English Grammar Test

Sentence Improvement

Which of the phrases (a), (b) or (c) should replace the word/phrase in bold letters to make the sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark (d) as your answer.

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

a) beautifully illustrated child’s encyclopedia
b) child’s beautifully illustrated encyclopedia
c) beautifully illustrated children’s encyclopedia
d) no improvement

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

a) perform
b) have performed
c) had performed
d) No improvement

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

a) is diagnosed
b) was diagnosed
c) would be diagnosed
d) No improvement

4. The popular theory that modern man came out of Africa has thrown into doubt by the discovery of a 3,50,000 year old skull from China.

a) have thrown
b) has been thrown
c) had been thrown
d) No improvement

5. She looked askance at the tablet and asked if it has been all that was to be given to a dying man to make him well.

a) is
b) was
c) had been
d) no improvement

6. The old woman would return with a beaming countenance the next day and reported that her husband had recovered.

a) returns
b) returned
c) has returned
d) no improvement

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

a) was announced
b) had announced
c) were announced
d) no improvement

8. That all cancers are not incurable and even the terminally ill may be able to live the rest of their lives in peace and relative comfort is seldom understood.

a) The fact that all cancers
b) The fact all cancers
c) The fact every cancer
d) No improvement

9. Pitching the camp on top of the mountain took five times as long as it would have taken in a place where there was enough air to breathe.

a) five times as long it would take
b) five times as long as it takes
c) five times as long as it would take
d) no improvement

10. At night most climbers took their gloves off, but I prefer to keep them on.

a) take their gloves off
b) took their gloves of
c) had taken their gloved off
d) no improvement

11. Thirty eight years before a handful of Americans declared April 22, 1970 to be Earth Day.

a) Thirty eight years from now
b) Since thirty eight years
c) Thirty eight years ago
d) No improvement

12. In spite of various attempts to brighten the lives of workers, however, the average man in a factory is rather to pity than envy.

a) to be pitied than envied
b) to be pitied than envy
c) to be pity than envied
d) no improvement

13. In the olden days, before the discovery of anesthetics, various methods would have used to keep the patient quiet during an operation.

a) were used
b) had used
c) was used
d) no improvement

14. The spectre that has haunted our country represents both an opportunity and a challenge.

a) has haunting
b) had haunting
c) has been haunting
d) no improvement

15. The extraordinary ability of satellites to see, listen and communicate have made them an integral part of the modern warfare.

a) were made them
b) has made them
c) have been made them
d) no improvement

16. This is the first time in my memory that the river has overflown the banks.

a) has been over flown
b) has overflowed
c) has overflowing
d) no improvement

17. They decided to arrange a grand party on the eve of her retirement especially as she had been working for the firm since almost twenty years.

a) almost twenty years since
b) for almost twenty years
c) almost twenty years ago
d) no improvement

18. Israel has been turning the search for water into a science so advanced that it has been surpassed even biblical miracles.

a) it surpasses
b) it had surpassed
c) it has been surpassed
d) no improvement

19. At last the two climbers were getting the tent up and crawled in.

a) got
b) has gotten
c) get
d) no improvement

20. After his retirement from the Presidency College, Bose founded the great institute which now bear his name.

a) which now bears his name
b) which now has born his name
c) which now has borne his name
d) no improvement

21. It is an established fact that the consumption of alcohol be discouraged as it has been the cause of ruin in many families.

a) should discourage
b) should have discouraged
c) should be discouraged
d) no improvement

22. His duties were to teach design to the architectural students and also developing new courses for them.

a) to develop
b) to developing
c) to have developed
d) no improvement

23. He looked as though he had not a decent meal for over a month.

a) have not a decent
b) had not have a decent
c) had not had a decent
d) no improvement

24. He pressed with his enquiries until at last he learned the reason for their panic.

a) He pressed at with his enquiries
b) He pressed on with his enquiries
c) He pressed after with his enquiries
d) No improvement

25. My friend is so rich that he is having four apartments in Mumbai, and six in Pune.

a) has
b) have
c) had
d) no improvement

Answers

1. beautifully illustrated children’s encyclopedia
2. perform
3. is diagnosed
4. has been thrown
5. was
6. returned
7. was announced
8. The fact that all cancers
9. no improvement
10. take their gloves off
11. Thirty eight years ago
12. to be pitied than envied
13. were used
14. has been haunting
15. has made them
16. has overflowed
17. for almost twenty years
18. it surpasses
19. got
20. which now bears his name
21. should be discouraged
22. to develop
23. had not had a decent
24. He pressed on with his enquiries
25. has