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. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

The train will leave before we have reached the station.

  1. we reach the station

  2. we had reached the station

  3. we would reach the station

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

Case of sentence formation. Simple present tense doesn't use any other auxilary after 'will/shall'. Thus, “the train will leave …before we reach”.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

Inflation affects nearly everyone.

  1. everyone nearly

  2. nearly all

  3. nearly each one

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

'Nearly everyone' means almost everyone. So, no error.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

If you asked them, they would have solved your problem.

  1. had asked

  2. would asked

  3. were asking

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

If the subordinate clause is in past perfect, then the principal clause should also be in past perfect. Thus, 'had asked' is the right choice.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

Can't you never understand what has been said.

  1. ever understand

  2. rather understand

  3. at all understand

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

Case of sentence formation. Double usage negative words is incorrect. Thus, can't you ever”. 'Never' is a negative word.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

This is the sixth time you asked the same question.

  1. ask the same question

  2. have asked the same question

  3. were asking the same question

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

This is a case of present perfect tense. So, option 2 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

Suddenly she became conscious regarding the presence of a stranger in the room.

  1. about

  2. of

  3. over

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

Case of prepositional phrase. Correct phrase is - “conscious of” i.e. 'to become aware of something'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

Jane's boyfriend walked her.

  1. walked out on her

  2. walked out her

  3. walked on her

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

The correct idiomatic phrase-'walked out on her' which refers to “leave somebody angrily”.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

The Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and that was the end of the Byzantine Empire.

  1. have captured

  2. had captured

  3. captures

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

Simple past tense uses second form of the verb, that too without any auxilary verb. So, no error.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

She is working since morning.

  1. was working

  2. has been working

  3. works

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

Case of usage of verb form. Present perfect continuous tense, as the work has been taking place from a specific point in the past. Thus, “has been working”.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

Be sure to contact with as many teachers as possible.

  1. contact

  2. contact on

  3. contact to

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

Case of phrasal preposition. Correct word phrase “contact as many as”.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

He asked me where was I going.

  1. am I going

  2. I was going

  3. were I going

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

It is not an interrogative sentence. Thus, option 2.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

Although it was raining for days, the cricket pitch was in perfect condition.

  1. it had been raining

  2. it is raining

  3. it had raining

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

As the rain had continued for some time in the past, so to show that continuity we should use “past perfect continuous”. Thus, option 1.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

Driving down the road when a deer leapt out in front of me.

  1. While I was driving down the road

  2. While driving down the road

  3. I was driving down the road

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

Here, the sentence needs to be supplied with the missing subject. Usage of objective form (me) implies that the doer of the action is the first person. Option 1 is rejected as 'while' and 'when' can not be used together. Thus, option 3.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Three possible substitutions for the underlined part are given below. Select the best substitution for the underlined part and indicate it as your answer. If no substitution is required indicate (4) as your answer.

His latest film has been less successful than his other films were.

  1. have been

  2. had been

  3. was

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

Case of parallelism, “was-were”.