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Sentence Improvement & Error Detection

English Comprehension · Vocabulary, Usage & Transformation

Useful for: SSC CGL, OSSC RHT — Regular High School Teacher, OSEPA Primary Teacher / JT Category-I, OSEPA Upper Primary — Arts, OSEPA Upper Primary — Science, OSSC English, OSSSC Govt Physical Education Teacher (PET), OSSSC Govt TGT Arts

and 5 more exams

OSSSC Govt TGT Science — CBZ, OSSSC Govt TGT Science — PCM, SSB Language Teachers, SSB Lecturer (Degree Colleges), SSB TGT Arts

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Overview

Sentence improvement replaces a faulty phrase with the grammatically and idiomatically best option, or "no improvement".

Key points

Check verb tense, agreement and parallel structure first.
Parallelism: items in a list must have the same form ("reading, writing and swimming").
Prefer concise, idiomatic expressions.
Conditional sentences: "If I were you, I would…"; "Had I known, I would have…".
Choose "No improvement" only after testing every option.

Explanation

"Hardly … when", "No sooner … than", "Scarcely … when" are fixed pairs.
"Lest" takes "should": "lest he should fall".
Avoid double negatives: "I did not do nothing" is wrong.
Misplaced modifiers: place the modifier next to what it describes.

Step by step

Read the whole sentence and find its subject, verb and tense.
Apply the specific rule (agreement, article, preposition, tense).
Re-read the corrected sentence for meaning and style.

Examples

"No sooner had he arrived when it rained" → "than it rained".
"She likes reading, to write and swimming" → "reading, writing and swimming".
"If I was you, I would apologise" → "If I were you…".

Traps and advanced points

Trap: Accepting the original without testing options.
Trap: Breaking parallel structure.
Trap: Mixing fixed pairs.

Quick revision

Parallel structure.
No sooner … than; hardly … when.
If I were (hypothetical).

Practice MCQs

The Jaipur report discusses “indices”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The indices have shown in the table.
2. None of the above
3. The indices are shown in the table.
4. The indices is shown in the table.
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Answer: (c) The indices are shown in the table.. In traditional formal usage, “indices” is plural.
The Jaipur report discusses “bacteria”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The bacteria are visible under the microscope.
2. The bacteria have visible under the microscope.
3. The bacteria is visible under the microscope.
4. None of the above
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Answer: (a) The bacteria are visible under the microscope.. In traditional formal usage, “bacteria” is plural.
The Jaipur report discusses “media”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The media are covering the event.
2. The media have covering the event.
3. None of the above
4. The media is covering the event.
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Answer: (a) The media are covering the event.. In traditional formal usage, “media” is plural.
The Jaipur report discusses “criteria”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The criteria is listed in the notice.
2. The criteria are listed in the notice.
3. The criteria have listed in the notice.
4. None of the above
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Answer: (b) The criteria are listed in the notice.. In traditional formal usage, “criteria” is plural.
The Jaipur report discusses “stimuli”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The stimuli have presented in sequence.
2. The stimuli is presented in sequence.
3. The stimuli are presented in sequence.
4. None of the above
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Answer: (c) The stimuli are presented in sequence.. In traditional formal usage, “stimuli” is plural.
The Jaipur report discusses “analyses”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The analyses is complete.
2. The analyses are complete.
3. The analyses have complete.
4. None of the above
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Answer: (b) The analyses are complete.. In traditional formal usage, “analyses” is plural.
The Jaipur report discusses “formulae”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. None of the above
2. The formulae is given in the appendix.
3. The formulae are given in the appendix.
4. The formulae have given in the appendix.
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Answer: (c) The formulae are given in the appendix.. In traditional formal usage, “formulae” is plural.
The Jaipur report discusses “hypotheses”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The hypotheses are tested separately.
2. None of the above
3. The hypotheses have tested separately.
4. The hypotheses is tested separately.
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Answer: (a) The hypotheses are tested separately.. In traditional formal usage, “hypotheses” is plural.
The Jaipur report discusses “data”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The data are consistent with the sample.
2. The data have consistent with the sample.
3. The data is consistent with the sample.
4. The data are consistent to the sample.
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Answer: (a) The data are consistent with the sample.. In traditional formal usage, “data” is plural.
The Kochi report discusses “criteria”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The criteria is listed in the notice.
2. The criteria are listed in the notice.
3. The criteria have listed in the notice.
4. None of the above
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Answer: (b) The criteria are listed in the notice.. In traditional formal usage, “criteria” is plural.
The Kochi report discusses “phenomena”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The phenomena is being studied.
2. The phenomena are being studied.
3. None of the above
4. The phenomena have being studied.
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Answer: (b) The phenomena are being studied.. In traditional formal usage, “phenomena” is plural.
The Kochi report discusses “bacteria”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. None of the above
2. The bacteria are visible under the microscope.
3. The bacteria is visible under the microscope.
4. The bacteria have visible under the microscope.
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Answer: (b) The bacteria are visible under the microscope.. In traditional formal usage, “bacteria” is plural.
The Kochi report discusses “analyses”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The analyses have complete.
2. None of the above
3. The analyses are complete.
4. The analyses is complete.
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Answer: (c) The analyses are complete.. In traditional formal usage, “analyses” is plural.
The Kochi report discusses “indices”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The indices is shown in the table.
2. The indices have shown in the table.
3. None of the above
4. The indices are shown in the table.
Read chapter notes · Similar questions
Show answer
Answer: (d) The indices are shown in the table.. In traditional formal usage, “indices” is plural.
The Kochi report discusses “media”. Choose the conservative formal exam-grammar sentence.
1. The media have covering the event.
2. None of the above
3. The media are covering the event.
4. The media is covering the event.
Read chapter notes · Similar questions
Show answer
Answer: (c) The media are covering the event.. In traditional formal usage, “media” is plural.