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 three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (4) as your answer. Had you finished your homework in time, you would be allowed to go home.

  1. would have been allowed

  2. had been allowed

  3. were allowed

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

Case of passive voice. In case of past perfect tense, we use 'would have been + third form of the verb'. Thus, option 1.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (4) as your answer. Deepak has wanted to join the medical college, but he failed to get admission.

  1. had wanted

  2. was wanting

  3. would want

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

Case of past perfect tense. Whenever two incidents in the past happen one after the other, we use 'had' with the former one.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (4) as your answer. Unauthorized settlements in many parts of the city have demolished.

  1. have been demolished

  2. had demolished

  3. was demolished

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

Case of passive voice. In cases like this where we need to show the continuity of an action in the present, we use 'has/have been + third form of the verb'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (4) as your answer. The father expressed his desire that his son became a doctor.

  1. should become

  2. had become

  3. become

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

Expression of a feeling is followed by modal 'should'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence, three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (4) as your answer. Although they had defeated, they did not lose heart.

  1. were defeated

  2. have been defeated

  3. have defeated

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

'Had defeated' is a verb, but the sentence talks about a fact of past. So, verb needs to be changed to 'verb of being'. So, 'were defeated' should be used in place of 'had defeated'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence, three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (4) as your answer. A great city once stood where the village of Rajgir now lied.

  1. lies

  2. had lied

  3. lying

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

Error of verb form usage Word 'now' itself makes it clear that a fact of present is being talked about. And for present, first form of the verb is used, rather than the second one. So, 'lies' is the right option.

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence, three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (4) as your answer. He said that he would not believe it even if he saw it with his own eyes.

  1. will not

  2. could not

  3. had not

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

Perfectly correct sentence

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below the sentence, three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (4) as your answer. My pen was stealing by somebody yesterday.

  1. was stolen

  2. has stolen

  3. had stolen

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

 Here, we use 'third form of the verb' with 'was/were' in cases where no continuity is shown. 

Multiple choice

Directions: Look at the underlined part of the sentence. Below each sentence three possible substitutions are given for the underlined part. If one of the possible substitutions is better than the underlined part, indicate it as your answer. If none of the substitutions improves the sentence, indicate (d) as your answer.

The girl requested that she was allowed to have another helping of the pudding.

  1. should be allowed

  2. be allowed

  3. would be allowed

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

Case of past indefinite tense. Here, her being allowed is demonstrated by the request of the girl. In such cases, we do not need modals. Thus, option 2.

Multiple choice

Directions: The underlined part of the given sentence may be correct or incorrect. There are four alternatives marked (1), (2), (3) and (4), which represent various ways of improving the underlined part. Select the appropriate choice to improve the underlined part of the sentence.

Do you remember to meet her at my house last year?

  1. remember of meeting her

  2. remember about meeting her

  3. remember having met her

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

Remember having met her. Gerund form is to be used. First option has wrong use of preposition 'of'. In second sentence about is redundant. Third sentence is correct.

Multiple choice

Directions: The underlined part of the given sentence may be correct or incorrect. There are four alternatives marked (1), (2), (3) and (4), which represent various ways of improving the underlined part. Select the appropriate choice to improve the underlined part of the sentence.

He was so rude that they were compelled for asking him to leave.

  1. ask him to leave

  2. to ask him to leave

  3. him to ask to leave

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

To ask him to leave. With the word compelled we use infinitive form of the verb (To ask). (3) option has a very awkward phrasing.

Multiple choice

Directions: Which of the phrases (1), (2) and (3) should replace the underlined phrase to make the sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark (4) as your answer.

Workers who performed the same operation day after day can take no pleasure or pride in their work.

  1. perform

  2. have performed

  3. had performed

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

Error of sentence formation in past indefinite tense. Modal 'can' gives the clue that we are talking about a general fact of present times. So, verb 'performed' should be replaced by 'perform'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Which of the phrases (1), (2) and (3) should replace the underlined phrase to make the sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark (4) as your answer.

I gave my niece a children’s beautifully illustrated encyclopedia.

  1. beautifully illustrated encyclopedia of children

  2. child’s beautifully illustrated encyclopedia

  3. beautifully illustrated children’s encyclopedia

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

Case of improper placement of words. The encyclopedia for children is beautifully illustrated. So, children's should come before encyclopedia showing possessiveness.

Multiple choice

Directions: Which of the phrases (1), (2) and (3) should replace the underlined phrase to make the sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark (4) as your answer.

The word cancer strikes dread in the average man's heart and once he has diagnosed as suffering from it, he loses all hope.

  1. is diagnosed

  2. was diagnosed

  3. would be diagnosed

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

Error of verb usage. Here, in place of the verb i.e. 'has diagnosed', we need verb of being i'e. 'is diagnosed'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Which of the phrases (1), (2) and (3) should replace the underlined phrase to make the sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark (4) as your answer.

When the Nobel Prize for Peace has announced this year, I experienced a sense of elation.

  1. was announced

  2. had announced

  3. were announced

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

Case of passive voice. To refer to a time of past, we use past indefinite. It being a passive voice case, 'was announced' is the best option.