Question 1

Sentence improvement (partitive construction with a superlative): verify number agreement in “one of the most …” pattern  Original sentence: "This is one of the most important inventions of this century."  Choose the option that best maintains corre…

Accepted Answer

Given data Structure: “one of the most + plural noun + of + singular time-period”. Concept/Approach After “one of the most…”, the head noun must be plural (inventions). The prepositional phrase “of this century” is correct because century refers to a single time period. Option analysis No correction required — original uses the standard pattern “one of the most important inventions of this century.” ✅invention of this century — singular noun after “one of the most” is incorrect.invention of these century — wrong demonstrative and number mismatch.invention of centuries / of the centuries — illogical scope and wrong number. Final Answer No correction required

Question 2

Sentence improvement (past perfect: choose correct voice and aspect before a past event)  Original sentence: "The orator had been left the auditorium before the audience stood up."  Choose the best correction that expresses the earlier completed act…

Accepted Answer

Given data Two past-time points: (1) orator exits, (2) audience stands up. We need the earlier event in past perfect and in the active voice. Concept/Approach Use past perfect simple (had + past participle) for the action completed before another past action. Passive “had been left” would mean someone left the orator behind, which is not intended. Step-by-step Earlier event = orator exits → had left.Later event = audience stood up (simple past). Option analysis had left — correct tense/aspect/voice. ✅was left — passive and wrong meaning.had been leaving — progressive aspect unnecessary; also odd meaning.would leave — conditional/habitual, not temporal sequencing. Final Answer “… the orator had left … before the audience stood up.”

Question 3

Sentence improvement (question tags: agreement with present simple)  Original sentence: "He dislikes the word dislike, isn't he"  Select the correct question tag that agrees with the main clause.

Accepted Answer

Concept With present simple third-person singular (dislikes), the tag uses auxiliary does and flips polarity: affirmative clause → negative tag. Reasoning Main clause = positive (“He dislikes …” expresses a negative meaning but is grammatically affirmative), so the tag is negative: doesn’t he. Option analysis doesn’t he — correct person, number, and tense. ✅does he — polarity mismatch.didn’t he / hasn’t he — wrong tense/auxiliary. Final Answer doesn’t he

Question 4

Sentence improvement (idiom/collocation): use the fixed phrase “take it for granted”  Original sentence: "We must take it granted that Madhu will not come for today's function."  Choose the option that supplies the correct idiom.

Accepted Answer

Concept The fixed expression is take it for granted (that …), meaning “assume as true.” Option analysis take it for granted — correct idiom and base form with must. ✅taking it granted / took it as granted / have it granted — all misuse or distort the idiom. Final Answer We must take it for granted that …

Question 5

Sentence improvement (collocation with “attempt”): prefer “attempt(s) at + gerund” in this construction  Original sentence: "The research study is an eye-opener and attempts to acquaint us with the problems of poor nations."  Choose the option that …

Accepted Answer

Given data Subject: The research study (singular) → verb form attempts. Goal: introduce readers to (acquaint them with) certain problems. Concept/Approach Both “attempts to acquaint” and “attempts at acquainting” can be idiomatic. Many exams, however, specifically test the collocation attempt(s) at + gerund. Option (b) provides this explicit pattern and maintains subject–verb agreement. Option analysis attempts at acquainting — matches the targeted collocation and the singular subject. ✅attempted to acquaint — wrong tense/aspect.attempt to acquaint / attempting to acquaint — number/aspect issues and less preferred in this test’s rubric.No correction required — not selected per key; the test emphasises the at + gerund pattern. Final Answer attempts at acquainting

Question 6

Sentence improvement (modal + bare infinitive; adverb placement): correct form after “should”  Original sentence: "It was unanimously resolved that the parties should unitedly undertook launching of popular programmes."  Choose the option that produ…

Accepted Answer

Concept After a modal like should, the main verb must be in the base (bare infinitive) form: should undertake, not “should undertook.” The adverb unitedly can precede the verb. Option analysis should unitedly undertake — modal + base verb; natural adverb placement. ✅should be unitedly undertaken — passive voice, which changes the intended agency.should be united undertook / should be unitedly undertake — tense/voice errors. Final Answer … the parties should unitedly undertake the launching of popular programmes.

Question 7

Sentence improvement (concession vs. contrast): replace faulty “despite of …” with a correct concessive clause  Original sentence: "They continued to work in the field despite of the heavy rains."  Select the best correction.

Accepted Answer

Concept Despite is used without “of”: “despite the heavy rain(s)”. Alternatively, use a concessive clause with even though + finite clause. Option analysis even though it rained heavily — correct concessive clause with past tense matching “continued.” ✅even though there is heavy rain — present tense mismatch.although heavily rains — ungrammatical; adverb + plural verb without subject.in spite the heavy rains — missing “of” after in spite. Final Answer They continued to work in the field even though it rained heavily.

Question 8

Sentence improvement (pronoun + preposition with “impose”): correct objects and prepositional order  Original sentence: "It is always better to make people realise the importance of discipline than to impose them on it."  Choose the best correction.

Accepted Answer

Concept The verb impose takes the thing imposed as the direct object and the affected people after the preposition on: “impose it on them.” Option analysis impose it on them — correct pattern and meaning. ✅impose it with them / impose them with it — wrong prepositions and object order.imposing them on it — changes meaning and misorders arguments. Final Answer impose it on them

Question 9

Sentence improvement (sequence of tenses; past perfect progressive for earlier ongoing work)  Original sentence: "My doctor knew that I would eventually recover and do kind of work I would be doing before"  Choose the option that best completes the …

Accepted Answer

Given data Matrix past: “My doctor knew …”. Projection: “… I would eventually recover and (again) do the same kind of work …”. Reference to activity prior to that past point (“before”). Concept/Approach To refer to an ongoing activity that occurred before another past reference point, use the past perfect progressive: had been doing. This shows continuity up to the earlier time. Option analysis had been doing — correct tense and aspect for prior continuous work. ✅had been done — passive; wrong meaning.would have been doing / would have done — conditional perfects; wrong timeline. Final Answer … the kind of work I had been doing before.

Question 10

English idiom — correct preposition: "lord it over" (sentence improvement)  Original sentence: "Later he became unpopular because he tried to lord it on his followers."  Choose the best replacement that makes the sentence idiomatic and grammatical.

Accepted Answer

Given data Idiom intended: to lord it over (someone) = to act in a domineering way toward someone. Original uses the wrong preposition: "lord it on his followers". Concept/Approach With this idiom, the fixed structure is lord it over + object. Do not omit it, and use the preposition over, not on/for. Option analysis C. "to lord it over" → correct full idiom. ✔B. "lord over" → missing the pronoun it; non-standard in this idiom. ✖A/D → wrong prepositions or redundant preposition. ✖E → keeps the error. ✖ Corrected sentence "Later he became unpopular because he tried to lord it over his followers." Common pitfalls Confusing "lord it over" with "lord over"; the pronoun it is part of the idiom. Final Answer to lord it over

Question 11

Modal + perfect infinitive (logical deduction about the past): Improve the sentence to express that it probably did not rain.  Original sentence: "The crops are dying; it must not had rained."  Choose the option that makes the sentence correct.

Accepted Answer

Given data The speaker infers a past non-event (no rain) from present evidence (crops are dying). Concept/Approach For deductions about the past with a modal, use must + not + have + past participle → "must not have rained". "Must had" is ungrammatical. Option analysis C. "must not have" → leads to "must not have rained" → correct. ✔A → wrong auxiliary sequence.B/D → wrong aspect/meaning (present state or passive progressive).E → original is incorrect. Corrected sentence "The crops are dying; it must not have rained." Common pitfalls Confusing have (perfect marker) with had (past of have) after modals. Final Answer must not have

Question 12

Tense and aspect — present perfect progressive (ongoing action): Improve the sentence for natural usage.  Original sentence: "The courts are actively to safeguard the interests and the rights of the poor."  Choose the best correction.

Accepted Answer

Given data Meaning: courts have been engaged in an ongoing action of protection. Original structure "are actively to safeguard" is malformed. Concept/Approach Use present perfect progressive (have been + V-ing) to show continued activity up to the present: "have been actively safeguarding". Option analysis B. "have been actively safeguarding" → correct tense/aspect and adverb placement. ✔A/C/D → ungrammatical or awkward prepositional structures; not idiomatic.E → keeps the error. Corrected sentence "The courts have been actively safeguarding the interests and rights of the poor." Common pitfalls Avoid inserting "to" after are unless forming a passive infinitive construction (not needed here). Final Answer have been actively safeguarding

Question 13

Parallel structure and natural phrasing (intensifier "so … that"): Check if the sentence needs correction.  Original sentence: "The drama had many scenes which were so humorous that it was hardly possible to keep a straight face."  Choose the best o…

Accepted Answer

Given data Structure: so + adjective + that + clause. Infinitival complement: "to keep a straight face" after "possible". Concept/Approach The original sentence already follows the idiomatic "so … that" pattern and correctly uses the infinitive after "possible". Option analysis E. "No correction required" → sentence is correct. ✔A/D → awkward/incorrect non-finite complements after "possible". ✖B/C → logical error ("hardly impossible") and wrong form. ✖ Final Answer No correction required

Question 14

Negative inversion with "Hardly … when …": Correct the introductory adverbial clause.  Original sentence: "Hardly does the sun rise when the stars disappeared."  Choose the option that makes the time relation grammatical.

Accepted Answer

Given data Pattern with negative adverb "Hardly … when …" indicates a sequence of past events. Concept/Approach When "hardly" starts a clause referring to a completed past event, we use past perfect with inversion: Hardly had + subject + past participle … when + simple past. Option analysis B. "had the sun risen" → correct inverted past perfect. ✔A/C → wrong auxiliary/participle combination.D → no inversion; also mismatched with "hardly".E → original mixes present and past incorrectly. Corrected sentence "Hardly had the sun risen when the stars disappeared." Common pitfalls Using present tense after "hardly" in a past-time context. Final Answer had the sun risen

Question 15

First conditional (real condition in the future): Check whether a correction is required.  Original sentence: "You will be late if you do not leave now."  Choose the best option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Conditional type: real/likely future consequence. Form used: If + simple present, will + base verb. Concept/Approach The first conditional is correctly formed: "If you do not leave now, you will be late." Option analysis E. "No correction required" → correct as is. ✔A/B/C/D → alter tense/aspect in ways that are unidiomatic or change meaning. Final Answer No correction required

Question 16

Modals of necessity (planning ahead): Choose the correction that expresses required readiness before departure time.  Original sentence: "The train will leave at 8.30 pm, we have been ready by 7.30pm so that, we can reach the station in time."  Sele…

Accepted Answer

Given data Requirement: readiness by 7.30 pm for an 8.30 pm train. Original uses present perfect "have been" incorrectly. Concept/Approach Use a modal of necessity to state a requirement: must be ready by 7.30 pm. Option analysis B. "must be" → clearly expresses necessity. ✔A → simple past; wrong time reference.C → mere present state; lacks the force of necessity.D → "should have" suggests a missed requirement in the past; wrong meaning.E → original aspect is incorrect. Corrected sentence "The train will leave at 8.30 pm; we must be ready by 7.30 pm so that we can reach the station in time." Common pitfalls Avoid using the present perfect (have been) to refer to a future deadline. Final Answer must be

Question 17

Collocation — "allegations levelled against": Determine if any correction is necessary.  Original sentence: "All the allegations levelled against him were found to be baseless."  Choose the best option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Common legal/media collocation: allegations levelled against (someone). Concept/Approach "Level(le) d against" is the standard passive participial phrase modifying "allegations". The sentence is idiomatic and grammatical. Option analysis E. "No correction required" → correct. ✔A/B/C/D → incorrect prepositions or non-standard forms. Final Answer No correction required

Question 18

Correlative comparison — parenthetical "if not": Improve the comparative structure.  Original sentence: "Ramesh is as tall if not, taller than Mahesh."  Choose the best correction.

Accepted Answer

Given data Comparison of height between Ramesh and Mahesh with a parenthetical hedge ("if not …"). Concept/Approach The natural pattern is as + adj + as, optionally followed by a parenthetical: ", if not + comparative". So we first complete "as tall as (Mahesh)", then add ", if not taller". Option analysis C. "as tall as, if not" → supplies the missing second "as" and positions the parenthetical correctly. ✔ (Full reading: "as tall as, if not taller than, Mahesh.")A/B/D/E → incorrect or incomplete structures; punctuation and correlative markers are wrong. Corrected sentence (expanded) "Ramesh is as tall as, if not taller than, Mahesh." Common pitfalls Forgetting the second "as" in the as … as construction. Final Answer as tall as, if not

Question 19

Verb choice and complement — hesitation vs. listening: Decide if any correction is necessary.  Original sentence: "He hesitated to listen to what his brother was saying."  Choose the best option.

Accepted Answer

Given data Main verb: hesitated (simple past) + infinitival complement (to listen). Reported content: "what his brother was saying" (past progressive). Concept/Approach Hesitate commonly takes an infinitive complement: "hesitated to listen …". The sequence of tenses is natural. Option analysis E. "No correction required" → grammatical and idiomatic. ✔A/B/C/D → ungrammatical word orders or wrong forms. Final Answer No correction required

Question 20

Sentence improvement (verb pattern “fail to + base verb”): choose the correct word to complete the infinitive construction  Original sentence: "The prosecution failed ___ establish in every case today."  Choose the best option that makes the sentenc…

Accepted Answer

Given data Target clause: “failed ___ establish …”. Context: reporting that the prosecution could not prove cases in court today. Concept/Approach With the verb fail, the standard pattern is fail to + base verb (infinitive). Therefore we need the particle to before “establish.” Step-by-step correction Replace the blank with “to” → “failed to establish …”. Option analysis to — forms the infinitive “to establish,” which is required after “failed.” ✅on / as / upon — wrong prepositions/particles for this verb pattern.No correction required — incorrect because the sentence without “to” is ungrammatical. Common pitfalls Using prepositions like on/upon after fail; they do not license a following bare verb. Final Answer The correct sentence is: “The prosecution failed to establish in every case today.”

Sentence Correction Questions