English Language

Sentence Improvement

821 Questions
All Tense and Time Sequence 181 Verb-Governed Prepositions 145 Lexical Confusables 75 Subject-Verb Agreement 59 Modifiers 48 Determiners and Quantifiers 47 Infinitive vs. Gerund 47 Correlative and Paired Conjunctions 35 Conditional Sentences 30 Pronoun Case and Agreement 24 Redundancy 24 Parallel Structure 20 Question Tags 10 Reported Speech 8

Sentence Improvement Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

Anil ought not to tell me your secret, but he did.

  1. to be telling

  2. tell

  3. to have told

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

After 'ought to‘, 'have‘ is used.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

If I were him, I would have not accepted the offer.

  1. If I was him

  2. If I were he

  3. If I had he

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

'If I were he' is the correct phrase. Try to reverse 'If I were him' to 'If him were I'; it shows the error.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

What the nation needs is people of character.

  1. are the people of character

  2. are people of character

  3. is a people of character

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence is already correct.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

He is better than any boy in the class.

  1. any boys

  2. all the boys

  3. any other boy

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

'Any boy' included him also, so the correct expression would be 'any other boy'. 

When a comparison is instituted by means of a comparative followed by than, the thing compared must always be excluded from the class of things with which it is compared by using other or some such word.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

We now come to the important question of where this great swarm of galaxies have come from.

  1. have come

  2. has come from

  3. are coming from

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The singular form of verb 'has' will be used after collective noun swarm.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

I did not wait for him because he went out before I arrived.

  1. has gone out

  2. had gone out

  3. had been out

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Something happened before some other event in the past. So, past perfect will be used.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

I never saw you at the party yesterday.

  1. have not seen

  2. did not see

  3. had never seen

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

'Never' doesn't fit with past tense here as it means 'not ever'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

Fewer rainfall means less traffic accidents, according to the experts' report on highway safety.

  1. Less rainfall means fewer traffic accidents

  2. Less rainfall means less traffic accidents

  3. Fewer rainfall means fewer traffic accidents

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Rainfall is not countable, so 'less' will be used. 'Traffic accidents' is countable so 'fewer' will be used.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

Ajeet is a bigger scholar than his brother.

  1. better

  2. smaller

  3. superior

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'Big' denotes size and 'good' denotes quality.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

Your sister cooks well, isn't she?

  1. isn't i<font size="2">t</font>?

  2. doesn't she?

  3. doesn't it?

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The pattern of such sentences is: Auxiliary + not + subject/pronoun

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

Since the beginning of the term, we spending a lot of time on poetry.

  1. spent

  2. will spend

  3. have spent

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Present perfect tense is used after since in such sentences.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

Dickens's novels, like many writers, are largely autobiographical.

  1. like those of many other writers

  2. like so many others

  3. like many other novelists

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Incorrect comparison: Comparing 'novels' with 'the writers'

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

Never I have seen such breathtaking scenery!

  1. Never have I

  2. Ever I have

  3. I cannot ever

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'Never have I' is the correct phrase here.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

Whenever I saw him, he has been reading the same novel.

  1. had been reading

  2. read

  3. was reading

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence is of past continuous tense.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence are given three possible substitutions for the underlined part. If one of them is better than the underlined part, mark that as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, mark (4).

She was as pretty as, if not prettier than, any other girl at the party.

  1. She was very pretty

  2. She was pretty

  3. She was the prettiest

  4. No improvement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence is already correct.