English Language

English Grammar and Usage

1,563 Questions

English grammar and usage form a critical component of language sections in competitive exams. This hub provides practice with fill in the blanks, prepositions, and appropriate word selection. Strong grammar skills are necessary to score well in verbal ability tests.

Fill in the blanksPrepositions usageConjunctions selectionSentence correction

English Grammar and Usage Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: Four parts of the sentences given below have been underlined. Identify the part having an error. If no part has an error, mark (E).

During the Jurassic period plant life was (A) abundance, providing herbivores (B) in particular with a (C) plentiful supply of (D) food. (E) No error

  1. (A)

  2. (B)

  3. (C)

  4. (D)

  5. (E)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The word 'abundance' is a noun, but an adjective is needed to describe 'plant life'. It should be 'abundant'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Fill in the blank with the most appropriate of the given options.

Not only _______ to determine the depth of the ocean floor, but it is also used to locate oil.

  1. we use seismology

  2. is seismology used

  3. seismology is used

  4. seismology blinds usage

  5. we used seismology
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The structure 'Not only... but also' requires inversion of the subject and verb in the first clause. 'Is seismology used' correctly follows this rule.

Multiple choice

Directions: Fill in the blank with the most appropriate of the given options.

The knee is ________ most other joints in the body because it cannot twist without injury.

  1. more likely to be damaged than

  2. more likely to damage

  3. more than likely to be damaged for

  4. likely to be damaged more than

  5. likely to be more damaged than
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence requires a comparative structure to describe the knee's vulnerability. Option A correctly uses the phrase 'more likely to be damaged than' to establish the comparison between the knee and other joints.

Multiple choice

Directions: Identify the incorrect sentence or sentences.

A. The question of when man starting cooking his food has not been answered by anthropologists with any definiteness. B. There has not been sufficient rain this year. C. The first railway line in the USA was built nearly two hundred years ago. D. The Neanderthals appeared in Europe during third interglacial period.

  1. A and B

  2. B and C

  3. C and D

  4. A and D

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In sentence (A), present perfect tense is used. So, instead of “starting”, we should use “started” (third form of verb). In sentence (D), the article "the" should be used before ordinal number "third".

Multiple choice

Directions: The following question consists of a set of four statements. One or more of the statements may have an error of grammar or syntax. Select the statement(s) having the error.

(A) Naturalists continually refer to external conditions, such as climate, food etc., as the only possible causes of variation. (B) Nevertheless, such a conclusion, even if well founded, would be unsatisfactory, until it could be shown how the innumerable species, have to acquire that perfection of structure and coadaptation. (C) It is quite conceivable that a naturalist might come to the conclusion that species have not been independently created, but had descended from other species. (D) Yet it is preposterous to attribute to mere external conditions, the structure of several species.

  1. Only A

  2. Only C

  3. A, B and C

  4. All of these

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

‘External conditions’ in A are a possible ‘cause’, not ‘causes’. ‘That’ in B is redundant. ‘Have’ and ‘had’ in C are out of sync.

Multiple choice

AIDS Is ___ fatal disease

  1. (A) A

  2. (B) AN

  3. (c) THE

  4. (D)NO ARTICLE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

correct AIDS is disease and no article is used for it any zoo, village, city, street, Bus stand, Railway stand, Airport, Underground tonal, diseases and true sayings or thoughts no Article is used.

Multiple choice

My uncle went to ____ U.S.A

  1. (A) A

  2. (B) AN

  3. (c) THE

  4. (D)NO ARTICLE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

correct for three countries U.K, U,S,A AND U.S.S.R article the is used