Directions: Correct the following sentences (if necessary) and give reasons for your corrections.
Question 1: He was very disciplined in all his actions, such as in the case of never being late for an appointment.
Answer: He was very disciplined in all his actions, as in never being late for an appointment.
[Parallelism with Comparative Structures]
Question 2: It would be fair to say that William’s work, if you exclude one failed attempt at light comedy, is darkly tragic, even when the textual surface is briefly lightened with verbal wit.
Answer: It would be fair to say that William’s work, if you exclude one failed attempt at light comedy, is darkly tragic, even when the textual surface is briefly lightened up with verbal wit. [Use of Phrasal Verbs]
Question 3: I shall now use an example which I hope you will know what it means.
Answer: I shall now use an example whose meaning I hope you will know. [Use of Relative Pronouns]
Question 4: Between you and I, I must confess the whole arrangement worries me.
Answer: Between you and me, I must confess the whole arrangement worries me. [Pronoun Case]
Question 5: Neither the players nor the trainer were in the locker room when the thief broke in.
Answer: Neither the players were nor the trainer was in the locker room when the thief broke in.
[Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 6: Despite his opposition to most of Churchill’s domestic policies, Attlee readily consented with almost all of his rival’s military decisions during World War II.
Answer: Despite his opposition to most of Churchill’s domestic policies, Attlee readily consented to almost all of his rival’s military decisions during World War II. [Use of Prepositions]
Question 7: Each one of the dogs in the show require a special kind of diet.
Answer: Each one of the dogs in the show requires a special kind of diet. [Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 8: I maintain that by accepting this situation it will never improve.
Answer: I maintain that by accepting this situation we shall never improve it. [Dangling Participles]
Question 9: Owing to the dollar’s tendency to rise in value when interest rates soar, it was weakened by last week’s unexpected drop in the prime rate.
Answer: Owing to the its tendency to rise in value when interest rates soar, the dollar was weakened by last week’s unexpected drop in the prime rate. OR
Since the dollar tends to rise in value when interest rates soar, it was weakened by last week’s unexpected drop in the prime rate. [Noun-Pronoun Agreement]
Question 10: Countries where no snake has ever been sighted is rare indeed.
Answer: Countries where no snake has ever been sighted are rare indeed. [Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 11: The country’s economy required strengthening, its resources increased.
Answer: The country’s economy required strengthening, and its resources needed to be increased.
[Use of Conjunctions]
Question 12: He told his staff that each of them should be able to carry out the task by oneself.
Answer: He told his staff that each of them should be able to carry out the task by himself.
[Pronoun Consistency]
Question 13: A recent decline in retail sales and a decrease in the production of consumer goods has brought down interest rates, according to eminent economists.
Answer: A recent decline in retail sales and a decrease in the production of consumer goods have brought down interest rates, according to eminent economists. [Subject-Verb Agreement]
Question 14: By order of the Student Council, the wearing of mini-skirts by we girls in school has been permitted.
Answer: By order of the Student Council, the wearing of mini-skirts by us girls in school has been permitted.
[Pronoun Case]
Question 15: This year’s crisis seems equally, if not more, dangerous than last year’s.
Answer: This year’s crisis seems as dangerous as last year’s, if not more so. [Use of Comparative Structures]
