Directions: Correct the following sentences (if necessary) and give reasons for your corrections.
Question 1: The purpose of all these chapters and tests are to teach you correct grammar.
Answer: The purpose of all these chapters and tests is to teach you correct grammar. [Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 2: Either modern dance or classical ballet are useful for strengthening concentration, toning up the muscles, and creating a sense of poise.
Answer: Either modern dance or classical ballet is useful for strengthening concentration, toning up the muscles, and creating a sense of poise. [Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 3: Theirs was the nicest house I have ever been.
Answer: Theirs was the nicest house I have ever been to. [Use of Prepositions]
Question 4: The teacher and his assistant, along with the principal, grades the final exams.
Answer: The teacher and his assistant, along with the principal, grade the final exams. [Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 5: Brilliant in concept and original in staging, the performance nonetheless offered less and less reasons, as the evening wore on, for us to invest in the production.
Answer: Brilliant in concept and original in staging, the performance nonetheless offered less and less reasons, as the evening wore on, for us to invest in the production. [No Error]
Question 6: Will any member who has not done so please cast their votes now?
Answer: Will any member who has not done so please cast his vote now? [Noun-Pronoun Agreement]
Question 7: Inspired by the theories of French philosophers, the ringing phrases of the Declaration of Independence testifies to an idealistic view of man’s potential as a social animal.
Answer: Inspired by the theories of French philosophers, the ringing phrases of the Declaration of Independence testify to an idealistic view of man’s potential as a social animal. [Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 8: Such rules do not apply to you and I.
Answer: Such rules do not apply to you and me. [Pronoun Case]
Question 9: To get young children to swallow pills are very difficult for most mothers to manage.
Answer: To get young children to swallow pills is very difficult for most mothers to manage.
[Clause as Subject]
Question 10: The absence of access ramps for wheelchairs in both public buildings or restaurants causes much difficulty for the handicapped.
Answer: The absence of access ramps for wheelchairs in both public buildings and restaurants causes much difficulty for the handicapped. [Use of Correlative Conjunctions]
Question 11: He said that, if he were me, he would certainty undertake it.
Answer: He said that, if he were I, he would certainty undertake it. [Pronoun Case]
Question 12: The reason tourism in Singapore has dropped by three to four percent is because prosperity in that East Asian nation has raised prices of hotels and other amenities.
Answer: The reason tourism in Singapore has dropped by three to four percent is that prosperity in that East Asian nation has raised prices of hotels and other amenities. [Use of Conjunction or Pronoun]
Question 13: In this year the monsoon failed, which caused a terrible famine throughout the provinces.
Answer: The failure of the monsoon this year caused a terrible famine throughout the provinces.
[Use of Relative Pronouns]
Question 14: Although William Jennings Bryan did not speak precisely like the people spoke, they nonetheless viewed him as one of their own and rejected his opponents as suspiciously over-educated.
Answer: Although William Jennings Bryan did not speak precisely as the people spoke, they nonetheless viewed him as one of their own and rejected his opponents as suspiciously over-educated.
[Use of Conjunction or Preposition]
Question 15: He advised each of them to look after their own interests in this matter.
Answer: He advised each of them to look after his own interests in this matter. [Pronoun Consistency]
