Sentence Improvement — Set 12

Correct Answer: B. He is one of the students who have passed.

'He is one of the students who have passed.' is correct. 'One of the students' requires the plural noun 'students'. The relative clause 'who have passed' refers back to 'students' (plural), so the plural verb 'have' is used. 'Who has passed' incorrectly applies singular verb agreement to the plural antecedent.

Correct Answer: B. I have been living here for two years.

'I have been living here for two years.' is correct. 'Since' is used with a specific point in time ('since 2020', 'since Monday'), while 'for' is used with a duration or period of time ('for two years', 'for a long time'). 'Since two years' incorrectly treats 'two years' as a specific point in time.

Correct Answer: C. Each of the boys has submitted his assignment.

'Each of the boys has submitted his assignment.' is the formal correct form. 'Each' is singular and takes singular verb 'has' and singular possessive pronoun 'his'. 'Have' violates subject-verb agreement with the singular 'each', and 'their' as a singular pronoun is informal usage.

Correct Answer: D. He said that he would come tomorrow.

'He said that he would come tomorrow.' most directly addresses the main error. 'Told' requires an indirect object ('told me') while 'said' does not. Among these options, D avoids the missing indirect object problem. In full reported speech, 'tomorrow' would change to 'the next day', but D represents the most improved version among the given choices.

Correct Answer: A. The news of his promotion was welcomed by all.

'The news of his promotion was welcomed by all.' is correct. 'News' is an uncountable noun that always requires a singular verb ('was/is'). 'Were', 'have been', and 'are' all use plural agreement which is grammatically incorrect for the uncountable noun 'news'. The passive voice 'was welcomed' correctly describes the past event.

Correct Answer: B. I am used to working late every night.

'I am used to working late every night.' is correct. 'Be used to' (meaning accustomed to) is followed by a gerund (verb+ing). Contrast with option D: 'I used to work' means I did this habitually in the past but no longer do — a different meaning. 'Am used to + gerund' indicates a current habit or familiarity.

Correct Answer: B. The teacher, as well as students, is coming.

'The teacher, as well as students, is coming.' is correct. When 'as well as' connects two subjects, the verb agrees only with the first (main) subject. 'The teacher' is singular, so the singular verb 'is' is used. The phrase 'as well as students' is parenthetical and should ideally be set off by commas.

Correct Answer: B. He suggested that I should apply for the job.

'He suggested that I should apply for the job.' is the correct form. 'Suggest' cannot take a direct object person; it is used as 'suggest + that + clause' or 'suggest + gerund'. 'Suggest someone to do something' is a common error in Indian English that does not conform to standard grammar rules.

Correct Answer: A. She prefers tea to coffee.

'She prefers tea to coffee.' is the standard grammatical form. 'Prefer' takes the preposition 'to', not 'than', 'over', or 'above'. The correct construction is 'prefer X to Y'. While 'prefer over' is common in informal speech, the formal and exam-standard preposition after 'prefer' is 'to'.

Correct Answer: B. He is the elder of the two brothers.

'He is the elder of the two brothers.' is the correct form. 'Elder' is the comparative form for age when referring to two people, while 'eldest' is the superlative for three or more. 'Most eldest' and 'most elder' are both double comparison errors. Superlatives should not be used when comparing only two items.