintaining natural modifier placement.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: RQSP

Explanation:


Given data

  • P: ‘‘and enjoyed it immensely’’
  • Q: ‘‘in a prose translation’’
  • R: ‘‘he had read Milton’’
  • S: ‘‘which he had borrowed from his teacher’’


Concept/Approach
State the core action first, add the manner/medium, then attach the defining relative clause, and finally the coordinated result.


Step-by-step construction
R: ‘‘he had read Milton …’’Q: ‘‘… in a prose translation …’’S: ‘‘… which he had borrowed from his teacher …’’P: ‘‘… and enjoyed it immensely.’’Full sentence: ‘‘He told us that he had read Milton in a prose translation which he had borrowed from his teacher and enjoyed it immensely.’’


Why other orders are wrong
Placing P before the relative clause can obscure the antecedent of ‘‘it’’; RQSP preserves clarity.


Common pitfalls
Keep the relative clause adjacent to the noun it qualifies (‘‘translation’’).


Final Answer
RQSP

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