English - Sentence Correction
Hi Friends, here are the correction of sentences for practice
Which of phrases given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in underlined to make the grammatically correct?
1) In the thirties and forties, devotees of Willa Cather’s maintained that her writing has all the qualities found in the highest order of American writers of the nineteenth and twentieth century.
A. Cather’s maintained that her writing has
B. Cather’s maintained that her writing had
C. Cather’s have maintained that her writing had
D. Cather maintained that her writing had
E. Cather maintained that her writing has
Explanation :
The best answer is D. The phrase devotees of Willa Cather presents a complete
possessive without adding an apostrophe to her last name. Because the sentence describes a past event, the verb has in the present tense is incorrect.
2) Robinson is a botanist whose dream is to reestablish an authentic pre-human piece of Hawaii, a place now awash with introduced species of plants and animals.
A. who has the dream to reestablish an authentic pre-human piece of Hawaii,
B. whose dream it is to reestablish an authentic pre-human piece of Hawaii,
C. who it is his dream to reestablish an authentic pre-human piece of Hawaii,
D. that is dreaming to reestablish an authentic pre-human piece of Hawaii,
E. whose dream is to reestablish an authentic pre-human piece of Hawaii,
Explanation :
The best answer is E. The pronoun whose is the best way to link the dream with
Robinson is a botanist.
3) As literary criticism grows more complex, students majoring in specialized areas like those of post-colonialism and Marxist discourse have been becoming increasingly successful at finding positions in the faculties of top universities.
A. majoring in specialized areas like those of post-colonialism and Marxist discourse have been becoming increasingly
B. who major in such specialized areas as post-colonialism and Marxist discourse are becoming more and more
C. who majored in specialized areas such as those of post-colonialism and Marxist discourse are being increasingly
D. who major in specialized areas like those of post-colonialism and Marxist
discourse have been becoming more and more
E. having majored in such specialized areas as post-colonialism and Marxist
discourse are being increasingly
Explanation :
The best answer is B. The phrase As literary criticism grows more complex
introduces an ongoing condition that leads to consequences described in the rest of the sentence, which should be expressed with simple present-tense or present progressive. The use of like rather than such as is incorrect. In A, C, and D, those of is too wordy.
4) The woodland sub-species were in isolation from contact with humans longer than either their marsh cousins or the tree-dwelling sub-species.
B. isolated from contact with humans longer than
C. in isolation from contact with humans longer than were
D. isolated from contact with humans longer than were
E. in isolation and without contacts with humans longer than
Explanation :
The best answer is D. The phrasing of the comparisons in choices A, B, and E is incomplete, so the comparisons are ambiguous. Choice D employs concise, idiomatic phrasing to express a logically complete comparison.
5) Drinking milk enriched with vitamin D may significantly reduce the risk of rickets and also aid for sufferers of heart disease, according to studies recently completed at the University of California in San Francisco.
A. significantly reduce the risk of rickets and also aid for
B. be significant in reducing the risk of rickets and aid for
C. significantly reduce the risk of rickets and aid
D. cause a significant reduction in the risk of rickets and aid to
E. significantly reduce the risk of rickets as well as aiding
Explanation:
The best answer is C. Choices A, B and D each produce a clearly unintended meaning: by using aid as a noun rather than a verb, each creates a misleading parallel with the noun risk. Choice E lacks grammatical parallelism
6) The strand fills with water during the rainy season that the peat then holds and keeps it humid, all of which creates conditions enabling trees to grow.
A. enabling trees to grow.
B. for the trees to grow.
C. for growing trees.
D. that enable the trees to grow.
E. that the trees can grow.
Explanation:
The best answer is D. In choices B and C the preposition for is used unidiomatically. In choice A the omission of the word the makes it sound as though these conditions are necessary for all trees.
7) For almost five thousand years after its beginning 2.5 million years ago, Homo habilis roamed the earth, lived in semi-permanent camps, gathered food and shared their economy.
A. For almost five thousand years after its beginning 2.5 million years ago,
B. Beginning 2.5 million years ago for a period of almost five thousand years,
C. Beginning a period of almost five thousand years 2.5 million years ago,
D. During five thousand years, a period beginning 2.5 million years ago,
E. Over a period of five thousand years beginning 2.5 million years ago,
Explanation:
The best answer is E. Choice E is precise and idiomatically phrased. Choice A is
illogical because its refers grammatically to Homo habilis. Choice B is less clear and direct.
8) Despite protests from some share holders, committee members have ordered the levels of department head involvement to be curtailed and that the advertising program be undertaken.
A. the levels of department head involvement to be curtailed and that the advertising program be
B. the levels of department head involvement to be curtailed and that the advertising program being
C. the measure of levels of department head involvement to be curtailed and the advertising program to be
D. the levels of department head involvement to be curtailed with their advertising program being
E. that the levels of department head involvement be curtailed and the advertising program be
Explanation:
The best answer is E. Choice E clearly and correctly uses parallel phrases: the levels of department head involvement be…. The advertising program be…..
9) Advances in networking technology and home computers have made it easy for millions of Americans to work in their homes, often facilitating the communication between the manager, who continues to work on-site at the office, with his distant employees.
A. communication between the manager, who continues to work on-site at the office, with his distant employees.
B. communication between the manager, who continues the work on-site at the
office, with his distant employees.
C. communication between the manager, who continues to work on-site at the office, to his distant employees.
D. communication between the manager, who continues to work on-site at the office, and his distant employees.
E. communication between the manager, who continues to work on-site at the office, with his distance employees.
Explanation:
The best answer is D. The communication has to be between the manager and his employee.
10) There are any number of skilled freelancers who can develop strategy and create marketing materials with a keen eye to using proven methods, but also to developing new and innovative techniques.
A. with a keen eye to using proven methods, but also to developing new and
innovative techniques.
B. with a keen eye for using proven methods, and also to developing new and
innovative techniques.
C. with a keen eye not only to using proven methods, but also to developing new and innovative techniques.
D. with a keen eye to using proven methods, but to developing now and innovative techniques.
E. with a keen eye not only to using proven methods, and also to developing now and innovative techniques.
Explanation:
The best answer is C. Choice C correctly develops the parallel not only… but also….
11) The small child does whatever his father was done.
A. has done
B. did
C. does
D. had done
E. No correction required
Answer : option C
12) You need not come unless you want to.
A. You don't need to come unless you want to
B. You come only when you want to
C. You come unless you don't want to
D. You needn't come until you don't want to
E. No correction required
Answer : option A
13) There are not many men who are so famous that they are frequently referred to by their short names only
A. initials
B. signatures
C. pictures
D. middle names
E. No correction required
Answer : option A
14) The man to who I sold my house was a cheat.
A. to whom I sell
B. to who I sell
C. who was sold to
D. to whom I sold
E. No correction required
Answer : option D
15) They were all shocked at his failure in the competition.
A. were shocked at all
B. had all shocked at
C. had all shocked by
D. had been all shocked on
E. No correction required
Answer : option E
16) The Wallerstein study indicates that even after a decade young men and women still experience some of the effects of a divorce occurring when a child.
(A) occurring when a child
(B) occurring when children
(C) that occurred when a child
(D) that occurred when they were children
(E) that has occurred as each was a child
Choice D is best. The phrasing a divorce that occurred when they were children correctly uses the relative clause that occurred to modify a divorce and includes a pronoun and verb (they were) that refer unambiguously to their antecedent, men and women. Choice A incorrectly introduces the when... phrase with occurring, thus illogically making divorce the grammatical referent of when a child; furthermore, the singular child does not agree with the plural men and women. B replaces child with children but otherwise fails to correct A's errors of structure and logic, and C corrects only the error created by occurring. Choice E includes an incorrect verb tense (has occurred) and wrongly replaces when with as. Also, each was does not properly refer to men and women.
17) Since 1981, when the farm depression began, the number of acres overseen by professional farm-management companies have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area that is about Colorado's size.
(A) have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area that is about Colorado's size
(B) have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, about the size of Colorado
(C) has grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of Colorado
(D) has grown from 48 million up to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of
Colorado's
(E) has grown from 48 million up to nearly 59 million, about Colorado's size
Answer with explanation:
In choice C, the best answer, an area about the size of Colorado clearly describes a rough equivalence between the area of Colorado and the area overseen by the companies. In A and B, the plural verb have does not agree with the singular subject number. Choice A is also wordy, since that is can be deleted without loss of clarity. The absence of an area in B and E impairs clarity: the phrase beginning with about must modify a noun such as area that is logically equivalent to the number of acres given. In D and E up to is unidiomatic; the correct expression is from x to y. In D, the size of Colorado's is unidiomatic, since of Colorado forms a complete possessive.
18) Some bat caves, like honeybee hives, have residents that take on different duties such as defending the entrance, acting as sentinels and to sound a warning at the approach of danger, and scouting outside the cave for new food and roosting sites.
(B) acting as sentinels and sounding
(C) to act as sentinels and sound
(D) to act as sentinels and to sound
(E) to act as a sentinel sounding
Answer with explanation:
Because the verb phrases used to describe the bats' duties are governed by the phrase different duties such as, they should each be expressed in the present participial (or "-ing") form to parallel defending and scouting. Choices A, C, D, and E all violate parallelism by employing infinitives (to...) in place of participial phrases. In E the singular sentinel is not consistent with residents, and the omission of and distorts the meaning of the original. Only B, the best answer, preserves the sense of the original, uses the correct idiom, and observes the parallelism required among and within the three main verb phrases.
19) The only way for growers to salvage frozen citrus is to process them quickly into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns.
(A) to process them quickly into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns
(B) if they are quickly processed into juice concentrate before warmer weather returns to rot them
(C) for them to be processed quickly into juice concentrate before the fruit rots when warmer weather returns
(D) if the fruit is quickly processed into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns
(E) to have it quickly processed into juice concentrate before warmer weather returns and rots the fruit
For parallelism, the linking verb is should link two infinitives: The only way to salvage ... is to process. Choice A begins with an infinitive, but the plural pronouns them and they do not agree with the singular noun citrus. Choices B, C, and D do not begin with an infinitive, and all present pronoun errors: the plural pronouns cannot grammatically refer to citrus or fruit, nor can they refer to farmers without absurdity. The best choice, E, has parallel infinitives and uses fruit to refer unambiguously to citrus. E also expresses the cause-and-effect relationship between the return of warmer weather and the rotting of the fruit; A, C, and D merely describe these events as contemporaneous.
20) I need not offer any explanation regarding this incident - my behaviour is speaking itself.
A. will speak to itself
B. speaks for itself
C. has been speaking
D. speaks about itself
E. No correction required
Answer : option B
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