Directions: Correct the following sentences (if necessary) and give reasons for your corrections.
Question 1: He could never reconcile with the inferior post offered to him.
Answer: He could never reconcile to the inferior post offered to him. [Use of Prepositions]
Question 2: The spectacles you supposedly misplaced has been found safely kept in its case.
Answer: The spectacles you supposedly misplaced have been found safely kept in its case.
Question 3: Neither in delicate stemware or in heavier decorative pieces should one be disappointed to find the bubbles and other imperfections that characterize even the finest lead crystal.
Answer: Neither in delicate stemware nor in heavier decorative pieces should one be disappointed to find the bubbles and other imperfections that characterize even the finest lead crystal. [Use of Correlative Conjunctions]
Question 4: Everybody except Frank and me want him to be chosen class representative.
Answer: Everybody except Frank and me wants him to be chosen class representative. [Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 5: The minister was chary of admitting to his mistakes.
Answer: The minister was chary of admitting to his mistakes. [No Error]
Question 6: Charles Burchfield, isolated as he was for most of his life, was not the most cosmopolitan of the American watercolourists, which flourished in the twenties and thirties.
Answer: Charles Burchfield, isolated as he was for most of his life, was not the most cosmopolitan of the American watercolourists, who flourished in the twenties and thirties. [Use of Relative Pronouns]
Question 7: If anyone cares to join me in the campaign, either now or in the near future, they will be welcomed gratefully.
Answer: If anyone cares to join me in the campaign, either now or in the near future, he will be welcomed gratefully. [Pronoun Consistency]
Question 8: The committee had intended both you and I to speak at the assembly; however, only one of us will be able to.
Answer: The committee had intended both you and me to speak at the assembly; however, only one of us will be able to. [Pronoun Case]
Question 9: I wonder whether you are sure that scheme of your’s will work.
Answer: I wonder whether you are sure that scheme of yours will work. [Use of Possessive Pronouns]
Question 10: One can learn more about new computers by actually working with them instead of merely reading the instructional pamphlet.
Answer: One can learn more about new computers by actually working with them than by merely reading the instructional pamphlet. [Parallelism with Comparative Structures]
Question 11: He interviewed people whom he thought had valuable information to present.
Answer: He interviewed people who he thought had valuable information to present. [Pronoun Case]
Question 12: The two brothers reconciled to each other after years of estrangement.
Answer: The two brothers reconciled with each other after years of estrangement. [Use of Prepositions]
Question 13: The exhibition does not include many of the characteristics that we consider as painterly or sculptural in the traditional sense, but it certainly proves that the artist is ingenious.
Answer: The exhibition does not include many of the characteristics that we consider as painterly or sculptural in the traditional sense, but it certainly proves that the artist is ingenious. [No Error]
Question 14: It is very difficult to prevail on such odds.
Answer: It is very difficult to prevail against such odds. [Use of Prepositions]
Question 15: He showed himself to be very negligent of carrying out his duty.
Answer: He showed himself to be very negligent in carrying out his duty. [Use of Prepositions]