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

Which of the following options best corrects/completes statement IV?

Directions: This passage contains errors and an omission. Choose the correct option to complete the passage.
Statement I: Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from one-day cricket, brought an end to a glorious 23-year-old career.
Statement II: Tendulkar made his ODI debut against Pakistan much ago in 1989.
Statement III: He finally became part of the world Cup winning Indian team in 2011.
Statement IV: Besides being a great batsman,_____________.                       

  1. he was an effective, partnership-breaking, bowler

  2. he was the effective partnership-breaking, bowler

  3. he was an effective partnership-breaking bowler

  4. he was effective, partnership breaking bowler
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Takes care of all the punctuations correctly.

Multiple choice

Which of these fits gap 23?

Directions: Complete this passage by selecting the most suitable option for the corresponding gap.
Gorilla, chimpanzee and orangutan are some of the animals which resemble man in many _____ (21) _____. Among these animals, chimpanzee has the _____ (22) _____ resemblance to man. In fact, the bone structure of all these animals has many similarities to that of man. Their constitution and the number of their teeth are _____ (23) ______ to ours. Like human beings, they too have wrinkles on their forehead. Their skulls are also like ours. Even their blood is similar to ours. _____ (24) ______ , they cannot speak like us.

  1. more

  2. just like

  3. similar

  4. better
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

We cannot fit in 'just like' because of the used of the preposition 'to'. Hence, they are similar to ours.

Multiple choice

Which of these fits gap 18?

Directions: Complete this passage by selecting the most suitable option for the corresponding gap.
History reveals that copper was used by man as early as the Stone Age. By 4000 BC, mining of copper______ (17) _______.
_____ (18) ______, man came to know that bronze, an alloy of copper, zinc and tin is harder than copper.
As time ____ (19) ______, copper came to be one of the most important metals in the world, used extensively in electrical and other industries.
______ (20) ______ of the world’s copper comes from Canada, USA, Chile, Zambia and Russia.

  1. Although

  2. Finally

  3. Later

  4. As soon as
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

With passage of time, man came to know about bronze.

Multiple choice

Which of these fits gap 19?

Directions: Complete this passage by selecting the most suitable option for the corresponding gap.
History reveals that copper was used by man as early as the Stone Age. By 4000 BC, mining of copper______ (17) _______.
_____ (18) ______, man came to know that bronze, an alloy of copper, zinc and tin is harder than copper.
As time ____ (19) ______, copper came to be one of the most important metals in the world, used extensively in electrical and other industries.
______ (20) ______ of the world’s copper comes from Canada, USA, Chile, Zambia and Russia.

  1. reached

  2. ended

  3. passed

  4. decided
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Passage of time is being referred to.

Multiple choice

Which of these fits gap 20?

Directions: Complete this passage by selecting the most suitable option for the corresponding gap.
History reveals that copper was used by man as early as the Stone Age. By 4000 BC, mining of copper______ (17) _______.
_____ (18) ______, man came to know that bronze, an alloy of copper, zinc and tin is harder than copper.
As time ____ (19) ______, copper came to be one of the most important metals in the world, used extensively in electrical and other industries.
______ (20) ______ of the world’s copper comes from Canada, USA, Chile, Zambia and Russia.

  1. Least

  2. Many

  3. Much

  4. More
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

We are talking of a quantity (much), not a number. Also there is no comparison.

Multiple choice

Which of these fits gap 24?

Directions: Complete this passage by selecting the most suitable option for the corresponding gap.
Gorilla, chimpanzee and orangutan are some of the animals which resemble man in many _____ (21) _____. Among these animals, chimpanzee has the _____ (22) _____ resemblance to man. In fact, the bone structure of all these animals has many similarities to that of man. Their constitution and the number of their teeth are _____ (23) ______ to ours. Like human beings, they too have wrinkles on their forehead. Their skulls are also like ours. Even their blood is similar to ours. _____ (24) ______ , they cannot speak like us.

  1. Also

  2. Meanwhile

  3. However

  4. Since
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Although there are a lot of similarities, they cannot speak like us. The contrast needs use of 'however'.

Multiple choice semicolon punctuation english

Over the last few years, there has been a radical change in the village's population ... most people under the age of 35 have migrated to nearby cities.

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

  1. population;

  2. population,

  3. population.

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
The given sentence describes the radical changes in the village over the years.The punctuation semi colon (;) is used between two independent clauses when the coordinating conjunction is omitted.
Option B - A comma is used before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses.
Option C - A period is used only at the end of a declaratory sentence and not in between.
Option D - An ellipsis (…) is a set of three dots indicating an omission. This punctuation is not required in the given sentence.
Thus, the most suitable answer will be Option A.

Multiple choice colon punctuation english

Choose the sentence with the correct usage of 'colon' in it.

  1. A balanced diet: should contain vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.

  2. A balanced diet should contain the following: vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.

  3. A balanced diet should contain vitamins: minerals: and carbohydrates.

  4. A balanced diet should: contain the following vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

A colon is used to introduce a list or an explanation after an independent clause. Option B correctly uses the colon to introduce the list of items.

Multiple choice colon punctuation english

A range of new blockbusters is coming to the cinemas this summer: thrillers, comedies and family dramas.

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

  1. summer;

  2. summer,

  3. summer ...

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
The sentence gives a list of blockbusters coming to the cinemas.
An ellipsis (…) is a set of three dots indicating an omission. This punctuation is not required in the given sentence.
A semi colon and a comma are used to between or before coordinating conjunctions in two independent clauses respectively.
However, the punctuation colon (:) is used to introduce a list of items in a sentence.
Thus, the most appropriate answer is Option A, no change.

Multiple choice colon punctuation english

Maria painted her house in neutral colors; gray, white and brown.

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

  1. colors:

  2. colors ...

  3. colors

  4. colors.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
The sentence gives a list of colors used by Maria to paint her house.
The punctuation colon (:) is used to introduce a list of items.
Thus, the most suitable answer will be Option A.
An ellipsis (…) is a set of three dots indicating an omission. This punctuation is not required in the given sentence.
A period is used only at the end of a declaratory sentence and not in between.
Multiple choice colon punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word:
Plants obtain energy for their activities through photosynthesis, a process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy.

  1. photosynthesis:

  2. photosynthesis;

  3. photosynthesis

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
The given sentence consists of two independent clauses. 
Option A - As a general rule, a colon is used to separate two independent clauses when the second illustrates or explains the first. In the given sentence, the second half explains the process of photosynthesis. Thus, the usage of colon in place of comma will be more appropriate.
Option B - A semi colon is used between two independent clauses when the coordinating conjunction is omitted.


Multiple choice colon punctuation english

During her stay in Europe, Elise tasted a variety of traditional Continental desserts; Polish Babka, German Baumkuchen and Italian Cassata.

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

  1. desserts ...

  2. desserts,

  3. desserts:

  4. NO CHANGE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The given sentence gives a list of traditional Continental desserts. A semi colon (;) is used between two independent clauses when the coordinating conjunction is omitted. Therefore, using a semi colon in the given sentence is incorrect.
Option A - An ellipsis (…) is a set of three dots indicating an omission. This punctuation is not required in the given sentence.

Option B - A comma is used in a list to separate a series of items and not before that.
Option C - The punctuation colon (:) is specifically used to introduce a list of items. Therefore, the correct answer will be Option C.





Multiple choice colon punctuation english

These days, one of the things that meteorologists most fear is the onset of a tropical cyclone: a rapidly rotating storm system with a low pressure center.

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined word.

  1. NO CHANGE

  2. cyclone;

  3. cyclone,

  4. cyclone ...
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
The sentence consists of an independent clause followed by a closely related item. A colon is used to introduce an item or list of items in a sentence. Thus, the use of colon in the given sentence is correct.
Option B - A semi colon is used between two independent clauses when the coordinating conjunction is omitted.
Option C - A comma is used before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses.
Option D - An ellipsis is used to represent a trailing off thought.
Thus, the correct answer is Option A, no change.
Multiple choice capitalization punctuation english

Choose the option that best corrects the given sentence:
the chief religions of japan are buddhism and shintoism.

  1. NO CHANGE

  2. The chief religions of Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism.

  3. The chief religions of Japan are buddhism and shintoism.

  4. The chief religions of japan are buddhism and shintoism.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
According to general rule, the first word of a sentence is always capitalized. Capitals are used for all proper nouns in a sentence.
Similarly, the names of religions and religious terms must also be capitalized. For example - God, Buddha, Christianity etc.
Thus, according to rules, the correct answer is Option B is the correct answer. The remaining options are incorrect.

Multiple choice capitalization punctuation english

the old testament ends with the book of malachi.

Choose the option that best corrects the sentence.

  1. NO CHANGE

  2. The old testament ends with the book of malachi.

  3. The Old Testament ends with the book of Malachi.

  4. The old testament ends with the book of Malachi.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
According to general rule, the first word of a sentence is always capitalized. Capitals are used for all proper nouns in a sentence.
Similarly, the names of religions and religious terms must also be capitalized. For example - God, Buddha, Christianity etc.
Thus, according to rules, the correct answer is Option C is the correct answer. The remaining options are incorrect.