Patronus English

Smart Book

Ashraful Shabab
Mukarram Hossain Khan
Md. Maksud Alam Antor
Md. Shahriar Iftekhar

Second Edition
2020-2021
Additional educational titles from Patronus Education –

Patronus Math Smart Book

Patronus Analytical Smart Book

Patronus Vocabulary Builder

-------------------------

Printed by Patronus Education. It is an education center which actively works towards helping
you to get into your desired institution. There are four branches of this education center.

Panthapath Branch : 69/B (3rd Floor), Monwara Plaza, Panthapath Signal, Panthapath, Dhaka

Mouchak Branch : 240, Outer Circular Road, (Above Pubali Bank, opposite Mouchak Market), Dhaka.

Mirpur Branch : Opposite side of the Mosque/Graveyard of the phalpatti, Mirpur – 10 Roundabout,
Dhaka

Uttara Branch : Rafa Tower (Lift – 6), (Uttara House Building, East side of the foot over bridge),
Uttara, Dhaka

-------------------------

Copyright of Patronus Education

This is the second edition of the Patronus English Smart Book

All rights reserved.

Duplication, distribution or data base storage of any part of this book is strictly prohibited without the prior
written approval from the publisher.

2
Preface
Everyone wants to get into the best university in the country. It’s not only a matter of pride but also a
personal achievement on an unprecedented scale. This book has been made solely with this conviction
in mind. The contents of this book will allow a person to not only become competent enough to tackle
the IBA Admission Examination but also to learn English on a scale that will make that person confident
in the daily aspects of life. This book will not only cater to the admission students opting for IBA, DU but
also JU, IBA, BUP, NSU and other established universities.

The contents of this book will also help college and school students who are passionate about learning
advanced English early on.

This Book’s Approach

This book has been made from a practice-based perspective. There is a general discussion of a specific
topic and it is followed by specific exercises. These exercises are catered for students sitting for the IBA
Admission Examination. But anyone can try them out to judge their proficiency in English. The
explanation of all topics is detailed and there are advanced concepts.

This book is the first edition of its kind and since it’s a comprehensive book, there can be some mistakes
and typing errors. It would be really helpful if those are reported in the following email. We want to make
sure that this book is helpful to the utmost level for all the students. So, we would really appreciate any
positive criticism and feedback from your end.

Email – [email protected]

3
Acknowledgements

This book has been made with the idea of exacting excellence in every aspirant who wants to become
better in English. All the authors have grown on their own while researching for this book. And that has
inevitably made the content of this book better for all. We would like to thank the editors and the
instructors for their utmost effort while proof-reading the materials of this book.

4
Table of Contents
Chapter - 1........................................................................................................................................................... 7
Heading – Understanding Sentences .......................................................................................................... 7
Sub-heading – Sentence Structuring ........................................................................................................... 7
Sub-heading – Phrase ................................................................................................................................. 12
Sub-heading – Clause ................................................................................................................................. 16
Understanding Sentences Exercises .............................................................................................................. 19
Chapter – 2 ....................................................................................................................................................... 26
Heading – Parts of speech ......................................................................................................................... 26
Sub-heading – Noun .................................................................................................................................... 26
Sub-heading – Pronoun .............................................................................................................................. 28
Sub-heading – Adjective ............................................................................................................................. 39
Sub-heading – Verb ..................................................................................................................................... 39
Sub-heading – Adverbs ............................................................................................................................... 39
Sub-heading – Conjunction ........................................................................................................................ 39
Sub-heading – Preposition ......................................................................................................................... 41
Sub-heading – Interjection.......................................................................................................................... 44
Parts of Speech Exercises............................................................................................................................... 47
Chapter - 3......................................................................................................................................................... 53
Heading – Subject Verb Agreement ........................................................................................................... 53
Subject Verb Agreement Exercises ................................................................................................................ 59
Chapter 4........................................................................................................................................................... 68
Heading- Modifier ........................................................................................................................................ 68
Sub-heading-Types of Modifiers ................................................................................................................. 68
Phrases and Clauses as Modifiers ............................................................................................................. 71
Sub-heading - Misplaced Modifiers ............................................................................................................ 71
Modifier Exercises............................................................................................................................................ 73
Misplaced Modifiers Exercises ....................................................................................................................... 78
Misplaced Modifiers Solutions ....................................................................................................................... 85
Chapter - 5......................................................................................................................................................... 88
Heading – Verb ............................................................................................................................................ 88
Sub-heading – General Types of Verb ....................................................................................................... 88
Sub-heading – Tense................................................................................................................................... 95
Sub-heading – Causative Verbs ................................................................................................................. 99
Sub-heading – Subjunctive ....................................................................................................................... 102
Sub-heading – Modal Verbs...................................................................................................................... 109

5
 Sub-heading – Voice ................................................................................................................................. 115
Verb Exercises ................................................................................................................................................ 118
Chapter 6......................................................................................................................................................... 145
Heading-Conditional Sentence ................................................................................................................. 145
Conditional Sentences Exercises ................................................................................................................. 149
Conditionals Solutions .................................................................................................................................. 153
Chapter – 7 ..................................................................................................................................................... 156
Heading – Qualifiers .................................................................................................................................. 156
Sub-heading: Adverb.................................................................................................................................. 160
Sub-heading: Degree and Comparison ..................................................................................................... 164
Qualifier Exercises ......................................................................................................................................... 169
Solution: Qualifier........................................................................................................................................... 173
Chapter – 8 ..................................................................................................................................................... 175
Heading – Parallelism ............................................................................................................................... 175
Parallelism Exercises ..................................................................................................................................... 177
Solutions: Parallelism .................................................................................................................................... 182
Chapter - 9....................................................................................................................................................... 184
Heading – Phrases and Idioms ................................................................................................................ 184
Sub-heading – How Phrases and Idioms Can Be Confusing ................................................................. 184
Phrases and Idioms Exercises ...................................................................................................................... 190
Chapter - 10 .................................................................................................................................................... 199
Heading – Suffix and Prefix ...................................................................................................................... 199
Suffix and Prefix Exercises............................................................................................................................ 203
Chapter 11- Miscellaneous............................................................................................................................ 207
Heading-Appositive.................................................................................................................................... 207
Heading- Run-On Sentence ....................................................................................................................... 208
Heading- Punctuation ................................................................................................................................ 211
Heading- Common Errors .......................................................................................................................... 215
Heading- Embedded Tags ......................................................................................................................... 224
Miscellaneous Exercises ............................................................................................................................... 231
Chapter – 12 ................................................................................................................................................... 247
Reading Comprehensions ......................................................................................................................... 247
Reading Comprehension Exercises .......................................................................................................... 265
Additional Reading Comprehensions (for practice) ................................................................................ 276
Important Reading Comprehensions ....................................................................................................... 302
Reading Comprehension Solutions .......................................................................................................... 316

6
Chapter - 1

Heading – Understanding Sentences

One of the primary constructs to tackling the English section in the admission examination is to
understand how words come together to form actual sentences. Sentences are of different types and the
elements that each sentence has needs to be understood properly. In this section, we will be learning
about the structure of sentences and the basics of forming them. Discussions about phrases and clauses
will also be conducted on a preliminary level and the differences between them will also be illustrated.

Sub-heading – Sentence Structuring

Introduction –

Most students have trouble with sentence construction, and this happens often during essay and
paragraph writing. Some students have trouble relating the subject to the entire theme of the composition
and this happens when you do not know the different types of sentences that there are. Let us now look
at the components of a sentence before getting into the specifics.

Example –

Arnold is a boy.

Main Concept –

Every sentence needs to have two primary things. It needs to have a subject and a verb. Even though one
might be implied but the presence of these two things is necessary. All the words stringed together in a
sentence must also make sense. This is an inherent quality, which makes a sentence complete. In the
example above, Arnold is the subject. A subject is the entity about which the sentence is constructed.
The subject is the entity that performs the action in a sentence. Here, the sentence is about a boy, which
over here is Arnold.

The other necessary element in a sentence is the verb. This describes the action that the subject is doing
or the state that the subject is in. The verb over here is “is”. This is an auxiliary verb. This provides support
in a sentence. In this sentence, the verb is supports or relates the subject to the object of the sentence.

7
The object is basically the part of the sentence upon which the action is being stated. It is something
that might be used to describe the subject better. Here, “boy” is the object.

In a sentence, the verb and the object together usually form the predicate. The predicate is the part of a
sentence that does not contain the subject itself but consists of words that describe the state of a subject
and the action that it carries out. Here, “is a boy” is the predicate of the sentence.

This is how sentences are basically structured.

Types of Sentences –

Sentences, in general, can be divided into many types depending on how they are used and from what
perspective the structure is being interpreted. The most general classification of sentences can be done
in 4 ways. They are –

a) Declarative/Assertive
b) Imperative
c) Interrogative
d) Exclamatory

To find out the details regarding the general classifications, please go through the following section -

Declarative/Assertive Sentence: This is a type of sentence that makes a statement. They are usually
punctuated by a period.

Ex – I went to the store yesterday.

The pink toy was thrown over the fence.
Ms. Naomi wore a brown shirt.

a) Imperative Sentence: This form of a sentence makes a command or a request. This usually ends with
a period but at times can end with an exclamation mark.

Ex – Take out the trash.

Please maintain the decorum.
Give me your tiffin!

b) Interrogative Sentence: This form of a sentence asks questions and it always ends with a question
mark.

Ex – Where was the event yesterday?

How was the slot of BBA 24th?
Did you complete the Research Method assignment?
c) Exclamatory Sentence: This type of a sentence contains a strong emotion and it usually ends with
an exclamation mark.

Ex – I am excited to watch this movie!

It’s a great day!
I love you guys so much!

8
On the basis of sentence composition, sentences can be divided into three categories. There is a
sentence-clause relationship in these structures. The types are –

i) Simple Sentence
ii) Complex Sentence
iii) Compound Sentence

To find out the details regarding the composition-based classifications, please go through the section
below -

i) Simple Sentence: A simple sentence contains one independent clause and no dependent clause.

Ex- I run.

- This simple sentence has one independent clause, which contains one subject, I, and one verb, run.

Ex- The girl ran into her bedroom.

- This simple sentence has one independent clause, which contains one subject, girl, and one predicate,
ran into her bedroom. The predicate is a verb phrase that consists of more than one word.

Ex- In the backyard, the dog barked and howled at the cat.

- This simple sentence has one independent clause, which contains one subject, dog, and one predicate,
barked and howled at the cat. This predicate has two verbs, known as a compound predicate: barked and
howled. This compound verb should not be confused with a compound sentence. In the backyard and at
the cat are prepositional phrases.

ii) Complex Sentence: A complex sentence has one or more dependent clauses (also called subordinate
clauses). Since a dependent clause cannot stand on its own as a sentence, complex sentences must also
have at least one independent clause.

In short, a sentence with one or more dependent clauses and at least one independent clause is a
complex sentence. A sentence with two or more independent clauses plus one or more dependent
clauses is called compound-complex or complex-compound.

In addition to a subject and a verb, dependent clauses contain a subordinating conjunction or similar
word. There are a large number of subordinating conjunctions in English. Some of these give the clause
an adverbial function, specifying time, place, or manner. Such clauses are called adverbial clauses.

Ex- When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two
things on my mind.

- This complex sentence contains an adverbial clause, When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the
darkness of the movie house. The adverbial clause describes when the action of the main clause, I had only
two things on my mind, took place.

A relative clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or noun phrase in the independent clause.
In other words, the relative clause functions similar to an adjective.

9
Ex- 1) Let him who has been deceived complain.

2) You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you.

- In the first example, the restrictive relative clause who has been deceived specifies or defines the meaning
of him in the independent clause, Let him complain. In the second example, the non-restrictive relative
clause who have never known your family describes you in the independent clause, You see them standing
around you.

A noun clause is a dependent clause that functions like a noun. A noun clause may function as the subject
of a clause, or as a predicate nominative or an object.

Ex- What she had realized was that love was that moment when your heart was about to burst.

- In this sentence the independent clause contains two noun clauses. The noun clause What she had
realized serves as the subject of the verb was, and that love was that moment serves as complement. The
sentence also contains a relative clause, when your heart was about to burst.

*For details regarding restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, check out the chapter on clauses*

iii) Compound Sentence: A compound sentence is composed of at least two independent clauses. It does
not require a dependent clause. The clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (with or without a
comma), a semicolon that functions as a conjunction, a colon instead of a semicolon between two
sentences when the second sentence explains or illustrates the first sentence and no coordinating
conjunction is being used to connect the sentences, or a conjunctive adverb preceded by a semicolon. A
conjunction can be used to make a compound sentence. Conjunctions are words such as for, and, nor,
but, or, yet, and so.

Ex - I started on time, but I arrived late.

I will accept your offer or decline it; these are the two options.

The law was passed: from April 1, all cars would have to be tested.

The war was lost; consequently, the whole country was occupied.

The use of a comma to separate two independent clauses without the addition of an appropriate
conjunction is called a comma splice and is generally considered an error (when used in the English
language).

Ex- The sun was shining, everyone appeared happy.

- This sentence is incorrect as there are two independent clauses and they need to be
separated by a period or a semi-colon or a coordinating conjunction.

*Check out the part of Run-On Sentences for details regarding comma splices*

Complement

In English, a complement is a word, phrase or clause which is used in order to complete a sentence.
Complements are also known as arguments (expressions that help to complete the meaning of a
predicate).

10
Complements are generally of two types. They are-

a) Subject Complement
b) Object Compliment

To find out the details regarding the types of compliments, please go through the section below -

a) Subject Compliment: Subject complements rename or describe the subjects of sentences. In other
words, they complement the subjects.

• Many of these complements are nouns, pronouns, or other nominals that rename or provide
additional information about the subject of the sentence. They always follow linking verbs. A less
contemporary term for a noun, pronoun, or other nominal used as a subject complement is
predicate nominative.

Ex- He is the boss.

Nancy is the winner.
This is she.
My friends are they.

In the first example, the subject complement boss explains the subject he. It tells what he is.

In the second example, the subject complement winner explains the subject Nancy. It tells what Nancy is.

In the third example, the subject complement she renames the subject this. It tells who this is.

In the final example, the subject complement they identifies the subject friends. It tells who the friends
are.

o Other subject complements are adjectives that modify the subjects of sentences. They also
follow linking verbs. A less contemporary term for an adjective used as a subject complement is
predicate adjective.

Ex- My coworkers are friendly.

This story is exciting.

In the first example, the subject complement friendly modifies the subject coworkers.

In the second example, the subject complement exciting modifies the subject story.

b) Object Compliment: An object complement always follows the direct object and either renames or
describes the direct object.

Ex- She named the baby Ahona.

The verb is named. To find the subject, ask, 'Who or what named?' The answer is she, so she is the subject.
Now ask, 'Whom or what did she name?' She named the baby, so baby is the direct object. Any word
following the direct object that renames or describes the direct object is an object complement. She
named the baby Ahona, so Ahona is the object complement."

11
Remember

The object complement characterizes the object in the same way as the subject complement
characterizes the subject: it identifies, describes, or locates the object, expressing either its current state
or resulting state. It is not possible to delete the object complement without either radically changing the
meaning of the sentence (e.g. She called him an idiot --- She called him) or making the sentence
ungrammatical (e.g. He locked his keys in his office --- He locked his keys). In the second example where
it becomes ungrammatical, the mistake lies in improper pronoun referencing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is how sentences should be structured. With a proper understanding of these structures, you can
easily construct better paragraphs and essays. This will also help you to understand the intricate details
in sentence corrections and error detections.

Sub-heading – Phrase

Introduction –

A phrase is a group of words without a subject-verb component, used as a single part of speech. By
itself, a phrase is not a complete sentence, as it does not relay a complete thought. Since it does not
contain a subject and verb, so it is not a clause either.

Examples –

Best friend (this phrase acts as a noun)

With the blue shirt (this prepositional phrase acts as an adjective)
For twenty days (this prepositional phrase acts as an adverb)

The length of the phrase may differ from two words to many more words. For example, “old dog” is a
phrase. So is “the old, smelly, shivering dog”.

There are several types of phrase. The major phrases are described below-

Noun Phrase

These are the phrases that contain a noun and at least one modifier associated with the noun. The
modifier can precede or succeed the noun. The entire phrase will act as a noun for that particular
sentence. Here are some examples,

• He was wearing a black linen shirt.

• They lived in a small, tidy cottage.
• Alex rode her old bicycle to their shiny new school.
• The black car got towed.

Verb Phrase

12
Every sentence will generally contain a verb. But sometimes the action being described requires a more
nuanced multi-word verb phrase. The phrase consists of the main verb/verbs and then auxiliary verbs,
i.e. helping verbs. Some such verb phrases are as follows,

• The teacher is writing the answer.

• They have been playing since the last two hours.

• You must call your mom at once.

• He has taken the dog along.

Adjective Phrase

An adjective phrase is a group of words headed by an adjective that modifies a noun or a pronoun.

• She had extremely menacing eyes.

In this example, the adjective phrase is in bold. The head adjective here is menacing. This adjective phrase
modifies the noun eyes.

*Remember*

Like a normal adjective, an adjective phrase can be used before the noun it is modifying (like the previous
example) or after the noun it is modifying.

• The dog covered in mud looked pleased with himself.

Here, the adjective phrases are in bold. The head adjectives in the two phrases are covered and pleased.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Participle Phrase

A participle phrase is an adjective phrase that starts with a participle. Look at this example:

• You could see the panther releasing its grip.

Here, ‘releasing its grip’ is the participle phrase. The participle is ‘releasing’. The participle phrase is
describing the panther.

To find out the common ways to use participle phrases, go through the section below -

Common ways to use participle phrases-

The The Present The Past

Example of a Participle Phrase
Verb Participle Participle

Rising out of the sea in front of us, the sun

To rise the rising sun the risen sun
started to warm our faces.

13
 To the printing the printed Printed on the very first press, the document
print document document was extremely valuable.

To the breaking Broken by a government whistle-blower, the

the broken news
break news news is all over the media.

Placement of Participle Phrases

A participle phrase will often appear at the start of a sentence to describe something in the main clause.
For example:

• Removing his glasses, the professor shook his head with disappointment.
(When a sentence is structured this way, use a comma to separate the participle phrase from
whatever it's modifying (the professor in this example).)

A participle phrase can also appear immediately after whatever it's modifying. For example:

• I saw Arthur running for the bus.

(There is no comma when a participle phrase is placed immediately after its noun (Arthur in
this example).)

Tip

It is also possible to use a participle phrase at the end of a clause and not immediately after whatever it's
modifying. For example:

• Paul loved his boxing gloves, wearing them even to bed.

(There is a comma when the participle phrase is used farther down the sentence than its noun
(Paul in this example).)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beware of Dangling Modifiers and Misplaced Modifiers

Particularly when using a participle phrase at the start of a sentence, be sure to place the noun being
modified directly after the comma. If you fail to do this, you will have made a mistake known as
a misplaced modifier. For example:

• Disappointed almost to the point of tears, the empty test tube was examined by the
professor. (Incorrect)
(The empty test tube was not disappointed almost to the point of tears. The words after the
participle phrase and the comma should be the professor.)

Warning

Also, be sure to include the noun being modified. If you omit it, you will have made a mistake known as
a dangling modifier. For example:

• Disappointed almost to the point of tears, an empty test tube was the worst outcome
possible. (Incorrect)
(In this example, there is nothing at all for the participle phrase to modify. It is dangling.)

14
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause, which
is the object of the preposition. This phrase functions as an adjective or adverb. The object of the
preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe it.

• Students are advised to be on time

• Please turn towards the right.

Tip

When used as an adjective, the prepositional phrase answers the question: Which one? For example,

• Please get the book above the cupboard. (Which book?)

• The student at the end of the line is misbehaving again. (Which student?)

Tip

When used as an adverb, a prepositional phrase answers the questions: How? When? Or Where? For
example,

• Freddy is stiff from yesterday's long football practice. (How did Freddy get stiff?)
• The family went to church after breakfast. (When did the family go to church)
• The cat is hiding behind the tree. (Where is the cat hiding?)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember

Remember that a prepositional phrase will never contain the subject of a sentence. Sometimes
a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logical subject of a verb. Don't fall for that trick! You
will never find a subject in a prepositional phrase. Look at this example:

• Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style squid eyeball stew.

Cookbooks do indeed contain recipes. In this sentence, however, “cookbooks” is part of the prepositional
phrase of these cookbooks. Neither—whatever a neither is—is the subject for the verb contains.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Infinitive Phrases

A phrase that includes an infinitive (to + verb) along with a simple verb is an infinitive phrase. There may
also be modifiers attached to the object in the phrase. Since it contains a verb, it plays the role of
expressing an action in the sentence. Infinitive phrases can act as a noun, adjective or adverb in a
complete sentence.

15
 • To finish her shift without spilling another pizza into a customer's lap is Michelle's only goal tonight.
(Used as a noun)

To finish her shift without spilling another pizza into a customer's lap functions as a noun because it is the
subject of the sentence.

• To keep his dogs calm, Alex turned on the radio. (Used as an adverb)

To keep his dogs calm explains the reason why Alex turned on the radio.

• To know Mr. Smith, you have to spend quality time with him.

In this example, “To know Mr. Smith” functions as an adjective because it modifies the noun, you.

Sub-heading – Clause

Introduction –

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.

Example –

Messi plays football like an alien.

Main concept –

This sentence is a clause since it has ‘Messi’ as subject and ‘plays’ as verb. This implies that all complete
sentences are basically clauses. The definition of clause, thus, makes it confusing for us to understand
the difference between a sentence and a clause. To clarify this, we need to know the classification of
clause.

There are two major types of clauses:

• Independent clauses
• Dependent clauses

An independent clause is a clause that can stand alone. You can think of this as a simple sentence.
There is a subject, verb, and complete thought. For example, if we consider the following sentence:

John passed the ball.

We have a complete, simple sentence. We have a subject, John; a verb, passed; and a complete thought,
the ball. Since this whole sentence can exist independently as it is, it is an independent clause.

Warning

16
Although independent clauses can stand alone, we often join them with other clauses to make more
complex sentences. Detailed discussion about classification of sentence can be found in the next
chapter about clauses.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A dependent clause cannot stand on its own and does not express a complete thought. Although it will
have a subject and a verb, it depends on another clause to make the thought complete. Dependent
clauses often begin with such words as although, since, if, when, and because.

Examples:
If I study, I will pass the exam.

In the first sentence, ‘If I study’ has subject ‘I’ and verb ‘study’. So, this is a clause according to the
definition. ‘If I study’ cannot exist independently because the audience does not know what happens if I
study. The thought here is incomplete which depends on the independent clause ‘I will pass the exam’ to
make a complete sense and, as a whole, exist as a sentence.

A key point to remember is that dependent clauses, just like phrases, can be used as a noun, adverb or
adjective. Let’s discuss these individually.

Noun Clause

A dependent clause that functions like a noun in the sentence and generally acts as the subject or verb
of the object is known as a noun clause. For example:

• I think that you will like it. Here, the noun clause- that you will like it, acts as an object of the verb
think. When we ask the verb, “What do I think? We get the answer “that you will like it.”
• Where she went is not known to anyone. Here the noun clause- where she went, acts as a subject
of the verb- is not known.

Remember

Recognizing a noun clause isn’t all that difficult. They are usually introduced by the conjunctions that,
if or whether. Noun clauses can also be introduced by question words (e.g. how, what, when, where, which,
who, whom, whose, why) and words ending in –ever (e.g. whatever, whenever, wherever etc.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adverb Clause

An adverb clause is a dependent clause that does the job of an adverb i.e. modifies a verb, an adjective
or another adverb in a sentence. Of course, adverbial clauses can be further classified according to the
various kinds of adverbs. For example:

• Wait here till I come back. Here – till I come back, is an adverbial clause of time.
• I shall be late as I have a meeting. Here – as I have a meeting, is an adverbial clause of reason
since, this talks about the reason of the action, being late.

17
Relative/Adjective Clause

Relative clauses are dependent clauses starting with the relative pronouns who, that, which, whose,
where, when. They are most often used to define or identify the noun that precedes them. Here are some
examples:

• I used the notebook that had a red colored cover. Here the adjective clause- ‘that had a red colored
cover’ tells about the noun i.e. the notebook.
• The hat which was made of jute was my favorite. Here the adjective clause- ‘which was made of jute’
speaks about the noun i.e. the hat.

Relative Clause Classification

Relative clauses are commonly classified as restrictive and non-restrictive.

A restrictive clause modifies the noun that precedes it in an essential way. Restrictive clauses limit or
identify such nouns and cannot be removed from a sentence without changing the sentence’s meaning.

The astronaut who first stepped on the moon was Neil Armstrong.

The restrictive clause in this sentence is ‘who first stepped on the moon’. If we stripped it from the
sentence, we would be left with this:

The astronaut was Neil Armstrong.

There is nothing grammatically wrong with this sentence. However, it does not have the same intent as
the former example, which was to identify the person who first set foot on the moon’s surface.

A restrictive clause can also have a limiting function.

Children who eat vegetables are likely to be healthy.

If the restrictive clause ‘who eat vegetables’ were removed from this sentence, the intended limits on the
noun children would be no more.

Children are likely to be healthy.

Remember

Obviously, our intention with the first sentence was to point out which children, from among the world’s
multitudes, perform a behavior likely to sustain their health. Thus, who eat vegetables is an essential
element of that sentence.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A nonrestrictive clause, on the other hand, describes a noun in a nonessential way. Nonrestrictive
clauses provide additional but optional descriptions that can be excised from a sentence without altering
its meaning or structure.

Kaylee, who just graduated from high school, is an accomplished figure skater.

While the nonrestrictive clause ‘who just graduated from high school’ offers a good description of the
subject of this sentence, Kaylee, the sentence retains its meaning without it.

Kaylee is an accomplished figure skater.

Commas and Relative Clauses

18
A broad rule you can apply to relative clauses in order to punctuate them correctly is that restrictive
clauses are never offset by commas, whereas nonrestrictive clauses are. One way to remember this is
that nonrestrictive clauses are removable, and commas mark the removable part of the
sentence. Restrictive clauses, on the other hand, are essential; they need to blend with their sentences
seamlessly, without commas.

That/Which

Confusion about when to use that and which has arisen for good reason: British and American English
have different rules for them. In American English, that is used to introduce restrictive clauses,
and which introduces nonrestrictive clauses.

The lamp, which was given to me by Aunt Betsy, is on the bedside table.

The lamp that Aunt Betsy gave me is on the bedside table.

In British English, it is often acceptable to substitute which in restrictive clauses.

The lamp which Aunt Betsy gave me is on the bedside table.

Of course, that could also be used acceptably in British English, which makes it safer, by default, to follow
the American rule when in doubt.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Understanding Sentences Exercises

Sentence Structuring Exercises

A. Identify the correct type of sentence –

1. Zaeem scored a goal with his left foot against one of the toughest opponents in the history of IBA
football.
a) Imperative Sentence
b) Interrogative Sentence
c) Exclamatory Sentence
d) Assertive Sentence
e) None of the above

2. It is mandatory for all the residents of the IBA hostel to leave the sports ground after 11:30 pm.
a) Assertive Sentence
b) Exclamatory Sentence
c) Imperative Sentence
d) Interrogative Sentence
e) None of the above

19
3. The warden of IBA hostel was leaving and everyone appeared gallant about the matter.
a) Exclamatory Sentence
b) Complex Sentence
c) Compound Sentence
d) Interrogative Sentence
e) None of the above

4. When you graduate from this place, leaving behind all the memories that you made with your friends,
you realize that it was all just a transition from one phase of your life to another.
a) Compound Sentence
b) Simple Sentence
c) Interrogative Sentence
d) Complex Sentence
e) None of the above

5. In the midst of the match, Shahriar attacked and protected the ball from the opposition with panache.
a) Complex Sentence
b) Compound Sentence
c) Simple Sentence
d) Interrogative Sentence
e) None of the above

B. Error Detection –

1. The days of glory were gone, he was beginning to miss the good old days when
A B C

money came in real easy from a secure job in a multinational company. No Error

D E

2. You, whom have never appreciated the cost of building something on your own,

A B

should not have the support of friends from IBA. No Error

C D E

3. The Ministry will either accept your offer for deregulation or decline it, these are

A B

the two options that you have at your disposal. No Error

C D E

4. The debate was lost; consequently, the whole committee decided to push out a

A B

new agenda of banning first year students from the team owing to their lack of

20
 C

experience in actual competitions. No Error

D E

5. What Mukarram had realized was that epiphany was that moment when the body

decides to accept the hard work that you put in along with the constant
B C
perseverance in the gym. No Error
D E

C. Identify each sentence in the paragraph below and categorize them as either a simple, complex or
compound sentence –

(a) The team had gathered in the meeting room for one last time. (b) The captain came to meet with
his players; it was a nerve-racking moment for the IBA team. (c) In all its years of glory when it
came to sports, IBA never had a major breakthrough in terms of football. (d) However, it was
about to change. (e) The time for sheer glory was near and you could feel it in your bones.

(a) Simple Sentence

(b) Compound Sentence

(c) Complex Sentence

(d) Simple Sentence

(e) Compound Sentence

D. Identify the correct type of complement –

1. Narcos is one of the best shows that Netflix ever produced and it keeps getting massive accolades
in the film industry owing to the original thinking in terms of direction and story narration.
- Subject Complement

2. My teammates are some of the best FIFA players in the crib and it would be an asset to take them
into the team for the preliminary round of the competition.
- Subject Complement

3. She started the drama of bringing more products into the existing organization and blamed the
partners as incompetent fools.
- Object Complement

4. Geralt fought his way into the palace; he rescued the baby dragon and named it Draxler.

21
 - Object Complement

5. My partners are they who run the entire plaza and then report back to me about the progress of the
organization; it is none of your concern as to how I make my payments to the cartel.
- Subject Complement

Phrase Exercises

A. Identify the correct type of phrase –

1. They used a small semi-automatic rifle to penetrate the tough wooden oak that was guarding the
criminal.
a) Adjective Phrase
b) Verb Phrase
c) Participle Phrase
d) Infinitive Phrase
e) None of the above

2. Shuhrat loved her coding googles, carrying them with her even to the prayer room.
a) Noun Phrase
b) Verb Phrase
c) Participle Phrase
d) Infinitive Phrase
e) Adjective Phrase

3. The students are still tired from yesterday’s taxing marketing assignment; it will be really distressful
to ask them to do another assignment in such short notice and with such a precarious deadline.
a) Participle Phrase
b) Prepositional Phrase
c) Verb Phrase
d) Noun Phrase
e) None of the above

4. To understand the broader aspect of life and what it has in terms of offering to the human soul is
what keeps Abeed up all night.
a) Infinitive Phrase
b) Noun Phrase
c) Adverb Phrase
d) Adjective Phrase
e) None of the above

5. Bequeathing all her belongings to the princess, the queen decided to stray from the kingdom and
search for her long lost love in the forbidden forest of Uluwatu.

22
a) Participle Phrase
b) Infinitive Phrase
c) Adverb Phrase
d) Adjective Phrase
e) None of the above

B. Error Detection –

1. Mortified by all the sadness that life had to offer, a D+ in the course was just too

A B C

harsh on Raiyan. No Error

D E

2. I saw Mehedi, galloping across the street to get to the shop which had a huge sale

A B C

on video games. No Error

D E
3. The political racketeers outside of Madhur Canteen were at the end on the line; it

A B

was time for the students to take a stand against them and show them what unity

really meant with proper leadership. No Error

D E

4. Removing his contact lens after the show, Zaeem hugged all his admirers and

A B

promised them another album with equally enthralling songs and exquisite music

C D

videos. No Error

5. All the spectators could see the opposition steaming the pressure down and that

A B

was all our players needed for the final push to glory. No Error

C D E

23
Clause

A. Identify the correct clause from the following –

1. Zaeem contemplated whether Namira would appreciate the gesture from his end; times were rather
confusing and he did not want to disappoint her another time.
a) Adverb Clause
b) Noun Clause
c) Relative Clause
d) Restrictive Clause
e) None of the above

2. The loan was not replenished in the right time as the political condition of the country was not
suitable and this agitated the leftist party to the point that they attacked the Government officials in
broad daylight.
a) Adjective Clause
b) Noun Clause
c) Adverb Clause
d) Infinitive Clause
e) None of the above

3. Emran defended the right side of the field which was being marked by one of the most lethal forwards
of the opposition team.
a) Noun Clause
b) Relative Clause
c) Adverb Clause
d) All the above
e) None of the above

4. Tabassum, who just finished a course on Consumer Psychology, was one of the best competitors in
the focus group discussion and the company was eyeing her to take on the job.
a) Restrictive Clause
b) Non-restrictive Clause
c) Noun Clause
d) Adverb Clause
e) None of the above

5. Patrons who issue large donations to the merchant account of the institution are more likely to see
their children getting a seat in the most reputed college of the country.
a) Noun Clause
b) Adverb Clause
c) Restrictive Clause
d) Non-restrictive Clause
e) None of the above

B. The paragraph below contains a few sentences which have some erroneous restrictive and non-
restrictive clauses. Identify and correct them.

24
 A lot of mistakes are made by people who think that entering a business with limited resources but
with proper connections is going to make you a big shot in the game. It’s not. The thing that
differentiates proper sustainable businesses in the long run is an accumulation of experienced
people who understand the market. The resources which you gather after years of research can only
be implemented properly when you have an experience team on your side. Veterans, who have been
in major businesses for a long time, usually try to manipulate markets with their extended
connections that give them an advantage over the competition in the long run. Marketers, who have
great influence in the industry try their best to aide the companies run by these veterans to profess
a proper idea to the consumers for capturing a massive share of the market. This sort of influencing
on the front is acceptable to some but a lot of people usually detest the politics that go on to making
large corporations. Most of the times, they can’t be fended and sometimes people feel aggravated
once some major scandal hits the headlines. The reports which usually dictate such news are
sometimes used by professors in universities to teach the students regarding ethical compliance in
particular industries.

i) The first “which” will change to “that”. Since the clause is restrictive and that needs to be
used in a restrictive clause.
ii) There will be no comma after “Marketers”. Since the part is restrictive and the verb follows
the subject, the use of a punctuation is redundant.
iii) The second “which” will change to “that”. Since the clause is restrictive and that needs to be
used in a restrictive clause.

C. Fill in the blanks with the proper noun clause –

1. The game was really taxing and the audience did the job of a 12 th man quite brilliantly. In order to
show its appreciation for such a gallant fanbase, the club offered a special buffet to the entire
audience and they could choose _________________________________ from an array of rather excellent
dishes.
a) what they wanted to
b) whatever they wanted to
c) whichever they wanted from
d) whomever they asked for
e) None of the above

2. The students on the lower wing of the university hostel were making complaints regarding the
standard of living that they were subject to. It was awful and some of them were doing really bad in
their studies. __________________________ could affect the mental condition of students living away
from their families was known to the professor and he extended the deadline of all the assignments
to ease off some pressure.
a) Bad living standards
b) Jubilant exuberance
c) That improper living conditions
d) That proper amenities
e) None of the above

25
Chapter – 2
Heading – Parts of speech
Main Concept-

‘Parts of speech’ is basically a categorization of words depending on how the words are being used in a
sentence. There are 8 parts of speech in English grammar which classify usage of different words under
8 different categories. They are –

Sub-heading – Noun
Introduction –

A noun is the name of a- person, place, thing or idea. Now, here is a sentence where you can see the use
of nouns as names from all 4 categories- person, place, thing or idea.

Example -

Daniel went to London and bought a book titled “Happiness is overrated”.

Main Concept –

Over here, Daniel is the name of a person. London is the name of a place. Book is the name of a thing and
“Happiness is overrated” is a noun clause.

Classifications –

● Based on what kind of -person, place, thing or idea a noun represents, nouns can be classified into 5
types.
1. Common noun

2. Proper noun

3. Concrete noun

4. Abstract noun

5. Collective noun

To find out the details regarding the elements of this classification, go through the following section -

Common noun

A common noun refers to people or things in general. Example: boy, country, birth, happiness.

Sentence: Happiness is hard to come by for people absorbed in self-pity.

26
Proper noun

A proper noun identifies a particular -person, place or thing. Example: Steven, Africa, Monday.

Sentence: Steven has visited Paris more times than he can count.

Concrete noun

A concrete noun refers to people or things that exist physically and can be – seen, touched, heard, felt or
tasted. Example: building, coffee, tree, train.

Sentence: Bernard was scared because he faced imminent danger from the dog.

Abstract noun

An abstract noun refers to ideas, qualities and conditions- things, which have no physical reality and
cannot be seen or touched. Example: truth, danger, happiness, time, friendship.

Sentence: If used correctly, humor can get you laid.

Collective noun

Collective nouns refer to groups of people or things. Example: family, government, team, jury.

Sentence: The whole family was at the table.

● Based on the ‘number’ of the -person, people, place or idea that a noun represents, nouns can be
classified into 2 types.
1. Countable (Count nouns)

2. Uncountable (Non-count nouns)

To find out the details regarding the elements of this classification, go through the following section -

Countable noun

Countable nouns refer to something that can be counted. Example: TV, phone, shoe, country.

Sentence: Telephones are redundant, mobile phone are the new hype.

Uncountable noun

Uncountable nouns refer to things that can be counted. Example: happiness, air, rice, Hair.

Sentence: Love is in the air.

*QR Code Scan part ends*

Let us look at some examples of how count and non-count nouns can have an effect when it comes to
singular and plural variances –

Count Nouns Non-Count Nouns

A Pencil Money

An elephant Water
Singular
One pencil

One elephant

27
 Pencils Three pencils 50 Euros
Plural
Elephants 20 elephants 10 glasses/gallons of milk

Remember

A list of some non-count nouns that one should have knowledge about are charted below –

Soaps Cheese Sand Milk

Information Honesty Mathematics Silver

Fruit Music Politics Sugar

Machinery Tea News Equipment

Clothing Traffic Measles Evidence

Pepper Transportation Homework Enjoyment

Pottery Violence Money Knowledge

Physics Mumps Food Happiness

Air Economics Advice Significance

Meat Luggage Rice Coffee

Advertising Scenery Bread Courage

Luck Housework Fun Intelligence

Sadness Postage Furniture Jealousy

Salt Poverty Butter Jewelry

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warning

This is not an absolute list. These are some words that are treated as non-count in English generally.
However, non-count nouns can become count nouns when they are used to indicate special type or
specific type of delicacies –

The wines of Rajasthan

The fruits of Santorini

Sub-heading – Pronoun

Main Concept-
Pronouns have very close association with nouns. They are basically words those replace nouns in a
sentence. These words are introduced in a sentence to avoid repetition of the same nouns. Whenever
used, a pronoun must have a referent noun which we call ‘antecedent’. To put it very simply, the noun
which is replaced by the pronoun from the sentence is called ‘antecedent’ of that pronoun.

28
**The antecedent and the pronoun have to be in same person and number.
**There must be one, and only one antecedent to which the pronoun refers.

Example-

Smeagol is very vulnerable to deception. He might be deceived by Saruman at any point.

Look carefully into this sentence. Both the words Smeagol and He here refer to the same person; a person
who is vulnerable to deception. ‘He’ here is used to avoid the repetition of the noun ‘Smeagol’ which gives
the sentence a better structure and look. ‘He’ here is the pronoun and ‘Smeagol’ here is the ‘antecedent’.

Classification of pronoun:
Pronouns are primarily classified into 8 categories. They are-
1. Personal Pronoun
2. Possessive Pronoun
3. Reflexive Pronoun
4. Reciprocal Pronoun
5. Relative Pronoun
6. Demonstrative Pronoun
7. Interrogative Pronoun
8. Indefinite Pronoun

However, there are controversies among the grammarians regarding the extension of this classification.
Certain types of pronouns are closely related with one another and many words can function as multiple
types of pronouns, depending on how they’re used. However, for an extensive preparation we are going
to discuss all the pronouns here separately

To find out the details regarding the elements of this classification, go through the following section -

Personal pronouns

Though the classification here incorporates the word ‘Personal’, Personal pronoun takes the place of both
people and things. They can be either singular or plural, depending on whether they refer to one or
multiple nouns. Examples include I, me, we, and us.

Personal pronouns are usually either the subject or object of a sentence. Each personal pronoun has
different forms depending on its function. For example, if a writer is referring to himself, he should use
I/me depending on whether he is subject or object of the sentence. If he’s the subject of a sentence, he
should use ‘I’, as in “I saw the dog.” If he’s the object, he should use me, as in “The dog saw me.”

**Subject and Object Pronoun will be discussed in the later part of the chapter elaborately

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns are personal pronouns that also indicate possession of something. They have
singular forms (like my), and plural forms (like our). These pronouns often appear before the possessed

29
item, but not always. For example, both “my car” and “the car is mine” both indicate who owns the car
and both work as possessive pronouns.

Possessive pronoun and possessive adjective: Theoretically there is an overlap between possessive
adjective and possessive pronoun. Possessive adjective is always followed by a noun whereas a
possessive pronoun is used without a noun. Examples are: his, hers, yours, theirs, ours, mine etc.

My car is having some problems with its tires.

Here the word ‘my’ coming right before the noun ‘car’ describes the noun and hence works as possessive
adjective. However, by definition the word ‘my’ here can also be called as possessive pronoun since this
is used to replace a noun that is not stated in this sentence. So, all the possessive adjectives are
possessive pronouns but all the possessive pronouns (where the pronoun doesn’t appear right before the
item possessed) are not possessive adjectives. Like- The car is mine. Here the pronoun ‘mine’ is not
followed by a noun and doesn’t appear right before the item possessed ‘car’. So, though the word ‘mine’
here is a pronoun, it can’t be called a possessive adjective.

Now, here are some rules to make it easier for you to understand where to use Possessive pronouns and
where to use Possessive adjectives-

When you should use them

Possessive adjectives Possessive pronouns

Use possessive adjectives before Use these alone. Don't use them before nouns or noun
nouns or noun phrases. phrases.

My grades won’t spare me this time The book on the table is mine

Use these to modify gerunds Use these after the preposition ‘of’ when it indicates
one of many
I’m not surprised by her going on the
trip alone Jawad is not a friend of mine

Use these to replace the second ‘adjective + noun’

when comparing two objects

My friends are better than theirs (their + friends)

(adjective + noun)

30
Reflexive pronouns

When a subject performs an action on itself, the sentence uses a reflexive pronoun after the verb.
Reflexive pronouns include - myself, himself, themselves, ourselves and herself. An example of a reflexive
pronoun is the common expression “I kicked myself.” Here the word myself is used since the subject of
the sentence ‘I’ performs an action on itself which is ‘kicking’

Intensive Pronoun: Now, there is another type of pronoun which is closely associated with Reflexive
Pronoun. However, this type of pronoun is not that popular in use because of its unsegmented use with
Reflexive Pronouns and look-alike structures (self and selves).

The difference: You can tell the difference between a reflexive pronoun and an intensive pronoun easily:
intensive pronouns aren’t essential to a sentence’s basic meaning, whereas reflexive pronouns are. To
differentiate an intensive pronoun from a reflexive pronoun, it from the sentence; if it’s an intensive
pronoun, the sentence will still make sense. If the sentence no longer makes sense when the pronoun is
removed, it’s a reflexive pronoun.

Reflexive Intensive

The queen bought herself a dog. The queen bought the dog herself.

The queen bought something for herself. She The intensive pronoun herself merely
is both completing and receiving the action in emphasizes the fact that the queen (not
the sentence. someone else) was the one who bought the
dog.

Notice how the meaning changes when we If the intensive pronoun is removed, the
remove the reflexive pronoun: meaning doesn't change:

The queen bought herself a dog. The queen bought the dog herself.

Did the queen buy the dog for herself, or did The queen still bought the dog regardless of
she buy it for someone else? Without the whether the intensive pronoun is in the
sentence or not

31
 reflexive pronoun, there's no way to know for
sure.

Reciprocal pronouns

Reciprocal pronouns are similar to reflexive pronouns, but they involve groups of two or more entities
those perform the same action with one another. There are only two reciprocal pronouns: each other (for
groups of two) and one another (for larger groups).

They like each other

Relative pronouns

A relative pronoun starts with a noun clause (a group of words that refer to a noun). Who, that, and which
are all relative pronouns. They can also serve as other types of pronouns, depending on the sentence. For
example,

I saw the dog that you own

Here, the relative pronoun ‘that’ is the beginning of the clause that you own, which describes the dog, a
noun.

Demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns point out or modify a person or thing. There are four demonstrative pronouns:
this and that (for singular words), and these and those (for plural words).

This pie is so delicious.

Interrogative pronouns

Interrogative pronouns begin questions. For example, in “Who are you?”, the interrogative pronoun who
starts the question. There are five interrogative pronouns: who, whom, and whose (for questions that
involve people), and which and what (for questions that involve things).

32
 Interrogative pronouns examples

Pronoun Usage Sentences using Interrogative pronouns

Asking for general information What’s your age? What is your middle name?
What

When you have a limited We have ground coffee and instant coffee. Which
Which choice would you like?

When asking about a person Who directed the movie terminator - was it James
Who and name Cameron?

Enquiring about possession or Whose is this bag? Is it yours or somebody else’s?

Whose
owner

Use when asking about a

Whom person or name Whom did you ask?

Indefinite pronouns

Like personal pronouns, indefinite pronouns refer to people or things, but they don’t have a specific person
or thing to refer to. Examples of indefinite pronouns include some, anyone, and everything.

Remember

Apart from these classifications, there are two more pronouns we should have a clear concept about.
They are Subject and Object Pronoun.

Subject Pronoun: Subject pronouns replace a noun as the subject of a sentence or clause. Basically, they
are words used as the replaced subjects of the sentence and complete the action by themselves. Now,
here is a list of things you should keep in mind while dealing with subject pronouns-

i) Subject pronouns are used after the verb ‘to be’

It is I who actually cried last night.
Here you can see, we did not use ‘me’ after the verb ‘to be’. Rather we used ‘I’ which is the subjective
form of ‘me’ since it is being used after ‘to be’ verb.

ii) Subject pronouns are used when subjects of two sentences or clauses are compared
I am a better football player than he (is)

33
 Here, if we split this sentence into two parts, we can see that the subject of the first part ‘I am a better
football player’ is ‘I’ and hence if we need to compare this subject with anything of the second
part that has to be a subject too. So, we’re using ‘he’, not ‘him’, since ‘him’ is the objective form of the
pronoun ‘he’.
(Subjects are always compared with subjects, objects are always compared with objects)

iii) Subject pronouns are used after ‘as’ and ‘that’ whenever they initiate clauses
I am not as agile as he (is)
Here, after the word ‘as’ starts a new clause ‘he is’ where ‘(is)’ is not stated in the sentence to keep
the beauty of the sentence intact.

Object Pronoun: An object pronoun is a type of personal pronoun that is normally used as a grammatical
object, either as the direct or indirect object of a verb or as the object of a preposition. They are basically
the receivers of actions. Now, similarly here are few things to keep in mind while dealing with object
pronouns.

i) Object pronouns are used when objects of two clauses are compared
Adree helped you more than (he helped) me
Here, in the first part of the sentence, the word ‘you’ is the object of the sentence since ‘you’ here is
the receiver of the action. So, we need to use another object to compare with the object ‘you’, which is
‘me’.

ii) Object pronouns are used after prepositions

Shahriar is very worried about him.
Here, after the preposition ‘about’ we used the objective form ‘him’

Now, look at the following two sentences to simply better understand the usage of subject and object
pronoun.
Raiyan is having a bad day. He failed to get attendance for entering the class with a sports-shoe. The
teacher didn’t allow him to continue the class with the sports-shoe.
Look at the sentences carefully. Both ‘he’ and ‘him’ here are used against the noun ‘Raiyan’. However, in
the second sentence ‘he’ is used as the subject of the sentence being the doer of the action and in the
third sentence ‘him’, despite being used against the noun ‘Raiyan’, acts as the receiver of the action.
Hence ‘he’ in the second sentence is the Subject Pronoun and ‘him’ in the third sentence is the Object
Pronoun.

Pronoun-verb agreement: The pronoun that we will use in the sentence must agree with the verb in terms
of number, person and gender. Here are some rules that you should go through to have a better
knowledge and understanding on this topic-

1. Indefinite pronouns as antecedents

34
 ● Singular indefinite pronoun antecedents take singular pronoun referents.

SINGULAR: each, either, neither, one, no one, nobody, nothing, anyone, anybody, anything, someone,
somebody, something, everyone, everybody, everything

Example:

● Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents require plural referents.

PLURAL: several, few, both, many

Example:

● Some indefinite pronouns that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be either singular or
plural.

EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL: some, any, none, all, most

When the object of the preposition is uncountable ---------> use a singular referent pronoun

Example:

Sugar is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.

35
 Jewelry is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.

When the object of preposition is countable ------------> use a plural referent pronoun
Examples:

Marbles are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.

Jewels are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.

2. Compound subjects joined by and always take a plural referent.

Example:

3. With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the referent pronoun agrees with the antecedent closer to
the pronoun.
Example #1 (plural antecedent closer to pronoun):

36
 Example #2 (singular antecedent closer to pronoun):

Note: Example #1, with the plural antecedent closer to the pronoun, creates a smoother sentence
than example #2, which forces the use of the singular "his or her."

4. Collective Nouns (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or plural, depending on meaning.

In this example, the jury is acting as one unit; therefore, the referent pronoun is singular.

In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the referent pronoun
is plural.

In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the referent
pronoun is plural.

5. Titles of single entities. (books, organizations, countries, etc.) take a singular referent.

37
 EXAMPLES:

6. Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular referent. (news, measles, mumps, physics,
etc)
EXAMPLE:

7. ‘Every’ or ‘Many a’ before a noun or a series of nouns requires a singular referent.

EXAMPLES:

8. The number of vs A number of before a subject:

● The number of is singular.

38
 ● A number of is plural.

Remember

The pronouns ‘one’ and ‘you’: The pronoun ‘one’ comes in use to describe someone in general and is
regarded as third person. So, while using ‘one’ as the pronoun, the subsequent pronoun referring the
same person must be either ‘one’ or ‘he/she’. In the other case, if we use the pronoun ‘you’, the subsequent
pronoun referring the same person should be in second person (you).
If one tries hard to achieve something, someday one/he will.
If you try hard to achieve something, someday you will.
Look at these two sentences. Both of the sentences have the same structures and words other than the
pronouns ‘one’ and ‘you’. In the first sentence, since we used ‘one’ in the first part, the pronoun later
referring to the same person is in third person (one/he). On the contrary, in the second sentence both of
the pronouns are ‘you’ since we need to use the later pronoun in second person.

Sub-heading – Adjective
Discussed under ‘Qualifiers’

Sub-heading – Verb
Discussed under chapter ‘Verb’

Sub-heading – Adverbs
Discussed under ‘Qualifiers’

Sub-heading – Conjunction
Main Concept-

Conjunctions are words those link other words, phrases, or clauses together. Conjunction allows to form
complex, elegant sentences and avoid the usage of multiple short sentences.

Example-

● I like cooking and eating but I don’t like washing dishes afterwards.

Here, the words ‘and’ and ‘but’ link three different words cooking, eating and washing in two different
ways. In the first part, ‘and’ establishes a parallel link between the actions eating and cooking. On the
other hand, ‘but’ establishes a contrasting link between washing and other two actions mentioned earlier.
In addition, the conjunctions here help to avoid the usage of three short sentences.

39
To find out the details regarding Conjunction and its classification, go through the following section -

Without conjunctions, you’d be forced to express every complex idea in a series of short, simplistic
sentences: I like cooking. I like eating. I don’t like washing dishes afterward.

What Are Conjunctions?

Correct - Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases, or clauses together.

I like cooking and eating, but I don’t like washing dishes afterward. Sophie is clearly exhausted, yet she
insists on dancing till dawn.

Conjunctions allow you to form complex, elegant sentences and avoid the choppiness of multiple short
sentences. Make sure that the phrases joined by conjunctions are parallel (share the same structure).

Incorrect - I work quickly and am careful.

Correct - I work quickly and carefully.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions allow you to join words, phrases, and clauses of equal grammatical rank in a
sentence. The most common coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so; you can
remember them by using the mnemonic device FANBOYS.

Correct - I’d like pizza or a salad for lunch. We needed a place to concentrate, so we packed up our things
and went to the library. Jesse didn’t have much money, but she got by.

Notice the use of the comma when a coordinating conjunction is joining two independent clauses.

Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together. Some examples are either/or,
neither/nor, and not only/but also.

Correct - Not only am I finished studying for English, but I’m also finished writing my history essay. I am
finished with both my English essay and my history essay.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions join independent and dependent clauses. A subordinating conjunction can
signal a cause-and-effect relationship, a contrast, or some other kind of relationship between the clauses.
Common subordinating conjunctions are because, since, as, although, though, while, and whereas.
Sometimes an adverb, such as until, after, or before can function as a conjunction.

Correct - I can stay out until the clock strikes twelve.

Here, the adverb until functions as a coordinating conjunction to connect two ideas: I can stay out (the
independent clause) and the clock strikes twelve (the dependent clause). The independent clause could
stand alone as a sentence; the dependent clause depends on the independent clause to make sense.

The subordinating conjunction doesn’t need to go in the middle of the sentence. It has to be part of the
dependent clause, but the dependent clause can come before the independent clause.

Correct - Before he leaves, make sure his room is clean.

40
If the dependent clause comes first, use a comma before the independent clause.

Correct - I drank a glass of water because I was thirsty. Because I was thirsty, I drank a glass of water.

Starting a Sentence with a Conjunction

Many of us were taught in school that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction, but that rule
is a myth. As mentioned above, a subordinating conjunction can begin a sentence if the dependent clause
comes before the independent clause. It’s also correct to begin a sentence with a coordinating
conjunction. Often, it’s a good way to add emphasis. Beginning too many sentences with conjunctions
will cause the device to lose its force, however, so use this technique sparingly.

Correct - Have a safe trip. And don’t forget to call when you get home. Gertie flung open the door. But
there was no one on the other side.

List of Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Correlative Conjunctions

both/and, either/or, neither/nor, not only/but, whether/or

Some Subordinating Conjunctions

after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though, because, before, by the time, even
if, even though, if, in order that, in case, in the event that, lest , now that, once, only, only if, provided that,
since, so, supposing, that, than, though, till, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever,
whether or not, while

Sub-heading – Preposition

Main Concept-

Prepositions are words or set of words those indicate location (in, near, beside, on top of) or some other
relationship between a noun or pronoun and other parts of the sentence within the sentence (about, after,
besides, instead of, in accordance with).

Example-

● The book is now on the table

Here the word ‘on’ specifies the position or location of the book which is on the table.

● I’m not thinking about what tomorrow holds.

Here the word ‘about’ makes a relation between what I’m not thinking and what tomorrow holds. So, the
word ‘about’ here also acts as a preposition.

41
To find out the details regarding Preposition and its classification, go through the following section -

Classification of preposition: There are not any specific classifications of preposition. However,
grammarians have made few specifications for a better understanding on this topic. They are-

Prepositions of Time:

Prepositions of time show the relationship of time between the nouns to the other parts of a sentence.

On, at, in, from, to, for, since, ago, before, till/until, by, etc. are the most common preposition of time.

-At for a precise time

-In for months, years, centuries and long periods

-On for days and dates

Example:

He started working at 10 AM.

The company called meeting on 25 October.

There is a holiday in December.

He has been ill since Monday.

Prepositions of Place and Direction:

Prepositions of place show the relationship of place between the nouns to the other parts of a sentence.

On, at, in, by, from, to, towards, up, down, across, between, among, though, in front of, behind, above, over,
under, below, etc. are the most common prepositions of place/direction.

-At for a point

-In for an enclosed space

-On for a surface

Examples:

He is at home.

He came from England.

The police broke into the house.

I live across the river.

Prepositions of Agents or Things:

Prepositions of agents or things indicate a casual relationship between nouns and other parts of the
sentence.

42
Of, for, by, with, about, etc. are the most used and common prepositions of agents or things.

Example:

This article is about smart phones.

Most of the guests have already left.

I will always be here for you. He is playing with his brothers.

Along with, apart from, because of, by means of, according to, in front of, contrary to, in spite of, on
account of, in reference to, in addition to, in regard to, instead of, on top of, out of, with regard to, etc. are
the most common phrasal prepositions.

Example:

They, along with their children went to Atlanta.

According to the new rules, you are not right.

In spite of him being a good player, he was not selected.

Though it’s hard to place specific rules for using prepositions, here are some general directions that you
can follow to avoid unnecessary errors-

i) Use ‘in’ for countries and big towns.

She was born in New Zealand.

I live in Mumbai.

ii) Use ‘at’ for specific addresses.

Are you still at that address?

We live at D 23, MG Road.

iii) Use ‘in’ for position inside a three dimensional space.

The cat is in the kitchen.

iv) Use ‘on’ for position on the surface of something.

There is something on the roof.

Put the books on the table.

v) Use ‘to’ and ‘into’ to show direction and moving towards something

He went to work.

The child fell into the well.

vi) Use ‘till’ to indicate time.

I waited till 6 o’clock.

43
vii) Use ‘since’ to indicate the starting point of something.

I have been waiting since morning.

viii) Use ‘for’ to indicate duration.

It rained for two hours.

We have been living in this city for three years.

ix) Use ‘from’ to indicate the source.

She comes from a small town.

x) Use ‘between’ to indicate position between two or more clearly defined people or objects and use
‘among’ to indicate position among more than two people or objects.

The child sat between his father and parents.

She sat among the children.

xi) Use ‘with’ to indicate the instrument and ‘by’ to indicate the agent.

He killed the spider with a stone.

The spider was killed by the boy.

Sub-heading – Interjection

Main Concept-

Interjections are parts of speech those demonstrate the emotion or feeling of the author. These words or
phrases can stand alone, or be placed before or after a sentence. Many times, as within the examples of
interjections below, you'll notice many interjections are followed by an exclamation point.

Example-

● Hurray! We have won the match.

Here the word ‘Hurray!’ depicts the joy of the person who gave the statement due to winning the match.
Again we can see that the interjection here can stand alone and is followed by an exclamation mark.

Now since we have gathered a primary knowledge about all the parts of speech, let’s try to find out the
different parts of speech from the following sentence

● Alas ! The poor suffer much in India and it's a pity.

To find out the details regarding Interjection and its classification, go through the following section -

Because interjections are usually separate from other sentences, it’s hard to use them incorrectly. The
bigger concern is whether it’s appropriate to use an interjection in your writing. Interjections are fine to

44
use in casual and informal writing. It’s okay to use them in speech, too. But avoid using interjections in
formal writing because it may appear that you’re not treating the topic seriously.

And now, you’re ready to go out and use interjections. Hooray!

Here are all the basic rules you need to know about the uses of interjections.

1. We just add an interjection as an extra factor of strength to a sentence, without making any
grammatical changes. This is to ensure that the latter can stand grammatically correct on its own,
even if the added interjection is removed.

2. Interjections do not always have to be at the beginning of a sentence. They can appear in the middle,
at the end, or anyplace else where the subject wants to interject a feeling and emotion.

3. In some cases, an interjection can be followed by a comma instead of the exclamation mark. This
usually happens when the emotion to be expressed by the interjection is milder in nature.

4. In some cases, an interjection can be followed by a question mark instead of the exclamation mark.
This happens when the interjection is added to an interrogative sentence which presents a question
or expects a response.

5. Interjections can find their way into fictional or artistic writing, most often in the form of dialogue

Rule

The important thing to remember is that the interjection should be set off somehow. Don’t just drop it in
with nothing to mark it as separate from the rest of the sentence.

Example

I forgot to do the homework assignment oops but my teacher gave me an extra day
Incorrect
to finish it.

I forgot to do the homework assignment (oops), but my teacher gave me an extra

Correct
day to finish it.

Incorrect Gee I hadn’t thought of that.

Correct Gee, I hadn’t thought of that.

In the IBA Admission test, there might be a few curveballs that try you. It’ best if you conceive a firm
understanding of what each interjection means, so that in the off chance that you find an interjection
being used wrongly, you can stop it right there in its tracks.

Interjection Meaning Use

Aah Exclamation of fear Aah! The monster’s got me!

Ahh Realization or acceptance Ahh, now I see what you mean.

Aww Something sweet or cute Aww! Just look at that kitten.

45
 Bingo! That’s exactly what we were looking
Bingo Acknowledge something as right
for!

Eh Question something So that was all she said, eh?

Eww Something disgusting Eww! That movie was so gory.

Hmph. I could do that for half the amount he

Hmph To indicate displeasure
charged.

Oh I see/ I think Oh, it’s been around a week since I saw her.

Oops Making a mistake Oops! Sorry I didn’t see those skates there.

Ouch Exclamation of pain Ouch, that hurt! Stop pinching me!

Shh An indication for silence Shh! The show is about to start.

Uh oh Showing dismay Uh oh! The teacher’s caught him.

Whew! I can’t believe we actually finished it

Whew Amazement and/or relief
all.

Expressing surprise or
Wow Wow! That’s really great news!
admiration

I can’t believe you’re actually coming

Yay/Yaay Congratulatory exclamation
here! Yaay!

Yeah Variant of ‘yes’ Yeah, I’d love some orange juice.

Yikes For fear or concern (not serious) Yikes, my mother’s home!

Yippee Exclamation of celebration Yippee! We won, let’s head to the bar.

List of interjection

And here are a few interjections that are also known as ‘Hesitant Devices’

Interjection Meaning Use

Indicates a pause/ need for more

Uh Wait I know this... uh... is it Ruskin Bond?
time

Thinking/Hesitating about
Hmm Hmm, I’m not sure this color is the best for this room.
something

Er Not knowing what to say I don’t think...er... wait... let me call my boss.

46
 Not that I don’t believe you but, um, you say it’s a
Um Pausing or being skeptical
ghost?

Parts of Speech Exercises

Noun Exercises

Exercise

1. Susan was selected for the Olympic swimming team last year. She getting selected was
lauded by her friends and family.
a. She getting selected
b. Her getting selected
c. Getting selected
d. She got selected
e. Her to get selected
2. The pride of geese was swimming in the water.
a. the pride of geese was
b. the pride of geeses were
c. the gaggle of geese was
d. the gaggle of geeses were
e. the school of geese was
3. The politics is a subject which very few want to study.
a. The politics is
b. The politics are
c. Politics are
d. Politics is
e. Politic is

4. The Dhaka University has an outstanding collection of historical documents. No error

A B C D E

5. The function of a judge is to supervise the trial to ensure the fair administrator of justice. No
A B C D E
error

Pronoun Exercises

Exercise

1. The lawyers for the patent holder pressed the federal judge to impose an injunction against
the hardware manufacturer, arguing that they should take immediate action in order to
prevent further economic damages against their client.
a) they should take immediate action in order to prevent further economic damages against
their client
b) the judge act immediately in order to prevent the client from suffering further damages of
an economic nature
c) they should act immediately to prevent further economic damages being suffered by the
client
d) the judge act immediately in order to prevent them from suffering economic damages
further

47
 e) immediate action should be taken to prevent their client from suffering further economic
damages

2. The job application did not state to whom to be sent the personal preferences (BBA 2005-06)
a) to whom to be sent the personal preferences
b) to who the personal preference should be sent
c) to whom to send the personal preferences
d) to whom the personal preferences will be sent
e) none of these

3. In the small, closed Bedouin world, in which secrets are hard to keep, there is the danger of
stigmatizing a carrier and their families, subsequently lowering their chances for marriage should
word get out that a genetic disease runs in her family.
a) in which secrets are hard to keep, there is the danger of stigmatizing a carrier and their
families, subsequently lowering their
b) in which secrets are hard to keep, there is the danger of stigmatizing a carrier and her
family, subsequently lowering her
c) which secrets are hard to keep, there is the danger of stigmatizing a carrier and her
family, subsequently lowering her
d) in which secrets are hard to keep, there is the danger of stigmatizing a carrier and her
families, subsequently lowering her
e) which secrets are hard to keep, there is the danger of stigmatizing carriers and their
families, subsequently lowering their

4. The United States Navy announced that, beginning next year, they plan to close several of their
bases in order to reduce operating expenses.
a) they plan to close several of their bases
b) they are planning to close several of their bases
c) it plans to close several of its bases
d) they plan several closures of their bases
e) it plans to close several of their bases
5. Created in 1731, Anders Celsius’ original thermometer had a scale where the value of 0
corresponded to the boiling point of water; after he died in 1744 the scale was reversed to its
present form.
a) in 1731, Anders Celsius’ original thermometer had a scale where the value of 0
corresponded to the boiling
point of water; after he died in 1744 the scale was reversed to its present form.
b) in 1731, Anders Celsius’ original thermometer had a scale in which the value of 0
corresponded to the boiling
point of water; after his death in 1744 the scale was reversed to its present form.
c) in 1731, Anders Celsius’ original thermometer had a scale in which the value of 0
corresponded to the boiling
point of water; after he died in 1744 the scale was reversed to its present form.
d) by Anders Celsius in 1731, his original thermometer had a scale in which the value of
0 corresponded to the
boiling point of water; reversing the scale to its present form after his death in 1744.
e) by Anders Celsius in 1731, his original thermometer had a scale where the value of 0
corresponded to the boiling point of water; after his death in 1744 the scale reversed to
its present form.

6. The company is fortunate to have excellent relationships among its employees: they each have
a relationship of respect for all the others.

48
 a) they each have a relationship of respect for all the others
b) they have respect for one another
c) each one has respect for one another
d) they each have a relationship of respect for each other
e) they and the others respect each other

7. Named for the capital of Belgium, Brussels sprouts, are immature buds shaped like tiny
cabbages.
a) which at its fullest growth scarcely exceeds a large walnut in size
b) which at its fullest growth scarcely exceed a large walnut in size
c) which at their fullest growth scarcely exceeds a large walnut in size
d) which at their fullest growth scarcely exceed a walnut's large size
e) which at their fullest growth scarcely exceed a large walnut in size

8. In their most recent press release, the new management stated that they plan to expand into
the global software market via a series of acquisitions in Asia and Latin America.
a) their most recent press release, the new management stated that they plan to expand
b) its most recent press release, the new management stated that they plan to expand
c) its most recent press release, the new management stated that it plans on expanding
d) its most recent press release, the new management stated an intention to expand
e) its most recent press release, the new management stated their intention to expand

9. One of the important functions of the United Nations is to decide if they should recognize the
legitimacy of a new government that assumed power through violence.
a) to decide if they should recognize the legitimacy of a new government that
b) to decide whether to recognize the legitimacy of a new government that
c) deciding whether to recognize a new government to be legitimate that
d) to decide if it should recognize the legitimacy of a new government, which
e) deciding whether they should recognize the legitimacy of a new government that

10. Although William Pereira first gained national recognition for his movie set designs, including
those for the 1942 film “Reap the Wild Wind,” future generations will remember him as the
architect of the Transamerica Tower, the Malibu campus of Pepperdine University, and the city
of Irvine.
a) including those for the 1942 film “Reap the Wild Wind,” future generations will
b) like those for the 1942 film “Reap the Wild Wind,” future generations
c) like that for the 1942 film “Reap the Wild Wind,” future generations will
d) including that for the 1942 film “Reap the Wild Wind,” future generations will
e) including those for the 1942 film “Reap the Wild Wind,” future generations

Error Finding

1. The animals who were chosen to present the political parties were created by a
A B C D
famous cartoonist. No error (BBA 2012-13)
E
2. On the contrary, you will find that Arif is better qualified than him for the position
of
A B C D
analyst at the office. No error (BBA 2012-13)
E
3. I had lot of worries in my life, none of which ever came true. No error. (IBA MBA

49
 A B C D E
Nov’14)
4. One would think that the job is simple, since all you have to do is to make sure
that
A B C
everyone is seated before the performance begins. No error (IBA BBA 2008-09)
D E
5. Either the constable or the gatekeepers over there failed in his primary duty. No
A B C D E
error.
6. It is human nature to want to leave behind a progeny to carry forth the cycle of
life.
A B C D
No error (IBA BBA 2008-09)
E
7. Both lawyers interpreted the law differently and they needed a judge to settle its
A B C D
dispute. No error. (IBA BBA 2011-12)
E
8. Keeping the box in the almirah, Jaawad locked it. No error
A B C D E
9. As a young adult. I want to travel, to learn and, in some indescribable way, to
make
A B C
a difference in the world around me. No error (IBA BBA 2011-12)
D E

Verb Exercises

1. He was living off the paltry inheritance his father had left behind. No error.
A B C D E
2. Do you know that these gloves _____ the bureau all week?
a) have lay on
b) have laid on
c) would lie on
d) had laid on
e) have lain on
3. If the books ____ last week, I could search for my favorite novel now. (BBA 2015-16)
a) have been cataloged
b) would have been cataloged
c) was cataloged
d) were cataloged
e) had been cataloged
4. Soon after Rashed has finished his thesis, he will leave for Dhaka, where he has a job waiting
A B C
on him. No Error (BBA 2005-06)
D E

Preposition Exercises

Exercise

50
1. Find out the standard choice. (BBA 2007-08)

A) Business administration is the subject in which I am mainly interested in.

B) Business administration is the subject which I am mainly interested.

C) Business administration is the subject which I am mainly interested at.

D) Business administration is the subject which I find interest.

E) Business administration is the subject which I am mainly interested in.

2. They were also asked whether they prefer to Chinese or Japanese writers.

a) they prefer to Chinese or Japanese writers

b) they prefer to the Chinese or Japanese writers

c) they prefer to a Chinese or Japanese writer

d) they prefer Chinese or Japanese writers

e) they prefer a Chinese or Japanese writers

3. The athlete was disqualified from the tournament for participating at an illegal demonstration.
No
A B C D E
Error (BBA 2005-06)

4. Jon, as an avid lover of all animals, decided to protest over the depiction of violence towards
A B C

dogs, which is becoming increasingly common in feature films. No Error

D E
5. When the batter made contact with the baseball, it zoomed in the air like a bullet and flew out
of
A B C D
the park. No Error
E
6. Despite of the fact that backgammon is easy to learn, it is as difficult to play as chess. No
Error
A B C D E

Solution: Parts of Speech

Noun
1. A. Rule: Possessive + Gerund + Verb, that is ‘her getting selected’ would be the correct
usage here.
2. C. A group of geese is called a gaggle, and it is singular.
3. D. Subjects (physics, mathematics) are classified as singular nouns and articles are not
used before them.
4. A. ‘The’ must not be used before the name of a university if the name comes first. ‘The
University of Dhaka’ would be the correct usage here.

51
 5. D. A noun is required here. Therefore, it should be ‘administration’.

Pronoun

Sentence correction

1. Answer E is correct and conveys the clearest meaning. The use of the pronoun they and
them is unclear in A, C and D. The phrase used in B further damages of an economic
nature is unidiomatic and redundant.
2. Answer C is correct. The first part of the sentence is in past form; the latter part cannot
be in present or future form. The pronoun should be an object-case pronoun (whom).
3. Answer B is correct. The secrets are hard to keep in a small, closed Bedouin world; thus,
use of in which is idiomatic. The latter part of the sentence uses the pronoun her, so the
subject must be singular.
4. Answer C is correct. The United States of Navy is a singular entity and must be referred
to by a singular pronoun (it) and followed by a singular possessive pronoun (its).
5. Answer B is correct. The correct pronoun phrase to modify Anders Celsius’
thermometer is in which. Using he in the latter part of the sentence incorrectly modifies
the thermometer. The second clause cannot be a dependent clause because of the
semicolon (D), and the thermometer cannot reverse itself (E).
6. Answer B is correct. The correct structure must have each other or one another in it.
Using both phrases simultaneously is redundant. The other choices are redundant and
have unclear pronouns.
7. Answer E is correct. Brussels Sprouts is a plural noun as specified in the second part of
the sentence where are is used. The verb exceed must agree with the plural subject. In
D, the phrase a large walnut in size is awkward and unidiomatic.
8. Answer D is correct. The new management is a singular entity and must be referred to by
singular pronouns (it, its). In C, the correct idiomatic phrase is plan to, not plan on.
9. Answer B is correct, The United Nations is a singular entity and must be referred to by
singular pronoun (it). The latter part of the sentence is crucial to the meaning of the
whole sentence, so that must be used to introduce the clause, not which.
10. Answer A is correct. Using like to introduce the clause alters the meaning. Movie set
designs is a plural entity and must be referred to by plural pronoun (those). The last
clause describes a future event, so using will is mandatory.

Error finding

1. Animals should take ‘which’ as pronoun. So, A is the erroneous part.

2. The pronoun ‘him’ here doesn’t have the clear antecedent. So D is the erroneous part.
3. The sentence is grammatically correct. So, E will be the right answer.
4. Animals should take ‘that’ as pronoun since omission of the part after ‘that’ makes the
sentence lose its meaning. So A is the erroneous part.
5. The use of ‘one’ here is irrelevant since the sentence is structured with ‘you’. So, A is
the erroneous part.
6. Here ‘the gatekeepers’ is the closest to the verb so, the pronoun is supposed to be
according to this. But the pronoun used ‘his’ here is singular. So D is the erroneous part
7. The sentence is grammatically correct. So, E will be the right answer.
8. The subject of this sentence is both the lawyers which is plural in number and both are
human beings. But the pronoun used ‘its’ is singular and impersonal. So D is the
erroneous part here.
9. The pronoun ‘it’ here gives an ambiguous direction of referring to both almirah and box.
So, the pronoun reference here is unclear and D is the erroneous part.
10. The sentence is grammatically correct. So E here will be the correct answer.

52
 Verb

1. D. The correct verb form here would be ‘left’, not ‘had left.
2. E. The correct verb would be ‘lain’
3. D. The correct form of verb is ‘were cataloged’
4. A. The correct form of verb here would be ‘finishes’.

Preposition

1. There has to be an ‘in’ in the sentence. Option A contains two ‘in’. So, E will be the correct
answer.
2. The correct answer is D. 'Prefer' is usually followed by the object. In the passive, we can say
something is preferred by someone. Prefer can be followed by a noun phrase (prefer
something), or by an infinitive (prefer to eat / to do / to go).
3. D is incorrect. Use in instead of at.
4. B is incorrect. Protest against is the general idiomatic rule, not protest over.
5. B is incorrect. Zoom through is the correct idiomatic expression here. Zoom through means to
travel to pass through a location very fast.

A is incorrect. Despite and in spite of are the correct idiomatic expressions. Avoid using ‘of’ after despite.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter - 3
Heading – Subject Verb Agreement
Introduction –

The concept of subject verb agreement is fairly simple. It just states that in any sentence written in the
English language, the subject of the sentence must always get along with the verb of the sentence. There
are a number of rules that will help you to make sure if a sentence is in subject-verb agreement, and if
not, how to fix it.

Example –
“The dog bark”

Main Concept –

You know that this sentence is wrong; you know that “The dog barks” or “The dogs bark” would be correct
in place of this sentence. This is basically common knowledge to you. But the same thing put in a
different way can cause you a world of problems. For instance –

“Neither the soldier nor the chief was present”

Is there anything wrong with this sentence? Difficult to say right? If you’re not sure, the best you can do
is guess. But, guess what, guessing is fatal when it comes to answering IBA questions. What you do is,
you know the rules. There are a certain number of rules that cover all the structures and complexities of

53
subject verb agreement and if you know them, you can always answer these kinds of questions with
assurance.

Firstly, in a sentence, the verb must agree with both the ‘number’ and ‘person’ of the subject.
The ‘number’ of a subject shows the count distinction of a subject – singular or plural. So, the verb of a
sentence needs to be singular or plural based on whether the ‘number’ of the subject is -singular or plural,
in order for the subject and verb of the sentence to be in agreement.

*Remember*

Plural subjects take plural verbs: John and Lennon are here.

Singular subjects take singular verbs: Rashford is here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ‘person’ of a subject is the way of referring to someone taking part in an event, such as the person
talking, the person being talked to, the person being talked about. And verbs vary in ‘number’ based on
whether the person of the subject it’s referring to is – 1st person, 2nd person or 3rd person.

To find out the subject and verb correlation, go through the following section -

Singular Plural
1st Person I pray. We pray.
nd
2 Person You pray. You pray
rd
3 Person He prays They pray
She prays The nuns pray
It slides
Rooney shoots

All the basic rules and their exceptions of SVA are charted below –

1. Subjects joined by ‘and’

Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘and’ usually take a verb in the plural.
Incorrect: Harriet and Arshavin is here.
Correct: Harriet and Arshavin are here.

2. Two singular subjects referring to the same person/thing

If two singular nouns refer to the same person or thing, the verb will be singular.
Incorrect: The Secretary and Principal are coming.
Correct: The Secretary and Principal is coming.

3. Treatment of ‘each’/’every’
If the singular subjects are preceded by ‘each’ or ‘every’, the verb is usually singular.
Incorrect: Every boy and girl were ready.
Correct: Every boy and girl was ready.

54
4. Treatment of ‘or’/’nor’/’either-or’/’neither-nor’
Two or more singular subjects connected by or, nor, either-or, neither-nor take a verb in the
singular.
Incorrect: Neither he nor I were there.
Correct: Neither he nor I was there.

5. Treatment of ‘or’/’nor’/’either-or’/’neither-nor’ when they join subjects of different ‘numbers’

When the subjects joined by or/nor are of different numbers, the verb agrees with the subject
nearest to it.
Incorrect: Neither the students nor the teacher was present.
Correct: Neither the students nor the teacher was present.

6. Treatment of ‘or’/’nor’/’either-or’/’neither-nor’ when they join subjects of different ‘persons’

When the subjects joined by or/nor are of different persons, the verb agrees in person with the
one nearest to it.
Incorrect: Either he or I is mistaken.
Correct: Either he or I, am mistaken.

7. Treatment of collective nouns

A collective noun takes a singular verb when the collection is thought of as a whole, a Plural verb
when the individuals of which it is composed are thought of.
Correct: The Council has chosen the president.
Correct: The military were called out.

8. ‘Plural’ looking nouns that are actually ‘Singular’

Some nouns which are plural in form but singular in meaning, take a singular.
Incorrect: Mathematics are a branch of study in every school.
Correct: Mathematics is a branch of study in every school.

9. Subjects joined by parenthetical expressions

Words joined to a singular subject by -with, in addition to, or, as well as, etc. are parenthetical,
and therefore do not affect the number of the verb.
Incorrect: The Chief, with all his men were massacred.
Correct: The Chief, with all his men was massacred.

10. When the ‘subject’ that the ‘verb’ has to agree with is a relative pronoun
When the subject of a verb is a relative pronoun, care should be taken to see that the verb agrees
in Number and Person with the Antecedent of the relative.
Incorrect: I, who is your friend, will guard your interests.
Correct: I, who am your friend, will guard your interests.

11. Indefinite pronouns that are always singular

55
 The indefinite pronouns such as - Anybody/ anyone/ anything/ nobody/ no one/ nothing/
somebody/ someone/ something/ everybody/ everyone/ everything/ either/ neither, always take
a verb to the singular.
Incorrect: In the history of the world, nobody have done this before.
Correct: In the history of the world, nobody has done this before.

12. Treatment of ‘none’/’no’

None/no can take either a singular or plural verb, depending on the noun which it follows.
Incorrect: None of the counterfeit money have been found.
Correct: None of the counterfeit money has been found.
Incorrect: None of the students has finished the exam yet.
Correct: None of the students have finished the exam yet.

13. Sentences starting with a ‘gerund’

Sentences starting with gerunds always make the verb singular.
Incorrect: Dieting are very popular today.
Correct: Dieting is very popular today.

14. Subjects that are ‘singular’/’plural’ depending on the context

Some words can be both singular and plural depending on the context of the sentence.
- Congress/ family/ group/ committee/ class/ organization/ team/ army/ club/ crowd/
government/ jury/ majority/ minority/ public
Correct- The majority believes that we are safe.
(‘Majority’ when alone is singular)
Correct- The majority of the students believe him to be innocent.
(‘Majority’ when followed by a plural noun is plural)

15. Noun phrases acting as collective nouns

Some noun phrases are collective nouns and act as singular.
- Flock of birds/ flock of sheep/ school of fish/ herd of cattle/ pride of lions/ pack of dogs.
Incorrect- A flock of birds were seen flying over the Atlantic.
Correct- A flock of birds was seen flying over the Atlantic.

16. Collective nouns specifying quantity

Collective nouns indicating time/ money/ measurements are used as singulars.
Incorrect- Two miles are a long way to go for just a cup of coffee.
Incorrect- Two miles is a long way to go for just a cup of coffee.

17. ‘The number of’ vs ‘A number of’

“The number of” always takes singular verbs while “A number of” always takes plural verbs.
Incorrect: The number of instances in which women are treated unfairly in this community are
unprecedented.
Correct: The number of instances in which women are treated unfairly in this community is
unprecedented.
Incorrect: A number of stories was told at the campfire last night.
Correct: A number of stories were told at the campfire last night.

18. Subjects that are ‘singular’/’plural’ depending on context

Some indefinite pronouns such as -all, some are singular or plural depending on what they’re
referring to. That is, whether they’re referring to count nouns or non-count nouns.

56
 Incorrect: Some of the beads is missing.
Correct: Some of the beads are missing.
Incorrect: All of the water from the water tank have depleted.
Correct: All of the water from the water tank has depleted.

19. Treatment of ‘several’, ‘many’, ‘both’ and ‘few’

When ‘several’, ‘many’, ‘both’ and ‘few’ are independently used as subjects, they are always plural.
Incorrect: Several was injured in the fire yesterday
Correct: Several were injured in the fire yesterday
20. Treatment of subjects involved with portioning
For words that indicate portion such as – fraction, majority, part, percent, some, all, none,
remainder, etc. the verb will be taken singular/plural depending on the ‘number’ of the object.
Incorrect: Fifty percent of the boys was on the side of the principal.
Correct: Fifty percent of the boys were on the side of the principal.

21. Treatment of words indicating nationality

If a word indicates nationality and refers to a language, it is treated as singular. If it refers to the people,
it is plural.
Incorrect: The Japanese people is some of the most hard-working people in the world.
Correct: The Japanese people are some of the most hard-working people in the world.

22. Treatment for ‘Units of measurements’

The singular verb form is usually reserved for units of measurement or time.
Incorrect: Four quarts of oil were required to keep the car engine running.
Correct: Four quarts of oil was required to keep the car engine running.
here, ‘four quarts of oil’ indicates a unit of measurement and is treated as a singular subject.

23. Treatment of infinitives separated by ‘and’

If two infinitives are separated by "and," they take the plural form of the verb.
Incorrect: To walk and to swim requires no extra skill at all.
Correct: To walk and to swim require no extra skill at all.

24. Treatment of predicate nouns different in number

If a predicate noun differs in number from the subject, the verb must agree with the subject.
Incorrect: Our biggest achievement are our new patents in the R&D department.
Correct: Our biggest achievement is our new patents in the R&D department.

25. When the sentence starts off as a question

Some words such as – ‘here’, ‘there’, ‘where’, ‘when’ or ‘who’ do not affect the verb when they introduce
a subject.
Incorrect: Here comes my friends.
Correct: Here come my friends.

26. Agreement with only the true subject

Even if a verb comes before the subject, the verb agrees with the true subject, not the words
preceding it.
Incorrect: Coming at us from the back were a bison.
Correct: Coming at us from the back was a bison.

57
27. Treatment of inverted sentences
In an inverted sentence beginning with a prepositional phrase, the verb still agrees with its subject.
Incorrect: At the end of the Christmas holidays come the best sale.
Correct: At the end of the Christmas holidays comes the best sale.

28. Treatment for names and brands

Titles of -books, companies, name brands, and groups are singular or plural depending on their
meaning. These instances are subjective and you need to have an idea about how these names
are used beforehand in order to determine their number correctly.
Incorrect: Trix is for kids.
Correct: Trix are for kids.
Incorrect: The Rolling Stones are performing in the Super Dome.
Correct: The Rolling Stones is performing in the Super Dome.

29. Treatment of nouns with unusual singular forms Singular Plural

Certain nouns of Latin and Greek origin have unusual singular
and plural forms. Criterion Criteria
Incorrect: All the data was lost in the fire. Alumnus Alumni
Correct: All the data were lost in the fire.
Datum Data

Medium Media

30. Treatment of nouns that have the same spelling for both singular & plural forms
Some nouns such as deer, shrimp, and sheep have the same spelling for both their singular and
plural forms. In these cases, the meaning of the sentence will determine whether they are singular
or plural.
Incorrect: Deer is beautiful.
Correct: Deer are beautiful.
Incorrect: The spotted deer are grazing by the river.
Correct: The spotted deer is grazing by the river.

31. Words treated as ‘words’ rather than grammatical parts

Words used as words, not as grammatical parts of the sentence, require singular verbs.
Correct: Can’t is the contraction for cannot.

32. Treatment of mathematical expressions

Mathematical expressions of subtraction and division require singular verbs, while expressions of
addition or multiplication take either singular or plural verbs.
Incorrect: Nine plus ten equal twenty-one.
Correct: Nine plus ten equals twenty-one.

33. Treatment of nouns ending with ‘ics’

Some nouns ending in -ics, such as economics and ethics, take singular verbs when they refer to
principles, a system or a field of study; however, when they refer to individual practices or
applications, they usually take plural verbs.
Incorrect: Ethics are being taught in the spring.
Correct: Ethics is being taught in the spring.

58
 Incorrect: His unusual business ethics gets him into trouble.
Correct: His unusual business ethics get him into trouble.

34. Treatment of verbal nouns serving as a subject

A verbal noun (infinitive or gerund) serving as a subject is treated as singular, even if the object of
the verbal phrase is plural.
Incorrect: Hiding your mistakes do not make them go away.
Correct: Hiding your mistakes does not make them go away.

__________________________________________________________________________

Subject Verb Agreement Exercises

A. Select the incorrect sentence from the following options –

1. a) The Duke of Edinburg and the minister of the Swedish Consulate are here and they want an
immediate response to the tactical decision of the opposition party.
b) The Minister and Secretary to the Oval Office is coming and he is one of the most charismatic
individuals in the current political regime.
c) Every segment of the Corinthian Complex was dissected to find the clue but it was all for naught.
d) Neither Meherazul or Abeed were free to take the pass that Zaeem fed into the box and the
opposition defender cleared the ball with ease.
e) None of the above

Solution – d is the answer. “was” needs to be used as per Rule No. 4

2. a) Neither the staff nor the faculty members were present during the annual meeting and the Director
was really pissed owing to that.
b) Either Tabassum or Nawal was in the blind but the detective had no way of finding out who it was.
c) The Council, which was secluded from the previous election, has chosen the rightful candidate for
the autumn campaign.
d) Economics, one of the most fundamental subjects that can give you an insight about the
international scale of things, have some of the most rigorous learning routines in the entire globe.
e) The Alpaca Chief, along with all his men, was hunted down by the leftist wing during the recession.

Solution – d is the answer. “has” needs to be used as per Rule No. 8

3. a) The study of “Quantum Mechanics” has been at the forefront of understanding theoretical physics
for quite some time.
b) There is a necessity inside of Rahman to feed a handful of orphans from the local mosque almost
every week. It provides him solace.
c) I, who am your teacher, will always look towards establishing the best practices for your success.
d) In the history of IBA, nobody has created such a huge impact in the debating circuit as Sajid Asbat
Khandaker.
e) None of the above

Solution – e is the answer. All the sentences are correct.

59
4. a) None of the members of the Peruvian circle has submitted the report on the “Glacial Extension” on
time and they ought to be punished for it.
b) None of the untagged cash has been collected by the federal agency and the Government is quite
restless about the matter.
c) Jogging is very popular with people who have a tendency to remain fit.
d) The majority of the voting population believe him to be the perfect candidate for this term.
e) None of the above

Solution – a is the answer. “have” needs to be used as per Rule No. 12

5. a) A murder of crows was seen hovering the tower beside our rendezvous point.
b) A superfluity of nuns was employed in the local church to help the homeless people in the district.
c) A galaxy of stars has been discovered in the Northern belt of the Andromeda that might hold the
answer to quantifiable dark matter.
d) A bloat of hippos was floating in the downtown bog and the smell from the region was awful.
e) None of the above

Solution – e is the answer. All the sentences are correct.

6. a) Two hundred kilometers is a long distance for a wayfarer to tread with a sack as heavy as that on
the back.
b) The number of times that women have been mistreated in a meeting of a multinational company
in our country is baffling.
c) A number of incidents has taken place during your absence and it is pivotal that you redirect your
attention to those issues.
d) Some of the resin threads are missing and Nawal is really sad about it.
e) None of the above.
Solution – c is the answer. “have” needs to be used as per Rule No. 17

7. a) All the supplementary resources from the aide camp has depleted and the refugees are in dire need
of medical treatment.
b) Several were hurt in the car crash that happened near Dhanmondi 7/A and one student passed
away on spot.
c) Sixty percent of the voters was on the side of the PRI, the ruling party of the Republic of Mexico.
d) The Colombians are some of the most fun-loving people in the entire world and they genuinely
know how to party.
e) Chinese is one of the hardest languages on the planet to master and it has high value in the
translator community.

Solution – c is the answer. “were” needs to be used as per Rule No. 20

8. a) Twenty gallons of liquid syrup was needed to keep the solution stable and Armin couldn’t provide
that in the right time.
b) To mitigate and to reconstruct a crippled nation requires more time than you can possibly imagine.
c) Our greatest achievement in the face of war is the consolidation of the defense line with only 50
grenadiers and 200 soldiers.
d) Here comes the main attraction of the evening, our stunning Fiona; she has been all over the globe
winning awards and doing great in the industry on her own.

60
 e) None of the above

Solution – b is the answer. “take” needs to be used as per Rule No. 23

9. a) Spearheading at the cavalry from the rear end was the gladiator; he was ruthless and maniacal,
aiming to cripple the army with his bare hands
b) At the end of the Eid holidays come several important examinations that irritate me to my core.
c) Adidas aims to capture the mindset of people who are trendy while being into sports but, Nike aims
to capture the mindset of people who are genuine athletes.
d) All the important data was lost from the hardware and there was no backup drive in place.
e) None of the above

Solution – d is the answer. “were” needs to be used as per Rule No. 29

10. a) Sheep are mostly found on the northern part of the hill, grazing in a mindless state and bleating
sporadically.
b) The spotted hyena is a rare breed; they are terribly fast and ruthless when hungry.
c) Nine hundred and ten blocks plus twenty thousand and fifteen blocks equals to twenty thousand
nine hundred and twenty five blocks.
d) His usual sense of righteousness and ethics get him all the accolades from the board of directors.
e) None of the above

Solution – c is the answer. “equal” needs to be used as per Rule No. 32

B. Select the correct sentence from the following options –

1. a) Hiding your insecurities do not make them disappear for good, you must face your fears gallantly.
b) The tiger shrimp are found near the Baltic curve of the Andalusian lake.
c) The Canadian people is known for their generosity towards refugees and are regarded in high
standards across the world.
d) Our greatest flaw in making the machine are in terms of its execution and sequence drive from the
central mainframe.
e) None of the above

Solution – e is the answer. In “a”, “does” needs to be used as per Rule No. 34. In “b”, “is” needs to be
used as per Rule No. 30. In “c”, “are” needs to be used as per Rule No. 21 and in “d”, “is” needs to be
used as per Rule No. 24.

2. a) Ruminating in your own place after having a sip of Coca Cola was considered trendy back in the
days.
b) None of the employees has turned in to work and this incident is going to affect the overall sales
of the company.
c) The number of times in which colored individuals have been treated with nothing but disdain in the
selection process are uncountable.
d) All the liquid from the canteen’s container have depleted and Babu bhai is really agitated at the
moment.
e) None of the above

61
 Solution – a is the answer. In “b”, “have” needs to be used as per Rule No. 12. In “c”, “is” needs to be
used as per Rule No. 17 and in “d”, “has” needs to be used as per Rule No. 18.

3. a) Mo Salah and Bobby has some of the finest goals in the history of Liverpool and their style of
placing really goes well with the team.
b) The majority believe that it was due to the tackle of Eric Bailly that Ernesto Fumero will never play
football in his life.
c) A yoke of oxen were galloping down the stride of the mountain and it really scared Abdul.
d) Rebecca, the daughter of Nusaiba Alim and heir to the golden tribe of Hefesto, is your one true
friend.
e) None of the above

Solution – d is the answer. In “a”, “have” needs to be used as per Rule No. 1. In “b”, “believes” needs
to be used as per Rule No. 14 and in “c”, “was” needs to be used as per Rule No. 15.

4. a) According to Ferguson, all the datum were lost in the bit surge that took place in the central
pathway a couple of minutes ago.
b) In NSU, ethics are being taught to students in the initial spring semester so that they can maintain
ethical standards while forming reports.
c) The Galahads, a local band of the county, are performing in the Metronome this weekend.
d) Twenty meters is a long distance for someone as short as you to cross in a crouched position.
e) None of the above

Solution – d is the answer. In “a”, “was” needs to be used as per Rule No. 29. In “b”, “is” needs to be
used as per Rule No. 33 and in “c”, “is” needs to be used as per Rule No. 28.

5. a) Some of the messages from the Sherpa is still present in the recorded tapes, in case you ever need
to listen to them again.
b) A large number of forest fires has swept the Australian wildlife and the affect on the fauna is
ultimately going to cost the entire nation a lot of revenue.
c) The majority of the members of the Consulate believes that he is the one guilty of murder and
should be incarcerated for life.
d) In the history of the world, nobody has ever tried to replicate the paintings of this great artist and
your initiative will be met with a lot of resistance.
e) None of the above

Solution – d is the answer. In “a”, “are” needs to be used as per Rule No. 18. In “b”, “have” needs to
be used as per Rule No. 17 and in “c”, “believe” needs to be used as per Rule No. 14

C. Error Detection –

1. Whenever you try to fight the demons that have been pursuing you, hiding your
A
weakness do not make you seem more frightening to the enemy; it is your self
B C
-belief that throws them off and makes you the victor. No Error
D E

62
 Solution – “does” needs to be used as per Rule No. 34

2. Storming out of the palace and into the field were a man who wielded a sharp
A B
silver sword and had gauntlets that were on fire. No Error
C D E
Solution – “was” needs to be used as per Rule No. 26

3. The warden of the hostel and the stewardess of the church was seen roaming the
A
plaid fields outside the campus in the dead of the night by the lone guardsmen of
B C D
the Prairie. No Error
E
Solution – “were” needs to be used as per Rule No. 1

4. Every boy and girl from the class was ready to be transported to the nearest
A B
quarantine zone for a check-up of Corona virus. No Error
C D E
Solution – No Error
5. Neither the soldier nor the leaders of the opposition party was reticent enough to
A B C
let such a matter slide. No Error
D E
Solution – “were” needs to be used as per Rule No. 5

6. Either the goalkeeper of MBA United or the captain of IBA United were bribed by
A
the manager of the coalition party and it was pretty evident from the horrendous
B C
penalty shootout. No Error
D E
Solution – “was” needs to be used as per Rule No. 6

7. After the annual general meeting of the faculty members, the presiding panel have
A B
chosen Adree Islam Khan as the next President of IBACC for the year 2020. No
C D
Error
E
Solution – “has” needs to be used as per Rule No. 7

8. Along with a bunch of subsidiaries, Consumer Econometrics were considered as

A B
one of the topmost subjects to do a doctorate on by the esteemed faculties of
C D
Oxford University. No Error

63
 E
Solution – “was” needs to be used as per Rule No. 8

9. The leader of the squadron, along with the soldiers from Siberia, are being
A B C
transported to a safe house outside of Wakanda for a full-scale insertion of
D
vibranium into their skeletal construct. No Error
E
Solution – “is” needs to be used as per Rule No. 9

10. Jaywalking is a very bad habit among the refugees of this town and you can’t
A B
really blame or punish them for it; they simply had no way of knowing that such a
C D
thing could be considered a crime. No Error
E
Solution – No Error

11. In the outskirts of the African Jungle, a stand of flamingoes were spotted by the
A B
zoologist and he noted down their movements in a tiny handbook that was given
C D
to him by his father. No Error
E
Solution – “was” needs to be used as per Rule No. 15

12. Seventeen pints of nano hydroxyl were required to keep the solution stable but
A B
the scientist messed up the measurements and it resulted in the most
C
catastrophic experimental accident in the history of the corporation. No Error
D E
Solution – “was” needs to be used as per Rule No. 22

13. During the beginning of the summer holidays arrive the best lemonade maker in
A B
our town; hailing from the Northern region of our city, the man is nothing but pure
C D
gold. No Error
E
Solution – “arrives” needs to be used as per Rule No. 27

14. All information stored in the brain does not readily register as useful to us
A
because data of such immense magnitude cannot be fathomed by our senses
B
and so, only the useful bits are pushed to our physiological receptors when

64
 C D
needed. No Error
E
Solution – No Error

15. The faculty members of IBA deliberately hoard pressure onto the students in the
A B
hope of acclimatizing them to the pressure that the real corporate world has to
C D
offer. No Error
E
Solution – No Error

D. Sentence Correction –

1. Mathematical analysis of humpback whale sounds provide evidence that animals other than humans
use a hierarchical structure of communication.

a) provide evidence that animals other than humans

b) provides evidence that animals other than humans
c) provide evidence that an animal other than humans
d) provides evidence that an animal other than a human
e) provide evidence that animals, like humans.

Solution – “Mathematical analysis of humpback whale sounds” is a singular subject and so the verb
needs to be singular as well.

2. Since the last election, the lobbying effort initiated by environmental organizations, homeowners, and
small business owners have increased awareness of pending environmental legislation.

a) have increased awareness of pending environmental legislation

b) have increased awareness about pending legislation dealing with the environment
c) has increased awareness about pending environmental legislation
d) has increased awareness of pending environmental legislation
e) has increased awareness of environmental legislation that is still pending

Solution – “the lobbying effort” is the true subject here and it is singular. So, the verb also needs to
be singular.

3. A higher interest rate is only one of the factors, albeit an important one, that keeps the housing market
from spiraling out of control, like it did earlier in the decade.

a) keeps the housing market from spiraling out of control, like it did
b) keep the housing market from spiraling out of control, as it did
c) keeps the housing market from spiraling out of control, as it did
d) keep the housing market from spiraling out of control, like
e) keep the housing market from spiraling out of control, like it did

65
 Solution – A plural verb needs to be used to ensure proper subject verb agreement and “as it did” is
a better phrase than the one in the original sentence to complement the meaning portrayed.

4. Consumption of bread products made from ergot-infected grains often trigger severely debilitating
symptoms such as muscle contractions, seizures and gangrene but, at a proper dose, also cause a
significant reduction in maternal bleeding after childbirth.

a) bread products made from ergot-infected grains often trigger severely debilitating symptoms such
as muscle contractions, seizures and gangrene but, at a proper dose, also cause a significant
reduction in
b) products made from ergot-infected grains often trigger severely debilitating symptoms such as
muscle contractions, seizures and gangrene but, at a proper dose, also cause significantly reduced
c) bread products made from ergot-infected grains often triggers severely debilitating symptoms
such as muscle contractions, seizures and gangrene but, at a proper dose, also causes a significant
reduction in
d) bread made from ergot-infected grains often triggers severely debilitating symptoms such as
muscle contractions, seizures and gangrene but, at a proper dose, also cause a significant reduction
in
e) bread products made from ergot-infected grains often trigger severely debilitating symptoms such
as muscle contractions, seizures and gangrene but, at a proper dose, also causes a significantly
reduced

Solution – “Consumption of…” portrays a singular subject here. The verbs used to complement it
must also be singular. So, “triggers” and “causes” would be the right combination to make sense of
this sentence.

5. According to industry analysts, the recent growth in the number of hybrid motor vehicles in major
metropolitan areas are likely to accelerate in the future.

a) the number of hybrid motor vehicles in major metropolitan areas are

b) the numbers of hybrid motor vehicles in major metropolitan areas are
c) the number of hybrid motor vehicles in major metropolitan areas is
d) the numbers of hybrid motor vehicles in major metropolitan areas is
e) hybrid motor vehicles’ numbers in major metropolitan areas are

Solution – “is” needs to be used as per Rule No. 17

6. Since 1929, when the global telegraph business peaked, the number of telegrams delivered annually
have decreased from 200 million to only 21,000 last year.

a) have decreased from 200 million

b) have been reduced from 200 million
c) has decreased from 200 million
d) has been reduced from 200 million down
e) has decreased from 200 million down

Solution – “has” needs to be used as per Rule No. 17

66
7. Wasiq Ahmed was asked to draw a unique marketing scheme that the competitors would not be able
to fend off and the majority of the board members believes that he will mess it up.

a) able to fend off and the majority of the board members believes
b) able to fend off and majority of the board members believes
c) able to fend it off and the majority of the board members believes
d) able to fend off and the majority of the board members believe
e) able to fend it off and majority of the members believes

Solution – “believe” needs to be used as per Rule No. 14

8. In a cataclysmic portrayal of tyranny, the majority of the mako sharks consumed all the inhabitants
on the beach; thousands of people screamed in agony as the world witnessed one of the greatest
fauna-related atrocities of this decade.

a) the majority of the mako sharks consumed all the inhabitants on the beach; thousands of people
screamed in agony as the world witnessed one of the greatest fauna-related atrocities
b) the majority of the mako sharks consumes all the inhabitants on the beach whilst thousands of
people screamed in agony as the world witnessed one of the greatest fauna-related atrocities
c) the majority of the mako sharks consumed all the inhabitants on the beach; thousands of people
screamed in agony as the world had witnessed one of the greatest fauna-related atrocities
d) the majority of the mako sharks consumed all the inhabitants within the beach; thousands of
people screamed in agony as the world witnessed one of the greatest fauna-related atrocities
e) the majority of the mako sharks consumed all the inhabitants on the beach; thousands of people
screamed in an agonizing manner as the world witnessed one of the greatest fauna-related
atrocities

Solution – the original structure is the most apt one with no grammatical mistakes

9. The People’s Republic of Quinoa, having 1.3 billion people, with many of which living in outlying rural
areas far to the west of its capital, often have been considered as an emerging superpower.

a) having 1.3 billion people, with many of which living in outlying rural areas far to the west of its
capital, often have been considered as
b) having 1.3 billion people, many living in outlying rural areas far to the west of its capital, often has
been considered as
c) with 1.3 billion people, many living in outlying rural areas far to the west of its capital, often has
been considered
d) with 1.3 billion people, with many of them living in outlying rural areas far to the west of its capital,
often have been considered
e) with 1.3 billion people, with many living in outlying rural areas far to the west of its capital, often
has been considered to be

Solution – “has been” needs to be used as per Rule No. 26. The structure is also the best here as
opposed to the other ones

67
10. Dostoevsky, whose novels plumbed highly philosophical themes, Nietzsche had a background in
classical philology that gave him a unique perspective toward the Western Philosophical tradition,
and the Danish Christian writer Kierkegaard were considered the founders of Existentialism.

a) Nietzsche had a background in classical philology that gave him a unique perspective toward the
Western Philosophical tradition, and the Danish Christian writer Kierkegaard were considered the
founders
b) Nietzsche had a background in classical philology giving him a unique perspective toward the
Western Philosophical tradition, and the Danish Christian writer Kierkegaard was considered the
founder
c) Nietzsche, whose background in classical philology gave him a unique perspective on the Western
Philosophical tradition, and the Danish Christian writer Kierkegaard was considered the founder
d) Nietzsche, whose background in classical philology gave him a unique perspective on the Western
Philosophical tradition, and the Danish Christian writer Kierkegaard were considered the founders
e) Nietzsche, who had had a background in classical philology that was giving him a unique
perspective with the Western Philosophical tradition, and the Danish Christian writer Kierkegaard was
considered the founder

Solution – “were” needs to be used as per Rule No. 1 and this option has the correct relative pronoun
“whose”, which makes the entire thought more complete
__________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 4
Heading- Modifier
Main Concept

A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that provides description in sentences. A working definition for
the word “modify” is to change or to alter something. This definition is the same when considering the
purpose of modifiers within a sentence.

A modifier changes, clarifies, qualifies, or limits a particular word in a sentence in order to add
emphasis, explanation, or detail. Modifiers tend to be descriptive words, such as adjectives and
adverbs. Prepositional phrases are also commonly used as modifiers. The modifier usually follows the
complement. Not every sentence requires a modifier.

Sub-heading-Types of Modifiers
Several different types of modifiers exist in English. The following is a list of modifiers with
explanations and examples.

Adjective Modifiers

Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. They modify in that they answer the following questions in
relationship to the nouns they modify,

• What kind?

• cute baby

68
 • What kind of baby? A cute baby.

• Which one?

• that baby

• Which baby? That baby.

• How many?

• three babies

• How many babies? Three babies.

• How much?

• enough fruit

• How much fruit? Enough fruit.

Adverb Modifiers

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They modify in that they answer the following
questions in relationship to the nouns they modify,

• When?

• arrive tomorrow

• Arrive when? Tomorrow.

• Where?

• dance everywhere

• Dance where? Everywhere.

• How often?

• dance frequently

• Dance how often? Frequently.

• How much?

• answer completely

• Answer how much? Completely.

Examples of adverbs and adverbial phrases:

yesterday, quickly, last semester, overhead, quite awful
A modifier answers the question of Where? When? or How?
Examples of modifiers:

She is earning her degree at Cornell University. (Where is she earning her
John fell down the stairs degree?)
yesterday. (Where did John fall?)
The cheetah was running quite fast. (When did John fall?)

69
 (How was the cheetah
running?)

(When do we have an
We have an appointment at ten o’clock tomorrow.
appointment?)

(How did the soldier fire the

The soldier fired the gun repeatedly.
gun?)

Participle Phrases

A participle phrase is a group of words that function as adjectives to modify nouns. Participle phrases
begin with a present or past participle.

Participle Phrase Examples:

• The boy riding up and down the street is tired.

• The underlined participle phrase starts with the present participle “riding”

• The participle phrase modifies the noun, boy

• The cabinets stuffed to the brim needed to be organized.

• The underlined participle phrase starts with the past participle “stuffed”

• The participle phrase modifies the noun, cabinets

Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases are groups of words that function as adverbs or adjectives to modify.
Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and end with a noun.

Prepositional phrases modify,

• Where?

• by the lake

• When?

• on time

• Who?

• with you

• What?

• besides the dog

Examples of prepositional phrases:

under the house, after breakfast, in the morning.
Adverbs and adverbial phrases are also used as modifiers, or modifiers of time. A modifier of
time will usually come last when more than one modifier is used.

70
Phrases and Clauses as Modifiers

Single words are not the only types of modifiers. Phrases and clauses act as modifiers.

Clause Modifier Examples:

The boy, who was at the store, bought cookies.

• This is an example of an adjective clause.

• The adjective clause is a group of words that modifies “boy”

Phrase Modifier Examples:

Please take a seat near me.

• This is an example of a prepositional phrase.

• The prepositional phrase is a group of words that modifies “seat”

Warning

Modifiers Must Be Next to the Thing They're Modifying

The heading says it all: the most important concept to remember when dealing with modifiers is that
they need to be next to the word they're describing.

Sometimes these types of mistakes are obvious:

Bird for sale by flightless woman.

You have to figure that the bird is flightless, not the woman. The sentence should be:

Flightless bird for sale by woman.

However, this kind of error is often harder to spot. Take a look at the following sentence:

Despite having finished her test, the teacher wouldn't let Jenna leave until the class was over.

There's nothing obviously wrong with this sentence, but let's think about what it's actually saying. It
starts with the modifier "despite having finished her test." Logically, that phrase would seem to be
describing Jenna, but since it's located next to "the teacher," the sentence is actually saying that the
teacher has finished her test. That doesn't make much sense, so we need to reorder the sentence to
place the modifier next to what it's modifying:

The teacher wouldn't let Jenna leave until the class was over, despite the fact that she had finished her test.

Sub-heading - Misplaced Modifiers

There are roughly 5 rules for you to study to gain a complete understanding of how modifiers should
work. Learning and practicing these rules will help you identify errors in sentences, figure out which
sentence has the best use of grammar when you’re presented with many and flaunt your skills in the
writing section of the IBA Admission Test.

Rule-1

Illogical Participial Modifiers

71
A participial phrase can be used to join two sentences with a common subject. But when the two
sentences/ phrases do not have a common subject, we call the participial phrase an illogical participial
modifier. More simply put, if there are two phrased in a sentence and the first phrase describe an action
performed by a subject without mentioning the subject, the subject that had been insinuated in the first
phrase must immediately be mentioned at the beginning of the second phrase.

Example

Incorrect Coming out of the department store, John’s wallet was stolen.

Correct Coming out of the department store, John had his walled stolen.

Rule-2

Misplaced Words

The adverbs such as- almost, even, ever, just, merely, hardly, nearly and scarcely must always be placed
right next to the word they modify.

Example

Incorrect The mouse almost ate all the cheese bits.

Correct The mouse ate almost all the cheese bits.

Rule-3

Misplaced Phrases and Clauses

If you use a modifying phrase or clause in a sentence, it is vital that you place the modifying phrase or
clause as close to the words it modifies as possible.

Example

Incorrect I heard that my brother decided to go abroad for his studies while I was outside
standing by the door.

Correct While I was standing outside by the door, I heard that my brother decided to
abroad for his studies.

Here, ‘While I was standing outside by the door’ is the modifying phrase and it modifies the action of ‘I
heard that’. So, it is vital that the action is immediately followed by the phrase that modifies it in order to
avoid ambiguity.

Rule-4

Squinting modifiers

When a modifier is used in a sentence in such a way that it can be modifying either the word before it or
the word after it, but it is confusing at to which word it is really modifying is called a squinting modifier.
Remember this, if you are confused as to whether a modifier is modifying the word after it or the word
before it, and you ‘squint’ your eyes looking at it out of confusion, then it’s a squinting modifier.

72
 Example

Incorrect Defining your terms will clearly strengthen your argument.

Correct Defining your terms clearly will strengthen your argument.

Correct A clear definition of your terms will strengthen your argument.

Rule-5

Dangling modifiers

When the subject and verb of a phrase or dependent clause are implied and not directly expressed, then
the phrase or the dependent clause is called a dangling modifier. A dangling modifier acts as an adjective
but does not modify any particular word in the sentence.

Here, in the Incorrect sentence the subject is not clearly mentioned, but it is implied that there is a subject
which in this case is a person generally raised in Dhaka. This sentence is structurally incorrect and needs
to have a clearly mentioned subject.

Example

Incorrect Raise in Old Dhaka, it is natural to grow up loving biriyani.

Correct For a person raised in Old Dhaka, it is natural to grow up loving biriyani.

Modifier Exercises
Error Detection

1. Observing from the summit, the valley that stood below Mike's tour group seemed
A B
unfathomably extensive and arid. No error
C D E

2. When I passed the shop window, I saw a silver woman’s locket that would be perfect for my aunt’s
A B C D
birthday. No error
E

3. Damaged beyond repair, the tow truck hauled the totaled car away from the accident scene and to
A B C D
the local junkyard. No error
E

4. I’m looking for the torn biology teacher’s manual so I can replace it with a new one. No error
A B C D E

73
5. Facing snow, ice, and starvation, I can’t imagine how the early Arctic explorers survived their
A B
hazardous expeditions, some of which lasted for weeks. No error
C D E

6. We can’t give juice to any of the children in glass bottles; someone might drop one and break it.
A B C D
No error
E

7. Jumping up and down in joy, Annie's excitement was evident when she saw her sister, who had
A B C
been deployed for nearly a year and whom she had dearly missed. No error
D E

8. My niece Tara wore her favorite blue dress to the homecoming dance, which unfortunately didn’t
A B C D
match her green shoes. No error
E

9. Marilyn brought her old red sneakers to the thrift store, which were faded on the sides but
A B C D
otherwise still had strong soles. No error
E

10. The state is rightfully very hesitant to give teenagers drivers' licenses who have not had training,
A B
as there is a higher chance of those teenagers getting into accidents. No error
C D E

Sentence Correction

1. Coming back to the farm, the gruesome scene was seen by everyone in the car.

A. the gruesome scene was seen by everyone in the car

B. the gruesome scene saw by everyone in the car.
C. the gruesome scene being seen by everyone in the car.
D. the gruesome scene was seen by everyone at the car.
E. everyone in the car saw the gruesome scene.

2. Happy that the long winter was finally over, John's coats were placed in the closet in the basement.

A. Happy that the long winter was finally over, John's coats were placed in the closet in the basement.
B. Happy that the long winter was finally over; John placed his coats in the closet in the basement.
C. Happy that the long winter was finally over, John placed his coats in the closet in the basement.
D. Happy that the long winter was finally over, John's coats placed in the closet in the basement.
E. Happy that the long winter was finally over, John placed his coats in the closet in the basement.

3. Waiting for the crucial trial to begin, the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming.

A. the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming

B. the anxiety almost overwhelmed Neil.
C. the anxiety being felt by Neil was almost overwhelming.
D. Neil felt almost overwhelmed with anxiety.
E. Neil's anxiety felt almost overwhelming.

74
4. A book by Jim Collins, an American management writer, prompted Akio Toyoda’s alarm call last
month by reading “How the Mighty Fall”, which identifies five stages of corporate decline.

A. A book by Jim Collins, an American management writer, prompted Akio Toyoda’s alarm call last
month by reading “How the Mighty Fall”, which identifies five stages of corporate decline.
B. Akio Toyoda’s alarm call last month was prompted by reading “How the Mighty Fall”, a book which
identifies five stages of corporate decline and is written by Jim Collins, an American management
writer.
C. Akio Toyoda alarm call last month was prompted by reading “How the Mighty Fall”, books which
identify five stages of corporate decline and was written by Jim Collins, an American management
writer.
D. “How the Mighty Fall”, a book by Jim Collins, an American management writer, prompted Akio
Toyoda’s alarm call last month, identifying five stages of corporate decline.
E. Jim Collins, an American management writer, wrote “How the Mighty Fall”, which identifies five
stages of corporate decline, prompting Akio Toyoda’s alarm call last month by reading.

5. Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the river.

A. Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the river.
B. Coming around the corner, the people got a view of the skyscrapers across the river.
C. Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers are viewed clearly across the river.
D. Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers come clearly into view across the river.
E. Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the river.

6. Setting a distance record, in 1984 Joe Kittinger piloted his balloon from Maine to Italy, and he
became the first balloonist to cross the Atlantic solo.

A. Setting a distance record, in 1984 Joe Kittinger piloted his balloon from Maine to Italy, and he
became the first balloonist to cross the Atlantic solo.
B. In 1984, Joe Kittinger, setting a distance record, piloted his balloon from Maine to Italy, and he
became the first balloonist to cross the Atlantic solo
C. In 1984, Joe Kittinger piloted his balloon from Maine to Italy, setting a distance record and becoming
the first balloonist to cross the Atlantic solo
D. Having been first to cross the Atlantic solo, and with a voyage from Maine to Italy, Joe Kittinger set a
balloon distance record in 1984
E. Joe Kittinger, in 1984, piloted his balloon from Maine to Italy, setting a new distance record,
becoming the first balloonist to cross the Atlantic solo

7. In order to properly evaluate a patient’s state of mind and gain informed consent prior to surgery, a
substantial period of time must be spent with the operating physician by the patient to become fully
aware of the pros and cons of undergoing a surgical procedure.

A. a substantial period of time must be spent with the operating physician by the patient to become
fully aware of the pros and cons of undergoing a surgical procedure
B. the operating physician and the patient must spend a substantial amount of time together, thus
ensuring full awareness of the pros and cons of undergoing a surgical procedure
C. the patient must spend a substantial amount of time with his or her operating physician, thus
ensuring that he or she has been made fully aware of the pros and cons of undergoing the surgical
procedure
D. the operating physician must spend a substantial amount of time with the patient, thus ensuring that
the patient is fully aware of the pros and cons of undergoing a surgical procedure
E. the operating physician must ensure that he or she is fully aware of the pros and cons of undergoing
a surgical procedure by spending a substantial amount of time with the patient

75
8. The first commercially successful drama to depict Black family life sympathetically and the first play
by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway, it was Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun that won
the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award in 1959, and was later made into both a film and a musical.

A. it was Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun that won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award in
1959, and was later made
B. in 1959 A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and
was later made
C. Lorraine Hansberry won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for A Raisin in the Sun in 1959, and
it was later made
D. Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun won the New York Drama Critics’Circle Award in 1959 and
was later made
E. A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award in 1959,
and later made it

9. An artist who explored Spanish cultural themes, Julio Gonzalez was world renowned for his art.
A. An artist who explored Spanish cultural themes, Julio Gonzalez was world renowned for his art
B. Julio Gonzalez is an artist whose art explores world renowned Spanish cultural themes
C. Artist Julio Gonzalez has explored Spanish cultural themes, the art of whom is world renowned
D. An artist who has explored Spanish cultural themes, Julio Gonzalez’ art is world renowned.
E. Julio Gonzalez is a world-renowned artist whose art explored Spanish cultural themes

10. At age four, Mozart's father began taking him on tours of the capitals of Europe, in order to
demonstrate his musical talents.
A. Mozart's father began taking him on tours of the capitals of Europe, in order to demonstrate his
musical talents
B. Mozart's father began taking the boy on tours of the capitals of Europe, to demonstrate his musical
talents
C. Mozart began accompanying his father on tours of the capitals of Europe, to demonstrate his own
musical talents
D. Mozart began accompanying his father on tours of Europe's capitals, to demonstrate his musical
talents
E. Mozart's father began taking him on tours of the capitals of Europe, to demonstrate the boy's
musical talents

Modifier Answers

Error Detection

1. A. “Observing” is apart of a misplaced modifier that should refer to Mike's tour group, not the valley.
The way the sentence is written, it seems as if "the valley" is "observing from the summit," not "Mike's
tour group."

2. C. Here, the word “silver” is a misplaced modifier. It’s the locket that’s silver, not the woman, so the
correct wording would be a “woman’s silver locket.”

3. A. “Damaged beyond repair” is a modifier that refers to the totaled car, but with its current placement
it appears to be describing the (obviously functional) tow truck. The modifier should be moved next to
“the totaled car.”

4. A. It’s not the biology teacher who’s torn; it’s the manual. Therefore, “torn” is a misplaced modifier
and should be moved directly next to the phrase it modifies.

76
5. A. “Facing snow, ice, and starvation” is a dangling modifier, since it is obviously meant to describe
not the speaker of the sentence but rather the Arctic explorers. To correct the sentence, the modifier
would have to be moved next to the phrase it modifies.

6. B. The "children" aren’t in glass bottles; the "juice" is. Therefore, “in glass bottles” is a misplaced
modifier and should be moved next to the noun it modifies.

7. B. “Jumping up and down in joy” is a misplaced modifier that refers to “Annie," but as the sentence is
currently written, is seems as if “Annie's excitement” is jumping up and down in joy, not Annie. The
sentence should therefore be rephrased so that “Annie" is modified by the introductory phrase, e.g.
"Jumping up and down in joy, Annie was excited when she saw her sister."

8. D. “Which unfortunately didn’t match her green shoes” is a misplaced modifier, since it describes not
the dance but the dress. It is incorrectly placed in the sentence.

9. D. The phrase "which were faded on the sides but otherwise still had strong soles" is a misplaced
modifier—it is currently modifying "the thrift store," but should instead be modifying "sneakers."

10. B. In the current form of the sentence, the phrase "who have not had training" is incorrectly
modifying "drivers' licenses." Instead, the phrase should modify "teenagers" ("teenagers who have not
had training").

Sentence Correction

1. E. The sentence is written with a dangling modifier, which makes the sentence read as though the
"gruesome scene" was what was "coming back to the farm." The sentence needs to be restructured to
clarify this problem. The only answer choice that does this is "everyone in the car saw the gruesome
scene."

2. C. The original sentence is an example of a dangling modifier. The preceding clause, "Happy that the
long winter was finally over," refers to John, so John must be the subject of the second clause. John's
coats are incapable of being happy that winter is over, so "John's coats" cannot be modified by that first
clause.

3. D. When a sentence begins with a dangling participle or descriptive phrase, the person or thing
described in that phrase (in this case, "Neil") must immediately follow it. Only one answer choice does
this correctly. The answer choice that begins "Neil's anxiety" may appear to do so, but it does not,
because the possessive "Neil's" is no longer the subject, but is describing the anxiety.

4. B. A) "A book by Jim Collins, an American management writer- incorrect modifier. The subject is a
book so how is "The Book" a management writer? B) Correct -correct use of passive voice because the
initial portion of the sentence is insignificant, the main subject is the book and correct modifier later in
the sentence with Jim Collins, an (adjective) writer. C) Meaning is changed here. There was one book
but why is the book now plural? and incorrect use of simple past tense AFTER present tense (present
form of "identify" and then past form of "to be" in WAS) D) Here, the meaning is changed again. So, the
book did all that? It prompted the alarm while simultaneously identifying corporate decline? OR is it "the
reading of the book" that prompted Akio? The latter is correct. E) Doesn't make any sense ending the
sentence on "by reading". And it leads us to believe that Jim Collins purposely wrote his book to
"prompt" Akio into doing something and that is not the case.

5. B. The sentence as written contains a dangling modifier, as the construction of the sentence implies
the skyscrapers are what is "coming around the corner." The word order can be changed to make this
much clearer. The correct answer is "Coming around the corner, the people got a view of the
skyscrapers across the river."

77
6. C. A) Misplaced modifier - 1984 isn't setting the record joe is... B) Modifier - Joe piloted the balloon
which set a record. C) Correct - parallel easiest to understand. D) Rather hard to understand. E)
Misplace Modifier - becoming the first... should modify joe not record.

7. D. Misplaced modifier. The sentence starts with "In order to properly evaluate a patient’s state of
mind and gain informed consent prior to surgery" Who needs to spend the time? - The physician. Hence,
we need physician as the subject after the non-underlined part. This straight away removes options A, B
and C. Option E implies that the physician should be aware of the pros and cons. Incorrect. Correct
Option: D

8. D. The modifier- “The first commercially successful drama to depict Black family life sympathetically
and the first play by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway” should clearly modify “A Raisin in the
Sun” without any ambiguity. D and E both qualifies. But E is incorrect because; ___A Raisin in the Sun,
by Lorraine Hansberry, won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award in 1959, and later made it___ -
raises the question of who 'made it' ? It should’ve been in passive form. So, D is the answer.

9. A. Both options B & E introduces the same error. It's not the ART that explored Spanish themes but
the Artist himself. Thus INCORRECT. One can argue that art can mimic the Spanish themes (In
Metaphorical sense) but in that case we need to a different word (barring EXPLORE) to avoid ambiguity.
In option D, ART cannot be an artist (Misplace modifier error). In option C, the modifier the art of whom is
world renowned is away from the noun it modifies i.e. Julio Gonzalez. So, A is correct.

10. C. Mozart must be immediately followed by "At age four" to resolve misplace modifier error, so we
can eliminate option A, B, & E. Option D is incorrect as it creates pronoun ambiguity with the use of ‘His’.
Thus answer is C.

Misplaced Modifiers Exercises

Segment 1

1. Having slammed his books on the desk, Kamal felt angry about failing the test. (BBA 2004-05)

a) Having slammed his books on the desk, Kamal felt angry about failing the test

b) Having felt angry about failing the test, Kamal slams his books on the desk

c) Slamming his books on the desk, angry about failing the test

d) Angry about failing the test, Kamal slammed his books on the desk

e) Kamal failed the test, therefore, angrily slammed his books on the desk

2. The award was presented to the actor that was engraved with gold letters . (BBA 2004-05)

a) The award was presented to the actor that was engraved with gold letters.

b) The award was presented to the actor engraved with gold letters

c) The award was presented to the actor who was engraved with gold letters

78
d) The award, engraved with gold letters, and presented to the actor

e) The award presented to the actor was engraved with gold letters

Dangling Modifier

3. Identify the Incorrect sentence. (2007-08)

a) It is recommended that our chairperson be given a vote of thanks.
b) The children wish they had visited the zoo last week.
c) We have made many friends, enough to keep us from being lonely here.
d) I always enjoy this beautiful scene.
e) When children watch too much violence on TV, it may affect their behavior.

4. The shed, ____ is for sale. (2007-08)

a) The roof of which leaks
b) whose roof leaks
c) the roof which leaks
d) which roof leaks
e) whose roof leaking

5. Find the non-standard choice. (2007-08)

a) Business administration is the subject in which I am mainly interested in.

b) Business administration is the subject which I am mainly interested.
c) Business administration is the subject which I am mainly interested at.
d) Business administration is the subject which I find interest.
e) Business administration is the subject in which I am mainly interested.

Segment 2

6. Although covered in about 11 inches of snow, aviation officials said that conditions on the runway at
the time of the emergency landing was acceptable.

a) aviation officials said that conditions on the runway at the time of the emergency landing was
acceptable
b) the runway conditions during the emergency landing were acceptable according to aviation officials
c) according to aviation officials, the runway was in acceptable condition during the time of the
emergency landing
d) the runway was in acceptable condition during the emergency landing, according to aviation officials
e) aviation officials said that conditions on the runway at the time of the emergency landing were
acceptable

7. Discouraged by new data that show increases in toxic emissions from domestic factories, searches
for alternative investment opportunities are being conducted by shareholders of the nation’s leading
manufacturing companies.

79
a) searches for alternative investment opportunities are being conducted by shareholders of the nation’s
leading manufacturing companies
b) searches are being conducted by shareholders of the nation’s leading manufacturing
companies who are looking for alternative investment opportunities
c) shareholders of the nation’s leading manufacturing companies had begun searching for investment
opportunities outside of the manufacturing industry
d) the nation’s leading manufacturing companies are searching for alternative investment opportunities
for its shareholders
e) shareholders of the nation’s leading manufacturing companies are searching for alternative
investment opportunities

8. Found in the wild only in Australia and New Guinea, powerful back legs with long feet distinguish
kangaroos from other large mammals.
a) powerful back legs with long feet distinguish kangaroos from other large mammals
b) powerful back legs with long feet distinguish kangaroos from other mammals that are large
c) powerful back legs with long feet distinguish kangaroos from those of other mammals that are large
d) kangaroos are distinguished from other large mammals by powerful legs with long feet
e) kangaroos are being distinguished from other mammals that are large by powerful legs with long feet

9. Responding to growing demand for high-end vehicles, the interiors of the newest models are so
luxurious that they sell for nearly twice the price of last year's models.
a) the interiors of the newest models are so luxurious that they sell
b) the interiors of the newest models are so luxurious that the cars are sold
c) auto makers have installed interiors in the newest models that are so luxurious that they sell
d) the interior of the newest models are so luxurious that they are sold
e) auto makers have installed such luxurious interiors in the newest models that these cars sell

10. By applying optimization techniques commonly used to plan operations, it is possible to determine
how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in order to meet its goals in
both the short and long terms.
a) it is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in
order to meet its goals in both the short and long terms
b) a company’s managers can determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of the company’s
products in order to meet its short- and long-term goals
c) it can be determined by company managers how much effort ought to be devoted to each of the
company’s products in order to meet its goals, both short and long term
d) it may be possible for company managers to determine how much effort should be dedicated to each
of these products in order to meet the company’s short- and long-term goals
e) managers at a company can determine how much effort ought to be dedicated to each of these
products in order to meet the company’s goals in both the short and long term

11. Given its authoritative coverage of other science topics, the textbook's chapter on genetics is
surprisingly tentative, which leads one to doubt the author's scholarship in that particular area.
a) the textbook's chapter on genetics is surprisingly tentative, which leads

80
b) the chapter of the textbook on genetics is surprisingly tentative, leading
c) the textbook contains a surprising and tentative chapter on genetics, which leads
d) the textbook's chapter on genetics is surprisingly tentative and leads
e) the textbook is surprisingly tentative in its chapter on genetics, leading

12. Hailed as a key discovery in the science of evolution, the fossils of a large scaly creature resembling
both a fish and a land-animal provide evidence of a possible link in the evolutionary chain from water-
based to land-based organisms.
a) the fossils of a large scaly creature resembling both a fish and a land-animal provide evidence of
b) a large scaly creature resembling both a fish and a land-animal provides fossils that are evidence
c) a large scaly creature, whose fossils resemble both a fish and a land-animal, provides evidence of
d) the fossils of a large scaly creature, which resembles both a fish and a land-animal, provides
evidence of
e) the fossils of a large scaly creature resemble both a fish and a land-animal and provide evidence of

13. Hoping to alleviate some of the financial burdens of a growing population, property taxes last year
were raised by an eleven percent increase by the county government.
a) property taxes last year were raised by an eleven percent increase by the county government
b) property taxes were raised by eleven percent last year by the county government
c) the county government raised property taxes by an eleven percent increase last year
d) the county government last year raised by eleven percent property taxes
e) the county government raised property taxes by eleven percent last year

14. In order to properly evaluate a patient’s state of mind and gain informed consent prior to surgery, a
substantial period of time must be spent with the operating physician by the patient to become fully
aware of the pros and cons of undergoing a surgical procedure.
a) a substantial period of time must be spent with the operating physician by the patient to become fully
aware of the pros and cons of undergoing a surgical procedure
b) the operating physician and the patient must spend a substantial amount of time together, thus
ensuring full awareness of the pros and cons of undergoing the surgical procedure
c) the patient must spend a substantial amount of time with his or her operating physician, thus ensuring
that he or she has been made fully aware of the pros and cons of undergoing the
surgical procedure
d) the operating physician must spend a substantial amount of time with the patient, thus ensuring that
the patient is fully aware of the pros and cons of accepting the undergoing
procedure
e) the operating physician must ensure that he or she is fully aware of the pros and cons of undergoing
a surgical procedure by spending a substantial amount of time with the patient

15. Many daring vacationers who participate in guided boat tours on the Tarcoles River encounter native
crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses are peaking out from the surface of the
murky water.
a) encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses are peaking out

81
b) encountered native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses peak out
c) had encountered native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses peak out
d) encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, with eyes and noses peaking out
e) encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, with eyes and noses that are peaking out

16. Before its independence in 1947, Britain ruled India as a colony and they would relinquish power only
after a long struggle by the native people.
a) Before its independence in 1947, Britain ruled India as a colony and they would relinquish power
b) Before independence in 1947, Britain had ruled India as a colony and relinquished power
c) Before its independence in 1947, India was ruled by Britain as a colony and they relinquished power
d) Before independence in 1947, India had been ruled as a colony by Britain, which relinquished power
e) Before independence in 1947, India had been a colony of the British, who relinquished power

17. Used until the end of the Second World War, the German army employed the U-boat to attack both
military or civilian watercraft.
a) the German army employed the U-boat to attack both military or
b) the U-boat was employed by the German army to attack both military and
c) the U-boat employed the German army to attack both military or
d) the German army had employed the U-Boat to attack both military and the
e) the U-boat has been employed by the German army to attack both military and also

18. Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and
universities based on academic merit is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War
II.
a) Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and
universities based on academic merit
b) Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges
and universities based on academic merit
c) Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their
academic merit
d) Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities
based on their academic merit
e) Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on
academic merit, and it

19. According to Italy's top anti-Mafia prosecutor, the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a
town famous because of the “The Godfather” and near to those he most trusted.
a) the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town famous because of “The
Godfather” and near to those he most trusted
b) famous because of “The Godfather,” the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town near
to those he most trusted
c) the ailing mobster, famous because of “The Godfather,” came to take refuge in Corleone, a town near
to those he most trusted
d) near to those he most trusted, the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town famous
because of “The Godfather”

82
e) Corleone, famous because of “The Godfather,” was the town that the ailing mobster came to take
refuge in because it was near to those he most trusted

20. The author Herman Melville and the poet Walt Whitman are icons of American literature, greatly
beloved by generations past and present.
a) The author Herman Melville and the poet Walt Whitman are icons
b) Herman Melville the author and Walt Whitman the poet are icons
c) The author named Herman Melville and the poet named Walt Whitman are great icons
d) The author, Herman Melville, and the poet, Walt Whitman, are icons
e) Herman Melville, the author, and Walt Whitman, the poet, had been icons

21. Jean-Jacques Rousseau contended that man is good only when in "the state of nature" but is
corrupted by society, that compels man to compare himself to others.
a) man is good only when in "the state of nature" but is corrupted by society, that
b) only man is good when in "the state of nature" but is corrupted by society, that
c) man is good when in "the state of nature" but is corrupted only by society, that
d) only man is good when in "the state of nature" but is corrupted by society, which
e) man is good only when in "the state of nature" but is corrupted by society, which

22. Though the language of Beowulf is practically incomprehensible to contemporary readers, careful
linguistic analysis reveals a multitude of similarities to modern English.
a) Though the language of Beowulf is practically incomprehensible to contemporary readers, careful
linguistic analysis reveals a multitude of similarities to modern English.
b) Despite that it is practically incomprehensible to contemporary readers, careful linguistic analysis
reveals that the language of Beowulf has a multitude of similarities to modern English.
c) Though being practically incomprehensible to contemporary readers, the language of Beowulf reveals
through careful linguistic analysis a multitude of similarities to modern English.
d) Though Beowulf has a language that is practically incomprehensible to contemporary readers, a
multitude of similarities are revealed to modern English through careful linguistic analysis.
e) Despite having practically incomprehensible language to contemporary readers, Beowulf reveals
through careful linguistic analysis a multitude of similarities to modern English.

23. Fusion, the process through which the sun produces heat and light, has been studied by scientists,
some of whom have attempted to mimic the process in their laboratories by blasting a container of liquid
solvent with strong ultrasonic vibrations.
a) Fusion, the process through which the sun produces heat and light, has been studied by scientists,
b) Fusion, the heat and light produced by the sun, has been studied by scientists,
c) Fusion, the process through which heat and light are produced by the sun, has been studied by
scientists,
d) Scientists have studied fusion, the process the sun uses to produce heat and light,
e) Scientists have studied fusion, the process the sun uses to produce heat and light, and

24. Pests had destroyed grape, celery, chili pepper crops, sugar beet and walnut in the region, but in the
1880s, more effective pest-control methods saved the citrus industry.

83
a) Pests had destroyed grape, celery, chili pepper crops, sugar beet and walnut in the region, but in the
1880s, more effective pest-control methods saved the citrus industry.
b) Pests had destroyed grape, celery, chili pepper, sugar beet and walnut crops in the region, but in the
1880s, more effective pest-control methods saved the citrus industry.
c) Pests had destroyed grape, celery, chili pepper, sugar beet and walnut crops in the region, but more
effective pest-control methods that were introduced in the 1880s saved the citrus
industry.
d) In the 1880s, pests destroyed grape, celery, chili pepper, sugar beet and walnut crops in the region and
more effective pest-control methods saved the citrus industry.
e) In the 1880s, more effective pest-control methods saved the citrus industry from what was destroying
grape, celery, chili pepper, sugar beet and walnut crops in the region.

25. Classical guitar was neither prestigious nor was often played in concert halls until it was revived by
Andres Segovia in the mid-twentieth century, having been won over by the instrument's sound despite
its relative obscurity.
a) Classical guitar was neither prestigious nor was often played in concert halls until it was revived by
Andres Segovia in the mid-twentieth century, having been won over by the instrument's sound despite its
relative obscurity.
b) Classical guitar was neither prestigious nor played often in concert halls until it was revived by Andres
Segovia in the mid-twentieth century, having been won over by the instrument's sound despite its relative
obscurity.
c) Classical guitar was not prestigious and was not often played in concert halls until Andres Segovia
revived it in the mid-twentieth century, after he was won over by the sound despite the instrument's
relative obscurity.
d) Classical guitar did not have prestige nor was it performed often in concert halls until its revival by
Andres Segovia, who in the mid-twentieth century was won over by the instrument's sound despite its
relative obscurity.
e) Classical guitar was neither prestigious nor was often played in concert halls until Andres Segovia
revived it in the mid-twentieth century, when he was won over by the sound of the relatively obscure
instrument.

26. The physicist Richard Feynman presented a comprehensive introduction to modern physics designed
for undergraduate students in a two-year course.
a) The physicist Richard Feynman presented a comprehensive introduction to modern physics designed
for undergraduate students in a two-year course.
b) For undergraduate students, the physicist Richard Feynman presented a two-year course, being a
comprehensive introduction to modern physics.
c) A comprehensive introduction was in a two-year course by the physicist Richard Feynman presenting
to undergraduate students an introduction to modern physics.
d) Presenting a comprehensive introduction, the physicist Richard Feynman introduced modern physics
in a two-year course designed for undergraduate students.
e) In a two-year course designed for undergraduate students, the physicist Richard Feynman presented
a comprehensive introduction to modern physics.

27. Descending approximately 4,000 years ago from the African wildcat, it has been an

84
exceedingly short time for the domestic cat with respect to genetic evolution and it scarcely seems
sufficient to allow the marked physical changes that transformed the animal.
a) Descending approximately 4,000 years ago from the African wildcat, it has been an
exceedingly short time for the domestic cat with respect to genetic evolution and it scarcely seems
sufficient to allow the marked physical changes that transformed the animal.
b) The domestic cat descended from the African wildcat approximately 4,000 years ago, which is an
exceedingly short time for the domestic cat's genetic evolution and scarcely sufficient for the marked
physical changes that transformed the animal.
c) Descending from the African wildcat approximately 4,000 years ago, the domestic cat has had an
exceedingly short time for its genetic evolution and has been scarcely sufficient for the marked physical
changes in the animal.
d) Having descended from the African wildcat approximately 4,000 years ago, the domestic cat has had
an exceedingly short time for its genetic evolution that has scarcely been sufficient for the marked
physical changes that transformed the animal.
e) The domestic cat descended from the African wildcat approximately 4,000 years ago, an exceedingly
recent divergence with respect to genetic evolution and one which scarcely seems sufficient to allow the
marked physical changes in the animal.

28. Waiting for the crucial trial to begin, the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming.

a) Neil's anxiety felt almost overwhelming.

b) the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming.
c) Neil felt almost overwhelmed with anxiety.
d) the anxiety almost overwhelmed Neil.
e) the anxiety being felt by Neil was almost overwhelming.

29. Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the river.

a) Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the river.
b) Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers come clearly into view across the river.
c) Comes around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the river.
d) Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers are viewed clearly across the river.
e) Coming around the corner, the people got a view of the skyscrapers across the river.

30. Neither the director of finance nor the auditor could determine the cause of the sudden loss.

a. Neither the director of finance nor the auditor could determine

b. Neither the director of finance nor the auditor couldn’t determine
c. Either the director of finance nor the auditor couldn’t determine
d. Neither the director of finance or the auditor could determine
e. Either the director of finance or the auditor could determine

Misplaced Modifiers Solutions

Segment 1

1. D
Option D is the only alternative that does not have an illogical modifier or the wrong tense.

85
 2. E
In all other options, the order of words, especially the phrase ‘engraved with gold letters’, is
misplaced.
3. E
It is unclear what the word ‘it’ is referring to.
4. B
While both A and B are grammatically correct, B is more concise.
5. E
The correct phrase here is ‘interested in’. Only Option E contains correct usage of the phrase.

Segment 2

6. D
Singular verb is required here. Option C is incorrect because ‘during the time of’ is redundant.
7. E
The misplaced modifier in the original sentence is corrected by placing ‘shareholders’ adjacent
to the modifying phrase.
8. D
Since the original sentence contains a dangling modifier, ‘kangaroos’ must be the subject in the
second part of the sentence. Among D and E, D is more concise.
9. E
Option E is the only alternative that fixes the dangling modifier in the original sentence.
10. B
The phrase ‘a company’s manager’ is correctly placed adjacent to the modifier so that the
meaning is clear, and the sentence is clear.
11. E
The modifier issue is corrected here by making ‘the textbook’ the main clause. The incorrect
usage of ‘which’ is corrected.
12. A
The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.
13. E
This sentence is the most concise and correct.
14. D
This choice places the proper subject ‘the operating physician’ adjacent to the opening modifier.
15. D
While both D and E are grammatically correct, D is more concise.
16. E
‘India’ is correctly placed as the recipient of the opening modifier, and the correct form of verb
(past perfect) is used in this sentence.
17. B
The noun ‘U-boat’ properly functions as the subject of the modifying phrase in this sentence.
18. A
The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.
19. A
The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.
20. A
The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.

86
21. E
This choice keeps the original and correct placement of the adverb ‘only’ and corrects the
modifier error by replacing ‘that’ with ‘which’, which is necessary in this sentence.
22. A
The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.
23. A
The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.
24. B
This choice fixes the parallelism error by correctly placing the word ‘crop’ after the list of crop
types. The past perfect form of the verb is used here to indicate a time prior to the 1880s.
25. C
This choice demonstrates correct usage of the ‘neither…nor’ phrase as well as fixing the modifier
error present in the original sentence.
26. E
The prepositional phrase ‘in a two-year course…’ is placed at the beginning of the sentence to
clarify the meaning. The structure of the rest of the sentence is correct.
27. E
This choice correctly rearranges the opening modifier to place the phrase ‘the domestic cat’
immediately next to the modifier ‘descended from the African wildcat’.
28. C
All of the other alternatives contain illogical modifiers.
29. B
Present tense must be used since the event is not occurring at a specific time.
30. A
The correct phrase is ‘Neither…nor’, which means that the original sentence is correct.

87
Chapter - 5
Heading – Verb
This category contains some of the most important parts of the English grammar and understanding all
of these elements is really important. Verbs usually carry the tone and modal of a sentence and their
usage is important to portray the tense of the thought process. There are some verbs that can be signified
as moods. While there are other types of verbs that trigger a different action from the object of a
sentence. Some forms of verbs can modulate the relationship between the subject and object of a
sentence. A thorough discussion of all these elements are given below.

Sub-heading – General Types of Verb

Introduction –

Verbs are technically action words. However, they can describe an occurrence or a state of being as well.

Example –

Example 1: Mukarram is driving a motorcycle.

Here the verb ‘is’ is auxiliary and the verb ‘driving’ showing an action is a principal verb.

Example 2: What happened last week at the Gala was very unacceptable.

Here the verb ‘happened’ shows an occurrence and acts as a principal verb.

Example 3: Dinosaurs existed almost a million years ago.

The verb ‘existed’ here does not show an action directly; rather, it shows a state of being.

88
A verb can be described as transitive or intransitive based on whether it requires an object to express a
complete thought or not.

Classification 1 - Transitive and Intransitive

Transitive verbs

Transitive verbs are not just verbs that can take an object; they demand objects. Without an object to
affect, the sentence that a transitive verb inhabits will not seem complete.

Example: Please bring coffee.

verb object

In this sentence, the verb bring is transitive; its object is coffee, the thing that is being brought. Without
an object of some kind, this verb cannot function.

Example: Please bring.

Bring what, or who? The question begs itself because the meaning of bring demands it.

Here are some more examples of transitive verbs and their objects.

Example: The girls carry water to their village.

verb object

Juan threw the ball.

verb object

Could you phone the neighbors?

verb object

Intransitive verb

Intransitive verbs are the opposite of transitive verbs i.e. they do not require an object to make sense out
of the verb. In other word, they do not require an object to act upon.

Example: They jumped.

verb

The dog ran.

verb

Remember

None of these verbs require an object for the sentence to make sense, and all of them can end a sentence.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classification 2 – Finite and Non-finite

89
Finite verb: In a sentence, there is normally at least one verb that has both a subject and a tense. When
a verb has a subject and a tense, it can be referred to as a finite verb.

Example: We want Charlie to act as club secretary.

I like taking photographs of insects.

In both these sentences, the verbs ‘want’ and ‘like’ have a subject and a tense, thus they are both finite
verbs.

Non-finite verbs: All verbs can be use in either a finite for or a non0finite form. A verb is non-finite either
when it is used without a tense or when it is used in disagreement with a subject.

Example: To open, tear off the tab.

Here, the verb ‘to open’ is used without a tense and thus qualifies as a non-finite verb

Example: That plan failing, he gave up.

Our guests departed; we felt a little depressed.

Here, the verbs in the two sentences ‘failing’ and ‘departed’ have no agreement with the subjects of the
sentence and thus qualify as non-finite verbs.

There are 3 types of non-finite verbs – infinitives, gerunds and participles.

Infinitive: The infinitive is the base form of the verb with ‘to’.

Example: I like to party.

Gerund: Gerunds are the base forms of verbs used adding ‘ing’ and always acting as nouns.

Example: Partying is what I like to do.

Participle: Participles are the base for of verbs used adding -ing, -ed, -d, -t, -en, -n, and always acting as
adjectives modifying nouns.

Example: The dancing parrots entertained the crowd.

The wrecked sailboat washed up on shore.

Classification 3 – Linking verbs

Linking verbs

A linking verb connects a subject with its complement. Most linking verbs are forms of the verb be.
These verbs are the verbs that indicate states of being rather than work being done.

Example: She is my sister.

We are happy.

They were shocked to hear the news.

90
*Remember*

A few other verbs related to the five senses are also considered as linking verbs. Examples are look,
feel, sound, taste, smell. Some stative verbs are also considered as copular verbs. Examples
are appear, seem, become, grow, turn, prove and remain. Note that a noun or an adjective should
follow a linking verb.

As far as fundamentals go, learning the use of verbs and being able to identify the wrong uses of verbs
is of utmost importance. Getting a solid grip on the rules of usage of verbs will help you gain a firm
understanding of how the language works, and this will translate into better performance in the
grammar part and the written part of the IBA Admission Test.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All the exceptional rules are as follows.

Rule-1

When there are two subjects in a sentence and they are not of the same ‘number’, separate auxiliaries
such as -am, is, are, was, were. must be used for both of them.

Example

Incorrect Three- killed and one were injured.

Correct Three were killed and one was injured.

Rule-2

A single verb should be made to serve two subjects, only when the form of the verb is same for both
of the subjects.

Example

Incorrect I am seventeen years old and my sister fourteen.

Correct I am seventeen years old and my sister is fourteen.

Rule-3

Two auxiliaries can be used with just on principal verb, only when the form of the principal verb is
appropriate for both the auxiliaries.

Example

Incorrect He never has, and never will take such strong measures.

Correct He never has taken, and never will take such strong measures.

Rule-4

91
When there is only one auxiliary verb for two principal verbs, the auxiliary verb should be correctly
associated with both the principal verbs.

Example

Incorrect Ten candidates have passed, one failed.

Correct Ten candidates have passed, one has failed.

Rule-5

A past tense in the main clause should be followed by a past tense in the auxiliary clause.

Example

Incorrect He succeeded because he works hard.

Correct He succeeded because he worked hard.

Rule-6

A past tense in the main clause may be followed by a Present Tense in the subordinate clause when
the subordinate clause expresses a universal truth.

Example

Incorrect Our teacher said that the earth moved round the sun.

Correct Our teacher said that the earth moves round the sun.

Rule-7

When the subordinate clause comes after ‘lest’, the auxiliary verb ‘should’ must be used, whatever be
the tense of the verb in the main clause.

Example

Incorrect We start early lest we shall mis the train.

Correct We start early lest we should miss the train.

Rule-8

An Adverb or Adverbial phrase should not be placed between ‘to’ and the verbal part of the infinitive.
This is called the split infinitive.

Example

Incorrect I hoped to immediately reply to your letter.

Correct I hoped to reply immediately to your letter.

92
Rule-9

An infinitive should be in the present tense unless it represents an action prior to that of the governing
verb.

Example

Incorrect I should have liked to have gone there.

Correct I should have liked to go here.

Rule-10

If a Gerund is preceded by a Pronoun, that pronoun must be in Possessive case.

Example

Incorrect He emphasized me going there.

Correct He emphasized my going there.

Rule-11

The present Continuous Tense is used for an action that begun in the past and still went on at the
time of speaking. It is used with, Adverbials of time introduced by ‘since’, ‘for’ and ‘how long’.

Example

Incorrect How long are you working in this office?

Correct How long have you been working in this office?

Rule-12

When a Verb is preceded by a Preposition, it must be a gerund.

Example

Incorrect They were punished for come late.

Correct They were punished for coming late.

Rule-13

The Future Indefinite Tense is not used in the clauses of time, place and condition. Here, the Present
Indefinite Tense is used.

Example

93
 Incorrect I shall wait for you till you will finish your work.

Correct I shall wait for you till you finish your work.

Rule-14

The Present Perfect Tense is not used with the Adverbs of past tense like- yesterday, in 1990, etc.
Here, the Past Indefinite Tense is used.

Example

Incorrect I have bought a cycle yesterday.

Correct I bought a cycle yesterday.

Rule-15

Then two past actions are mentioned in a sentence, Past Perfect Tense is used to represent the earlier
of the two past actions and Simple Past Tense is used to represent the latter action.

Example

Incorrect When I reached the station, the train already left.

Correct When I reached the station, the train had already left.

Rule-16

Modal auxiliaries are not used together. But two auxiliaries can be connected by a Conjunction.

Example

Incorrect He should must do it.

Correct He should and must do it.

Rule-17

When ‘need’ or ‘dare’ is followed by ‘not’, it turns into a modal auxiliary. In that situation it takes a Bare
Infinitive and we cannot use ‘needs not’ or ‘dares not’.

Example

Incorrect He needs not do it.

Correct He need not do it.

94
Sub-heading – Tense
Introduction –

Tense is the form taken by a verb to indicate time and continuance of completeness of action. The
continuance or completeness of action is denoted by four sub-categories.

Simple tense: This form of tense is used to indicate habitual action or routine action in the present
tense, action which is over in the past tense & action to happen in the future tense.

Continuous tense: This form of tense is used to indicate action that is incomplete or continuous or
going on.

Perfect tense: The action is complete, finished or perfect with respect to a certain point of time.

Perfect continuous tense: This form of tense is used to indicate an action that has been going on
continuously for a long period of time and is yet to be finished.

To find out all 13 tenses with their verb forms and a few examples, go through the following section
–

Sl. Form Tense Verb form used for tense Sentence

1. Present Verb + s/es I go to the film every week.

Simple/
2. Past Second form of verb only I went to the film last week.
Indefinite
3. Future Shall / will + verb I will go to the film next week.

4. Present Am/is/are + verb + ing I am watching a film.

5. Continuous Past Was/were + verb + ing I was watching a film earlier.

6. Future Shall / will + be + verb + ing I will be watching a film later.

7. Present Shall / will + be + verb + ing I have seen a film

Past Had + third form of verb By the time I reached the

8.
theatre, the film had finished.
Perfect
Future Shall/ will + have + past By the time I reach the theatre,
9.
participle the film will have finished.

Present Has/have + been + verb + I have been watching this film

10.
ing for 2 hours.

Past Had been + verb + ing I had been watching this movie
Perfect
11. for 2 hours by the time you got
continuous
there.

Future Shall/ will + have been + If I watch this for 10 minutes

12.
verb + ing longer, I will have been

95
 watching this film for 2 hours
straight.

Am/ is/ are + going + I am going to watch the film

13. Future with ‘going to’
infinitive next week.

Uses of simple present tense

1. To express habitual action.

Example: I get up every day at 4 o clock.
2. To express general truths.
Example: Fortune favors the brave.
3. In vivid narrative, as substitute for the simple past.
Example: Immediately the Sultan hurries to the capital.
4. To indicate a future event that is part of a fixed program or time table.
Example: The train leaves at 5:20 am.
5. To introduce quotations.
Example: Keats says, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
6. In exclamatory sentences beginning with ‘here’ and ‘there’ to express what is actually taking
place in the present.
Example: Here comes the bus.
7. When two actions of the future are being talked about, one dependent on the other, the former
action is represented by present simple and the latter by future simple.
Example: We shall go when the child comes back home.

Uses of present continuous tense

1. For an action that is going on at the time of speaking.

Example: The boys are playing cricket on the ground.
2. For a temporary action that may not be actually happening at the time of speaking but was
happening in the recent past and is still happening in the recent future.
Example: I am reading the book ‘Econometrics’ these days.
3. To express a changing or developing situation.
Example: Bangladesh is progressing day by day.
4. For an action that is planned or arranged to take place in the near future.
Example: I am going to the movies tonight.
5. When the reference is to a particularly stubborn habit, the present continuous form is used
instead of simple present. An adverb like -always, continually, constantly, etc. is also used.
Incorrect: There is no use scolding him, he always does what he wants.
Correct: There is no use scolding him, he is always doing what is forbidden.

Uses of present perfect tense

1. To indicate the completed activities in the immediate past.

96
 Example: He has gone out.
2. Action completed in the immediate past or an action of the past whose effect lingers in the
present.
Less correct: I wrote three books.
This given sentence appears to be incomplete. That’s because the sentence immediately begs
the question ‘When did you write three books?’. It is better if you use the following sentence
instead.
Correct: I wrote books.
3. The present perfect is never used with adverbs of past time. In such cases the past simple
should be used.
Incorrect: India has won the match last week.
‘Last week’ is not the immediate past. You may therefore be tempted to use the present
perfect because that fits the intended use better, but the thing is that the ‘immediate past’
here does not go unindicated. Thus, ‘last week’ is being used as an adverb of past time.
Correct: India won the match last week.
4. To express past actions whose time is not given and not definite- actions with their effect
continuing in the present.
Example: I have never known him to be angry.
Example: Have you read ‘Gulliver’s Travels?
5. To describe the past events when we think more of their effect in the present than of the
action itself.
Example: I have cut my finger.
6. For long actions and situations which started in the near past and went on until very recently.
Example: I have read three chapters since this morning.

Uses of present perfect continuous tense

1. For an action, which began at some time in the past and is still continuing. With the present
perfect continuous tense an adverb or phrase that expresses times used.
Example: They have been building this bridge for several months.

Uses of simple past tense

1. Commonly used to indicate an action completed in the past. Generally, adverbs or adverb
phrases of past time are used in past simple tense.
Example: He went home some time back.
2. To express imaginary present situations or imaginary future events that may not happen.
Example: if I got rich, I would travel all over the world.
3. When this tense is used without an adverb of time, them time may be either implied or
indicated by the context.
Example: I didn’t sleep well.
4. For past habits ‘used to’ is added to the verb.
Example: She used to carry an umbrella.

97
Uses of past continuous tense

1. To denote an action going on at some point in the past. The time of the action may or may
not be indicated.
Example: It was getting darker.
2. When a new action happened in the middle of a longer action. In this case past simple and
past continuous are used together. Past simple is used for the new action.
Example: The light went out while I was reading.
3. For persistent habits in the past.
Example: She was always chewing gum.

Uses of past perfect tense

1. When two actions happened in the past. In this case it is necessary to point out which action
happened earlier than the other. Here past perfect is used for the action that happened earlier.
Example: When I reached the station, the train had already started.
2. An action that began before a certain point of time in the past & was continuing at a given
point of time in the sentence. A time expression like since last year, for the last few days is
generally put after perfect continuous tense.
Example: At that time, he had been writing a novel for two months.

Uses of simple future tense

1. For an action that has still to take place.

Example: I shall see him tomorrow.

Uses of future continuous tense

1. This form of tense represents an action as going on at some time in the future.
Example: I shall be reading the paper then.
2. Represents future events that are planned.
Example: He will be meeting us next week.

Uses of future perfect tense

1. To indicate the completion of an event by a certain future time.

Example: I shall have written my exercise by that time.

Uses of future perfect continuous tense

1. The future perfect continuous tense indicates an action it being in progress over a period of
time that will end in the future. Generally, the time period is mentioned along with it.

98
 Example: By next July we shall have been living here for 4 years.

Some exceptional rules to look out for.

1. Event occurring at the same time must be given I the same tense.
Example: When he fainted, his brother was with him.
2. ‘Will’ or ‘shall’ cannot be used twice in the same sentence even if both the actions refer to the
future tense.
Incorrect: I shall come if he will call me.
3. With the phrases ‘as if’ and ‘as though’ the past tense and plural form of the verb should be
used.
Incorrect: He behaves as if he is a king.
Correct: He behaves as if he were a king.
4. With the word ‘wish’, four verbs are namely used -were. had, could, would. ‘Were’ is used when
the wish seems to be unrealizable.
Correct: I wish I were a king.
5. ‘Had’ is used when our wish is a lament over the past happening.
Example: I wish I had accepted the job.
6. ‘Would’ is used when we refer to the future.
Example: I wish I would get a ticket.
7. ‘Could’ is used when we wish that something that has happened already should have
happened otherwise.
Example: He did not go because he was busy yesterday. I wish he could go with us.
8. ‘For’ is used for a period of time.
Example: He has been working for two hours.
9. ‘Since’ is used with a point of time.
Example: He has been working since morning.
10. In case of conditional sentences ‘had’ and ‘would have’ are used.

Example: If I had met him, I would have invited him.

Sub-heading – Causative Verbs

Introduction –

In English grammar, a causative verb is a verb used to indicate that some person or thing makes or
helps to make something happen. So, here might arise a question—why to have this verb as a separate
topic? The answer is these verbs follow a special grammatical structure which might collide with our
known usage of double verbs in a sentence. A causative verb, which can be in any tense, is generally
followed by an object and another verb form—often an infinitive or a participle — and are used to
describe something that happens because of a person, place, or thing whose actions bring about
change in another entity.

Example –

John had Marry wash the car.

Main concept –

99
In this sentence, Mary has actually washed the car and John had his job done by Mary. Here, Mary
helps to make ‘the washing’ of the car happen. So, the verb used here in this sentence ‘had(have)’ is a
causative verb.

There aren’t many of this verb in practice. Following are the verbs which are used as causative verbs
and are given with grammatical structures under which they fall-

1. ‘LET’ standing for- Permit Something to Happen:

Grammatical structure: LET + PERSON/THING + VERB (base form)

Examples:

I don’t let my kids watch violent movies.

Mary’s father won’t let her adopt a puppy because he’s allergic to dogs.

Here in these sentences, ‘let’ stands for permission to do something and hence the latter verbs ‘watch’
and ‘adopt’ are in base form.

Remember

The past tense of let is also let; there is no change!

Note: The verbs ‘allow’ and ‘permit’ are more formal ways to say “let.” However, with ‘allow’ and
‘permit’, we use ‘to + verb’

I don’t allow my kids to watch violent movies.

Our boss doesn’t permit us to eat lunch at our desks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. ‘MAKE’ standing for- Force or Require someone to take an action

Grammatical structure: MAKE(any tense) + PERSON + VERB (base form)

Examples:

After Billy broke the neighbor’s window, his parents made him pay for it.

My ex-boyfriend loved sci-fi and made me watch every episode of his favorite show.

Tip

When using the verbs ‘force’ and ‘require’, we must use ‘to + verb’.

The school requires the students to wear uniforms.

“Require” often implies that there is a rule.

The hijacker forced the pilots to take the plane in a different direction.

100
“Force” often implies violence, threats, or extremely strong pressure

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.HAVE standing for- Give Someone Else The Responsibility To Do Something

Grammatical structure:

For Active: HAVE(any tense) + PERSON + VERB (base form)

For Passive: HAVE(any tense) + THING + PAST PARTICIPLE OF VERB

Examples of grammatical structure for active:

I’ll have my assistant call you to reschedule the appointment.

The businessman had his secretary make copies of the report.

Examples of grammatical structure for passive:

I’m going to have my hair cut tomorrow. (Someone will cut my hair)

We’re having our house painted this weekend. (Someone will paint the house)

Warning

In informal speech, we often use get in these cases which is not entirely appropriate. So, try to avoid
these structures in written English.

I’m going to get my haircut tomorrow.

We’re getting our house painted this weekend.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. GET standing for- Convince/Encourage Someone To Do Something

Grammatical structure: GET(any tense) + PERSON + TO + VERB

Examples:

How can we get all the employees to arrive on time?

My husband hates housework; I can never get him to wash the dishes!

5. HELP standing for- Assist Someone In Doing Something

Grammatical structure:

HELP(any tense) + PERSON + VERB (base form)

HELP(any tense) + PERSON + TO + VERB

101
After “help,” you can use “to” or not – both ways are correct. In general, the form without “to” is more
common:

He helped me carry the boxes.

He helped me to carry the boxes.

Sub-heading – Subjunctive
Introduction –

The English subjunctive is a special, relatively rare verb form that expresses something desired or
imagined. We use the subjunctive mainly when talking about events that are not certain to happen.
For example, we use the subjunctive when talking about events that somebody:

• wants to happen
• anticipates will happen
• imagines happening

Main concept –

The subjunctive mood in English is used to form sentences expressing wished-for, tentatively-
assumed, or hypothetical states of affairs, rather than things that the speaker intends to represent as
true and factual. The subjunctive mood, such as “She suggests that he speak English”, contrasts with
the indicative mood (type of grammatical mood used to express facts, statements, opinions, or
questions.), which is used for statements of fact, such as “He speaks English”.

In Modern English, the subjunctive form of a verb often looks identical to the indicative form, and thus
subjunctives are not a very visible grammatical feature of English.

For most verbs, the only distinct subjunctive form is found in the third person singular of the present
tense, where the subjunctive lacks the ‘-s’ ending:

Example –

It is necessary that he see a doctor (contrasted with the indicative ‘he sees’).

The verb “be”, however, has not only a distinct present subjunctive (be, as in I suggest that he be
removed) but also a past subjunctive were (as in If he were rich,......).

These two tenses of the subjunctive have no particular connection in meaning with present and past
time. Terminology varies; sometimes what is called the present subjunctive here is referred to simply
as the ‘base subjunctive’, and the form ‘were’ may be treated just as an ‘were subjunctive’ rather than
a past subjunctive.

102
Another case where base-subjunctive forms are distinguished from indicatives is when they are
negated: compare “I recommend that they not enter the competition(subjunctive)” with “They do not
enter the competition (indicative)”.

Base Subjunctive

Form of base subjunctive

The form of the base subjunctive is extremely simple. For all verbs and all persons, the present form
is the base of the verb, for example: be, have, do, go, sing, work
The base subjunctive does not use any other forms (goes, sings, works).

To find out the base subjunctive in all persons, using the verbs be, work and sing as examples, go
through the following section -

base-subjunctive

be Work Sing

I be Work Sing

You be Work Sing

he, she, it be Work Sing

We be Work Sing

You be Work Sing

103
 They be Work Sing

Warning

Note that the subjunctive does not change at all according to person (I, you, he etc.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Use of base subjunctive

In certain that clauses

The base subjunctive is typically used in that clauses after two structures:

1. suggest-verb (or noun) + that

• advise, ask, command, demand, desire, insist, order, prefer, propose, recommend, request, suggest
• command, demand, order, proposal, recommendation, request, suggestion

2. advisable/anxious-adjective + that

• advisable, best, crucial, desirable, essential, imperative, important, necessary, unthinkable, urgent,
vital
• adamant, anxious, determined, eager, keen

Look at these sentences which include examples of the above:

main clause that clause

suggest-verb with subjunctive

He Suggests That You be present at the meeting.

The board Recommend That He join the company.

104
 He Requested That the car park Not be locked at night.

main clause that clause

suggest-noun with subjunctive

They made a suggestion that We Be early.

He made a proposal that the company Buy more land.

The president has issued an order that the secretary Resign next month.

main clause that clause

advisable-adjective with subjunctive

It is advisable that She Rest for a week.

` essential that the army advance rapidly.

After the landing, it will be Vital that every soldier not Use a radio.

105
 main clause that clause

anxious-adjective with subjunctive

Tara is anxious that you Return soon.

They are Keen that he not Be hurt.

We were determined that it Remain secret.

Notice above↑:

• the position of not when creating negation

• that the main clause can be in any tense

Look at some more examples, which include that clauses in negative and continuous form:

• The judge orders that he stay for the execution.

• We have made a request that we not be disturbed.
• It is important that a car be waiting when we arrive.

The use of the subjunctive as above is more common in American English than in British English,
where should structures are often used:

• It was essential that we should vote the following day.

• He requested that the car park should not be locked at night.

be after if

We sometimes use subjunctive be after if/whether, though this is rather formal, especially in British
English:

106
 If that be (not) the case,

I intend to report the matter.

Whether he be prepared or
not,

Warning

The following are fixed expressions using subjunctive –

• Bless you!
• God bless America!
• God save the Queen.
• Long live the President!
• Heaven forbid!
• Heaven help us!

were-Subjunctive
Form of were-subjunctive

were-
subjunctive

Be

I Were

You Were

he, she, it Were

107
 We Were

You Were

They Were

Use of were-subjunctive
In the following examples, you can see that we sometimes use the were-subjunctive (instead of was)
after:

• if
• as if
• wish
• suppose

Warning

Note that in these cases were is always correct, but was is possible in informal language:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Incorrect with ‘was’ (for the incident being a past

Formal with were contrary fact)

I would go if I were younger. I would go if I was younger.

If he were not so mean, he would buy If he wasn't so mean, he would buy one.
one.

108
 I'd tell her if I were you. We do not normally say "if I was you" even in colloquial
language.

It's not as if I were ugly. It's not as if I was ugly.

She acts as if she were the Queen. She acts as if she was the Queen.

I wish I weren't so slow! I wish I wasn't so slow!

I wish the computer were working. I wish the computer was working.

Suppose she were here. What would you Suppose she was here. What would you say
say?

Sub-heading – Modal Verbs

Introduction –

Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs or modal auxiliaries) are verbs which have
special usages in English. A modal is a type of auxiliary (helping) verb that is used to express: ability,
possibility, permission or obligation. They are different from normal verbs like "work, play, visit...". They
give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great
variety of communicative functions.

Example –

He might work for this.

Main concept –

Here, in this sentence look at the principal verb ‘work’. This principal verb is supposed to mean an
actual doing of work with certainty. However, the addition of the modal “‘might’” changes the function
of the main verb ‘work’. This addition means a possibility that the work might (a possibility) be done
rather than a certainty with only the main verb- “He works for this”

109
Tip

Here are some characteristics of modal verbs:

They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing"...

They are always followed by an infinitive without "to" (i.e. the bare infinitive.)

They are used to indicate modality that allow speakers to express certainty, possibility, willingness,
obligation, necessity, ability
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are the words that we usually use as modals with their usages-

1. can

Use Examples

ability to do something. in the present (substitute form: to I can speak English.

be able to)

permission to do something. in the present (substitute Can I go to the cinema?

form: to be allowed to)

Request Can you wait a moment, please?

Offer I can lend you my car till tomorrow.

Suggestion Can we visit Grandma at the

weekend?

Possibility It can get very hot in Arizona.

110
2. could

Use Examples

ability to do something. in the past (substitute form: I could speak English.

to be able to)

permission to do something. in the past (substitute I could go to the cinema.

form: to be allowed to)

polite question * Could I go to the cinema,

please?

polite request * Could you wait a moment,

please?

polite offer * I could lend you my car till

tomorrow.

polite suggestion * Could we visit Grandma at the

weekend?

possibility * It could get very hot in Montana.

3. may

Use Examples

Possibility It may rain today.

permission to do something.. in the present (substitute May I go to the cinema?

form: to be allowed to)

111
 polite suggestion May I help you?

4. might

Use Examples

possibility (less possible than may) * It might rain today.

hesitant offer * Might I help you?

5. must

Use Examples

force, necessity I must go to the supermarket

today.

Possibility You must be tired.

advice, recommendation You must see the new film with

Brad Pitt.

6. must not/may not

Use Examples

112
 You mustn't work on dad's
computer.

prohibition (must is a little stronger)

You may not work on dad's

computer.

7. need not

Use Examples

something. is not necessary I needn't go to the supermarket,

we're going to the restaurant
tonight.

8. ought to

similar to should – ought to sounds a little less subjective

Use Examples

Advice You ought to drive carefully in

bad weather.

Obligation You ought to switch off the light

when you leave the room.

9. shall

used instead of will in the 1st person

113
 Use Examples

Suggestion Shall I carry your bag?

10. should

Use Examples

Advice You should drive carefully in

bad weather.

Obligation You should switch off the light

when you leave the room.

11. will

Use Examples

wish, request, demand, order (less polite than would) Will you please shut the door?

prediction, assumption I think it will rain on Friday.

Promise I will stop smoking.

spontaneous decision Can somebody drive me to the

station? - I will.

114
 Habits She's strange, she'll sit for
hours without talking.

12. Would

Use Examples

wish, request (more polite than will) Would you shut the door,
please?

habits in the past Sometimes he would bring me

some flowers.

Sub-heading – Voice
Introduction –

The action of a subject, in relation to an object, can be expressed in two ways. These two ways of
expressing action of a subject are known as ‘Voices’.

1. Active voice.
2. Passive voice.

Main concept –

The structure of the same sentence changes when expressed in Active voice or Passive voice. But,
the meaning of the sentence, expressed in either active voice or passive voice, always remains the
same. The only thing that changes, is the sequencing of the subject and the object of the sentence.
For instance:

Active Passive

Structure Subject + Verb + Object Object + Verb + Subject

Sentence I ate an apple An apple was eaten by me.

115
Warning

In the IBA admission test, there is no precedence to prove that there might be questions in the future
test that involve conversion of a sentence from one tense to another, but if you study the rules of
transformation, you’ll be better able to identify mistakes in sentences and that will directly help you
score a lot better and write a lot better in the writing part of the admission test.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Rules:

Rule-1

When changing the voice of a sentence, you simply interchange the positions of the subject and the
object of the sentence.

Example

Active He bought a camera

Passive A camera was bought by him

Rule-2

Only the past participle form of verb will always be used as the main verb of the sentence, no matter
what tense the sentence is in.

Example

Active He buys movie tickets for everyone.

Passive Movie tickets are bought by him for everyone.

Rule-3

The word ‘by’ will be used before subject in Passive voice.

Example

Active She drinks water.

Passive Water is drunk by her.

Rule-4

The word ‘by’ is most commonly used before subject in Passive voice, but other words such as ‘with’
or ‘to’ may also be used depending on the subject.

Examples

116
 Active I know him.

Passive He is known to me

Active Water fills a tub.

Passive A tub is filled with water.

Rule-5

In passive voice, the subject of the sentence may sometimes be hidden and not directly mentioned.

Example

Active People sell sugar in kilograms.

Passive Sugar is sold in kilograms.

117
Verb Exercises
General Classification

A. Identify the type of finite or non-finite verb the underlined words are in the following paragraph

During the mass movement by the students to enact better safety protocols on the streets of Dhaka,
a unison was seen. People wanted to see the new generation do something marvelous and they
delivered. Students in general like to participate in doing things that are somewhat outside of their
general area of expertise but they only do so when there is proper supervision and a mental support
to their effort. But this movement was different. There were different agendas and not all of the
population supported the students. Defying boundaries is something that the youth like to do and they
essentially did that during this movement. The parading movements swept the entire city and real
change could be seen everywhere. However, good things aren’t meant to last in a country where the
society is still afraid to accept change in a dynamic manner. The opposition party goons attacked the
students at various points in the movement and after a series of suppressive accounts, the movement
was tarnished and by broadcasting fake propaganda the Government put an end to something that
could have been revolutionary.

wanted – finite verb

participate – non-finite verb (infinitive)

defying – non-finite verb (gerund)

parading – non-finite verb (participle)

attacked – finite verb

B. Error Detection –

1. Even though I am seventeen years old and my sister six, there are a lot of things
A
that we agree on in terms of the way society perceives the prospect of hustling
B C
as opposed to meritocratic approaches in terms of harnessing success. No Error
D E
Solution – “my sister is six” should be used as per Rule No. 1
2. The elites from finance never have and never will appreciate the amount of stress
A B
the people from marketing need to take in order to finish a single presentation in
C
the most detailed manner for a meager advantage over the competition. No Error
D E
Solution – “never have appreciated” should be used as per Rule No. 3

3. Even though the primary polls show that four of the top candidates have passed
A
and one failed, there is no reason to panic since there will be a deflection in the
B C

118
 points rise according to the latest program in the cloaking software. No Error
D E
Solution – “one has failed” needs to be used as per Rule No. 4

4. According to the historian who keeps track of all the sports records of our
A
institute, our captain succeeded in his former days because he plays and works
B C
hard almost all the time and never took any opportunity for granted to reach the
D
top. No Error
E
Solution – “played and worked” should be used as per Rule No. 5

5. During the class on the solar system in the third grade, our teacher said that the
A
planets revolve around the sun in an elliptical path to avoid any collision amongst
B C D
themselves. No Error
E
Solution – There is no error in this sentence

6. After the students ended the debate session, Sajid decided to prematurely scout
A B
some of the novice participants in his team and Prithi did not like that prospect
C D
at all. No Error
E
Solution – “to scout some of the novice students prematurely” should be used as per Rule No. 8

7. During the ice-breaking of BBA 27th, Labib insisted us going to the garage to
A
collect the supplies necessary for the collective ascension of all the freshers into
B
the mind-numbing place where they decided to spend the next four years of their
C D
lives. No Error
E
Solution – “our” should be used instead of “us” as per Rule No. 10

8. I honestly do not know as to how long you are working in this office but you really
A
deserve a better place in terms of a professional agenda and the boss should
B C
understand that on his own. No Error
D E

119
 Solution – “you have been” should be used as per Rule No. 11

9. When the prefect gave the signal to the scouts regarding the initiation of the
A
ceremony, they had already started to gather the leaflets from the empty chairs
B C
in a harmonious and cordial fashion. No Error
D E
Solution – There is no error in this sentence

10. After the way Zaeem treated Namira on her birthday, he should and must
A
apologize to her and take her out to a nice place where they could spend some
B
time away from the bustling streets of the city and the cacophony of
C D
the mass population. No Error (E)
Solution – There is no error in this sentence

C. Sentence Correction –

1. The scoundrels who filled the tank with septic liquid were reprimanded for having done so and the
citizens were really happy about the action that the law-enforcement agencies took.

a) who filled the tank with septic liquid were reprimanded for having done so and the citizens
were really happy about the action
b) who filled the tank with septic liquid were reprimanded for doing so and the citizens were
really happy about the action
c) who filled the tank with septic liquid was reprimanded for having done so and the citizens
were really happy about the action
d) who filled the tank with septic liquid were reprimanded for having done so and the citizens
had been really happy about the action
e) who filled the tank with septic liquid had been reprimanded for having done so and the citizens
had been really happy about the action

Solution – “doing” needs to be used as per Rule No. 12 and this sentence offers the most accurate
structure as opposed to the rest

2. In the city of Dhaka, if you want to reach a desired place within the stipulated amount of time, you
better start with an hour in your hand lest you would miss the appointment.

a) if you want to reach a desired place within the stipulated amount of time, you better start with
an hour in your hand lest you would
b) if you want to reach a desired place within the stipulated amount of time, you had better
started with an hour in your hand lest you would

120
 c) if you want to reach a desired place within the stipulated number of time, you better start with
an hour in your hand lest you would
d) if you want to reach a desired place within the stipulated amount of time, you better start with
an hour in your hand lest you should
e) if you wanted to reach a desired place within the stipulated amount of time, you better start
with an hour in your hand lest you should

Solution – “should” needs to be used as per Rule No. 7

3. Based on the report that was submitted regarding the change in the psychological pattern of
colored merchandises in kids above the age of 10, marketers need not the usage of contemporary
advertisement stunts to lure more consumers into buying the products of their company anymore.

a) colored merchandises in kids above the age of 10, marketers need not the usage of
contemporary advertisement stunts to lure more consumers into buying
b) colored merchandises in kids above the age of 10, marketers need not the usage of
contemporary advertisement stunts for luring more consumers into buying
c) colored merchandises amongst kids above the age of 10, marketers are better off not using
contemporary advertisement stunts to lure more consumers into buying
d) colored merchandises in kids above the age of 10, marketers need not use contemporary
advertisement stunts to lure more consumers into buying
e) colored merchandises in kids above the age of 10, marketers need not the usage of
contemporary advertisement stunts into luring more consumers for buying

Solution – “use” should be used as per Rule No. 17

4. The residents of the county have purchased a cylinder for the pump yesterday and this made the
tyrannical ingots, who deflated the last cylinder with Silverstone pikes and granite boulders, really
angry.

a) the county have purchased a cylinder for the pump yesterday and this made the tyrannical
ingots, who deflated the last cylinder with
b) the county purchased a cylinder for the pump yesterday and this made the tyrannical ingots,
who deflated the last cylinder with
c) the county had purchased a cylinder for the pump yesterday and this made the tyrannical
ingots, who deflated the last cylinder with
d) the county purchased a cylinder for the pump yesterday and this incident made the tyrannical
ingots, who had deflated the last cylinder with
e) the county purchased a cylinder for the pump yesterday and this made the tyrannical ingots,
who had been deflating the last cylinder with

Solution – “purchased” needs to be used as per Rule No. 14

5. After the debacle in the inauguration hall that took place between Tabassum and Nafisa, the
coordinators of the club decided to settle the matter in a cordial manner for the benefit of all
parties involved.

121
 a) debacle in the inauguration hall that took place between Tabassum and Nafisa, the
coordinators of the club decided to settle the matter in a cordial manner for the benefit of all
parties involved
b) debacle in the inauguration hall that had taken place between Tabassum and Nafisa, the
coordinators of the club had decided to settle the matter in a cordial manner for the benefit
of all parties involved
c) debacle in the inauguration hall that had taken place between Tabassum and Nafisa, the
coordinators of the club decided to settle the matter in a cordial manner for the benefit of all
parties involved
d) debacle in the inauguration hall were taking place between Tabassum and Nafisa, the
coordinators of the club decided to in a cordial manner settle the matter for the benefit of all
parties involved
e) debacle in the inauguration hall that took place between Tabassum and Nafisa, the
coordinators of the club were deciding to settle the matter in a cordial manner for the benefit
of all parties who were involved

Solution – “had taken” needs to be used as per Rule No. 15 and there is no split infinitive in the
correct option

Tense

Present Tense

A. Error Detection –

1. If we look at the history of the world, then without a doubt one must agree that
A B
fortune has favored the brave and it is that belief that affirms the human psyche
C D
to chase impossible odds. No Error
E
Solution – Simple present tense needs to be used to express general truths. “fortune favors the
brave” should be used here.

2. It was decided by the consulate that Zaeem will go to the terrain when Wasiq and
A
the others could come back for the prized possession that the warriors confiscatd
B C
during the rebellion. No Error
D E
Solution – “came back” needs to be used as the first part is in future tense. When one part is
dependent on the other, the former action is represented by a simple present tense and the latter
by a future tense.

3. Day by day, Bangladesh has been progressing in terms of technological aspects

A

122
 and this prospect can usher in a new age from the younger generation of our
B C
country, one that is filled with joy and glory. No Error
D E
Solution – To express a changing or developing situation, present continuous tense needs to be
used. “is progressing” should be used here.

4. There is no point in trying to defend Meherazul on the left flank during a football
A B
match, he always scores in the top right corner provided that he can dribble past
C D
the defender. No Error
E
Solution – When expressing a particularly stubborn habit or habituated action, the present
continuous form should be used instead of simple present tense. “is always going to score/is
always scoring” needs to be used and these structures are always accompanied by adverbs like
– always, continually, constantly etc.

5. The U-19 cricket team of Bangladesh won the final match against the U-19 cricket
A
team of India last week; it was one of the most exhilarating moments for a
B C
Bengali in this decade in terms of victories in a sporting avenue. No Error
D E
Solution – No error in this sentence

B. Sentence Correction –

1. I never knew Maung to be a man who did not keep his own promise but he surely
did surprise me regarding the issue of the bet after his team lost against mine in
this year’s futsal tournament.

a) never knew Maung to be a man who did not keep his own promise but he surely did surprise
me regarding the issue of the bet after
b) never knew Maung to be a man who had not keep his own promise but he surely did surprise
me regarding the issue of the bet after
c) have never known Maung to be a man who did not keep his own promise but he surely did
surprise me regarding the issue of the bet after
d) have never known Maung to be a man who would not keep his own promise but he surely had
surprised me regarding the issue of the bet after
e) had never known Maung to be a man who could not keep his own promise but he surely did
surprise me regarding the issue of the bet after

Solution – To express past actions with undefined time frames and continuing effects,
present perfect tense needs to be used. The structure is also the most accurate in this
sentence.

123
2. The IBA cricket team has been practicing for this year’s inter department cricket tournament for
the last couple of months and they are currently in the form of their lives.

a) has been practicing for this year’s inter department cricket tournament for the last couple of
months and they are currently in the form of their lives
b) is practicing for this year’s inter department cricket tournament for the last couple of months
and they are currently in the form of their lives
c) has been practicing for this year’s inter department cricket tournament for the last couple of
months and they have been in the form of their lives as of the current times
d) has been practicing for the inter department cricket tournament of this year for the last couple
of months and they are currently in the form of their lives
e) has been practicing for the inter department cricket tournament of this year for the last couple
of months and they would currently be in the form of their lives
Solution – The original sentence has the proper usage of present continuous form and it is
the most accurate one.
3. I read four segments of the “Cosmological imprint of mankind – a tale of our solar system” since
this morning and I deserve a milkshake along with some peanut butter sandwiches for my hard
work.

a) read four segments of the “Cosmological imprint of mankind – a tale of our solar system”
since this morning and I deserve a milkshake along with some peanut butter sandwiches
b) had read four segments of the “Cosmological imprint of mankind – a tale of our solar system”
since this morning and I should be deserving a milkshake along with some peanut butter
sandwiches
c) read four segments of the “Cosmological imprint of mankind – a tale of our solar system”
since this morning and I ought to deserve a milkshake along with some peanut butter
sandwiches
d) have read four segments of the “Cosmological imprint of mankind – a tale of our solar system”
since this morning and I deserve a milkshake along with some peanut butter sandwiches
e) have read four segments of the “Cosmological imprint of mankind – a tale of our solar system”
since this morning and for this effort I think I deserve a milkshake along with some peanut
butter sandwiches

Solution – For long actions that have started in the near past, use present perfect tense. “have
read” needs to be used here and the sentence structure is the most appropriate compared to
the rest.

4. Afifa and Samiha are donating clothes to children in the poorest part of the city and they are doing
this in collaboration with an agency that has been partaking in philanthropic activities in our
country since 1995.

a) are donating clothes to children in the poorest part of the city and they are doing this in
collaboration with an agency that has been partaking in philanthropic activities
b) have been donating clothes to children in the poorest part of the city and they are doing this
in collaboration with an agency that has been partaking in philanthropic activities
c) are donating clothes to children in the poorest part of the city and they would be doing this in
collaboration with an agency that has been partaking in philanthropic activities

124
 d) were donating clothes to children in the poorest part of the city and they are doing this in
collaboration with an agency that has been partaking in philanthropic activities
e) would be donating clothes to children in the poorest part of the city and they have been doing
this in collaboration with an agency that has been partaking in philanthropic activities

Solution – The original sentence has a present continuous structure that makes the most
sense and that is the best answer from the options that have been provided

5. Whenever we pester our teacher regarding all the homework that he gives us and all the
assignments we have to do within a short amount of time, he said, “Perseverance and hard work
are the markers of a successful man.”

a) all the homework that he gives us and all the assignments we have to do within a short
amount of time, he said
b) all the homework that he would give us and all the assignments we have to do within a short
amount of time, he said
c) all the homework that he gave us and all the assignments we have to do within a short amount
of time, he said
d) all the homework that he gives us and all the assignments we have to do within a short
amount of time, he says
e) all the homework that he gives us and all the assignments we had to do within a short amount
of time, he said

Solution – Keeping in tandem with the present tense based structure of the sentence, a simple
present tense should be used to introduce quotations. All the other options have varying tense
usages and that is incorrect.

Past Tense

A. Error Detection –

1. If Hossain got rich, he will travel the entire west coast of America and party with
A B C
the most famous celebrities of the planet. No Error
D E

Solution – To express imaginary present or future situations that may not happen, use simple past
tense. “would” needs to be used here.

2. When she was a child, she had carried a pouch on her side to keep all the gummies
A
that she collected during her visits to the house of random relatives at the time
B C
of Eid-ul-Fitr. No Error
D E

Solution – For past habits, use simple past tense. “used to carry” should be used in this context.

3. After the thunder hit, the lights had gone out while I was cleaning the basement
A B

125
 and an eerie mood settled in the entire complex, making all the volunteers shiver
C D
to their core. No Error
E

Solution – For two actions (one new and one that has been happening), simple past and past
continuous tense should be used. “went out” needs to be used here.

4. When we were younger, Maksud was always drinking coca cola and running with
A
a football at his feet; the man did not have a care in the world and I always thought
B C
of him as an emblem of true freedom. No Error
D E
Solution – There is no error in this sentence

5. When I arrived at the platform to confront Zaeem of the misdeeds that he did in
A
Budapest, he already fled the area and went to the nearest airport to leave the
B C
diplomatic zone forever. No Error
D E

Solution – When two past incidents happen, past perfect should be used to indicated the former one
and simple past for the latter one. “had already fled” needs to be used here.

B. Sentence Correction –

1. During his stay in Lahore, he had been writing and paraphrasing a novel under the Sultan of Desar
for three months and that work gave him the required experience to ace the interview for the
position of an associate professor at Oxford University.

a) he had been writing and paraphrasing a novel under the Sultan of Desar for three months and
that work gave him the required experience to ace the interview
b) he was writing and paraphrasing a novel under the Sultan of Desar for three months and that
work gave him the required experience to ace the interview
c) he had been writing and paraphrasing a novel under the Sultan of Desar for three months and
that work had given him the required experience to ace the interview
d) he had been writing and paraphrasing a novel under the Sultan of Desar for three months and
that work gave him the required experience to acing the interview
e) he has been writing and paraphrasing a novel under the Sultan of Desar for three months and
that work gave him the required experience to ace the interview

Solution – The original sentence has the proper past perfect tense usage as opposed to the other
options.

126
2. When the players reached the field to participate in the most competitive tournament in town, the
organizers had already disqualified them for an apparent late payment and this infuriated the
manager of the team.

a) reached the field to participate in the most competitive tournament in town, the organizers
had already disqualified them for an apparent late payment
b) had reached the field to participate in the most competitive tournament in town, the
organizers had already disqualified them for an apparent late payment
c) reached the field to participate in the most competitive tournament in town, the organizers
disqualified them for an apparent late payment
d) reached the field for participating in the most competitive tournament in town, the organizers
had already disqualified them for an apparent late payment
e) had reached the field for participating in the most competitive tournament in town, the
organizers had already disqualified them for an apparent late payment

Solution – The original structure makes the proper simple past and past perfect sense as opposed to
the other options.

3. Whenever we meet with the President of the club, he behaves as if he is the only person on the
team who works his ass off and all the other members are clueless regarding the activities of the
club.

a) he behaves as if he is the only person on the team who works his ass off and all the other
members are clueless regarding the activities of the club
b) he behaves as if he is the only person on the team who worked his ass off and all the other
members are clueless regarding the activities of the club
c) he behaves as if he is the only person on the team who works his ass off and all the other
members were clueless regarding the activities of the club
d) he behaves as if he were the only person on the team who works his ass off and all the other
members are clueless regarding the activities of the club
e) he behaves as if he is the only person on the team who works his ass off and all the other
members are clueless as to what the activities of the club are

Solution – “as if” and “as though” trigger a past tense and plural form of the verb to show that the
situation is not so as portrayed. “were” needs to be used here to show that condition.

4. I wish I would have accepted that job offer that was given to me by Imran bhai and I sometimes
can’t help but wonder what my life would have been like had I accepted it.

a) I would have accepted that job offer that was given to me by Imran bhai and I sometimes can’t
help but wonder what my life would have been like had
b) I had accepted that job offer that was given to me by Imran bhai and I sometimes can’t help
but wonder what my life would have been like had
c) I would have accepted that job offer that was given to me by Imran bhai and I sometimes can’t
help but wonder what my life could have been like had
d) I had accepted that job offer that had been given to me by Imran bhai and I sometimes can’t
help but wonder what my life would be like had

127
 e) I had accepted that offer for a professional position that was given to me by Imran bhai and I
sometimes can’t help but wonder what my life would have been like had

Solution – Past perfect is used when our wish is to lament over a missed opportunity in the past.
“had” needs to be used here.

5. If I had met him during my stay at the hotel, I would invite him to my gala party and you know that.

a) If I had met him during my stay at the hotel, I would invite him to my gala party and you know
that
b) If I had met him during my stay at the hotel, I would have invited him to my gala party and you
know that I would have done that
c) If I met him during my stay at the hotel, I would have invited him to my gala party and you
knew that
d) If I had met him during my stay at the hotel, I would have invited him to my gala party and you
know that
e) If I had met him during my stay at the hotel, I would invite him to my gala party and you know
that is what would have happened

Solution – In case of conditional sentences, “had” and “would have” are used.

Future Tense

A. Error Detection –

1. Rafid shall have completed the gym routine by the time Alya finished her cardio
A B
circuit across the outer belt of the lake in the neighborhood. No Error
C D E
Solution – Completion of an event by a certain time needs to be accompanied by a future perfect
tense but in this structure, that time frame needs to be in simple present. “finishes” needs to be
used here.

2. He will have been meeting us in the outskirts of the palace next week and that is
A B
when we will receive the package that you have been so eagerly waiting for. No
C D
Error
E
Solution – Future continuous tense needs to be used to represent future events that are planned.
“will be meeting” us needs to be used here.

3. I shall come to the monthly gathering at Nuzabah’s place if Anindita will apologize
A B
to me regarding her inappropriate behavior in front of all our friends. No Error
C D E

128
 Solution – Will and shall cannot be used together irrespective of two future references.
“apologizes” needs to be used here.

4. By next September, we shall have been decorating the outer wall of the Cardinal’s
A B
museum for seventeen years and I think that is a truly remarkable achievement
C D
as a couple. No Error
E
Solution – There is no error in this sentence

5. During our stay at Atlanta, Roger always wished that he should get a ticket to visit
A B
Old Trafford to see one match of Manchester United playing against Manchester
C D
City. No Error
E
Solution – To refer to something that might happen in the future, “would” needs to be used.

B. Sentence Correction –

1. When the Rothschild family moves to the Southern end of California, we would shift to their house
and live out the rest of our lives in peace and harmony.

a) Rothschild family moves to the Southern end of California, we would shift to their house and
live out the rest of our lives in peace and harmony
b) Rothschild family will move to the Southern end of California, we had shifted to their house
and live out the rest of our lives in peace and harmony
c) Rothschild family moves to the Southern end of California, we will shift to their house and live
out the rest of our lives in peace and harmony
d) Rothschild family moves to the Southern end of California, we would shift to their house and
might live out the rest of our lives in peace and harmony
e) Rothschild family might be moving to the Southern end of California, we would be shifting to
their house and live out the rest of our lives in peace and harmony

Solution – When a condition is used in the present context, the result needs to appear in the
simple future tense. “will shift” is the most appropriate from the options.

2. According to my calendar, by next December we shall have been living in this county for 10 years
and we would celebrate on that occasion.

a) by next December we shall have been living in this county for 10 years and we would celebrate
on that occasion
b) by next December we would have been living in this county for 10 years and we would
celebrate on that occasion
c) by next December we must have been living in this county for 10 years and we would celebrate
on that occasion

129
 d) by next December we shall have been living in this county for 10 years and we should
celebrate on that occasion
e) by next December we might have been living in this county for 10 years and we would
celebrate on that occasion

Solution – For mentioning progress over time along with a time period, future perfect continuous
tense is used and “should” needs to be used in order to make proper sense of this sentence. This
logic is missing in the other options.

3. If all goes well, Mariam shall have written her part by the end of the week and we can all go home
with our salaries.

a) If all goes well, Mariam shall have written her part by the end of the week and we can all go
home with our salaries
b) If all went well, Mariam shall have written her part by the end of the week and we can all go
home with our salaries
c) If all goes well, Mariam would have written her part by the end of the week and we ought to
go home with our salaries
d) If all goes well, Mariam might have written her part by the end of the week and we could all go
home with our salaries
e) If all is going well, Mariam would have written her part by the end of the week and we might
all go home with our salaries

Solution – The original sentence has the correct usage of the future continuous tense. The modals
are incorrect in all the other sentences.

4. The Director said that he shall see you tomorrow and frankly I wouldn’t show up if I were you; the
man simply did not look pleased when he asked me to convey the message to you.

a) he shall see you tomorrow and frankly I wouldn’t show up if I were you; the man simply did
not look pleased when he asked me
b) he could see you tomorrow and frankly I wouldn’t show up if I had been you; the man simply
did not look pleased when he asked me
c) he shall see you tomorrow and frankly I wouldn’t show up if I were you; the man simply had
not look pleased when he had asked me
d) he shall see you tomorrow and frankly I wouldn’t show up if I were you; the man simply was
not looking pleasing when he asked me
e) he might see you tomorrow and frankly I will not show up if I were you; the man simply did not
look pleased when he asked me

Solution – The original structure is accurate in terms of the tense usages. No other option is as
suitable in terms of meaning as the original one.

5. Mehrab informed the middleman that he shall appear in front of the court on time if the patrons
will offer him a hefty sum of money to keep the matter regarding the early shift a secret.

a) informed the middleman that he shall appear in front of the court on time if the patrons will
offer him a hefty sum of money to keep the matter

130
 b) informed the middleman that he shall appear in front of the court on time if the patrons offer
him a hefty sum of money to keep the matter
c) informed the middleman that he shall appear in front of the court on time if the patrons had
offered him a hefty sum of money to keep the matter
d) informed the middleman that he shall appear in front of the court on time if the patrons might
consider offering him a hefty sum of money to keep the matter
e) informed the middleman that he shall appear in front of the court on time if the patrons will
offer him a hefty sum of money to ensuring to keep the matter

Solution – “shall” and “will” cannot be used in the same sentence together and “offer” needs to
be used here to convey the proper meaning.

Causative Verbs

A. Error Detection –

1. Most presidential candidates have their names printing on the ballot in the
A
primary election because it is customarily the first one in the nation and winning
B C
it can give them a good chance to be nominated by their parties. No Error
D E

Solution – The general form is have + something + participle form of the verb. “printed” should be
used here.

2. Dhaka University gymnastics team will not let any athlete to continue playing in
A B
the main division unless he/she submits voluntarily to treatment for drug
C D
addiction. No Error
E

Solution – The general form is let + somebody + simple verb form. The usage of “to” needs to be
avoided here.

3. Besides his contribution to the field of marketing, Swarup helped the faculties of
A B
the university founding an innovation lab agency that would allow the next
C
generation of students to materialize their amazing ideas to life. No Error
D E

Solution – “found” needs to be used here as that means “to establish”

4. A petition was signed by the citizens of the county to install a new mail delivery
A

131
 system so that people in that vicinity could have their mails delivery in a faster
B C
manner and at a cheaper rate. No Error
D E

Solution – “delivered” needs to be used here as the structure is have + something + participle form of
the verb

5. The marines could not help Samatha returning to her city in time as the fire spread
A B
out too fast and engulfed the entire city long before she had a chance to even get
C D
there. No Error
E

Solution – The proper structure is help + somebody + to (optional) + verb in simple form. “return”
needs to be used here.

B. Sentence Correction –

1. I love the way the organizers had the manager had the chandelier set on top of the wall and it
really made the entire room gleam in a beautiful manner.

a) had the manager had the chandelier set on top of the wall and it really made the entire room
gleam
b) had the manager make the chandelier set on top of the wall and it really made the entire room
gleam
c) had the manager set the chandelier on top of the wall and it really made the entire room gleam
d) had the manager had the chandelier set on top of the wall and it really did make the entire
room gleam
e) did the manager make the chandelier set on top of the wall and it really made the entire room
gleam

Solution – According to the structure, the verb needs to be used in a simple form.

2. When there is any trouble regarding circuits in our building, the residents can call upon Mr.
Jahangir, the resident technician, to have the wiring in their houses checked.

a) the residents can call upon Mr. Jahangir, the resident technician, to have the wiring in their
houses checked
b) the residents can call upon Mr. Jahangir, the resident technician, to have the wiring in their
houses checked upon
c) the residents might call upon Mr. Jahangir, the resident technician, to have the wiring in their
houses to be checked
d) the residents could call upon Mr. Jahangir, the resident technician, to have had the wiring in
their houses checked

132
 e) the residents will call upon Mr. Jahangir, the resident technician, to make the wiring in their
houses checked

Solution – The original sentence has the correct structure of have + something + participle form
of the verb.

3. I was always really nervous when it came to trying out sushi, but my girlfriend made a reservation
at “Kyoshi” and got me to try out a platter of authentic sushi rolls and I really loved it.

a) nervous when it came to trying out sushi, but my girlfriend made a reservation at “Kyoshi” and
got me to try out a platter of authentic sushi rolls
b) nervous when it came to trying out sushi, but my girlfriend made a reservation at “Kyoshi” and
made me to try out a platter of authentic sushi rolls
c) nervous when it came to trying out sushi, but my girlfriend made a reservation at “Kyoshi” and
urged me to try out a platter of authentic sushi rolls
d) nervous when it came to trying out sushi, but my girlfriend made a reservation at “Kyoshi” and
forced me to try out a platter of authentic sushi rolls
e) nervous when it came to trying out sushi, but my girlfriend made a reservation at “Kyoshi” and
allowed me to try out a platter of authentic sushi rolls

Solution – You always get someone to try something out. All the other causative verbs are
incorrect in this context.

4. The local villagers, who have been making the best dairy produce in the entire district since our
independence, makes the grocers and milk-collectors pasteurized milk before selling or
fermenting it.

a) who have been making the best dairy produce in the entire district since our independence,
makes the grocers and milk-collectors pasteurized milk before selling or fermenting it
b) who have been making the best dairy produce in the entire district since our independence,
makes the grocers and milk-collectors pasteurize milk before selling or fermenting it
c) who have been making the best dairy produce in the entire district since our independence,
made the grocers and milk-collectors pasteurized milk before selling or fermenting it
d) who have been making the best dairy produce in the entire district since our independence,
makes the grocers and milk-collectors pasteurizing milk before selling or fermenting it
e) who were making the best dairy produce in the entire district since our independence, made
the grocers and milk-collectors pasteurized milk before selling or fermenting it

Solution – The correct form is make + somebody(thing) + simple verb form. “pasteurize” needs to be
used here.

5. Dinash did not have any idea that a temporary driver’s license permit lets the learner drive with
another licensed driver in the car.

a) have any idea that a temporary driver’s license permit lets the learner drive with another
licensed driver in the car
b) have any idea that a temporary driver’s license permit lets the learner to drive with another
licensed driver in the car

133
 c) have any idea that a temporary driver’s license permit lets the learner driving with another
licensed driver in the car
d) have any idea that a temporary driver’s license permit let the learners drive with another
licensed driver in the car
e) have any idea that a temporary driver’s license permit lets the learner into driving with another
licensed driver in the car

Solution – The correct structure is let + person(thing) + base form of the verb. So, the original sentence
is the most accurate.

Subjunctive

A. Error Detection –

1. Many architects prefer that a dome is used to roof buildings that need to conserve
A B C
floor spaces and the entire idea comes from a structural understanding of
D
concrete on a larger scale. No Error
E
Solution - A is incorrect. Prefer is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb. “be used” should
be used in this context.

2. Despite their insistence that he will appear when there is an important event, the
A B
President schedules press conferences with the news media at his discretion and
C
the inconvenience on the media ends somehow feeds his already inflated ego. No
D
Error
E
Solution - B is incorrect. Insistence is a derivative of the subjunctive verb insist. Use the simple
form of verb. The correct usage is “he appear”.

3. IRS provision requires that an “S corporation” with assets of greater than

A B
$200,000 sends W-2 forms to its employees before January 31 and this obligation
C D
made some of them really nervous. No Error
E
Solution - C is incorrect. Require is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb. The correct
usage is “send”.

134
4. Judicial rules in many states mandate that the identities of all prosecution
A
witnesses are made known to defendants, but the Constitution explicitly
B
mandates only that the defendant have the opportunity to confront an accuser in
C D
court. No Error
E
Solution – B is incorrect. Mandate is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb. The correct
usage is “be made known to”.

5. Legislation in the Canadian province of Ontario requires of both public and private
A
employers that pay should be the same for jobs historically held by women as for
B C
jobs requiring comparable skill that are usually held by men. No Error
D E
Solution – B is incorrect. Require is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb. The correct
usage is “pay be the same”.

6. One of the most powerful driving forces behind recycling is the threat of
A
legislation that would require companies they take more responsibilities for the
B C
disposal of their products. No Error
D E
Solution – C is incorrect. The correct idiom is X require Y to take Z. The correct usage is “require
companies to take more responsibilities”.

7. Unlike Michael Madhusudan Datta and Rabindranath Tagore, Nazrul insisted that
A B
poets have to honor their own regions and employ specifically Bangla rhythms.
C D
No Error
E
Solution – C is incorrect. Insist is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb. The correct
usage is “honor their own regions”.

8. The commission proposed that funding for development of the park, which could
A
be open to the public early next year, be obtained through a local bond issue. No
B C D
Error
E
Solution – There is no error in this sentence.

135
9. If, heaven forbid, something was to happen to you, you would want to know that
A B C
your family would be taken care of. No Error
D E
Solution – B is incorrect. To express conditions contrary to fact or impossible events, use “were”
after the subject. Heaven forbid is an idiomatic expression.

10. If we were to work any more hours this month, we might need food delivery and
A B C
toilets in every cubicle to make more time for work. No Error
D E
Solution – There is no error in this sentence.

B. Sentence Correction –

1. A controversial figure throughout his life, Jacob Zuma urged that some Blacks return to Africa,
the land that, to him, symbolized freedom.
a) some Blacks return to Africa, the land that, to him, symbolized freedom.
b) some Blacks return to the African land symbolizing the possibility of freedom to him.
c) some Blacks returned to Africa which was the land to him, symbolized freedom.
d) some Blacks returned to Africa which was the land to him, symbolized freedom.
e) some Blacks should return to Africa, the land that, to him, symbolized freedom

Solution – Answer A is correct. Urge is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb after any
subjunctive verb. Answer B changes the meaning; returning is not the symbol. land is the symbol

2. A group of researchers in Rutgers University proposed that the number of women in the French
Legislation must be increased so as to achieve national prosperity.
a) the number of women in the French Legislation must be increased so as to achieve national
prosperity.
b) the number of women in the French Legislation must be increased in order to achieve national
prosperity.
c) the number of women in the French Legislation be increased in order to achieve national
prosperity
d) the number of women in the French Legislation should experience an increase so as to
achieve national prosperity.
e) to achieve national prosperity, the number of women in the French Legislation must be
increased.

Solution – Answer C is correct. Propose is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb
after any subjunctive verb. Avoid using must or should.

3. Therapists insist that the survivors of child abuse need to identify their phobias and work
accordingly.
a) the survivors of child abuse need to identify their phobias and work accordingly.
b) the survivors of child abuse need to identify their phobias and should work accordingly.

136
 c) the survivors of child abuse ought to identify their phobias and ought to work accordingly.
d) the survivors of child abuse identify their phobias and work accordingly.
e) None of the above.

Solution – Answer D is correct. Insist is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb after
any subjunctive verb. The sentence also maintains parallelism.

4. In 1991, the Garbage Disposition Act required that any citizen should not dispose garbage in an
unethical manner and if possible, recycle.
a) any citizen should not dispose garbage in an unethical manner, and if possible, recycle.
b) any citizen not dispose garbage in an unethical manner, and if possible, should recycle.
c) any citizen must not dispose garbage in an unethical manner, and if possible, must recycle.
d) any citizen does not dispose garbage in an unethical manner, and if possible, does recycling.
e) any citizen not dispose garbage in an unethical manner, and if possible, recycle.

Solution – Answer E is correct. Require is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb after
any subjunctive verb. The sentence also maintains parallelism.

5. It is the recommendation of many psychologists that a learner use mental image to associate
words and remember names.
a) that a learner use mental image
b) that a learner uses mental image
c) a learner use mental image
d) a learner uses mental image
e) that a learner should use mental image

Solution – Answer A is correct. Recommendation is a derivative of the subjunctive verb

recommend. Use the simple form of verb. Use that before introducing the dependent clause and
avoid using should in subjunctive mood.

6. Ancient Romans suggested that a person to bathed in cold milk, in strawberries that had been
crushed, or in bathtubs filled with black caviar.
a) bathed in cold milk, in strawberries that had been crushed, or in bathtubs filled with black
caviar.
b) bathe in cold milk, in strawberries that had been crushed, or in caviar that was black.
c) bathe in cold milk, crushed strawberries, or black caviar.
d) should bathe in cold milk, crushed strawberries, or black caviar.
e) must bathe in milk, strawberries, or caviar.

Solution - Answer C is correct and most concise. Suggest is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple
form of verb after any subjunctive verb.

7. Bankers require that the financial information presented to them by mortgage applicants be
complete and follow a prescribed format.
a) be complete and follow a prescribed format.

137
 b) is complete and it follows a prescribed format.
c) be complete and a prescribed format is followed.
d) to be complete and a prescribed format be following.
e) be completed, and it followed a prescribed format.

Solution - Answer A is correct. Require is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb be after
the subjunctive verb. The sentence also maintains parallelism.

8. The federal government requires hospitals to tell a Medicare patient of their legal right of
challenge their discharge if they feel they are being sent home prematurely.
a) hospitals to tell a Medicare patient of their
b) hospital to tell Medicare patients that they have a
c) hospitals to tell Medicare patients that there is a
d) that hospitals tell a Medicare patient of their
e) that hospitals tell a Medicare patient that they have a

Solution - Answer B is correct. The other choices can be eliminated due to subject-verb
disagreement.

9. The Gorton-Dodd bill requires that a bank disclose to their customers how long they will delay
access to funds from deposited checks.
a) that a bank disclose to their customers how long they will delay access to funds from
deposited checks.
b) a bank to disclose to their customers how long they will delay access to funds from a
deposited check.
c) that a bank disclose to its customers how long it will delay access to funds from deposited
checks.
d) a bank that it should disclose to its customers how long it will delay access to funds from a
deposited check.
e) that banks disclose to customers how long access to funds from their deposited check is to
be delayed.

Solution - Answer C is correct. The bank is a singular entity and the possessive form is its, not
their. Require is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb.

10. Constance Horner, chief of the United States government’s personnel agency, has recommended
that the use of any dangerous or illegal drug in the five years prior to application for a job be
grounds for not hiring an applicant.
a) the use of any dangerous or illegal drug in the five years prior to application for a job be
grounds for not hiring an applicant
b) any dangerous or illegal drug, if used in the five years prior to applying for a job, should be
grounds for not hiring an applicant
c) an applicant’s use of any dangerous or illegal drug in the five years prior to application for a
job be grounds not to hire them

138
 d) an applicant’s use of any dangerous or illegal drug in the five years prior to applying for a job
are grounds that they not be hired
e) for five years prior to applying for a job, an applicant’s use of any dangerous or illegal drug be
grounds for not hiring them

Solution - Answer A is correct. Recommend is a subjunctive verb. Use the simple form of verb be.
Avoid using should or is (are) in subjunctive mood.

Modal Verbs

A. Sentence Correction –

1. The receipts that you must no loose are locked in the cabinet. (BBA 2003-04)
a) that you must not loose are
b) which you must not loose are
c) that you must not lose is
d) that you must not lose are
e) none of these

Solution - Answer D is correct. The correct verb form is lose. Are is used to maintain the subject-
verb agreement.

2. A controversial figure throughout his life, Jacob Zuma would rather that some Blacks return to
Africa, the land that, to him, symbolized freedom.
a) some Blacks returned to Africa, the land that, to him, symbolized freedom.
b) some Blacks return to Africa, the land that, to him, symbolized freedom.
c) some Blacks return to Africa which was the land to him, symbolized freedom.
d) some Blacks returned to Africa which was the land to him, symbolized freedom.
e) some Blacks should return to Africa, the land that, to him, symbolized freedom.

Solution – Answer A is correct. In case of preferences for others, use the past form of verb form
after would rather. Option C distorts the meaning.

3. Journalists surveyed nuclear power stations as unsafe at present, but that they will, or could, be
made sufficiently safe in the future.
a) that they will, or could
b) that they would, or could
c) they will be, or could
d) think that they will be, or could
e) think the power stations would or could

Solution - Answer D is correct. For parallelism, the correct usage should be “view nuclear power
stations…but think”. Hence, A, B, and C can be eliminated. E has unclear pronoun references.

139
4. The reintroduction of caribou in Northern Minnesota would fail if the density of the timber wolf
population in that region is more numerous than one wolf for every 39 miles.
a) would fail if the density of the timber wolf population in that region is more numerous than
b) would fail provided the density of the timber wolf population in that region is more than
c) should fail if the timber wolf density in that region was greater than
d) will fail if the density of the timber wolf population in that region is greater than
e) will fail if the timber wolf density in that region were more numerous than

Solution – Answer D is correct. A, B, and C can be eliminated because would, if and would, provided
are wrong usages. E is incorrect because of density…more numerous.

5. If you want to make it to the top echelon of the public administration you ought to the intricacies
of human nature.
a) ought to learning the intricacies of human nature.
b) must be learning the intricacies of human nature
c) must have learnt the intricacies of human nature
d) should have learnt the intricacies of human nature
e) had better learn the intricacies of human nature.

Solution – Answer E is correct. Had better is used to express advices. Use the simple form of verb
after had better.

6. The lights in her room is always on even after midnight. She must go to bed late at night.
a) She must go to bed late at night.
b) She must have gone to bed late at night.
c) She must be going to bed late at night.
d) She must go to bed lately at night.
e) She should go to bed late at night.

Solution - Answer A is correct. Must + simple verb form is used to draw logical conclusions from
events that are habitual and universal.

7. My roommate would rather that I not keep the lights on after 10 o’ clock.
a) not keep the lights on after 10 o’ clock.
b) don’t keep the lights on after 10 o’ clock.
c) hadn’t kept the lights on after 10 o’ clock
d) didn’t keep the lights on after 10 o’ clock.
e) None of the above.

Solution - Answer D is correct. In case of preferences for others, use the past form of verb form
after would rather.

140
8. Some astronomers have unshakeable evidence and thus contend that in ancient times, the Big
Horn Medicine Wheel, an arrangement of stones in Wyoming, must have served as sighting points
for observations of the sun.
a) must have served as sighting points for observations of the sun.
b) must serve as sighting points for observations of the sun.
c) must be serving as sighting points for observations of the sun.
d) should serve as sighting points for observations of the sun.
e) had service as sighting points for observations of the sun.

Solution - Answer A is correct and conveys the meaning that the evidence of Big Horn Medicine
Wheel serving as the observation point is unshakeable. The sentence properly draws conclusions
from events in the past.

9. Mr. Rafiq, the head of Mathematics Department, is very angry with Cynthia. Cynthia must have
done her homework not to displease him.
a) must have done her homework not to displease him.
b) could have done her homework not to displease him.
c) should have done her homework not to displease him.
d) must be have doing her homework not to displease him.
e) None of the above

Solution - Answer C is correct, as it conveys the intended meaning. Must is used to draw logical
conclusions from past and ongoing events, but there is no logical conclusion in this sentence.

10. Would you please not worry?

a) please not worry
b) please don’t worry
c) please not worried
d) please not become worried
e) please didn’t worry

Solution - Answer A is correct. This is an example of negative imperative. The general form is
modal + subject + not + simple verb form.

B. Error Detection –

1. When the weather becomes colder, we know that the air mass must originate in
A B C
the Arctic Ocean rather than over the Gulf of Mexico. No Error
D E

Solution - C is incorrect. Must have originated is the correct usage here.

2. The American buffalo must reproduce itself again because it has been removed
A B

141
 itself from the engendered species list. No Error
C D E

Solution – A is incorrect. To draw logical conclusions from present events, we should use must
be reproducing.

3. Sheep must have mated in fall since the young are born in early spring every year.
A B C D
No Error
E

Solution – A is incorrect. To draw logical conclusions from habitual or universal events, we should
use must mate.

4. Impressionists like Monet knew to use color in order to create an image of reality
A B C

rather than reality itself. No Error

D E

Solution – B is incorrect. The correct usage is knew how to.

5. It is said that the American Flag has five-point stars because Betsy Ross told
A B
Washington she would rather that he had changed the six-pointed ones. No Error
C D E

Solution – C is incorrect. Use the past form of verb after would rather that. The correct usage is
changed.

6. Although thousands of Grizzly bears were used to roaming the Western plains of
A B
the USA, today only a few thousand exist. No Error
C D E

Solution – B is incorrect. Used to roam is more concise and conveys the accurate meaning.

7. The dean would rather that her students make appointments with her instead of
A B
just dropping by. No Error
C D E

Solution - A is incorrect. Use the past form of verb after would rather that. The correct usage is
made.

142
8. Although fraternal twins are born at the same time, they do not tend to resemble
A B
each other any more than do other siblings. No Error
C D E

Solution – There is no error in this sentence.

9. Because doctors are treating more people for skin cancer, it is widely believed
A B
that changes in the layers of the earth’s atmosphere must produce harmful
C D
effects now. No Error
E

Solution - D is incorrect. The correct usage is must be producing.

10. He said that he’d rather went to a small college instead of to a large university.
A B C D
No Error
E

Solution – B is incorrect. Use the simple form of verb after would rather used to express personal
preferences.

Voice

A. Change the voice of the following sentences as per necessary –

1. Shahriar purchased a device and took it to the apartment where Maksud lived.

- A device was purchased by Shahriar and it was taken to the apartment where Maksud lived.

2. The horses near the canyon drank water and moved towards the southern border of the city.

- Water was drunk by the horses near the canyon and they moved towards the southern border
of the city.

3. I clearly know the deceitful nature of Mohona and it would be in your best interest to not support
her from time to time.

143
 - The deceitful nature of Mohona is known to me and your best interest would be in not
supporting her from time to time.

4. The shopkeeper mostly sells clothes to the ladies of the town.

- Clothes are mostly sold to the ladies of the town (by the shopkeeper)

5. Water filled her lungs and it was becoming increasingly hard for Sadia to breathe.

- Sadia’s lungs were filled with water and it became increasingly hard for her to breathe.

144
Chapter 6
Heading-Conditional Sentence
Main Concept

A conditional sentence is a sentence that gives a condition (e.g., If it snows) and the outcome of the
condition occurring (e.g., the game will be cancelled). Conditional sentences are used to speculate
about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. These
sentences are statements discussing known factors or hypothetical situations and their
consequences. Complete conditional sentences contain a conditional
clause (often referred to as the if-clause) and the consequence. Consider the following sentences:

If a certain condition is true, then a particular result happens.

Conditional Clause Consequence

I would travel around the world if I won the lottery.

Consequence Conditional clause

What Are the Different Types of Conditional Sentences? There are four different types of conditional
sentences in English. Each expresses a different degree of probability that a situation will occur or
would have occurred under certain circumstances.

• Zero Conditional Sentences

• First Conditional Sentences

• Second Conditional Sentences

• Third Conditional Sentences

Zero Conditionals
Zero conditional sentences express general truths—situations in which one thing always causes
another. When you use a zero conditional, you’re talking about a general truth rather than a specific
instance of something. Consider the following examples:

If you don’t brush your teeth, you get cavities.

Simple present Simple present

When people smoke cigarettes, their health suffers.

Simple present Simple present

145
Remember

There are a couple of things to take note of in the above sentences in which the zero conditional is
used. First, when using the zero conditional, the correct tense to use in both clauses is the simple
present tense. A common mistake is to use the simple future tense.

Incorrect: When people smoke cigarettes, their health will suffer.

Simple present Simple future

Secondly, notice that the words if and when can be used interchangeably in these zero conditional
sentences. This is because the outcome will always be the same, so it doesn’t matter “if” or “when”
it happens.

First Conditionals

First conditional sentences are used to express situations in which the outcome is likely (but not

guaranteed) to happen in the future. Look at the examples below:

If you take rest for a while, you will feel better.

Simple present Simple Future

If you set your mind to a goal, you’ll eventually achieve it.

Simple present Simple Future

Remember

We use the simple present tense in the if-clause and simple future tense in the main clause—that is,

the clause that expresses the likely outcome. This is how we indicate that under a certain condition

(as expressed in the if-clause), a specific result will likely happen in the future. Examine some of the

common mistakes people make using the first conditional structure:

Incorrect: If you will rest, you will feel better.

Simple Future Simple Future

Correct: If you rest, you will feel better.

Simple Present Simple Future

Explanation: Use the simple present tense in the if-clause.

Incorrect: If you set your mind to a goal, you eventually achieve it.

146
 Correct: If you set your mind to a goal, you’ll eventually achieve it.

Explanation: Use the zero conditional (i.e., simple present + simple present) only when a certain

result is guaranteed. If the result is likely, use the first conditional (i.e., simple present + simple

future).

Second Conditionals

Second conditional sentences are useful for expressing outcomes that are completely unrealistic or

will not likely happen in the future. Consider the examples below:

If I inherited a billion dollars, I would travel to the moon.

Simple past Modal

If I owned a zoo, I might let people interact with the animals more.
Simple past Modal

Remember

The correct way to structure second conditional sentences is to use the simple past tense in the if-

clause and an auxiliary modal verb (e.g., could, should, would, might) in the main clause (the one

that expresses the unrealistic or unlikely outcome). The following sentences illustrate a couple of

the common mistakes people make when using the second conditional:

Incorrect: If I inherit a billion dollars, I would travel to the moon.

Correct: If I inherited a billion dollars, I would travel to the moon.

Explanation: When applying the second conditional, use the simple past tense in the if-clause.

Incorrect: If I owned a zoo, I will let people interact with the animals more.

Correct: If I owned a zoo, I might let people interact with the animals more.

Explanation: Use a modal auxiliary verb in the main clause when using the second conditional mood

to express the unlikelihood that the result will actually happen.

147
Note - In unreal condition, the past tense form of ‘be’ is always ‘were’ in a conditional sentence; it
can never be ‘was’ in correct English.

If he were rich, I would travel around the world

In this example, the subject ‘he’ is not rich and so ‘he’ is not going to travel around the world. Since
this is an unreal condition, ‘were’ is used as the ‘be’ verb after ‘he’.

Third Conditionals

Third conditional sentences are used to explain that present circumstances would be different if

something different had happened in the past. Look at the following examples:

If you had told me you needed a ride, I would have left earlier.
Past Perfect Modal+have+Past Participle

If I had cleaned the house, I could have gone to the movies.

Past Perfect Modal+have+Past Participle

These sentences express a condition that was likely enough, but did not actually happen in the past.

The speaker in the first sentence was capable of leaving early, but did not. Along these same lines,

the speaker in the second sentence was capable of cleaning the house, but did not. These are all

conditions that were likely, but regrettably did not happen.

Remember

When using the third conditional, we use the past perfect (i.e., had + past participle) in the if-clause.

The modal auxiliary (would, could, should, etc.) + have + past participle in the main clause expresses

the theoretical situation that could have happened.

Consider these common mistakes when applying the third conditional:

Incorrect: If you would have told me you needed a ride, I would have left earlier.

Correct: If you had told me you needed a ride, I would have left earlier.

Explanation: With third conditional sentences, do not use a modal auxiliary verb in the if-clause.

Incorrect: If I had cleaned the house, I could go to the movies.

148
 Correct: If I had cleaned the house, I could have gone to the movies.

Explanation: The third conditional mood expresses a situation that could have only happened in the

past if a certain condition had been met. That’s why we use the modal auxiliary verb + have + the

past participle.

Conditional Sentences Exercises

Segment 1

Decide which conditional is best for the following sentences and put the words in brackets into the
correct form.

1. He almost fell from the balcony. I'm sure that if he had fallen, he (break) his leg or something.

2. If I leave now, I (be) home in two hours.

3. If you (like), I'll lend you my car for two days.

4. If we increased the price, we (run) the risk of pricing ourselves out of the market.

5. If you (ask) your boss, I'm sure he would have considered your proposal.

6. The radio is broken. When you turn it on, it (make) a strange noise.

7. I'd set them the task if they (be) more reliable. However, I don't think they're capable of doing it.

8. If I had known how long the journey was, I (take) something else to read with me.

9. If you (not/manage) to finish the catalogue on time, we'll have to postpone the printing until next
month.

10. The accident (might/not/be) so bad if you'd been driving more slowly.

Segment 2

Sentence Correction

1. Post-capitalists have vehemently claimed that if the unabated consumption patterns common in
the era since the end of World War II are not somehow curbed, the world would face increasing
economical disasters which will violently force mankind to settle for less.

A. in the era since the end of World War II are not somehow curbed, the world would face
B. since the end of World War II are not somehow curbed, the world would face
C. since the end of World War II is not somehow curbed, the world is going to face
D. in the era since the end of World War II are not somehow curbed, the world had faced
E. in the era since the end of World War II are not somehow curbed, the world will face

149
2. Botanists have proven that if plants extended laterally beyond the scope of their root system, they
will grow slower than do those that are more vertically contained.

A. extended laterally beyond the scope of their root system, they will grow slower than do
B. extended laterally beyond the scope of their root system, they will grow slower than
C. extend laterally beyond the scope of their root system, they grow more slowly than
D. extend laterally beyond the scope of their root system, they would have grown more slowly than
do
E. extend laterally beyond the scope of their root system, they will grow more slowly than do

3. If Dr. Wade was right, any apparent connection of the eating of highly processed foods and
excelling at sports is purely coincidental.

A. If Dr. Wade was right, any apparent connection of the eating of

B. Should Dr. Wade be right, any apparent connection of eating
C. If Dr. Wade is right, any connection that is apparent between eating of
D. If Dr. Wade is right, any apparent connection between eating
E. Should Dr. Wade have been right, any connection apparent between eating

4. A major medical center recommends that doctors take a brief nap during long shifts, because
studies show that if shift-workers lose sleep one-night and accumulated a sleep deficit on the
following days, their reaction-time and judgment will be impaired.

A. accumulated a sleep deficit on the following days, their reaction-time and judgment will be
impaired
B. accumulate a sleep deficit on the following days, their reaction-time and judgment will be
impaired
C. accumulate a sleep deficit on the following days, their reaction-time and judgment was impaired
D. accumulated a sleep deficit on the following days, it impaired their reaction-time and judgment
E. accumulate a sleep deficit on the following days, this impairs one's reaction-time and judgment

5. Some analysts warn that, if the projected expenditures for the social security administration over
the next ten years prove to be accurate, the entire social security system will have been and will
continue to be in danger of failing.

A. will have been and will continue to be

B. has been and will continue to be
C. will continue, as it already has begun to be
D. would continue to be
E. will continue to be

6. According to Herbert Essame, Patton might have accomplished more had he not been held in
check by his superiors, Alexander in the Mediterranean and Eisenhower in Europe.

A. had he not been held in check by his superiors

B. had his superiors not held him in check
C. if his superiors had not held him in check
D. if he was not held in check by his superiors
E. when not held in check by his superiors

7. The voice box has been a subject of considerable investigation among researchers studying the
origins of language because they have believed for a long time that if humans did not have a low

150
larynx, the use of vocal language was always impossible.

A. if humans did not have a low larynx, the use of vocal language was always impossible
B. without a low larynx humans would never have been able to use vocal language
C. their use of vocal language was not ever possible for humans if they did not have a low larynx
D. without that low larynx, humans could not ever be able to use vocal language
E. never could humans use vocal language if they were not having that low larynx

8. It is well known that if the South had used better military tactics, they could had won the war with
the North.

A. had used better military tactics, they could had won

B. have used better military tactics, they could have won
C. could have used better military tactics, they could have won
D. had used better military tactics, they could win
E. had used better military tactics, they could have won

9. Nicole would be allowed to choose among the honors, enrichment, and liberal studies programs if
her score were at least six points higher.

A. were at least
B. were
C. was at least
D. was
E. had been

10. Many doctors warn patients that if traditional methods for diagnosis and homeopathic
pharmaceuticals are relied upon exclusively, they will not always be capable of effectively
addressing their illness.

A. traditional methods for diagnosis and homeopathic pharmaceuticals are relied upon exclusively,
they will not always be
B. homeopathic pharmaceuticals and traditional methods for diagnosis are relied upon exclusively,
this will not always be
C. traditional methods for diagnosis and homeopathic pharmaceuticals are relied upon exclusively,
these interventions will not always be
D. homeopathic pharmaceuticals and traditional methods for diagnosis are relied upon exclusively,
these interventions were not always
E. homeopathic pharmaceuticals and traditional methods for diagnosis are relied upon exclusively,
not always are they

11. If the new department store would open by Thanksgiving, it will be attracting many holiday
shoppers.

A. would open by Thanksgiving, it will be attracting

B. would be opened by Thanksgiving, it would be able to attract
C. was opening by Thanksgiving, it would be able to attract
D. was to open by Thanksgiving, it also will attract
E. opens before Thanksgiving, it will attract

151
12. The state's transportation engineer believes that the planned overpasses would not relieve
traffic congestion if access roads are not built along the highway.

A. would not relieve traffic congestion if access roads are not built
B. will not relieve traffic congestion if access roads are not built
C. would not relieve traffic congestion if access roads were not built
D. will not relieve traffic congestion if access roads were not built
E. would not relieve traffic congestion if access roads are not being built

13. One study has indicated that if the marriage patterns of 1960 were imported into 2005, the
American economy's Gini coefficient—the standard measure of income inequality—would fall to 0.34
from 0.43, a considerable drop given that the scale runs from zero to one.

A. Gini coefficient—the standard measure of income inequality—would fall to 0.34 from 0.43, a
considerable drop
B. Gini coefficient, the standard measure of income inequality, falls to 0.34 from 0.43, a considerable
drop
C. Gini coefficient—the standard measure of income inequality—will fall to 0.34 from 0.43, a
considerable drop
D. Gini coefficient—the standard measure of income inequality—will fall to 0.34 from 0.43, dropping
considerably
E. Gini coefficient, the standard measure of income inequality, would fall to 0.34 from 0.43, a
considered drop

14. It has often been assumed that if governments limit fishing, the numbers of fish will increase,
but in the case of fish such as salmon such a recovery can come about much more readily if
governments were to order the removal of the dams that limit the water-flow required by spawning
fish.

A. can come about much more readily if governments were to order the removal of the dams that
limit the water-flow required by spawning fish.
B. would come about much more readily if governments order the removal of the dams that limit the
water-flow that spawning fish requires.
C. came about much more readily if governments would order the removal of the dams that limit the
water-flow required by spawning fish.
D. might come about much more readily if governments were to order the removal of the dams that
limit the water-flow required by spawning fish.
E. would have come about much more readily if governments ordered the removal of the dams that
limit the water flow that fish need in order to spawn.

15. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had long been expected to announce
a reduction in output to bolster sagging oil prices, but officials of the organization just recently
announced that the group will pare daily production by 1.5 million barrels by the beginning of
next year, but only if non-OPEC nations, including Norway, Mexico, and Russia, were to trim
output by a total of 500,000 barrels a day.

A. year, but only if non-OPEC nations, including Norway, Mexico, and Russia, were to trim output
B. year, but only if the output of non-OPEC nations, which includes Norway, Mexico, and Russia, is
trimmed
C. year only if the output of non-OPEC nations, including Norway, Mexico, and Russia, would be

152
trimmed
D. year only if non-OPEC nations, which includes Norway, Mexico, and Russia, were trimming output
E. year only if non-OPEC nations, including Norway, Mexico, and Russia, trim output

Conditionals Solutions
Segment 1

1. Would have broken

2. Will be
3. Like
4. would run/would be running
5. Had asked
6. Makes (‘When’ is also used in place of If in conditional sentences)
7. Were
8. Would have taken
9. Don’t manage
10. Might not have been

Segment 2

1. Ans. E.
The main verb of the ‘If clause’ is ‘are’ which is in simple present tense. This gives us the idea that
the following independent clause should be in simple future tense (1 st conditional).

2. Ans. C.
Scientists have established something here; i.e. it is a fact. So, zero conditional should be used here
– if this happens, then that happens. …if plants extend laterally beyond the scope of their root
system, they grow more slowly than do…
So the correct answer must be (C).

3. Ans. D.
Notice the non-underlined part “… is purely coincidental” in the main clause. This makes us think of
the zero conditional. If Dr. Wade is right, any connection … is purely coincidental. This is correct. It
talks about a fact. Also, “eating highly processed foods and excelling at sports” is correct. Hence,
our answer must be (D).

4. Ans. B.
This answer choice corrects the Conditionals mistake in the original question, by changing the tense
of the second verb in the condition part of the sentence from Past Simple (accumulated) to Present
Simple (accumulate).

5. Ans. E.
As the analysis turns out to be accurate, the prediction done in the 2nd clause will be true. When the
"if" clause of the sentence has a verb in simple present, you will need another verb in simple present
or simple future. In this case, you have to use "will" because the meaning of the sentence refers to
the future. (1st conditional)

153
6. Ans. A.
Notice that- Had he not been held in check = IF he had not been held in check.
The subject and verb are inverted and the IF is dropped.
Notice also that the main (result) clause precedes the IF (condition) clause.
When you see inversion in conditional sentences, the word IF is often merely implied.

The main clause, “Patton might have accomplished..”, is in Perfect conditional (modal auxiliary-
would, could, should, etc. + have + past participle). This indicates that the ‘If clause’ needs to be in
past perfect tense. Option A is the correct answer since IF clause is in past perfect: had he not been
held in check = IF he had not been held in check.

7. Ans. B.
After we read through this sentence once, we know that the first half is just a distraction; we can
answer this question by focusing exclusively on the clause beginning with "they." The original
sentence doesn't sound too bad in terms of phrasing, but as we near the end, the tense of the word
"was" stands out. It doesn't match with the sentence; since this clause uses "if+ simple past", we
need a conditional tense ("would" or "could") (2 nd Conditional) to indicate that this action is occurring
under specific conditions. Option B maintains proper tense and pronoun use throughout the
sentence and is quite concise. Thus, this answer choice is correct.

8. Ans. E
This is relevant to the third conditionals. As per that, if the conditional part uses a past perfect such
as ‘had used’ then the effect part(the main clause) should be in the modal present perfect, such as
‘could have’, ‘might have’ or ‘would have’. Therefore, E is the answer

9. Ans. A.
This is an example of 2nd Conditional. The main clause, with an auxiliary modal (would), is placed at
the beginning which is followed by the if clause with simple past tense. We go for were even
though score is singular as the sentence wants to present an unreal condition.

10. Ans. C.
Option A has pronoun ambiguity. “They” can refer to the doctors or to both the methods.
Option B has SV disagreement. Incorrect use of "this".
Option C is correct as it portrays 1 st conditional perfectly with no pronoun or SV error.
Option D has "were not" in wrong tense. We need a future tense.
Option E has the same problem as option A.

11. Ans. E. If clause can never have would in it. If the second clause has will in it , if clause should
have present tense. Only E follows the two rules. So, E is the correct answer.

12. Ans. B. 1st Conditional.

13. Ans. A. Since the non-underlined ‘If clause’ is in simple past, the independent clause needs to
have would/could. Option A has this structure, so it is correct.

14. Ans. D. This is purely a case of the second conditional wherein if a past tense is used in the if
clause, then either a would or could or might should be used in the main clause. 'Can come about' is
grammatically wrong. In option B, When the 'if' clause uses the present tense, the main clause
cannot use would. In option C, would cannot be used in the if clause. If the ‘If clause’ contains a
simple past, we cannot use 'would have' in the main clause which is the case in option E. Option D
has the correct use of 2nd conditional.

154
15. Ans. E. The words "but" and "only if" both seem to have the same function here - to create a

conditional statement. We also have the conjunction "but" used earlier in the sentence. It's generally

considered a bad idea to use the same coordinating conjunction (and, for, nor, but, or, yet, so) more

than once in a sentence. So let's rule out A & B because they repeat the conjunction "but," which

makes this sentence sound redundant and confusing. Option C is incorrect because it distorts the

meaning. By saying "would be trimmed," it suggests that some other person/group will trim output -

not the nations themselves, which is the intended meaning. Option D is incorrect because it uses

past tense instead of present or future tense. The non-OPEC nations haven't started trimming output

already - otherwise this wouldn't be a problem. The condition is that OPEC will reduce their

production in the future if those nations trim their output from here on out. The verb tense used here

doesn't make logical sense, so it's wrong. Option E uses the 1st Condition correctly. The independent

clause, which is in future indefinite tense, is placed before the ‘If clause’. Since the independent

clause is in future indefinite, the ‘If clause’ needs to be in simple present.

155
Chapter – 7
Heading – Qualifiers
Qualifiers are words that specify, qualify, quantify and describe other words. The following three topics
in English grammar work as qualifiers for other words.

● Adjectives
● Adverbs
● Degrees and comparison

Sub-heading – Adjective
Main Concept-

Adjectives are words that modify or describe nouns and pronouns.

Example-

The scariest villain of all time is Darth Vader.

Look at this sentence. It’s very easy in this case to identify the adjective. The word ‘scariest’, coming
right before the noun ‘villain’, describes the noun. So, ‘scariest’ here works as an adjective.

Uses of Adjectives

Warning

Adjectives with linking verbs: Adjectives can do more than just modifying nouns. They can also act
as a complement to linking verbs or the verb ‘to be’. If you are not yet familiar with Linking verbs, we
are going to have quick look on what Linking verb is. A linking verb is a verb that doesn’t directly
express an action. Rather it describes a state of being or a sensory experience.

● Adree doesn’t look like a brave man.

Look carefully into this sentence. The word ‘look’ here is the verb of the sentence though it doesn’t
quite mean a physical action. So the verb ‘look’ here is a linking verb.

There will always be adjectives to describe the linking verbs.

● The flower smells so good that I feel like staying in this garden for the whole night.
In this sentence, the verb ‘smells’ is a linking verb. So, to describe something about the verb, we have
used the adjective ‘good’, not an adverb to describe the verb.

Warning

Adjectives with ‘to be’, ‘become’ and ‘remain’:

These three verbs can be followed by adjectives as well as noun phrases.

The man standing on the aisle is happy

Iftekhar became sad after hearing the news.

156
Mukarram remained calm throughout the time.

Here in these sentences, the words ‘happy’, ‘sad’, and ‘calm’ coming after verbs ‘is’, ‘became’ and
‘remained’ are adjectives.

Warning

Adjectives with ‘enough’:

When the word ‘enough’ is used with adjectives, it follows the adjectives. The structure basically is
‘adjective + enough’. Like-

Ashraful Shabab is not intelligent enough to solve this math.

Here in this sentence, since the word ‘intelligent’ tells something about the noun, it is an adjective and
is followed by ‘enough’.

The case is same for using adverbs. When ‘enough’ is used with adverbs, it also follows the adverbs.
Like-

Jawad sings well enough to please the crowd. (Adverbs + enough)

However, the case isn’t the same when used with nouns. When ‘enough’ is used with nouns, it is
preceded by the nouns.

Jawad doesn’t have enough intelligence to crack a proper joke. (enough + noun)

To find out the details regarding the elements of this classification of Adjective, go through the
following section -

Now we’ll have a detailed description of the classifications of adjectives.

Classification of adjective: Here is a list of 7 adjectives that you need to know before you proceed.

1. Descriptive

A descriptive adjective is probably what you think of when you hear the word “adjective.” Descriptive
adjectives are used to describe nouns and pronouns.

Words like beautiful, cute, silly, tall, annoying, loud and nice are all descriptive adjectives. These
adjectives add information and qualities to the words they’re modifying.

Example:

“The flowers have a smell”

In this sentence, the sentence is just stating a fact, and it has no adjectives to describe what the
flowers or their smell are like.

“The beautiful flowers have a nice smell”

This sentence gives us a lot more information, with two descriptive words ‘beautiful’ and ‘nice’ which
are descriptive adjectives.

157
2. Quantitative

Quantitative adjectives describe the quantity of something.

In other words, they answer the question “how much?” or “how many?” Numbers like one and thirty
are this type of adjective. So are more general words like many, half and a lot.

Example:

Maksud wants three children.

In this sentence, the word ‘three’ quantifies the noun ‘children’, answering the question ‘how many’.
So, the word ‘three’ here is a quantitative adjective.

3. Demonstrative

A demonstrative adjective describes “which” noun or pronoun you’re referring to. These adjectives
include the words:

This — Used to refer to a singular noun close to you.

That — Used to refer to a singular noun far from you.

These — Used to refer to a plural noun close to you.

Those — Used to refer to a plural noun far from you.

Demonstrative adjectives always come before the word they’re modifying.

Example:

“This bicycle is mine”

Here the word ‘this’ demonstrates which noun it refers to, which is ‘bicycle’. Hence, this is a
demonstrative adjective.

4. Possessive

Possessive adjectives show possession. They describe to whom a thing belongs. Some of the most
common possessive adjectives include:

My — Belonging to me

His — Belonging to him

Her — Belonging to her

Their — Belonging to them

Your — Belonging to you

158
Our — Belonging to us

All these adjectives, except the word 'his', can only be used before a noun. You can’t just say “That’s
my,” you have to say “That’s my pen.”

Here, the word ‘my’ shows possession and comes before the noun ‘pen’. Hence this is a possessive
adjective.

5. Interrogative

Interrogative adjectives interrogate, meaning that they ask a question. These adjectives are always
followed by a noun or a pronoun, and are used to form questions. The interrogative adjectives are:

Which — Asks to make a choice between options.

What — Asks to make a choice (in general).

Whose — Asks to understand to whom something belongs.

Other question words, like “who” or “how,” aren’t adjectives since they don’t modify nouns. For
example, you can say “whose coat is this?” but you can’t say “who coat is this?”

Which, what and whose are only considered adjectives if they’re immediately followed by a noun. The
word which is an adjective in this sentence: “Which color is your favorite?” But not in this one: “Which
is your favorite color?”

6. Distributive

Distributive adjectives describe specific members out of a group. These adjectives are used to single
out one or more individual items or people. Some of the most common distributive adjectives include:

Each — Every single one of a group (used to speak about group members individually).

Every — Every single one of a group (used to make generalizations).

Either — One between a choice of two.

Neither — Nor one or the other between a choice of two.

Any — One or some things out of any number of choices. This is also used when the choice is
irrelevant, like: “it doesn’t matter, I’ll take any of them.”

These adjectives are always followed by the noun or pronoun they’re modifying.

Example:

Every student in this class has an ambitious dream.

Here the word ‘every’ describes each specific member out of the class and sits before the noun
‘student’. Hence this word ‘every’ is a Distributive adjective.

159
7. Articles

There are only three articles in the English language: a, an and the. Articles can be difficult for English
learners to use correctly because many languages don’t have them (or don’t use them in the same
way).

Although articles are their own part of speech, they’re technically also adjectives. Articles are used to
describe which noun you’re referring to and sits before a noun or pronoun and describes them. Maybe
thinking of them as adjectives will help you learn which one to use:

A — A singular, general item.

An — A singular, general item. Use this before words that start with a vowel.

The — A singular or plural, specific item.

The elephant is trying to break the cage.

Look at this sentence carefully. Here the word ‘the’ despite being an article, points out which particular
elephant we’re talking about and sits before the noun ‘elephant’. So, it is also an adjective.

Sub-heading: Adverb
Main Concept-

An adverb is a part of speech that modifies or provides a greater description to a verb, an adjective,
another adverb, a phrase, a clause, or even a sentence. It simply tells the readers how, where, when,
or the degree at which something was done. Adverbs answer one of these four questions:

How? When? Where? and Why?

Example-

Tom Longboat did not run badly.

Tom is very tall.
The race finished too quickly.
Fortunately, Lucy recorded Tom’s win.

Remember

Adverbs and Verbs

One of the things adverbs do is modify verbs. This means that they describe the way an action is
happening.

Phillip sings loudly in the shower.

My cat waits impatiently for his food.

The adverbs in each of the sentences above answer the question in what manner? How does Phillip
sing? Loudly. How does my cat wait? Impatiently.

160
Remember

Adverbs and Adjectives

Adverbs can also modify adjectives and other adverbs. Often, the purpose of the adverb is to add a
degree of intensity to the adjective.

Kate is a stunningly beautiful girl.

Stunningly is an adverb modifying the adjective, beautiful. This adverb further describes Kate’s beauty.

Tantalizingly delicious chocolate-chip cookies are baking in the oven.

Tantalizingly is an adverb modifying the adjective, delicious. This adverb further describes how
delicious the cookies are.

Remember

Adverbs and Other Adverbs

Adverbs can be used to describe another adverb.

My brother moves quite slowly in the morning.

Quite is an adverb modifying the adverb slowly. This adverb, along with the adverb “slowly”, modifies
how my brother moves in the morning.

I nearly always agree with the local newspaper’s position.

Nearly is an adverb modifying the adverb always. This adverb along with the adverb always modifies
the extent to which the subject, I, agrees with the newspaper.

Remember

Adverbs and Sentences

Some adverbs can modify entire sentences. These are called sentence adverbs. Common ones
include generally, fortunately, interestingly, surprisingly and accordingly. Sentence adverbs don’t
describe one particular thing in the sentence—instead, they describe a general feeling about all of the
information in the sentence.

Surprisingly, the restroom stalls had toilet paper.

The adverb surprisingly modifies the entire main clause that follows.

Many single-word adverbs end in ly. For example- peacefully, rudely, completely, happily,
and surprisingly.

Not all ly words are adverbs, however. Lively, lonely, and lovely are adjectives instead, answering the
questions What kind? or Which one?

Adverbs can also be multi-word phrases and clauses. Here are some examples:

At 2 a.m., a bat flew through Deidre's open bedroom window.

161
The prepositional phrase at 2 a.m. indicates when the event happened. The second prepositional
phrase, through Deidre's open bedroom window, describes where the creature traveled. So, both the
phrases are acting as adverbs here.

With a fork, George thrashed the raw eggs until they foamed.

The subordinate clause until they foamed describes how George prepared the eggs.

Sylvia emptied the carton of milk into the sink because the expiration date had long passed.

The subordinate clause, because the expiration date had long passed, describes why Sylvia poured out
the milk.

Adverbs are classified according to their meaning as-

(1) adverbs of manner

(2) adverbs of time

(3) adverbs of place

(4) adverbs of degree

To find out the details regarding the elements of this classification of Adverbs, go through the
following section -

1. Adverbs of manner answer the questions “How?" and “In what way?"
They modify verbs or adjectives, rarely adverbs. Most of them are formed from adjectives by adding
LY. For example-

Tom answered courageously.

The pain was terribly severe.

2. Adverbs of time answer the question “When?". They usually modify verbs and talk about the time
of the action.

The old castle is now a museum.

He was recently promoted.

3. Adverbs of place answer the question “Where?". They usually modify verbs. They tell
us where something happens.

What are you doing up there?

An old sailor came forward.

4. Adverbs of degree answer the questions “How much?” “To what degree or extent?" They tell us
about the intensity of something. They modify verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

162
Arthur is rather tall.
The task seemed utterly hopeless.

To make comparisons, you will often need comparative or superlative adverbs. You use comparative
adverbs—more and less—if you are discussing two people, places, or things. You use superlative
adverbs—most and least—if you have three or more people, places, or things.

Look at these two examples:

Since Beth loves green vegetables, she eats broccoli more frequently than her brother Daniel.

Among the members of her family, Beth eats pepperoni pizza the least often.

Adverbials

Main Concept-

In grammar, an adverbial is a word (an adverb) or a group of words (an adverbial phrase or
an adverbial clause) that modifies or more closely defines the sentence or the verb. (The
word adverbial means "having the same function as an adverb".)

Example-

Tiaan speaks fluently.

(telling more about the verb)

Lorna ate breakfast yesterday morning.

(telling when the verb's action occurred)

Remember

In English, adverbials most commonly take the form of adverbs, adverb phrases, noun
phrases and prepositional phrases.

James answered immediately. (adverb)

Surprisingly, he passed all of his exams. (adverb)
James answered in English. (prepositional phrase)
James answered this morning. (noun phrase)
James answered in English because he had a foreign visitor. (adverbial clause)

Placing “Adverbials” at the beginning of a sentence indicates a stronger emphasis on the action than
when the adverbial is in its normal position. For example-

163
Messi hardly remembers the international tournament that he won.
Hardly does Messi remember the international tournament that he won.

So, the structure of the sentence, when adverbials are placed at the beginning, becomes-

Hardly

Rarely

Seldom + Auxiliary verb + Subject + Verb

Never

Only

Rarely do we watch television during the week.

(We rarely watch television during the week.)

Seldom do I get good grades without studying

(I seldom get good grades without studying.)

Only by staying up all night can John finish his work.

(John can finish this work only by staying up all night.)

Sub-heading: Degree and Comparison

Degrees of Adjectives

Main Concept-

As a part of speech, adjectives are words that describe or modify a person, place, or thing (noun) in a
sentence. Along with describing and modifying, adjectives can also express degrees of modification
or comparison. These modifiers are sometimes used to compare two or more people, things, actions,
or qualities. They are called degrees of adjectives.

Example-

Look at the following sentence-

The Sears Tower is a tall building, but the Empire State Building is taller, and the Burj Khalifa is the
tallest building in the world.

164
Positive adjectives are used to describe or modify nouns in general (i.e., when no comparison is at
work). Accordingly, in the example above, the adjective ‘tall’ is only describing the Sears Tower and is
thus a positive. The two degrees of adjective found later in the sentence are known as the comparative
and the superlative. We use comparative adjectives for comparing two things, and we use superlative
adjectives for comparing three or more things. Thus, in the example sentence, ‘taller’ is the
comparative adjective because the Empire State Building is taller than the Sears Tower. However,
‘tallest’ is the superlative adjective because the Burj Khalifa is not only taller than the other two
buildings, it is the tallest building in the world.

To find out the details regarding how the degrees look like, go through the following section -

What the degrees look like: In general, the positive degrees look like normal adjectives without any
suffixes being added after the original words.

The building is as tall as the tower.

The comparative degrees usually take suffixes ‘er’/‘ier’ with the original words.

The building is taller than the tower

Lamia is prettier than Roza

The superlative degrees usually take suffixes ‘est/iest’ with the original words.

Ashraful is the tallest boy of the class.

However, there are adjectives which take irregular shapes while changing. The types and examples
have been tabulated in the following page

Adjective comparative Superlative Type example sentence

Better the best irregula Tara is the best athlete in the

Good
r school.

Less The least He has the least amount of

money.
Little

165
 Worse the worst irregula You are the worst driver I have
Bad r ever known.

Further the furthest irregula My house is the furthest one.

r

Far

Farther the farthest regular My house is the farther one.

old (people in a Elder the eldest irregula Ram is my elder brother.

family) r

old (general use) Older the oldest regular Your teacher is older than my
teacher.

Comparison

Main Concept-

We can compare two entities in two different styles. The comparable entities can be equal in terms of
quality or quantity. On the other part, the entities can be comparable in a greater or lesser degree.

Comparison of equality:

If two things are equal in some way, we can use a comparison with “as … as ….”. The comparisons
may involve adjectives (adj) or adverbs (adv) after the first as, and noun phrases or clauses after the
second as. Basically, the structure looks like-

(As + adjective/adverb + as + noun phrase/clause)

He’s grown so much. He’s as tall as his father now. (adj + noun phrase)

The team is still as good as it was five years ago. (adj + clause)

166
Remember

If the second part is a clause: When the second part of the comparison is a clause, the clause is often
a reduced clause (a clause with ellipsis) or one with a substitute verb do or a modal verb:

If the sales figures are as bad as predicted, the company will probably go bankrupt. (…as bad as
economists have predicted…)

If the second part is a phrase: If we use as … as … with a noun phrase, we must use much or little +
uncountable noun or many or few + plural noun:

She had as much work as she needed and did not want to take on any more.

If the first part is negative: We can form the negative of ‘as … as …’ with ‘not as … as …’, or with ‘not so
… as …’ The form ‘not as … as …’ is more common:

He didn’t run as fast as he did in the European Championship

Comparison of inequality:

If the entities are comparable in a greater or lesser degree, we generally use “adjective indicating
quantity + (noun) + than”. The quantity adjective to use depends if the noun in the comparison is
countable or uncountable.

Tom has fewer books than Jane (with countable noun)

Jim has less patience than Sam (with uncountable noun)

Remember

How to use unequal comparison: Here are some guidelines for using unequal comparison

i) If the adjective is of one or two syllable, use ‘er’ in general as a suffix after the adjective

Raiyan is thicker than Jawad

ii) If the adjective is of three syllable, use ‘more + adjective’ as suffix in general.

Ashraful is more important than Shabab

iii) If the adjective is of one syllable and the last consonant is preceded by a single vowel, double the
last consonant.

Mukarram is fatter than Tuhin.

iv) If the adjective ends with a ‘consonant + y’, change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add er as suffix after the
adjective.

Maksud is happier than Iftekhar.

Warning

Always remember to use the subjective form of pronoun after ‘than’. Like-

167
It’s never correct to say ‘Maksud is happier than him’ . We have to always use ‘Maksud is happier than
he(is)’ since the subjective form of ‘him’ is ‘he’.

v) Unequal comparison can be further intensified by adding “ ‘much or far’ + ‘more or less’ ” before
the comparative.

Shahriar’s watch is far more expensive than mine.

Double comparative: If any sentence begins with a comparative construction, the following
construction should also be in similar comparative. There are two ways to do it. They are-

i) The + comparative + subject + verb + the + comparative + subject + verb

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

ii) The more + subject + verb + the + comparative + subject + verb

The more we study, the more we learn.

Illogical comparison:

An illogical comparison occurs when a sentence compares two things that aren't of the same type:

Jimmy’s restaurant has more customers than Bob does.

Even though it might seem fine, this sentence is comparing "Jimmy's restaurant" with "Bob," which
makes no sense. In order to correct it, we have to alter the wording so that the two things being
compared are the same type of thing:

Jimmy’s restaurant has more customers than Bob's restaurant does.

This sentence, though correct, sounds pretty repetitive. To streamline it, we can drop the second
"restaurant":

Jimmy’s restaurant has more customers than Bob's does.

It's still clear that we're comparing Jimmy and Bob's restaurants, but in a way that's not as redundant
sounding.

Here are two more examples that will make your idea about illogical comparison clearer.

● Incorrect: The people in my office are smarter than other offices.

● Correct: The people of my office are smarter than that of other offices.
● Incorrect: Synthetic oils burn more efficiently than organic oils.
● Correct: Synthetic oils burn more efficiently than organic oils do.

168
Qualifier Exercises
Adjective

Exercise-1

1. A land full of blooming flowers blended with the Nordic aurora smells so well and makes this
A B C
place emit celestial happiness. No error
D E
2. Philosophy of the ancient Greeks has been preserved in the scholarly writing of Western
A B C D
civilization. No Error
E
3. All the flowers in growing tub remained well despite all the futile attempts from the salty
A B C D
neighbors. No error

4. Red corpuscles are so numerous that a thimbleful of human’s blood would contain almost
ten thousand million of them.
A. Red corpuscles are so numerous that a thimbleful of human’s blood
B. Red corpuscle is so numerous that a thimbleful of human’s blood
C. Red corpuscle is so numerous that a thimble full of human’s blood
D. Red corpuscles are so numerous that a thimbleful of human blood
E. Red corpuscles is so numerous that a thimbleful of human blood

5. Despite winning some big competitions as a business student Jawad doesn’t seem to have
A B C
intelligence enough to crack a joke that might win some hearts too. No error
D E
6. It has been proven that when a subject identifies a substance as tasting well, he/she is often
A B C
associating the taste with the smell. No Error
D E
7. The Malay Archipelago is the world’s largest group of islands, forming a ten-thousands-
chain of
A B C
islands. No Error
D E
8. Humorist Ahsanul Hoque was brought up on a cattle ranch in Gazipur; however, the life of a
A B C
cowboy was not excited enough for him. No Error
D E
9. Bangladesh is a land of wonder with crores of people living in few square kilometers and
giving
A B C
birth to millions of stories in every second. No error
D E

169
Exercise-2

1. The Canterbury Tales, written in 1836, is as alive and ______ today as it was 600 years ago.
a) appealed
b) appeal
c) appealing
d) the appeal of
2. Oil paints are ______ they have become the most popular medium of art.
a) so versatile and durable that
b) so versatile and durable than
c) such versatile and durable that
d) such versatile and durable
3. Water is ______ that it generally contains dissolved materials.
a) so excellent solvent
b) such an excellent solvent
c) such excellent a solvent
d) a such excellent solvent
4. Young rivers have no flood plains and their valleys are ______.
a) too narrow
b) narrowly
c) so narrow
d) very narrow
5. Intelligence is a trait that is actually quite difficult to measure, despite much different attempts to
do so.
a) despite the much different attempts to do so.
b) despite much different attempts to do it.
c) despite much different attempts to do so.
d) despite many different attempts to do so.
e) despite much different attempting to do so
6. Quebec rises in a magnificent way above the St. Lawrence River.
a) rises in a magnificent way above
b) rises in a magnificent way, way above
c) rises magnificently above
d) rises magnificently way above
e) is raised in a magnificent way above
7. The paintings of Zainul Abedin were ______ to ______ the essence of Bangalee culture.
a) capturing enough, unlock
b) capturing enough, captivate
c) enough captivating, unlock
d) captivating enough, capture
e) succeeding, unlock
8. The MX-450 is a ______ with a range of 8000 miles.
a) four-stages-rocket
b) fourth staged rocket
c) four staged rocked
d) four stage rocket
e) four-stage-rocket

170
9. Albert Einstein was ______that many of his colleagues had to study for several years in order to
form opinions about his theories.
a) a such brilliant scientist
b) too brilliant scientist
c) such brilliant scientist
d) very brilliant scientist
e) so brilliant a scientist
10. ______ can be grown on arid land.
a) Only few crops
b) Only little crop
c) Only a little crops
d) Only a few crops

Adverbs

Exercise-1

1. Kate despite being a stunning beautiful girl could not make it into Hollywood where Jane
with her
A B C
ordinary look won the Oscar last year. No error
D E
2. In depiction of the misery of the poor people of Bangladesh through a movie, Mr. Farooq did
it so
A B C
good that even the foreign producers are now wishing to invest in Bangladeshi cinemas. No
error
D E
3. It’s only after visiting the other schools Saint Joseph realized that they had done so much.
No
A B C D E
error
4. Even after a promising start to the semester, John did bad in the end. No error
A B C D E
5. Falling bad in love, Rudro could never realize that sometimes it’s better to let people go than
to
A B C D
hold on and have a scar permanently. No error
E

Exercise-2

Adjective or adverb

1. He's always in a rush. I don't understand why he walks so ____________ (quick/quickly).

2. I prefer studying in the library. It's always _______________ (quiet/quietly).
3. Michael __________ (happy/happily) took the assistant job. He had been looking for a
position all summer.
4. Marta dances _____________ (beautiful/beautifully). She's been taking ballet since she was
five years old.

171
 5. They speak French very ____________ (good/well). They lived in France for two years.
6. My neighbor always plays ___________ (loud/loudly) music on the weekends. It's so
annoying.
7. Please be __________ (careful/carefully) in the hallway. The walls have just been painted.
8. Dan is very smart, but he is not a very___________ (good/well) student.
9. He reacted __________ (angry/angrily) to the news. I have never seen him so upset.
10. We didn't ______________ (complete/completely) understand the teacher's instructions. Most
of us did not finish the assignment.

Degrees and comparison

Exercise

1. It took Mr. Walt almost a decade to understand that the people of his office are better than
other
A B C D
offices. No error
E
2. The bodies of the cold-blooded animals have the same temperature like their surroundings,
but
A B
those of warm-blooded animals do not. No Error
C D E
3. Although business practices have been applied successfully to agriculture, farming is
different
A B C D
than other industries. No Error
E
4. There is disagreement among industrials as to whether the products of this decade are
inferior to
A B C
the past. No Error
D E
5. The oxygen concentration in lungs is higher than the blood. No Error
A B C D E

6. Perhaps the colonists were looking for a climate like England, when they decided to settle
the
A B C
North American continent instead of the South American continent. No Error.
D E
7. People who experience less health problems are more likely to be happier and less
depressed
A B C
than their unhealthy counterparts. No Error.
D E
8. Quality control studies show that employees work the most efficient when they are involved
in the

172
 A B
total operation rather than in only one part of it. No Error
C D E
9. The higher the solar activity, the intense the auroras on polar light displays in the skies hear
the
A B C
Earth’s geomagnetic poles. No Error.
D E
10. With American prices for sugar at three times as much the world price, manufacturers are
A B
beginning to use fructose blended with pure sugar. No Error
C D E

Solution: Qualifier

Adjectives

Exeercise-1

1. C. The linking verb ‘smell’ here should be followed by adjective ‘good’, not ‘well’.
2. A. This is incorrect. Use the before a qualifying phrase. For example, the art of Michelangelo,
the poetry of Carla Sandburg, etc.
3. B. The linking verb ‘remained’ should be followed by adjective ‘good’, not by adverb ‘well’.
4. D. When two nouns occur together and the first one modifies the latter one, the first noun
functions as an adjective. Adjectives do not change forms. The correct answer would be
‘human blood.’
5. C. The correct structure would be ‘enough intelligence’ instead of ‘intelligence enough’
6. B. This is incorrect. An adjective must be used after verbs of the senses such as smell, taste,
feel, sound, etc. ‘Well’ is an adverb and must be replaced by an adjective.
7. D. This is incorrect. Each word in a hyphenated adjective (four-month-old) is an adjective and
does not change form, singular or plural.
8. C. This is incorrect. The correct answer is ‘exciting’ since this has to be an adjective.
9. E. This sentence contains no error.

Exercise-2

1. Answer C is correct. The blank must contain an adjective and noun-ing can function as
adjectives.
2. Answer A is correct. The general form is so + adjective + that + result.
3. Answer B is correct. The general form is such + a/an + adjective + noun + that + result.
4. Answer D is correct. Very is used for emphasis only and does not introduce a clause that
expresses a result.
5. Answer D is correct. The use of "much" in the sentence is incorrect, as "much" is used for
non-count nouns. The correct choice should have the word "many" instead of "much.
6. Answer C is correct and the most concise.

173
 7. Answer D is correct. The paintings should capture the essence, not unlock. An adjective
should follow before enough in the first blank.
8. Answer E is correct. Each word in a hyphenated adjective (four-month-old) is an adjective
and does not change form, singular or plural.
9. Answer E is correct. The general form is such + a/an + adjective + noun + that + result. Another
form is so + adjective + a + noun + that + result.
10. Answer D is correct. Only a few and a little have the same meanings, but only a few is used
before count nouns and a little is used before non-count nouns.

Adverbs

Exercise-1

2. B. The word ‘stunning’ in this sentence is supposed to be in form of an adverb. So,

‘stunningly’ would be the right fit here.
3. C. The use of ‘good’ here is erroneous since it is supposed to be an adverb, ‘well’.
4. D. The correct usage here would be ‘too much’ instead of ‘so much’.
5. D. The correct usage her would be ‘badly’ since it is supposed to be in adverb form.
6. A. The correct usage here would be ‘badly’ instead of ‘bad’.

Exercise-2

1. quickly
2. quiet
3. happily
4. beautifully
5. well
6. loud
7. careful
8. good
9. angrily
10. Completely

Degree and comparison

Exercise

1. D is incorrect. ‘people of his office’ should be compared with ‘people of other offices’.
2. B is incorrect. The correct usage is the same temperature as.
3. D is incorrect. Use different from instead of different than.
4. D is incorrect. The products of this decade cannot be inferior to the past itself; rather they
can be inferior to the products of the past.
5. D is incorrect. The oxygen concentration in lungs can only be compared with the oxygen
concentration in blood, not with the blood itself.
6. B is incorrect. Only the climate of a certain area can be compared with the climate of
England, not with England itself.
7. B is incorrect. Use fewer instead of less before a count noun.
8. A is incorrect. The correct form is most efficiently.
9. B is incorrect. The correct form is the more intense.
10. A is incorrect. The correct usage is as much as.

174
Chapter – 8
Heading – Parallelism
Main Concept-

The balance between two or more similar words, phrases or clauses is called parallelism in grammar.
Parallelism is also called parallel structure or parallel construction. Parallel construction prevents
awkwardness, promotes clarity and improves writing style and readability.

Knowing this concept will help you employ commas more efficiently and understand how sentences
are constructed, so that you’ll know why something that might sound right is actually wrong.

So, there can be three types of parallelism:

● Parts of speech parallelism
● Tense structure parallelism
● Clauses, phrase and list parallelism

Remember
Parts of speech include adjective, noun, verb, etc. If you list several things, those things should be in
the same form, i.e. they should share the same parts of speech. For instance, in the sentence below,
the list is made up of three things: read magazines, watch television, and play video games.

Example-

Incorrect: George likes to read magazines, watch television, and he plays videogames.
Incorrect: George likes to read magazines, watch television, and plays videogames.
Correct: George likes to read magazines, watch television, and play videogames

In the first two examples, we have two verbs that are parallel (“read” and “watch”). What is meant by
parallel is they have the same form: they are not “reads” and “watch” or “read” and “watches” or
“watching”.
We can use other forms of the verb as well. But the three parts that make up the list must be in the
same form.

Correct: Reading magazines, watching television, and playing video games are three things he likes to do
during his free time.

In the sentence above, the form of verb is different from what we used previously. But the verbs,
making up the list, are used complying the rule of parallelism (all are in Verb + ing form).

Parallelism and Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are sort of like tag-team conjunctions. They come in pairs, and you have to
use both of them in different places in a sentence to make them work. They get their name from the

175
fact that they work together (co-) and relate one sentence element to another. Correlative
conjunctions include pairs such as-

Not only A but also B

Both A and B
Either A or B
Neither A nor B

What does A and B mean? “A” stands for a word or phrase and “B” stands for a word or phrase. These
words or phrases should be parallel. In other words, A and B should be parallel.

Not only is he funny (A), but he is also clever (B).

In this case A and B are adjectives. So, this sentence is correct.

Other examples of this kind are:

Incorrect: Not only has he squandered an important opportunity, but he is also upsetting many people
close to him.

Correct: Not only has he squandered an important opportunity, but he has also upset many people close
to him.

Squandered is in the simple past tense, therefore, we need the simple past tense of upsetting, which
is upset. Notice in the incorrect example, squandered does not match upsetting.

On more advanced parallelism questions, it won’t just be two words that have to be parallel but
entire phrases. Other times, a question is difficult because the verbs are buried in a morass of
words, as the example below shows.

Playing video games, unlike watching television, is not a passive activity, because doing so requires that
the video game player react to what’s happening onscreen, strategizes (1) to overcome obstacles, and that
she persevere (2) to advance through the most difficult stages of the game.

1)
A) NO CHANGE
B) that she strategizes
C) that she strategize
D) strategize

2)
A) NO CHANGE
B) she persevere
C) she perseveres
D) persevere

176
Answers and Explanation:
The video game player has to do three things: react, strategize, and persevere. The verb form is called
the subjunctive, which comes into effect after specific words that indicate a command, request, or a
requirement. You have to notice that it does not say, “the video game player reacts”; a verb usually
takes an ‘s’ the end when it refers to a third person subject (“he walks”, “she dances”, etc.).

Here, it is “react”, not “reacts” (because we have the verb “require that”, which removes the –s from
the end of the verb following the subjunctive rule). Therefore, the other two verbs must both be in this
form, giving us “strategize” and “persevere”. Therefore, the answer to both 1) and 2) is D.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parallelism Exercises

Clause, phrase and list parallelism

1. Because Deborah has been a representative for over 20 years and also her popularity among
her
A B C
constituents, few are willing to challenge her in an election. No error
D E
2. After completing her examination of the patient, the medical intern informed the chief
resident that
A B
the patient was not only feeling sick, but dizzy, and therefore might have an infection. No
error
C D E
3. Despite the faculties have been trying too hard and their efforts to make the students do
better,
A B C
the students are still scoring below the standard. No error
D E
4. Originally developed by ancient Hawaiians, surfing appeals to people due to the sport’s
unusual confluence of adrenaline, skill, and high paced maneuvering, an unpredictable
backdrop that is, by turns, graceful and serene, violent and formidable, and the camaraderie
that often develops among people in their common quest to conquer nature.
A. surfing appeals to people due to the sport’s unusual confluence of adrenaline, skill,
and high paced maneuvering, an unpredictable backdrop that is, by turns, graceful
and serene, violent and formidable, and the camaraderie that often develops

177
 B. surfing’s appeal is its unusual confluence of adrenaline, skill, and high paced
maneuvering, an unpredictable backdrop that is, by turns, graceful and serene,
violent and formidable, and the camaraderie that often develops
C. surfing’s appeal to people is due to the sport’s unusual confluence of adrenaline,
skill, and high paced maneuvering, an unpredictable backdrop that is, by turns,
graceful and serene, violent and formidable, and developing camaraderie
D. surfing appeals to people due to the sport’s unusual confluence of adrenaline, skill,
and high paced maneuvering, a backdrop that is unpredictable and that is, by turns,
gracefully and serenely violent and formidable, and the camaraderie that often
develops
E. surfing appeals to people due to their unusual confluence of adrenaline, skill, and
high paced maneuvering, an unpredictable backdrop that is, by turns, graceful and
serene, violent and formidable, and the camaraderie that often develops
5. The Federal Reserve announcement said that growth had accelerated after slowing in the
second quarter and the policy makers remain concerned about the prospects of inflation,
even though there are few signs of higher energy prices driving up the cost of other goods
so far.
A. that growth had accelerated after slowing in the second quarter and the policy
makers remain concerned about the prospects of inflation, even though there are
few
B. that growth had accelerated after slowing in the second quarter and that the policy
makers remain concerned about the prospects of inflation, even though there are
few
C. that growth had accelerated after slowing in the second quarter and the policy
makers remain concerned about the prospects of inflation, even though there are
little
D. growth had accelerated after slowing in the second quarter and the policy makers
remain concerned about the prospects of inflation, even though there are little
E. that growth accelerated after slowing in the second quarter and that the policy
makers remain concerned about the prospects of inflation, even though there are
few
6. The art of Michelangelo, the inventions of Edison, and Shakespeare's plays all represent
great achievements in human history.
A. The art of Michelangelo, the inventions of Edison, and Shakespeare's plays all
represent great achievements in human history.
B. Michelangelo, Edison, and Shakespeare all represent great achievements in human
history.
C. All great achievements in human history are represented by the art of Michelangelo,
the inventions of Edison, and the plays of Shakespeare.
D. The art of Michelangelo, the inventions of Edison, and the plays of Shakespeare all
represent great achievements in human history.
E. Michelangelo’s art, Edison’s inventions, and Shakespeare's plays represent all great
achievements in human history.
7. When buying clothes, smart customers usually consider how much the item costs, how
good it looks, and its durability. (IBA BBA 2004-05)
A. its durability

178
 B. if it is durable
C. the durability of it
D. the ability of the item to last
E. how well it wears

Parts of speech parallelism

1. The decline of the Enlightenment was hastened not only by tyrants but also because of
A B C
intellectual opposition. No error
D E
2. Asked what he wanted for his birthday, Virgil turned around and quickly replied that he
would like
A B C
a bike, a new computer, and staying up past nine o’clock. No error
D E
3. High in flavones, protein, and also in fiber, soy beans are a flavorful food with many healthful
A B C D
benefits. No error

4. Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, in which two friends are torn apart by culture and
by
A B
war, is a story about devotion, betrayal, and, ultimately, how to redeem one’s self. No error.
C D E
5. The princess of the House of Stark looks adorable, strong and filled with immense
intelligence.
A B C D
No error.
E
6. The relatively smaller army of the Roman Empire fought so vigorously, fiercely and with
immense passion in winning the war against the impeccable Ottoman Empire
A. vigorously, fiercely and with immense passion in winning the war against the
impeccable Ottoman Empire
B. vigorously, fier m,l,;cely and with immense passion to win the war against the
impeccable Ottoman Empire
C. vigorously, fiercely and with immense passion for winning the war against the
impeccable Ottoman Empire
D. vigorously, fiercely and passionately in winning the war against the impeccable Ottoman
Empire
E. with vigor, fierce and passionately in winning the war against the impeccable Ottoman
Empire
7. With companies spending large parts of their advertising budgets online, the market for
content such as feature articles and opinion essays created by a professional writer, a
blogger, and by individual users, are expanding rapidly.

179
 A. the market for content such as feature articles and opinion essays created by a
professional writer, a blogger, and by individual users, are expanding
B. the market for content such as feature articles and opinion essays created by
professional writers, bloggers, and by individual users, are expanding
C. the market for content such as feature articles and opinion essays created by a
professional writer, a blogger, and individual users, is expanding
D. the market for content such as feature articles and opinion essays created by
professional writers, bloggers, and individual users, are expanding
E. the market for content such as feature articles and opinion essays created by
professional writers, bloggers, and individual users, is expanding

Tense structure parallelism

1. In order to convey the information correctly, the police officer was speaking loudly to the
crowd,
A B
told people where they should stand, repeated the information to help people remember,
C D
and gestured. No error
E
2. Police enforcement should be responsible for service in the community by safeguarding the
A
property of people who live in the community, in order to protect the innocent from crimes,
and
B
ensuring that all people's constitutional rights are respected. No error
C D E
3. Exhausted and being tired of the noise from the back seat, Pedro threatened to turn the car
A B
around and end the vacation before it could even begin. No error
C D E
4. In the restroom, Tishena was brushing her hair, freshened her lip-gloss, and took deep
breaths,
A B
trying to work up the courage to walk to her first speech class. No error
C D E

5. Unbiased third-party "clean" teams can protect sensitive data while assessing the business
rationale of a deal, helping to develop an integrated business plan, and supporting

180
 negotiations. A. while assessing the business rationale of a deal, helping to develop an
integrated business plan, and supporting
B. while also assessing the business concerns for a deal, as well as helping the development
of an integrated business plan, and to support the
C. and assess the rationale of a deal from a business perspective, help the development of
an integrated business plan, and supporting relevant
D. while facilitating the assessment of a business rationale of a deal, help to develop a
business plan of integration, and supporting the
E. and assist the assessment of the deal’s business rationale, helping to develop an
integrated plan for the business, and support

6. Rather than accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher Columbus
was sent by the king and queen of Spain to see if he could reach India by traveling west.
A. Rather than accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher
Columbus was sent by the king and queen of Spain to see if he could reach India by
traveling west.
B. Rather than accepting the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher
Columbus was sent by the king and queen of Spain to see if he could reach India by
sailing west.
C. Instead of accepting the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher
Columbus sailed west to see whether he could reach India, having been sent by the
king and queen of Spain.
D. Rather than accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher
Columbus sailed west to see whether he could reach India, having been sent by the
king and queen of Spain.
E. Instead of accepting the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher
Columbus was sent by the king and queen of Spain to sail west to see if he could
reach India.
7. Not only has he squandered an important opportunity, but he is also making many people
A B C D
anxious about him. No error
E
8. Many students fail to appreciate that it is much more difficult to teach someone how to
write good
A B C
prose than teaching someone how to appreciate good prose written by others. No error
D E
9. After moving to Switzerland in the 1890’s, Albert Einstein attended the Swiss Federal
Polytechnic School in Zurich, receiving in-depth training in quantitative analysis and
developing a foundation for his future work in mathematics.
A. attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, receiving in-depth training in
quantitative analysis and developing
B. attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, receiving in-depth training in
quantitative analysis and developed
C. attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, received in-depth training in
quantitative analysis, and he developed

181
 D. attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, received in-depth training in
quantitative analysis, developing
E. attending the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, receiving in-depth training in
quantitative analysis, and developing

Solutions: Parallelism

Clause, phrase and list parallelism

1. B. The two clauses must be parallel: ‘has been so popular’ would make this clause
parallel to the first.
2. D. To make the structure parallel, the phrase should instead be ‘but also feeling dizzy.’
3. B. The two clauses must be parallel. The clause ‘have been giving effort’ would make it
parallel to ‘have been trying too hard’.
4. A. This choice properly follows rules of parallel construction and uses the introductory
phrase to correctly modify the noun “surfing.”
5. A. The original is correct. The equivalent elements, “that growth had accelerated...” and
“that the policy makers remain...,” are parallel clauses beginning with "that."
6. D. The great achievements are presented in a list. "The art of Michelangelo" and "the
inventions of Edison" are parallel to each other, but "Shakespeare's plays" must be
changed to "the plays of Shakespeare" to make the third achievement parallel to the first
two.
7. E. The three parts starting with ‘how’ must be parallel. Option E correctly solves this
problem by replacing “its durability” with “how well it wears”.

Parts of speech parallelism

1. C. The phrase not only A but also B indicates a parallel structure. To make the
structure parallel, the phrase should be replaced with by.
2. D. Answer choice (D) is incorrect because it does not follow the rules of parallel
structure. One good alternative is permission to stay up.
3. A. The first two items in the list are simple nouns, so to maintain parallelism the
phrase in choice (A) should be eliminated.
4. D. The list in the original sentence is not parallel. Since devotion and betrayal are
abstract nouns, the final item in the list should also be an abstract noun:
redemption.
5. D. The parallel structure would be ‘intelligent’ since the other attributes are given in
form of adjectives.
6. C. ‘Passionately’ here maintains a parallel structure with the other adverbs used
(vigorously and fiercely)

182
 7. E. The phrase "created by professional writers, bloggers, and individual users" lists
elements in parallel form. Each element in the list is plural and the entire list is
introduced by the word "by" which is correctly not repeated. In addition, the singular
subject "market" agrees with the singular verb phrase "is expanding.

Tense Structure parallelism

1. B. The structure ‘was speaking’ should be changed to ‘spoke’ in order to make it parallel
to the other two tense structures ‘repeated’ and ‘told’.
2. B. The structure ‘in order to protect’ should be changed to ‘protecting’ to make it parallel
to the other two tense structures ‘safeguarding’ and ‘ensuring’.
3. A. The structure ‘being tired’ should be changed to ‘tired’ to make it parallel to
‘exhausted’.
4. A. The structure ‘was brushing’ should be changed to ‘brushed’ to make it parallel to the
other two tense structures ‘freshened’ and ‘took’.
5. A. The sentence maintains a parallel construction, using the “-ing” form of each verb
(assessing, helping, supporting). Finally, the sentence is clear and concise.
6. D. The original sentence contains several errors. First, the construction "X rather than Y"
requires parallelism between X and Y, but the original sentence pairs an active verb
("accept") with a passive one ("was sent"). Second, the use of "if" in this context is
incorrect. "If" is used only to introduce conditional clauses (e.g. “if X, then Y”). Here,
"whether" should be used instead of “if” to indicate uncertainty about reaching India by
traveling west.
7. C. The tense structure should be ‘has also made’ to make it parallel to ‘has not only
squandered’.
8. D. The comparison in the sentence is not parallel. How hard it is to teach one thing
should be compared to how hard it is to teach another thing.
9. A. This answer choice is correct as the original sentence is free of error.

183
Chapter - 9
Heading – Phrases and Idioms
Be it sentence correction, be it optimum answer selection, or be it essay writing, if you don’t have a
solid grip on what different phrases and idioms exactly mean, you’ll find yourself in a lot of confusing
situations in the IBA Admission Test. This chapter contains a list of basic phrases and idioms and you
might know a lot of these already, but reading the following will definitely clear up a lot of confusion
and some misconceptions that you currently have about the correct usages of these phrases and
idioms.

Sub-heading – How Phrases and Idioms Can Be Confusing

Introduction –

Consider two phrases for a thorough illustration, ‘Oblivious to’ and ‘Oblivious of’ are two phrases that
share a meaning with a number of phrases like- ignorant of, unaware of, unconscious of and blind to.
These two phrases can be used interchangeably in almost all contexts, but there is a subtle difference
in implications these two phrases make when uses in sentences.

Example –

1. She was oblivious of the students in the class.

2. She was oblivious to the students in the class.

Explanation –

1. She was oblivious of the students in the class necessarily means that she was unaware of
the presence of the students in the class.
2. She was oblivious to the students in the class necessarily means that she took notice of the
students in the class, but chose to disregard that information.

This kind of subtle change in implications can change the meanings of sentences and it is very
important for you to know all these implications by heart. Your knowledge of phrases and idioms will
be tested in in questions where you’re asked to identify the incorrect usage of phrases/idioms in a
sentence; comprehensive questions where you’re ability to judge contexts will be bolstered by a
deeper understand of these phrases and idioms; and in the writing part of the assessment test where
your command of phrases and idioms will help you come off as more eloquent than others.

Main Concept -

This chapter aims to strengthen your understanding of phrases and idioms by presenting phrases and
idioms used in sentences and in different forms, all the while showing what kind of usage is correct
or incorrect for a particular phrase or idiom.

List of Phrases and Idioms -

184
1. Absent from (Not present in)
Correct- Absent from the debate has been any mention of the governor’s supposed crime.
Incorrect- Absent in the debate has been any mention of the governor’s supposed crime.

2. Acceptable to (Capable or worthy of being accepted to)

Correct- The use of the improper idiom might be acceptable to one’s peers–though the SAT is
hardly one’s peer.
Incorrect- The use of the improper idiom might be acceptable with one’s peers–though the SAT is
hardly one’s peer.

3. Accustomed to (To be familiar with something and accept it as normal)

Correct- Growing up in New York, they are accustomed to the nightly street noise.
Incorrect- Growing up in New York, they are accustomed with the nightly street noise.

4. Acquainted with (To know something or to be familiar with something)

Correct- Few are acquainted with string theory, a dominant paradigm in physics.
Incorrect- Few are acquainted in string theory, a dominant paradigm in physics.

5. Associated with (To be connected with something in some way)

Correct- The name Al Capone is associated with much of the organized crime that occurred in the
country before 1950.
Incorrect- The name Al Capone is associated in much of the organized crime that occurred in the
country before 1950.

6. Adept at (To be thoroughly proficient at)

Correct- Dexter was adept at endearing himself to those in powerful positions.
Incorrect- Dexter was adept to endearing himself to those in powerful positions.

7. Believe to be (Consider to be)

Correct- Scientists believe the brain to be the most complicated piece of machinery in the entire
universe.
Incorrect- Scientists believe the brain as the most complicated piece of machinery in the entire
universe.

8. Capable of (having the quality or ability to do something)

Correct- Many did not believe him capable of such dastardly deeds.
Incorrect- Many did not believe him capable in such dastardly deeds.

9. Collaborate with (To work together with)

Correct- The detective was unwilling to collaborate with the police because he believed the force
to be corrupt.
Incorrect- The detective was unwilling to collaborate in the police because he believed the force
to be corrupt.

185
10. Conclude that (To decide that something is true after looking at all the evidence you have)
Correct- Scientists conclude that much of the present day United States was covered in massive
ice sheets as recently as 14,000 years ago.
Incorrect- Scientists conclude much of the present day United States was covered in massive
ice sheets as recently as 14,000 years ago.

11. Consider (to think carefully about something; deem)

Correct- The astronomical community no longer considers Pluto a planet.
Incorrect- The astronomical community no longer considers Pluto as a planet.

12. Consistent with (Agreeing with)

Correct- A high SAT score is consistent with a high GPA, though not always.
Incorrect- A high SAT score is consistent of a high GPA, though not always.

13. Conscious of (Aware of)

Correct: She was not conscious of her mannerisms, and as a result she sent mixed messages.
Incorrect: She was not conscious in her mannerisms, and as a result she sent mixed messages.

14. Contrary to (Conflicting with or running counter to)

Correct- Contrary to what most expect, college is not an unending succession of grueling exams.
Incorrect- Contrary with what most expect, college is not an unending succession of grueling
exams.

15. Credit with (To say or believe that someone is responsible for a particular achievement)
Correct- Galileo is credited with many scientific discoveries.
Incorrect- Galileo is credited in many scientific discoveries.

16. Depict as (To portray someone or something in a particular way)

Correct- The events depicted as the unvarnished truth were actually distorted to fit the director’s
political biases.
Incorrect- The events depicted to be the unvarnished truth were actually distorted to fit the
director’s political biases.

17. Different from (Not the same as)

Correct- Poetry is different from mere writing–ask any novelist.
Incorrect- Poetry is different than mere writing–ask any novelist.

18. Distinguish from (Differentiate from, to recognize ways in which something is different from
things around it)
Correct- The victim was unable to distinguish the culprit from the others standing in the line-up.
Incorrect- The victim was unable to distinguish the culprit and the others standing in the line-up.

19. Emerged as (Came forward as)

Correct- From amongst the 32 singing contestants, Amanda emerged as the victor, her voice
taking on notes she did not ever know she was capable of.

186
 Incorrect- From amongst the 32 singing contestants, Amanda emerged the victor, her voice taking
on notes she did not ever know she was capable of.

20. Encourage (Give support to)

Correct- He was encouraged to pursue a degree in computer science.
Incorrect- He was encouraged in pursuing a degree in computer science.

21. Essential to (Important for)

Correct- Amino acids are essential to our health.
Incorrect- Amino acids are essential for our health.

22. Familiar with (Having some knowledge about something)

Correct- She is familiar enough with the neighborhood to be able to find her way home.
Incorrect- She is familiar enough in the neighborhood to be able to find her way home.
23. Fascinated by (Amazed by)
Correct- The infant was fascinated by all the shadows that seemed to prance about the ceiling.
Correct- The infant was fascinated with all the shadows that seemed to prance about the ceiling.

24. Forbid to (To state that something is not allowed)

Correct- His mother forbid Charlie to eat cookies, so round had his tummy become.
Incorrect- His mother forbid Charlie from eating cookies, so round had his tummy become.

25. Inclined to (Having a tendency to)

Correct- She is inclined to be late, so plan ahead.
Incorrect- She is inclined on being late, so plan ahead.

26. Indifferent towards (Not thinking about or interested in someone or something)

Correct- Though he pretends to be indifferent towards video games, he actually has a Nintendo at
home that he played when lonely.
Correct- Though he pretends to be indifferent to video games, he actually has a Nintendo at home
that he played when lonely.
Incorrect- Though he pretends to be indifferent about video games, he actually has a Nintendo at
home that he played when lonely.

27. Insist that (To say firmly or demand forcefully that)

Correct- Organizers of the obstacle course insist that everyone entering is in top physical
condition.
Incorrect- Organizers of the obstacle course insist upon everyone entering to be in top physical
condition.

28. Manage to (To become successful in)

Correct- In three short weeks, the new hire had managed to isolate his colleagues, so bad was his
attitude.
Incorrect- In three short weeks, the new hire had managed in isolating his colleagues, so bad was
his attitude.

187
29. Mistake for (To think that someone or something is someone or something else)
Correct- With his red shock of dyed hair and multiple face piercings, Chester had somehow
been mistaken for an accountant.
Incorrect- With his red shock of dyed hair and multiple face piercings, Chester had somehow been
mistaken as an accountant.

30. Modeled after (To use something as template for creating something else)
Correct- The downtown high school was modeled after the Greek symposium.
Incorrect- The downtown high school was modeled around the Greek symposium.

31. Native to (Being the place or environment where a person was born or a thing came into being)
Correct- The platypus is native to Australia.
Incorrect- The platypus is a native of Australia.

32. Originate in (To have origin in)

Correct- Though chili peppers originated in what is today southern Bolivia, they are found in
cuisines all over the world.
Incorrect- Though chili peppers originated around what is today southern Bolivia, they are found in
cuisines all over the world.

33. Perceive as (To regard, consider, or think of someone or something as having or exhibiting the
characteristics of something.)
Correct- Many perceived as musical geniuses actually owe much of their success to early practice
and ceaseless training.
Incorrect- Many perceived to be musical geniuses actually owe much of their success to early
practice and ceaseless training.

34. Predisposed to (To be disposed to in advance)

Correct- Children predisposed to music are more likely to practice playing an instrument without
anyone having to tell them.
Incorrect- Children predisposed for music are more likely to practice playing an instrument without
anyone having to tell them.

35. Preferable to (To be more preferable that something else)

Correct- For many, forgoing grad school is preferable to years of unpaid student loans.
Incorrect- For many, forgoing grad school is preferable over years of unpaid student loans.

36. Prejudiced against (to have bias against something)

Correct- Basketball tryouts seemed inherently prejudiced against shorter players, though many of
these players make the best point guards.
Incorrect- Basketball tryouts seemed inherently prejudiced towards shorter players, though many
of these players make the best point guards.

37. Prized by (Considered valuable and important by)

Correct- Prized by coin collectors, the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin is becoming an increasing
rarity.

188
 Incorrect- Prized to coin collectors, the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin is becoming an increasing
rarity.

38. Prohibit from (To use a position or power of authority to forbid someone or something from doing
something.)
Correct- Those without security clearance are prohibited from entering the facility.
Incorrect- Those without security clearance are prohibited to enter the facility.

39. Protect against

Correct- Handwashing cannot protect against every form of virus.
Correct- Handwashing cannot protect us from every form of virus.
Incorrect- Handwashing cannot protect us of every form of virus.

40. Regard as (To consider someone or something to be someone or something.)

Correct- Schubert is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic period.
Incorrect- Schubert is regarded to be one of the greatest composers of the Romantic period.

41. Responsibility to / Responsible for

Correct- The class president’s responsibility to her classmates prevented her from making
concessions with the school’s rivals.
Correct- An increase in cell phone use while driving is responsible for the recent spate of
accidents.
Incorrect- The fifth-grade teacher’s responsibility of her students prevented her from leaving the
classroom unattended.

42. Sensitive to (Easily or strongly affected by)

Correct- Sensitive to the demands of the union, the city council offered to give workers a 15%
increase in wages.
Incorrect- Sensitive over the demands of the union, the city council offered to give workers a 15%
increase in wages.
43. Suspicious of (Feeling that someone has done something wrong)
Correct- During McCarthyism, the government was suspicious of even members of Congress,
thinking that Communist sympathizers were all around them.
Incorrect- During McCarthyism, the government was suspicious about even members of Congress,
thinking that Communist sympathizers were all around them.

44. Tolerant of (Forbearing of, enduring of)

Correct- Henry VIII was tolerant of few who tried to question his authority.
Incorrect- Henry VIII was tolerant to the few who tried to question his authority.

45. Try to
Correct- The mayor will try to fix the city after the major storm.
Incorrect- The mayor will try and fix the city after the major storm.

46. View as (See as)

Correct- She viewed him as a threat to her popularity, so she found ways to sabotage him.

189
 Incorrect- She viewed him a threat to her popularity, so she found ways to sabotage him.

Phrases and Idioms Exercises

Segment 1 – Easy

A. Choose the best options for the underlined parts from the following sentences.

1. The opposing team was eager to refute the debaters’ point. It was hard to ____.
(BBA 2012-13)
a) play for keeps
b) keep the at arm’s length
c) keep out of harm’s way
d) keep them at bay
e) none of these

Solution: The answer is D. ‘Keep at bay’ means to control something and prevent it from harming you.

2. Please leave out unnecessary details and ____.

(BBA 2012-13)
a) cut the fat
b) chew the fat
c) cut to the chase
d) chew the scenery
e) none of these

Solution: The answer is C. ‘Cut to the chase’ means to get to the important details quickly.

B. Select the word that best expresses the underlines word in each sentence.

3. A new recruit must be given time to get internalized with the organization’s culture.
(BBA 2012-13)
a) involved with
b) learned about
c) into
d) committed to
e) acclimatized with

Solution: The answer is E. Both ‘internalized’ and ‘acclimatized’ mean to get accustomed or adjust
with new surroundings.

4. The dog was soaked to the ____ from the ___.

(BBA 2014-15)

190
a) skin, bone
b) skin, craven
c) skin, storm
d) hide, abyss
e) hide, storm

Solution: The answer is C. ‘Soaked to the skin’ means completely wet. ‘Storm’ is the least redundant
among the alternatives.

5. My friend just bought a new house with ____ furniture included.

(BBA 2014-15)
a) Few
b) Several
c) plenty of
d) many
e) so much

Solution: The answer is C. ‘Furniture’ is not a countable noun, so ‘plenty of’ is the only phrase that fits
here.

6. He passed himself ____ as a rich and noble fellow. (BBA

2014-15)
a) Out
b) Away
c) For
d) by
e) off

Solution: The answer is E. ‘Pass off’ means to pretend as someone or something else.

7. The question was so confusing that he was totally _______. (BBA

2014-15)
a) at world’s end
b) at his fingertips
c) on his toes
d) at logger heads
e) at his wit’s end

Solution: The answer is D. ‘To be at loggerheads’ means to be in conflict.

C. Mark the erroneous parts from the following sentences.

8. You cannot keep putting of for tomorrow what you can do today. No error.
(BBA 2014-15)
A B C D E

Solution: The answer is B. ‘Putting off’ is the correct phrase here, which means to delay doing
something.

191
9. He was living off the paltry inheritance his father had left behind. No error.
(BBA 2014-15)
A B C D E

Solution: The answer is E. The sentence is correct. ‘Living off’ means to acquire one’s needs by
benefitting from someone else.

D. In each of the following sentences there is one word missing. Identify the missing word from the
given choices.

10. You need to hear both sides of the story before making your mind.
(BBA 2015-16)
a) Carefully
b) Up
c) Deciding
d) In
e) No word is missing

Solution: The answer is E. The sentence is correct and no word is missing.

Segment 2 - Medium

11. Volcanic activities have also resulted in the creation of large land masses, _______ the popular
impression of their sheer destructive potential.
(BBA 2003-04)

a) a basis for
b) an example of
c) comparable to
d) contrary to
e) confirming

Solution: The answer is D. The two parts of the sentence convey different meanings, so ‘contrary to’
is the correct phrase here.

12. Above all, cooperation and good relations among the region’s countries are a must for the South
Asia everybody
A B C
dreams. No error.
D E

Solution: The answer is D. The correct phrase here is ‘dreams of’, which means to envision or fantasize
about something.

13. The pigments used in modern oil paints are different than the ones used in older paints because
they are
more lightfast and vibrant.
a) are different than the ones used in older paints because they are

192
b) differ from those used in older paints in that the modern ones are
c) are different than those used in older paints because the modern ones are
d) are different from the ones used in older paints on account of being
e) differ from the ones used in older paints because they are

Solution: The answer is B. ‘From’ always precedes ‘differ’. The usage of ‘in that’ is correct is this
choice.

14. Some museums regard themselves as keepers rather than owners of art, responsible for
conserving it in the present and letting it go where circumstances are auspicious to do it in the
future.
a) letting it go where circumstances are auspicious to do it in the future
b) letting them go where circumstances are auspicious to do so in the future
c) letting them go when circumstances are auspicious to do it in the future
d) letting it go when circumstances are auspicious to do so in the future
e) letting it go when circumstances are auspicious to do it in the future

Solution: The answer is D. The idiomatic phrase ‘to do so’ to refer to the action of ‘letting the art go’.

15. Jack Nicklaus, who solidified his legendary status with an improbable victory at the famed
Augusta National Golf Club in 1986, and Tiger Woods are widely regarded as two of the best
golfers in the history of the sport.
a) Jack Nicklaus, who solidified his legendary status with an improbable victory at the famed
Augusta National Golf Club in 1986, and Tiger Woods are widely regarded as two of the best
b) Jack Nicklaus, who solidified his legendary status with an improbable victory at the famed
Augusta National Golf Club in 1986, and Tiger Woods are widely regarded to be two of the better
c) Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, who solidified his legendary status with an improbable victory at
the famed Augusta National Golf Club in 1986, are widely regarded to be two of the best
d) Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, who solidified his legendary status with an improbable victory at
the famed Augusta National Golf Club in 1986, are widely regarded as being two of the better
e) Solidifying his legendary status with an improbable victory at the famed Augusta National Golf
Club in 1986, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are widely regarded as two of the best

Solution: The answer is A. The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.

16. Public-access cable television was created in the 1970s as a means to derive public benefit from
the laying of private television cables on public land.
a) from the laying of private television cables on public land
b) from laying private television cables on the public land
c) by the laying of private television cables on the public's land
d) from private television cables being laid on public land
e) by laying private television cables on land that was public

Solution: The answer is A. The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.

193
17. The category 1 to 5 rating known as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale provides an estimate of
a hurricane’s potential of destroying or damaging property, and is primarily determined from wind
speed; a category 5 storm has wind speeds so high as to blow away small buildings, completely
destroy mobile homes, and cause severe window and door damage.
a) of destroying or damaging property, and is primarily determined from wind speed; a category 5
storm has wind speeds so high as
b) to destroy or damage property, and is primarily determined from wind speed; a category 5 storm
has wind speeds high enough
c) of destroying or damaging property, and is primarily determined by wind speed; a category 5 storm
has wind speeds so high as
d) to destroy or damage property, and is primarily determined by wind speed; a category 5 storm has
wind speeds high enough
e) to destroy or damage property, and is primarily determined by wind speed; a category 5 storm has
wind speeds so high as

Solution: The answer is E. The correct usage of idioms is seen in this sentence.

18. Opponents of the proposed water desalination plant cite the environmental impact and the
tremendous cost as being reasons not to approve the plan.
a) as being reasons not to
b) to be reasons not to
c) as if they were reasons not to
d) for reasons that they should not
e) as reasons not to

Solution: The answer is E. This choice uses the correct form of the idiom ‘Cite X as Y’.

19. It was not long after the 1930s commenced that such baritone singers as Bing Crosby and Russ
Columbo contributed to the popularization of a type of romantic, soothing singing that came to
be called “crooning.”
a) It was not long after the 1930s commenced that such baritone singers as Bing Crosby and Russ
Columbo contribute to
b) Not long after the commencement of the decade of the 1930s, baritone singers such as Bing
Crosby and also Russ Columbo decided to contribute in
c) Not long after the 1930s commenced, baritone singers like Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo
contributed to
d) Not long after the beginning of the 1930s commencement, baritone singers like Bing Crosby and
Russ Columbo had contributed to.
e) It was not long after the 1930s commenced that baritone singers such as Bing Crosby and Russ
Columbo had contributed to.

Solution: The answer is A. The original sentence uses the proper verb tense and idioms.

Segment 3 – Difficult

194
20. According to a survey conducted by the school administration, incoming seniors planning to
attend college prefer not only rigorous courses, like honors and advanced placement courses, over
those that require less work, but also
science and math courses over those in the humanities.
a) like honors and advanced placement courses, over those that require less work, but also science
and math courses over
b) such as honors and advanced placement courses, to those that require less work, but also
science and math courses to
c) like honors and advanced placement courses, to those requiring less work, but they prefer
science and math courses to
d) such as honors and advanced placement courses, more than those that require less work, but
also science and math courses more than
e) such as honors and advanced placement courses, more than those requiring less work, and also
science and math courses more than

Solution: The answer is B. The examples of ‘rigorous courses’ are correctly introduced with the phrase
‘such as’. Moreover, correct usage of the idiom ‘prefer X to Y’ is seen in this sentence.

21. During the twentieth century, the study of the large-scale structure of the universe evolved from
the theoretical to the practical; the field of physical cosmology was made possible because of
both Einstein's theory of relativity
and the better ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects.
a. because of both Einstein's theory of relativity and
b. by both Einstein's theory of relativity and
c. by Einstein's theory of relativity and also
d. because of Einstein's theory of relativity and also
e. as a result of both Einstein's theory of relativity and

Solution: The answer is B. This choice exhibits the correct usage of both idioms ‘made possible by’
and ‘both X and Y’.

22. Many financial analysts consider an upward trend in a firm’s current ratio a sign of improving
liquidity.
a. a sign of
b. as a sign of
c. to be a sign of
d. a sign of their
e. as being a sign of

Solution: The answer is A. The original sentence is correct and contains no errors.

23. Though Frank Lloyd Wright is best remembered today because of bold designs like the
Guggenheim Museum in New York City, most of his buildings were intended to blend into their
surroundings.

195
a. because of bold designs like the Guggenheim Museum
b. for bold designs such as the one for the Guggenheim Museum
c. because of bold designs such as the Guggenheim Museum
d. because of bold designs such as that for the Guggenheim Museum
e. for bold designs like the Guggenheim Museum's

Solution: The answer is B. ‘Because of’ is replaced by ‘for’ and ‘like’ is replaced by ‘such as’, which
fixes the grammatical errors in the original sentence. Proper usage of ‘the one for’ is also seen.

24. Studies of test scores show that watching television has a markedly positive effect on children
whose parents speak English as a second language, as compared to those who are native English
speakers.
a. to those who are
b. with children who are
c. with
d. to those whose parents are
e. with children whose parents are

Solution: The answer is E. This choice uses the correct idiom ‘compared with’, which is used to
highlight differences between similar things. Moreover, it also fixes the parallelism error and incorrect
pronoun reference in the original sentence.

25. Recent research has indicated that sustainable weight loss is generally a result not of self-
deprivation or adopting an extreme diet, but a healthy lifestyle that integrates a balanced diet, regular
exercise, and a long-term approach.
a. self-deprivation or adopting an extreme diet, but
b. self-deprivation or the adoption of an extreme diet, but of
c. self-deprivation or the adoption of an extreme diet, but
d. depriving oneself or adopting an extreme diet, but
e. depriving oneself or adopting an extreme diet, but that of

Solution: The answer is B. This choice correctly uses the idiom ‘a result not of X, but of Y’. It also fixes
the parallelism error in the original sentence.

26. According to a recent study, hand sanitizers require a 60 percent minimum alcohol concentration
for the killing of most harmful bacteria and viruses.
a. require a 60 percent minimum alcohol concentration for the killing of
b. require that there be a 60 percent minimum alcohol concentration to kill
c. require that a 60 percent minimum alcohol concentration be present to kill
d. require a 60 percent minimum alcohol concentration to kill
e. require that there be a 60 percent minimum alcohol concentration for the killing of

Solution: The answer is D. This choice correctly uses the idiom ‘require X to Y’, where X is the noun
phrase ‘a 60 percent minimum alcohol concentration’ and Y is the infinitive ‘to kill’.

196
27. William Shakespeare, though long considered as being one of the finest writers in English or any
other language, was the subject of speculation over the years that he was not the real author
of works attributed by him.
a. as being one of the finest writers in English or any other language, was the subject of speculation
over the years that he was not the real author of works attributed by
b. as one of the finest writers in English or any other language, has been the subject of speculation
over the years that he was not the real author of works attributed to
c. to be one of the finest writers in English or any other language, was the subject of speculation
over the years that he was not the real author of works attributed to
d. one of the finest writers in English or any other language, has been the subject of speculation over
the years that he was not the real author of works attributed to
e. to be one of the finest writers in English, was over the years the subject of speculation that he had
not been the real author of works attributed by

Solution: The answer is D. This choice removes the incorrect usage of ‘consider’. It also uses the
correct idiom ‘ ‘attributed to’, as well as the correct tense (present perfect).

28. According to a recent study by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the incidence
of reported neck and back pain correlate positively to the amount of time spent in sitting
positions at work.
a. correlate positively to
b. are correlated positively to
c. correlate positively with
d. correlates positively to
e. correlates positively with

Solution: The answer is E. This choice corrects the subject verb agreement error as well as
implementing the proper idiom ‘correlates with’.

29. Despite Beethoven's traditional status as the first great Romantic composer, he is considered by
some musicologists to be the last great composer of the Classical era.
a) Despite Beethoven's traditional status as the first great Romantic composer, he is considered by
some musicologists to be the last great composer of the Classical era.
b) Despite Beethoven's traditional status as the first great Romantic composer, he is considered the
last great composer of the Classical era by some musicologists.
c) Although his status is traditionally as the first great Romantic composer, Beethoven is considered
as being the last great composer of the Classical era by some musicologists.
d) Despite his traditional status as the first great Romantic composer, Beethoven is considered the
last great composer of the Classical era by some musicologists.
e) Although he is traditionally considered to be the first great Romantic composer, some
musicologists consider Beethoven as the last great composer of the Classical era.

Solution: The answer is D. The incorrect pronoun reference is corrected in this alternative. Moreover,
correct usage of the idiom ‘consider’ is also seen, removing the redundant ‘to be’.

197
30. Despite an expensive publicity campaign, ticket sales for the new play were poor enough that it
closed only after two weeks.
a) poor enough that it closed only after two weeks
b) poor enough that it was closed after only two weeks
c) so poor that it closed only after two weeks
d) so poor that it was closed after only two weeks
e) so poor that only after two weeks it closed

Solution: The answer is D. The proper idiom ‘so X that Y’ is used, and the word ‘only’ comes
immediately before the time phrase it modifies (‘two weeks’). The passive voice expression ‘it was
closed’ is acceptable.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

198
Chapter - 10
Heading – Suffix and Prefix
Sub-heading – Sentence Structuring
Introduction –

Suffixes and prefixes are sets of letters that are used either at the beginning of a word or at the end
of a word. These words have no meaning of their own and cannot be used independently in a
sentence.

So, if these sets of letters do not have meaning, why do we use them? Well, when prefixes are added
at the beginning of an existing word, they change the meaning of the word and make an entirely new
word. For example, adding ‘un’ at the beginning of the word ‘happy’, forms the new word that is
‘unhappy’, which is a new word that means the opposite of what it meant before the prefix was added.

Again, adding suffixes at the end of a word does not create a new word with a new meaning, but simply
changes the class of the word from one class to another. For instance, ‘idol’ is a noun; but adding the
suffix ‘ize’ at the end of the words turns the word into an verb ‘idolize’.

In the IBA admission test, there has been one time where students have been asked to find out the
wrong usage of suffixes and prefixes from a bunch of words. Now, this might be very difficult to do,
but there are just two things you need to study in order to ace this part of the test if it pops up.

1. Know what suffixes/ prefixes mean what and with what kind of words they are used with.
2. Have a reasonably good vocabulary so that you can judge if a suffix/ prefix has been used
wrongly with word or if the suffix/ prefix used with the word would mean something that does
not make sense.

List of Prefixes -

Prefix

Prefix Meaning Example

1 a-, an- without, not anesthetic, atheist

2 ab- away, from abject, abscess

3 ad-, a-, ac-, as- to, toward access, admit, assist

4 Ante Before antecedent, anterior

5 anti- Against antibiotics, antioxidant

6 auto- Self autoimmune, autonomous

7 ben- Good benefit, benign

8 bi- two, both bifocals, bipolar

9 circum- Around circumference, circumscribe

199
10 co-, com-, con- with, together companion, concurrent

11 contra-, counter- Against contradict, counteract

12 de- down, undo, not degenerate, depress

13 di-, dis- lack of, not, apart disadvantage, displacement

14 eu- good, normal eugenics, eulogy

15 ex- (or e-) out (of), former expose, extract

16 exo-, ecto-, extra-, extro- Outside exoskeleton, extraordinary

17 fore- Before foresee, foreshadow

18 hemi- Half hemisphere

19 Hyper above, excessive hyperactive, hypertension

20 hypo- under, insufficient hypodermic, hypothetical

21 il-, im-, in-, ir- in, into, not, against illegitimate, inadequate

22 inter- Among, between interpose, intervene

23 intra- Within intramural, intravenous

24 macro- Large macrobiotic, macrocosm

25 mal- Bad malfunction, malignant

26 micro- Small microbe, microscope

27 mis- Wrong misfortune, mistake

28 mono- One monolingual, monopoly

29 multi- Many multiple, multitask

30 non- not, lacking nonfat, nonsense

31 ob-,o-, oc-, op- against, over, completely object, occur, omit, oppose

32 omni- All omnipotent, omnivorous

33 over- too much, general overall, overdone, overview

34 peri- Around peripheral, periscope

35 poly- Many polygamous, polygon

36 post- After postgraduate, postpone

37 pre- Before precede, predict, prevent

38 pro- Forward progress, promotion

39 quad- Four quadriplegic, quadrangle

200
 40 re- again, back reform, retain, regenerate

41 semi- half, partially semiannual, semiconscious

42 sub-, sup-, sus- Under submarine, subtropical

43 super-, supra- above, excessive superlative, suprarenal

44 sym-, syn- with, together sympathy, synthetic

45 trans- across, beyond Transform, transportation

46 tri- Three tricycle, triple

47 ultra- beyond. Excessive ultraliberal, ultrasonic

48 un- Not undeserved, unhappy

49 uni- One uniform, unilateral

List of Suffixes -

Suffix

Noun Suffixes Meaning Example

1 -acy state or quality democracy, accuracy, lunacy

2 -al the action or process of remedial, denial, trial, criminal

3 -ance, -ence state or quality of nuisance, ambience, tolerance

4 -dom place or state of being freedom, stardom, boredom

5 -er, -or person or object that does reader, creator, interpreter, inventor,
a specified action collaborator, teacher

6 -ism doctrine, belief Judaism, skepticism, escapism

7 -ist person or object that does Geologist, protagonist, sexist, scientist,

a specified action theorist, communist

8 -ity, -ty quality of extremity, validity, enormity

9 -ment Condition enchantment, argument

10 -ness state of being heaviness, highness, sickness

11 -ship position held friendship, hardship, internship

12 -sion, -tion state of being position, promotion, cohesion

14 -ate Become mediate, collaborate, create

15 -en Become sharpen, strengthen, loosen

201
16 -ify, -fy make or become justify, simplify, magnify, satisfy

17 -ise, -ize Become publicize, synthesize, hypnotize

Adjective Suffixes Meaning Example

18 -able, -ible capable of being edible, fallible, incredible, audible

19 -al having the form or fiscal, thermal, herbal, colonial

character of

20 -esque in a manner of or picturesque, burlesque, grotesque

resembling

21 -ful notable for handful, playful, hopeful, skillful

22 -ic, -ical having the form or psychological, hypocritical, methodical,

character of nonsensical, musical

23 -ious, -ous characterized by pious, jealous, religious, ridiculous

24 -ish having the quality of squeamish, sheepish, childish

25 -ive having the nature of inquisitive, informative, attentive

26 -less Without meaningless, hopeless, homeless

27 -y characterized by dainty, beauty, airy, jealousy

28 -ly related to or quality softly, slowly, happily, crazily, madly

29 -ward, -wards Direction towards, afterwards, backwards, inward

30 -wise in relation to otherwise, likewise, clockwise

202
Suffix and Prefix Exercises
BBA 2015-16

A. In each of the following questions, choose the option where the suffix or prefix has been
incorrectly used.

1. Choose
a) Equilateral
b) Equivocal
c) Equilibrate
d) Equidivision
e) No error.

Solution – The answer is D. Equidivision is not a word.

2. Choose
a) Venation
b) Attrition
c) Doctrination
d) Diminution
e) No error

Solution – The answer is C. Doctrination is not a word.

3. Choose
a) Equilateral
b) Equidistant
c) Equilibrate
d) Equidistribute
e) No error.

Solution – The answer is D. Equidistribute is not a word.

4. Choose
a) Disenthrall
b) Disaccordant
c) Discolored
d) Discrete
e) No error.

Solution – The answer is B. Disaccordant is incorrect. The correct word is discordant.

5. Dis-

203
a) Discontent
b) Dislocate
c) Distrust
d) Disarray
e) None of these

Solution – The answer is B. ‘Dis’ is not used to mean ‘opposite of’ here.

6. Non-
a) Nonarticulate
b) Nonviolent
c) Nonsectarian
d) Nonstandard
e) None of these

Solution – The answer is A. Nonarticulate is incorrect. The correct word is inarticulate.

7. -en
a) Strengthen
b) Shorten
c) Frighten
d) Delighten
e) None of these

Solution – The answer is D. Delighten is not a word.

8. Un-
a) Unaccustomed
b) Unkempt
c) Unruffled
d) Uncourteous
e) None of these

Solution – The answer is E. All of them are correct.

9. -able
a) Reversable
b) Separable
c) Acceptable
d) Manageable
e) None of these

Solution – The answer is A. Reversable is incorrect. The correct word is reversible.

204
10. -cal
a) Historical
b) Didactical
c) Paradisiacal
d) Ecletical
e) Topological

Solution – The answer is D. The base form of the word is ‘eclectic’, so the suffix ‘-cal’ is not used here.

11. -ment
a) Banishment
b) Vestment
c) Adversement
d) Bafflement
e) Denouncement

Solution – The answer is C. Adversement is not a word.

12. Ante-
a) Antebellum
b) Antecede
c) Antechamber
d) Antedate
e) Anteverse

Solution – The answer is E. Anteverse is not a word.

13. Im-
a) Imprison
b) Immaterial
c) Impassive
d) Impatient
e) None of these

Solution – The answer is E. All of them are correct.

14. Mis-
a) Misadventure
b) Misaim
c) Misally
d) Misdecorate
e) Miscount

Solution – The answer is D. Misdecorate is not a word.

205
15. In-
a) Indiscrete
b) Indiscrimination
c) Inbiased
d) Indiscretion
e) Indiscreet

Solution – The answer is C. Inbiased is incorrect. The correct word is unbiased.

206
Chapter 11- Miscellaneous

Heading-Appositive
Main Concept

An appositive noun or noun phrase follows another noun or noun phrase in apposition to it; that is, it
provides information that further identifies or defines it. Such “bonus facts” are framed by commas
unless the appositive is restrictive (i.e., provides essential information about the noun).

Appose is a very old word that one does not cross paths with much except in the realms of grammar
and science. In grammar, an element is said to be placed in apposition to another element if it provides
an extra layer of description to it.

An appositive is bonus information. Something that is placed within commas in a sentence to make
a sentence more complex yet concise.

Ex - Armin Ahsan, an artist at IBA, is accomplished at business competitions.

The core of this sentence is Armin Ahsan is accomplished at business competitions. ‘An artist at IBA’
is an appositive noun phrase that gives us additional information about Armin Ahsan.

Ex - The Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel’s masterpiece, can be found on the Champs de Mars.

This is a sentence about where the Eiffel Tower can be found. The appositive phrase Gustave Eiffel’s
masterpiece tells us a bit more about the sentence’s subject noun, Eiffel Tower.

Ex - My childhood friend, Maksud Alam Antor, loved cats.

Here, the core sentence is “My childhood friend loved cats”. It works as a sentence on its own, but the
appositive, the proper noun Maksud Alam Antor, gives the reader supplemental information about my
friend. It renames him.

Sub-heading- Commas and Appositives

Appositive nouns and noun phrases are often nonrestrictive; that is, they can be omitted from a
sentence without obscuring the identity of the nouns they describe. Another word for nonrestrictive
is nonessential. Always place a nonrestrictive, appositive noun or phrase with commas in the middle
of a sentence. If the noun or phrase is placed at the end of a sentence, a comma should precede it.

Use Commas to Frame Nonrestrictive Elements. Examples have been charted below -

Incorrect – Adnan Rahman a Bengali composer was one of the most celebrated virtuoso pianists of
his day.

Correct – Adnan Rahman, a Bengali composer, was one of the most celebrated virtuoso pianists of his
day.

Incorrect - My brother often likens himself to Thor the god of thunder.

Correct - My brother often likens himself to Thor, the god of thunder.

207
Depending on the tone you want to achieve and the context, you may also choose either parentheses
or brackets to frame a nonrestrictive appositive phrase.

Correct - My brother often likens himself to Thor (the god of thunder).

Correct - My brother often likens himself to Thor—the god of thunder.

Whichever way you choose to punctuate it, the key is to realize that “My brother likens himself to Thor”
is the core sentence and that “the god of thunder” is nonessential to that sentence. It is nice to know,
but it is not essential in terms of function.

Think of a sentence with a nonrestrictive appositive in it as a motorcycle with a sidecar attached to it.
The sidecar is a lovely addition to the motorcycle and changes the overall experience of taking it for
a spin, but the motorcycle could go on without it. The nonrestrictive appositive is your sidecar, and it
needs punctuation to attach it to the motorcycle, which is your sentence.

Warning

Commas and Restrictive Elements Don’t Mix

When an appositive noun or noun phrase contains an essential element without which a sentence’s
meaning would materially alter, do not frame it with commas.

Incorrect - My friend, Bill, owes me fifty dollars.

Correct - My friend Bill owes me fifty dollars.

There are no commas here because Bill is an essential description of my friend. We can assume from
this sentence that the speaker has many friends, but the one who owes him, or her money is Bill. The
unlikely circumstance under which the first sentence could be construed as correct would be if the
speaker has only one confirmed friend, and that friend’s name is Bill.

Now think of a motorcycle again, except now without the sidecar. This is the restrictive appositive
motorcycle. If anyone wants to hitch a ride on this motorcycle, he or she will have to ride double behind
the driver. Just like a Pathao ride. With this type of appositive, there is no disconnection between the
driver and the passenger; one has his or her arms around the other. The restrictive appositive
motorcycle zooms out of sight—without commas.

Heading- Run-On Sentence

Main Concept
A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses (also known as complete
sentences) are connected improperly. This happens when two complete sentences are squashed
together without using a coordinating conjunction (e.g, and, but) or proper punctuation, such as- a
full stop or a semicolon.

Remember

208
Two independent clauses should be connected using semicolon or period and coordinating
conjunctions and cannot be connected by a comma.

It is important to realize that the length of a sentence has nothing to do with whether a sentence is a
run-on or not; being a run-on is a structural flaw that can plague even a very short sentence:
The sun is high, put on some sunblock.

Here, the sun is high and put on some sunblock both are incorrectly connected independent clauses
(complete sentences).

Again, a long sentence isn’t necessarily a run-on sentence.

To avoid run-on sentences, see if there is more than one idea communicated by two or more
independent clauses. In our examples, there are two complete sentences:

Incorrect: Lila enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night however she prefers
roses.
Correct: Lila enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night; however, she prefers roses.

Both clauses- “Lila enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night” and “however she prefers
roses” are independent by themselves; therefore, use a semicolon or a full stop to indicate that they
are separate independent clauses.

When two independent clauses are connected by only a comma, they constitute a run-on sentence
that is called a comma-splice. When you use a comma to connect two independent clauses, it must be
accompanied by a conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so).

There are two types of run-on sentences: fused sentences and comma splices.

A fused sentence occurs when independent clauses run together with no marks of punctuation or
coordinating conjunctions to separate them.
Fused sentence: My professor read my paper she said it was excellent.

Independent Independent clause

clause

A comma splice occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined only by a comma.
Comma splice: My cat meowed angrily, I knew she wanted food

Independent clause Independent clause

Revise run-on sentence in one of four ways:

209
• Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, yet, so, or, nor, for). When you join two
independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, place a comma before the
coordinating conjunction.

Run-on: My teacher read my paper, she said it was excellent.

Correction: My teacher read my paper, and she said it was excellent.
• Use a semicolon (or, in some cases, a colon or a dash). You can use a semicolon alone or
with a transitional expression (e.g., however, at any rate, in contrast, as a result, etc.).

Run-on: My cat meowed angrily, I knew she wanted food.

Correction: My cat meowed angrily; I knew she wanted food.
Correction with a transitional expression:
My cat meowed angrily; therefore, I knew she wanted food.

• Separate the independent clauses into sentences. This is a good technique when one of the
independent clauses is very long.

Run on:

It seemed to Wanda that her daughter had more than enough

crayons, they were strewn across the bedroom floor and
some of them were broken, and, worse still, someone had
used the stub of a red crayon to mark a sinister smiley face
on the wall.

Correction:

It seemed to Wanda that her daughter had more than enough

crayons. They were strewn across the bedroom floor, and some of
them were broken. Worse still, someone had used the stub of a red
crayon to mark a sinister smiley face on the wall.

• Restructure the sentence by subordinating one of the clauses. You can subordinate a clause
if one of the independent clauses seems less important than the other. Here are a few
examples in which one of the clauses has been subordinated (indicated here by underlining).
Note that a subordinated clause is no longer independent—it cannot stand on its own as a
sentence.

Run-on: The largest tree by volume in the world is the General

210
 Sherman Sequoia, it is a little over 52,500 cubic feet.
Correction: The largest tree by volume in the world is the General
Sherman Sequoia, which is a little over 52,500 cubic feet.

Run-on: Toni Morrison is a professor at Princeton University, she

wrote the novel The Bluest Eye.
Correction: Toni Morrison, a professor at Princeton University, wrote
The Bluest Eye.

Run-on: I told my roommate I would be late, she still locked me out.

Correction: Although I told my roommate I would be late, she still locked me out.

Heading- Punctuation

Comma Rules

1. Commas after introductory words and clauses

• Quietly, she ran past the sleeping man. (adverbs)

• Wow, my sister came home from college. (interjections)
• If I see your sister, I'll call you. (subordinate adverb clauses)

2. Commas with lists

When you list three or more things, use commas between the words.

• I would like grapes, apples, and cookies.

• Are we having fish, chicken, or beef for dinner?

3. Commas between multiple modifiers (Adjectives & Adverbs)

• My new car ran quietly, quickly, and smoothly.

• I love this warm, fuzzy, pink sweater!
• It was a bright, sunny day

4. Commas with numbers

When a number is over 999, use commas to separate the numbers.

• I paid $3,500 for my new boat.

• The house is $600,000.

211
5. Commas with dates and addresses

• November 1, 2015
• I live in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
• Send the package to 5154 Smith Street, Los Angeles, California 92674.

6. Commas with quotations

When you are quoting someone's exact speech, you must use quotation marks and a comma.

• My sister exclaimed, "You came home!"

• "I missed you," I said.

7. Commas joining independent clauses

When you join two independent clauses, use a comma and a coordinating conjunction. When
you have two independent clauses joined only by a comma, it's called a comma splice. You
should avoid comma splices.

• I love cats, but I also love dogs.

• Can you come, or should I go?
• My sister had a ballet performance, and my brother had an orchestra concert.

8. Commas setting off nonrestrictive (Nonessential) elements

Nonrestrictive elements add information to the sentence, but they are not essential to the
meaning of the sentence. We could remove them from the sentence, and the sentence would
still make sense. You can read more about this on the appositives page.

• My sister, a French teacher, lived in France for two years.

• Mike and Bri graduated from UWEC, my alma mater.

Periods

1. Ending sentences

We use these to end declarative sentences and imperative sentences.

• The sun is shining today.

• Open the door.

2. Abbreviations

212
We use periods at the end of abbreviated words to indicate that the words are short for something.

• Not all students from St. Joseph try for IBA, but the ones that do have very good chances.

Question marks
1. Ending sentences
We use these to end interrogative sentences. These kinds of sentences ask questions. So, any time
we ask a question, we end the sentence with a question mark.
• Should I study for the D-unit exam or the IBA admission test?
Exclamation marks
1. Ending sentences
We use these at the end of exclamatory sentences. These sentences express emotion.
• We won the game!
2. Interjections
It is okay to use either an exclamation mark or a comma after an interjection.
• Yes! We won the game!

Semicolons
1. We use these to separate two complete sentences that are closely related.
• I went to the play; my cousin was the main actor.

Colons
1. Introducing lists
When we want to introduce a list of things in any part of a sentence, we start off the list using a colon.
• There are three ways that I love to relax: reading magazines, practicing yoga, and taking baths.
2. Introducing similar items
We use a colon to introduce a single thing, only when we want to emphasize it.
• After shopping for 8 hours, I finally found them: the perfect pair of jeans.

3. Between two complete sentences

A colon can be used between two complete sentences, only under the condition that the second
sentence states a logical consequence of whatever in stated in the first sentence.
• Jim ate brownies constantly: He gained seven pounds.

Apostrophes
The punctuation rules for apostrophes are some of the most commonly misused punctuation rules
ever. There are only 3 cases where we should use apostrophes.
1. To show possession
We use apostrophes when we want to express ownership or possessiveness over an object.
• This is Mark’s cat.
• Don’t ever go into the teachers’ lounge

2. To show omission
Contractions use apostrophes in place of missing letters.

213
 • I can’t (cannot) stand the smell of bananas.
• It’s 12 o’clock (of the clock) right now.

3. To form strange plurals

We use apostrophes to make lowercase letters plural.
• Dot the I’s and cross the t’s.

Quotation marks
1. Quoting exact speech
Whenever we quote someone’s exact speech, we use quotation marks.
• The police officer said, “Where are you going?”
2. Titles
We use quotation marks to show the titles of magazine articles, chapters, short stories, etc.
• Our homework today is to read chapter 6, “The Lovely Rose Garden.”

Apart from the above-mentioned rules, there are some other rules that are applicable in exceptional
cases.

To find out the Exceptional rules of Punctuation, go through the following section -

Exceptional rules
1. Punctuation Must be Parallel
When punctuation is parallel it means that interrupting a main clause with a dash or a comma requires
the same punctuation at both the beginning and end of the clause.
• Incorrect: The teenagers, students from Mrs. Smith's art class-went on a field trip to the
museum.
• Correct: The teenagers, students from Mrs. Smith's art class, went on a field trip to the
museum.
• Correct: The teenagers-students from Mrs. Smith's art class-went on a field trip to the
museum.
This rule also means that you should not use a semicolon to set off just one item in a list.
• Incorrect: I have lived in Des Moines, Iowa, Seattle, Washington; and Boise, Idaho.
• Correct: I have lived in Des Moines, Iowa; Seattle, Washington; and Boise, Idaho.
2. Em dash
An em dash (the longest of the three dashes) can be used for many of the same purposes as a comma.
A pair of em dashes might be used if the sentence already contains commas. Similarly, it might be
used to mark off information for emphasis. An em dash can also act alone, drawing attention to a
modifier or an extra piece of information. Here are a few examples:
• Sarah hated walking to school-it was all uphill-but she had no choice, she had missed the bus
again.
• For his birthday, Mark received a sweater, a jacket, a savings bond-and a new bike!
• Pizza, chocolate, and ice cream-these are my favorite foods.
3. Parentheses Show Related, Nonessential Elements EM DASH IS LARGER IN SIZE
Parentheses can be used to show elements in a sentence that are related but not necessary to
understand the meaning of the sentence. Parentheses can be replaced by commas in most cases,
although the use of parentheses tends to de-emphasize a piece of information.

214
 • My family visited several countries (Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain) on our vacation last
year.
If the information inside the parentheses forms a complete sentence within the larger sentence, no
punctuation is necessary.
• Incorrect: The snow (April saw it when she passed the window.) completely covered the trees.
• Correct: The snow (April saw it when she passed the window) completely covered the trees.
4. Apostrophes Show Possession or Indicate an Omission
An apostrophe is used to show possession or ownership. An apostrophe and an -s should be added
to singular possessive nouns, plural possessive nouns that do not end in -s, and singular possessive
nouns that end in -s. Only an apostrophe should be used when showing possession or ownership for
a plural possessive noun that ends in -s.
Singular possessive noun: Susan's book
Singular possessive noun ending in -s: Chris's car
Plural possessive nouns: the children's school
Plural possessive noun that ends in -s: my parents' house

Heading- Common Errors

Main Concept

There are a lot of rules about the usage of English grammar that are out of the ordinary and fall under
no certain discipline of grammar. These rules are very hard to come by and considering the content
of the English section of the IBA Admission test throughout the years, it is of utmost importance that
you study and remember all these rules by heart.

1. Illogical comparison

When you compare two things that can’t really be compared, then it’s a mistake.

• Incorrect: The people in my office are smarter than other offices.

• Correct: The people of my office are smarter than that of other offices.
• Incorrect: Synthetic oils burn more efficiently than organic oils.
• Correct: Synthetic oils burn more efficiently than organic oils do.
2. Spoonfuls of Spoonsful?

The correct plural forms of spoonful and handful are spoonfuls and handfuls respectively and not
spoonsful and handsful.

• Incorrect: I like spoonsful of sugar in my coffee.

• Correct: I like spoonfuls of sugar in my coffee.
3. Just More Appropriate
• Okay: Of the many decisions facing the energy commission as it meets to decide on
new directions for the new century, the question of the future of nuclear energy is for certain
the more perplexing.
• Appropriate: Of the many decisions facing the energy commission as it meets to decide on
new directions for the new century, the question of the future of nuclear energy is certainly
the most perplexing.
4. Ethics

215
‘Ethics’ is usually used as plural; ‘Ethic’ is the singular usage.

5. Use of ‘May’

‘May’ is usually appropriate to use for sentences asking for or granting permission.

• Correct: May I go out for a walk?

• Correct: Yes, you may.
6. Use of ‘Ought’

‘Ought’ is generally comfortable with words that concern themselves with what is right or correct, or
even, what should be.

• Correct: I think you ought to tell the major what you did.
7. Use of ‘Should’

The application of ‘should’ is a little ambiguous, but the word can be used mostly in the following 3
cases

• To express certainty.
Correct: You should definitely play the next part.
• To ask for permission from a person on the same level as you are.
Correct: Should I consult a faculty before I write this?
• To signify something that you’re expected to do.
Correct: I should take care of my habit no matter the consequences.
8. Each vs Every

Using either ‘each’ or ‘every’ means we are talking about a set of particular items belonging to a group.
Now, using ‘each’ emphasizes on each of these items as individuals, but using ‘every’ emphasizes on
the objects, but not in the same individualistic sense.

9. Devote to
• Incorrect: Schliemann determined at the age of seven to find the site of ancient Troy and
devoted his subsequent career to do it.
• Correct: Schliemann determined at the age of seven to find the site of ancient Troy and
devoted his subsequent career to finding it.
10. As much as vs Much as

As much as indicates equality whereas, much as indicates “though”.

• Correct: Much as I’d like to invite you, it isn’t in my best interest to do so.
• Incorrect: As much as I’d like to invite you, it isn’t in my best interest to do so.
• Correct: I’d like for Trump to win just as much as you do.
• Incorrect: I’d like for Trump to win much as you do.
11. Commonly misused words

Clichés means formulas (plural). Cliché means formula (singular).

12. Advice vs Advise

‘Advice’ is a noun and ‘Advise’ is a verb.

• Incorrect: I don’t know much about cricket, so don’t rely on my advise on this.

216
 • Correct: I don’t know much about cricket, so don’t rely on my advice on this.
• Incorrect: I would rather that you let me advice you on this.
• Correct: I would rather that you let me advise you on this.
13. Less vs Few

We use ‘less’ when we associate the word with an uncountable noun; for countable nouns we use
‘few’.

• Incorrect: The company fired no less than 50 employees this week.

• Correct: The company hired no fewer than 50 employees this week.
14. Among vs Between

We use ‘between’ only when we need to choose from two options. For more than two options we use
‘among’.

• Incorrect: Among the two of my friends, I like Heimdall better.

• Correct: Between the two of my friends, I like Heimdall better.
15. Whether vs If

We use ‘whether’ only when two options are discussed and use ‘if’ when more than two options are
discussed.

• Incorrect: I am contemplating whether I should buy a laptop, a suit, or a PS4.

• Correct: I am contemplating if I should buy a laptop, a suit, or a PS4.
16. Compared to vs Compared with

When we show a comparison between unlike things, we use ‘compare to’. When a comparison is
between like things, we use ‘compared with’.

• Incorrect: He compared her with a summer’s day.

• Correct: He compared her to summer’s day.
• Incorrect: The police compared the forged signature to the original.
• Correct: The police compared the forged signature with the original.
17. Each

The traditional rule still holds true i.e. "the subject of a sentence beginning with each is grammatically
singular". But there is another rule, which says that when each follows a plural subject, the verb and
subsequent pronouns remain in the plural form.

• Incorrect: The apartments each has their own private entrances.

• Correct: The apartments each have their own private entrances.
18. That vs Which

‘That’ is used in restrictive clauses and ‘which’ is used in non-restrictive clauses.

Short Tip

Using that/which in a sentence correctly can be very tricky. But there is a trick we can use to give us
an understanding of which alternative to use.

217
If you face the dilemma of having to choose that/which in a sentence, first identify the clause that
starts with the that/which in question. Then judge whether the clause is disposable or not. If taking
out the clause from the sentence does not change the meaning of the sentence and only takes a bit
of information out of the sentence, then the clause is disposable. And disposable clauses start with
‘which’. Non-disposable clauses stat with ‘that’. Most of the times, disposable clauses are enclosed
by commas on both sides.

• Choice: My office building, which/that is three stories high, just caught on fire.
• Correct: My office building, which is three stories high, just caught on fire.

Explanation: The meaning of the given sentence states that “I have an office building that is 3 stories
high, and further states that the building caught on fire.” If we take out the clause that begins with
that/which from the sentence, the new sentence would be something like this.

My office building just caught on fire.

This sentence now states, “I have an office building and it just caught on fire.” Although the new
sentence lacks some exciting information that the earlier mentioned sentence did not, the meaning
portrayed by the new sentence is still the same as the earlier one i.e. the statement that my office has
just caught on fire. This tells us that the clause starting with that/which is disposable and that tells
us that we should use ‘which’ in the sentence.

• Choice: To be yourself in a world that/which is constantly trying to make you something else
is the greatest accomplishment.
• Correct: To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the
greatest accomplishment.
19. Quick tip
• Incorrect: A Mercedes is more expensive than usual for a car.
• Correct: A Mercedes is more expensive than is usual for a car.

20. Who else but he/him?

• Incorrect: Whom were you expecting? Who else but he.
• Correct: Who were you expecting? Who else but him.

Simply because of the following reason; if the question is ‘Who was coming?’ ‘He was coming’ would
be the answer. Not ‘him was coming’. Your husband doesn't believe that you are older than (me, I)
Correct option would be ‘I’. Your husband doesn’t believe that you are older than I (am).

21. That vs Because

‘That’ is a conjunction of consequence while ‘Because’ is a conjunction of reason. That is why when
you say, “The reason I did this is because it benefited me.”, the sentence is ungrammatical. This is
also a redundancy error or sorts. The correct sentence would be, “The reason I did this is that it
benefited me.”

22. Quick tips

1. Incorrect: Students give the exam.
Correct: Students take the exam.
2. Incorrect: Teachers take the exam.

218
 Correct: Teachers give the exam.
3. Incorrect: I am going to become bald.
Correct: I am going to go bald.
4. Incorrect: I am in no way associated to this person.
Correct: I am in no way associated with this person.
23. Universal truth

A universal truth always takes a verb in present tense.

• Incorrect: Galileo said, “Earth revolved round the sun”

• Correct: Galileo said, “Earth revolved round the sun”

24. Not __ but__ vs Rather than

“Not __ but __” represents actual fact and “rather than” represents preference.

• Incorrect: Pucci is a dog rather than a cat.

• Correct: Pucci is not a dog but a cat. (Represents actual fact)
• Correct: I want a dog rather than a cat. (Represents preference)
25. Childish vs Childlike

‘Childish’ implies silly behavior while ‘childlike’ implies innocence.

• Incorrect: I don’t like his childlike behavior.

• Correct: I don’t like his childish behavior.
26. Double possessiveness

Sentences in which double possessiveness has been used, sometimes appear to be grammatically
incorrect. But it is important that you know that the usage of double possessiveness is widely
accepted.

• Correct: He is a friend of my uncle’s.

27. Due to

Due to can be used only as a replacement of caused by and certainly not because.

• Incorrect: The game was postponed due to rain.

• Correct: The game was postponed because of rain.
• Correct: The game’s postponement was due to (caused by) rain.
28. So as

‘So’ and ‘as’ cannot be used together.

• Incorrect: He exercises every day so as to build his stamina.

• Correct: He exercises every day in an effort to build his stamina.
29. Like vs As

‘Like’ is used to compare people/noun/things. Whereas, ‘as’ is used to compare clauses.

Incorrect: Romeo and Juliet, as Humpty Dumpty, were extremely stupid.

• Correct: Romeo and Juliet, like Humpty Dumpty, were extremely stupid.

219
 • Incorrect: Just like jogging is a great exercise, swimming is a great one too.
• Correct: Just as jogging is a great exercise, swimming is a great one too.
30. Each other vs One another

When there are two people involved, we use ‘each other’. When there are more than two people
involved, we use ‘one another’

• Incorrect: Ross and Rachel loved on another.

• Correct: Ross and Rachel loved each other.
• Incorrect: The three brothers do not like each other at all.
• Correct: The three brothers do not like one another at all.
31. ‘As long as’ vs ‘So long as’

‘As long as’ deals with physical comparisons such as time, length, etc. ‘So long as’ deals with
conditions.

• Incorrect: As long as you maintain you cool; your relationship should be fine.
• Correct: So long as you maintain you cool; your relationship should be fine.
• Correct: The baseball bat was as long as the club.
32. Will vs Would

‘Will’ is used to express future/certainty. ‘Would’ is used for wish/possibility.

• Incorrect: I would definitely vouch for you in the future if you do me a favor now.
• Correct: I will definitely vouch for you in the future if you do me a favor now.
33. Conditionals

If a sentence begins with a conditional clause, then the next/ending clause has to be a certainty. If
the second/last/ending clause is anything but a certainty, there is a redundancy error in the sentence.

• Incorrect: If the temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius, water can freeze.
• Correct: If the temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius, water will freeze.
34. Concerned for vs Concerned with

‘Concerned for’ means worried/anxious. ‘Concerned with means’ involved with.

• Incorrect: He is concerned for the election committee.

• Correct: He is concerned with the election committee.
35. Sentence Fragments

Every sentence must contain at least one complete independent clause. If there is no independent
clause at all, or if what’s supposed to be the independent clause is incomplete, you’ve got a sentence
fragment.

• Incorrect: While many people, who have worked hard for many years, have not managed to
save any money, although they are trying to be more frugal now.
• Correct: Most people, who have worked hard for many years, have not managed to save any
money, although they are trying to be more frugal now.
36. Quick tips
1. Incorrect: The greatest change in my life was when I immigrated to the US.
Correct: The greatest change in my life occurred when I immigrated to the US.

220
 2. Incorrect: This pen is a bargain because it is only ten cents.
Correct: This pen is a bargain because it costs only ten cents.

37. May vs Might

‘May’ has a more concrete meaning, so this word is commonly used in statements about facts. ‘Might’
is a little less tangible and tends to be used in expressions of things that don’t yet exist.

• Correct: I might take your advice if the circumstances force me to.

• Correct: I may take your advice if the situation demands it.
38. Quick tips
1. Credit with – To give or assign responsibility.
• Correct: Thomas Edison is credited with the invention of the light bulb.
Credit to – To give money.
• Correct: The bank credited $1 million to my father’s account.
Credit for – Money received in exchange of something.
• Correct: The customer received a $20 credit for the massive interruption.
2. ‘Data’ is the plural form of ‘Datum’. ‘Crises’ is the plural form of ‘Crisis’.
Incorrect: All the data from the hard drive was lost.
Correct: All the data from the hard drive were lost.
3. Incorrect: Hopefully, the crisis ends.
Correct: I hope that the crisis ends.
4. Incorrect: During two hours, I felt sleepy.
Correct: During the last two hours, I have felt sleepy.
5. Incorrect: Both of them did not go to school.
Correct: Neither of them went to school.
6. Incorrect: Josh has not come also.
Correct: Josh has not come either.
39. Negative sentences and conjunctions

If a negative word is used in a sentence, the conjunction should be ‘or’ and not ‘and’.

• Incorrect: He did not speak loudly and clearly.

• Correct: He did not speak loudly or clearly.

40. Quick tips

Incorrect: To cut one’s hair.

Correct: Have one’s haircut.

Incorrect: Today morning, today afternoon, this night, yesterday afternoon.

Correct: This morning, This afternoon, tonight, last afternoon.

Incorrect: Search a lost thing.

Correct: Search for a lost thing.

Incorrect: Wish a thing.

221
Correct: Wish for a thing.

Incorrect: Dispose a thing.

Correct: Dispose of a thing.

41. Comprised of

‘Comprise of’ can only be used in passive sentences.

• Incorrect: The team then, comprised of 20 members.

• Correct: The team then, comprised 20 members.
42. Quick tip
• Incorrect: Mobile subscribers base has recorded a rapid growth last year.
• Correct: Mobile subscriber base has recorded a rapid growth last year.
43. Murder vs Assassinate

‘Murder’ is to kill a person. ‘Assassinate’ is to kill a person for money or political reasons.

• Incorrect: He was paid a million dollars to murder the president.

• Correct: He was paid a million dollars to assassinate the president.
44. Salary vs Wage

‘Salary’ is a fixed sum of money that you earn every month. ‘Wage’ is a sum of money that you earn
per hour.

• Incorrect: He has a wage of BDT 80,000 per month.

• Correct: He has a salary of BDT 80,000 per month.
45. Injury vs Wound

‘Injury’ is damage to the body. ‘Wound’ is damage to the body as a result of clash/conflict.

• Incorrect: He was wounded in the car crash.

• Correct: He was injured in the car crash.

46. Ambiguity
• Incorrect: They serve meals on many of the buses that run from Santiago to Antofagasta.
• Correct: Meals are served on many of the buses that run from Santiago to Antofagasta.
47. One and You

When we give advice to others or make general statements, we often use the pronouns one and you.
If you use ‘you’ to refer to someone at the beginning of a sentence, later on in the sentence you have
to use ‘you’ to refer to the same person again. Bur, if you use ‘one’ to refer to someone at the beginning
of a sentence, later on in the sentence you can use one/ he/ she to refer to that person again.

• Incorrect: One shouldn’t eat a high-fat diet and avoid exercise, and then be surprised when
you gain weight.
• Correct: One shouldn’t eat a high-fat diet and avoid exercise, and then be surprised when
one gains weight.
• Correct: You shouldn’t eat a high-fat diet and avoid exercise, and then be surprised when
you gain weight.

222
48. Active / Passive

Don’t put one clause of a sentence in the active voice and one in the passive if there’s any way to avoid
it.

• Incorrect: Richard Strauss wrote Salome, and then Elektra was composed by him.
• Correct: Richard Strauss wrote Salome, and then composed Elektra.
49. Wordiness

It is inappropriate to use more words in forming a sentence than is necessary.

• Incorrect: The supply of musical instruments that are antique is limited, so they become
more valuable each year.
• Correct: The supply of antique musical instruments is limited, so they become more valuable
each year.
50. Quick tips
• Incorrect: Easy said than done.
• Correct: Easier said than done.
• Incorrect: I was not convinced in the argument that he had made.
• Correct: I was not convinced of the argument that he had made.
• Incorrect: Show one’s true color.
• Correct: Show one’s true colors.
• Incorrect: Can be rest assured
• Correct: Can rest assured.
51. Agree to vs Agree with

Agree to a proposal but agree with a person. That is, agree to is used with inanimate things and agree
with is used with animate ones.

• Incorrect: I agree with the proposition that the airline manager has made.
• Correct: I agree to the proposition that the airline manager has made.
52. Usual vs Is usual

When something is compared to a subgroup to which it belongs, is usual should be used. When
something is compared to itself, usual is fine.

• Incorrect: A Lamborghini is more expensive than usual for a car.

• Correct: A Lamborghini is more expensive than is usual for a car.
53. Who vs Whom

‘Who’ is used in place of ‘whom’ when it is immediately preceded by a verb.

• Incorrect: He is the person whom drove the dogs out of the barn.
• Correct: He is the person who drove the dogs out of the barn.
54. Equal vs Equivalent

‘Equal’ should be used only in its strict sense. Whereas, we use ‘equivalent’ in cases where two things
are not entirely identical, but almost equal.

• Incorrect: 4+3 is equivalent to 5+2.

• Correct: 4+3 is equal to 5+2.

223
 • Incorrect: FCC spent 3 crore BDT on its alumni reunion, equal to the annual administrative
budget of IBA.
• Correct: FCC spent 3 crore BDT on its alumni reunion, equal to the annual administrative
budget of IBA.

Heading- Embedded Tags

Main Concept

A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini question. We

use tag questions to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Is that right?" or "Do you agree?"
They are very common in English.

The basic structure of a tag question is:

positive statement negative tag negative statement positive tag

Snow is white, isn't it? You don't like me, do you?

Notice that

The tag repeats the auxiliary verb (or main verb when be) from the statement and changes it to
negative or positive.

The basic structure also goes like this –

The authority does not know why the conference was disrupted at the wrong time.

Subject + verb (phrase) + question word + subject + verb + (complement)

Positive Statement Tag Questions

Look at these examples with positive statements. You will see that most of the time, the auxiliary verb
from the positive statement is repeated in the tag and changed to negative.

(+) positive statement (-) negative tag

Main Personal pronoun same

Subject Auxiliary verb Auxiliary Negative as subject

224
 You Are coming, are n't you?

We have finished, have n't we?

You Do Like coffee, do n't you?

You Like coffee, do n't you?

They Will help, wo n't they?

I Can come, can 't I?

We must go, must n't we?

He should Try harder, should n't he?

You Are English, are n't you?

John Was there, was n't he?

Some important things to understand over here -

• the use of do in the two coffee questions. Remember that in Present Simple, do is optional in
positive statements (You like coffee/You do like coffee). But the do must appear in the tag. The
same applies to Past Simple did.

• in last two questions, no auxiliary for main verb be in Present Simple and Past Simple. The tag
repeats the main verb.

Negative Statement Tag Questions

Look at these examples with negative statements. Notice that the negative verb in the original
statement is changed to positive in the tag.

225
 (-) negative statement (+) positive tag

Main personal pronoun

Subject Auxiliary verb Auxiliary same as subject

It Is n't raining, is it?

We have never seen that, have we?

You Do n't like coffee, do you?

They Will not help, will they?

They Wo n't report us, will they?

I Can never do it right, can I?

We must n't tell her, must we?

He should n't drive so fast, should he?

You Wo n't be late, will you?

You are n't English, are you?

John was not there, was he?

Some important things to understand over here -

A) won't is the contracted form of will not

B) the tag repeats the auxiliary verb, not the main verb. Except, of course, for the verb be in
Present Simple and Past Simple.

Answering Tag Questions

How do we answer a tag question? Often, we just say Yes or No. Sometimes we may repeat the tag
and reverse it (They do not live here, do they? Yes, they do). Be very careful about answering tag
questions.

226
For example, everyone knows that snow is white. Look at these questions, and the correct answers:

correct
tag question answer notes

Snow is white, isn't it? Yes (it is). Answer is same in However, notice change
both cases - because of stress when answerer does
snow is white! not agree with questioner.
Snow isn't white, is it? Yes it is!

Snow is black, isn't it? No it isn't! Answer is same in

both cases - because
snow is not black!
Snow isn't black, is it? No (it isn't).

In some languages, people answer a question like "Snow isn't black, is it?" with "Yes" (meaning "Yes, I
agree with you"). This is the wrong answer in English! So you should be aware of simple things like
this.

Here are some more examples, with correct answers:

• The moon goes round the earth, doesn't it? Yes, it does.

• The earth is bigger than the moon, isn't it? Yes.

• The earth is bigger than the sun, isn't it? No, it isn't!

• Asian people don't like rice, do they? Yes, they do!

• Elephants live in Europe, don't they? No, they don't!

• Men don't have babies, do they? No.

• The English alphabet doesn't have 40 letters, does it? No, it doesn't.

To find out the details regarding the special cases of Tag questions, go through the following section
-

Tag Question Special Cases

Negative adverbs

The adverbs never, rarely, seldom, hardly, barely and scarcely have a negative sense. Even though they
may be in a positive statement, the feeling of the statement is negative. We treat statements with
these words like negative statements, so the question tag is normally positive. Look at these
examples:

227
 Positive Statement
treated as Negative Statement Positive Tag

He never came again, did he?

She can rarely come these days, can she?

You hardly ever came late, did you?

I barely know you, do I?

You would scarcely expect her to know that, would you?

Imperatives

Sometimes we use question tags with imperatives (invitations, orders), but the sentence remains an
imperative and does not require a direct answer. We use won't for invitations. We use can, can't, will,
would for orders.

Imperative + Question Tag Notes

Take a seat, won't you? polite invitation

Help me, can you? quite friendly

Help me, can't you? quite friendly (some irritation?)

Close the door, would you? quite polite

228
 Do it now, will you. less polite

Don't forget, will you. with negative imperatives only will is possible

Same-way tag questions

Although the basic structure of tag questions is positive-negative or negative-positive, it is sometimes

possible to use a positive-positive or negative-negative structure. We use same-way tag questions to
express interest, surprise, anger etc., and not to make real questions.

Look at these positive-positive tag questions:

• So you're having a baby, are you? That's wonderful!

• She wants to marry him, does she? Some chance!

• So you think that's funny, do you? Think again.

Negative-negative tag questions usually sound rather hostile:

A) So you don't like my looks, don't you?

These are used in rare cases. Mostly exercises will not contain such types since they might appear
confusing on the basis of use.

Asking for information or help

Notice that we often use tag questions to ask for information or help, starting with a negative
statement. This is quite a friendly/polite way of making a request. For example, instead of saying
"Where is the police station?" (not very polite), or "Do you know where the police station is?" (slightly
more polite), we could say: "You wouldn't know where the police station is, would you?" Here are some
more examples:

• You don't know of any good jobs, do you?

• You couldn't help me with my homework, could you?

• You haven't got $10 to lend me, have you?

Some more special cases

Example Notes

229
 I am right, aren't I? aren't I (not amn't I)

You have to go, don't you? you (do) have to go...

I have been answering, haven't Use first auxiliary

I?

Nothing came in the post, did it? treat statements with nothing, nobody etc. like negative
statements

Let's go, shall we? let's = let us

He'd better do it, hadn't he? he had better (no auxiliary)

Mixed Examples of Tag Questions

Here is a list of examples of tag questions in different contexts. Notice that some are "normal” and
others seem to break all the rules:

A) But you don't really love her, do you?

B) This'll work, won't it?

C) Oh you think so, do you?

D) Well, I couldn't help it, could I?

E) But you'll tell me if she calls, won't you?

F) We'd never have known, would we?

G) Oh you do, do you?

H) The weather's bad, isn't it?

I) You won't be late, will you?

J) Nobody knows, do they?

K) You never come on time, do you?

L) You couldn't help me, could you?

M) You think you're clever, do you?

N) So you don't think I can do it, don't you? (British English)

O) Shut up, will you!

230
 P) She can hardly love him after all that, can she?

Q) Nothing will happen, will it?

Remember

Tag questions in general are pretty easy to form and embedded questions can be constructed on that
basis. Always remember that there will be no auxiliary between the question word and the actual
subject in an embedded question. This is a mistake most people make. A clear understanding of the
rules above can help make the entire prospect of understanding this segment very easy

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Miscellaneous Exercises
Exercises: Run-On Sentence

Segment A

Directions: Correct each run-on sentence. There can be several correct answers.
Example: The sun was extremely hot she wanted to swim in the pool.
The sun was extremely hot, so she wanted to swim in the pool.
The sun was extremely hot. She wanted to swim in the pool.
The sun was extremely hot; she wanted to swim in the pool.
Because the sun was extremely hot, she wanted to swim in the pool.

1. Mary and Sandra and Ann are coming to dinner tonight.

__________________________________________________

2. I like playing tennis it makes me tired.

__________________________________________________

3. I love cake, I love chocolate, white chocolate is my favorite.

__________________________________________________

4. I don’t want much for my birthday I just want some books and dolls.

__________________________________________________

5. Green is my favorite color it is the color of the trees and the grass. It reminds me of frogs.

231
 __________________________________________________

6. We usually leave at 7:00 but today is different we are leaving at 6:30.

__________________________________________________

7. I like my history class we discuss ancient civilizations.

__________________________________________________

8. We should get moving there’s no time to waste.

__________________________________________________

9. The meeting was long, it lasted until midnight.

__________________________________________________

10. We ate breakfast, we went to work afterwards.

__________________________________________________

Segment B

Find out the correct choice

1. The idea of a "global village" is fast becoming a reality in the 21st century, it is vital that we
enlarge our worldview and understand the cultures of other nations.
A) NO CHANGE
B) century, with it being vital
C) century, making it vital
D) century, with the result being vital
2. However, developed biomedical methods such as cloning are controversial, in fact, 93% of
all Americans oppose cloning.
A) NO CHANGE
B) controversial, and in fact,
C) controversial, which shows that
D) controversial, indeed,
3. Environmentalists have worked hard to rid the river of toxic chemicals, but the population of
fish still hasn't recovered to previous levels.
A) NO CHANGE
B) chemicals; but
C) chemicals,
D) chemicals, however,
4. One of the foods Korea is famous for is bibimbap, this is a mix of vegetables over rice served
in a hot stone bowl.
A) NO CHANGE
B) which is

232
 C) it is
D) that being
5. It is praised as Tarantino's greatest accomplishment, the movie Pulp Fiction interlaces
several stories of seemingly unrelated incidents.
A) NO CHANGE
B) Praised as
C) People praise it as
D) It is

Segment C
Sentence Correction

1. In the Middle Ages, a lord’s intricate wall hangings were more than mere tapestries they were a
measure of his consequence and wealth.
(A) mere tapestries they were a measure
(B) merely tapestries they were a measure
(C) mere tapestries and were a measure
(D) mere tapestries; they were a measure
(E) mere tapestries, while they were a measure

2. Many classic recordings have been reissued in compact disc format, some perennial favorites
have not.
(A) Many classic recordings have been reissued
(B) Many classic recordings have reissued
(C) Many a classic recording have been reissued
(D) Despite many classic recordings which have been reissued
(E) Although many classic recordings have been reissued

3. Asthma is caused by narrowing and clogging of the small tubes called bronchi, they carry air in
and out of the lungs.
(A) tubes called bronchi, they carry air
(B) tubes that are called bronchi, they carry air
(C) tubes called bronchi that carry air
(D) tubes which are called bronchi, and they carry air
(E) tubes called bronchi; as they carry air

4. The FCC is broadening its view on what constitutes indecent programming, radio stations are
taking a closer look at their broadcasters’ materials.
(A) The FCC is broadening its view on what constitutes indecent programming
(B) The FCC, broadening its view on what constitutes indecent programming, has caused
(C) The FCC is broadening its view on what constitutes indecent programming, as a result
(D) Since the FCC is broadening its view on what constitutes indecent programming
(E) The FCC, having broadened its view on what constitutes indecent programming

5. By establishing strict rules of hygiene in maternity wards, Ignaz Semmelweis saved many women
from dying of childbed fever, this was a fate that many expectant mothers feared.

233
(A) fever, this was a fate that many expectant mothers feared
(B) fever, since many expectant mothers feared this was their fate
(C) fever, it was a fate of which many expectant mothers were afraid
(D) fever, because many expectant mothers feared this fate
(E) fever, a fate that many expectant mothers feared

6. To say “My lunch was satisfactory” is complimentary, to say “My lunch was adequate” is not.
(A) complimentary, to say
(B) complementary, to say
(C) complementary, however, to say
(D) complimentary, but to say
(E) complementary to saying

7. Life on Earth has taken a tremendous range of forms, but all species arise from the same
molecular ingredients, these ingredients limit the chemical reactions that can occur within cells and
so constrain what life can do.
(A) ingredients, these ingredients limit the chemical reactions that can occur within cells
(B) ingredients, these are ingredients that limit the chemical reactions that can occur within cells
(C) ingredients, these ingredients limit the chemical reactions that could occur within cells
(D) ingredients, which limit the chemical reactions that can occur within cells
(E) ingredients; but these ingredients limit the chemical reactions that can occur within cells

8. Acupuncture has been widely used for years to ease chronic pain conditions, studies have
repeatedly endorsed its usefulness.
(A) Acupuncture has been widely used for years to ease chronic pain conditions, studies
(B) Although acupuncture having been been widely used for years to ease chronic pain conditions,
studies
(C) Acupuncture has been widely used for years to ease chronic pain conditions, and studies
(D) Due to the fact that acupuncture has been widely used for years to ease chronic pain conditions,
studies
(E) Because acupuncture has been widely used for years to ease chronic pain conditions is the
reason why studies

9. Paleontologists disputed the authenticity of the discovery, it was believed rather that it was an
elaborate hoax.
(A) discovery, it was believed rather that
(B) discovery; they believed that
(C) discovery; but instead they believed that
(D) discovery in believing that
(E) discovery, it being believed that

10. The discovery was made by a team of scientists trying to locate a gene responsible for
producing a particular enzyme, but they found instead a set of genetic triggers for a predisposition
to heart disease.
(A) scientists trying to locate a gene responsible for producing a particular enzyme, but they found
instead
(B) scientists; trying to locate a gene responsible for producing a particular enzyme, but they found
instead

234
(C) scientists who, trying to locate a gene responsible for producing a particular enzyme, instead
found
(D) scientists that tried to locate a gene responsible for producing a particular enzyme, instead
finding
(E) scientists who instead, in trying to find a gene responsible for producing a particular enzyme,
found

11. The South African delegation expressed its grief on the demise of Nelson Mandela; they
applauded his decision to seek treatment at home rather than go abroad.
(A) Mandela; they applauded
(B) Mandela; it applauded
(C) Mandela; applauding
(D) Mandela, they applauded
(E) Mandela, it applauded

12. The jersey of the Colombian soccer club Independiente Medellín is emblazoned with five
stars, each representing one of the club's five national titles.

(A) each representing one of the club's

(B) each of which represent one of its
(C) each one representing one of their
(D) all of which represent one of the club's
(E) each of them represents one of its

Run-on Sentence Solutions

Segment - B

1. C
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. B

Segement - C

1. D. Comma splice. The use of the semicolon both corrects the run-on sentence and effectively
contrasts the two clauses

2. E. Error in coordination and subordination. The introduction of the conjunction although corrects
the run-on sentence and provides a logical relationship between the clauses.

3. C. Run-on sentence. Do not link two independent clauses with a comma.

235
4. D. Error in comma splice. The punctuation in Choices A and C creates a run-on sentence. Choices
B and E are both ungrammatical. Choice D corrects the run-on sentence by changing the beginning
clause into the adverb clause that starts with the subordinating conjunction since

5. E. Run-on sentence. Choice E eliminates the original comma splice to produce a balanced sentence.

6. D. Choices A, B, and C are examples of comma splice sentences. Choices B, C, and E also confuse
the meanings of complementary and complimentary. Choice E leaves the verb is not without a subject.
Choice D corrects the comma splice and adds no other errors.

7. D. Run-on sentence. Choice D provides a replacement that is both grammatical and concise

8. C. Run-on sentence. Do not link two independent clauses with a comma. The addition of the
connective and in Choice C corrects the error.

9. B. This is a run-on sentence because it joins two independent clauses with only a comma. The
second clause is also unnecessarily vague. It uses the passive voice to obscure the subject, which
should be the same as that in the previous clause—paleontologists. Choice (B) joins the clauses
appropriately with a semicolon, and clarifies the subject of the second clause.

10. C The original phrasing breaks the idea into two independent clauses. But since it conveys one
central idea, it is more effectively phrased with a single independent clause and a modifying phrase.
Choice (C) does this effectively, idiomatically, and concisely.

11. B.
A Incorrect. Delegation is singular. No correlation.
B. Correct. 'It' correlates to the delegation.
C. Incorrect. Would require a comma instead of a semicolon. The part of the sentence after
semicolon is not an independent clause.
D. Incorrect. Same issue as A, also a run-on sentence.
E. Incorrect. Run-on sentence.

12. A. "it's" refers back to "each" of the star. Now a star cannot have subtitles, right? it has to be the
club! "each" is singular and so is the "club". So, options C and E are wrong. Now with B "each" and
"represent" don’t comply with each other. So now it comes down to A and D. D changes the meaning
to all the starts representing one title. Whereas A says each star representing one of the club's title.

Exercises: Punctuation

1. The difference between jobs is that one is exciting; the other, boring. (BBA 2004-05)
a) one is exciting; the other, boring
b) of one being exciting, the other is boring
c) one is exciting, the other being boring
d) one is exciting, although the other is boring
e) of an exciting one and one that is boring

2. Found even in ancient Egyptian mummies, the parasitic Guinea worm became the focus of a
global public health campaign in 1986; this species of parasite has declined for two decades,
and may finally be eradicated from the earth by 2010.
a) Found even in ancient Egyptian mummies, the parasitic Guinea worm became the focus of a

236
global public health campaign in 1986; this species of parasite has
b) Being the focus of a global public health campaign since 1986 and found even in ancient
Egyptian mummies; the population of the parasitic Guinea worm has
c) Having been the focus of a global public health campaign in 1986, it was found even in ancient
Egyptian mummies; the frequency of the parasitic Guinea worm
d) Being found even in ancient Egyptian mummies and having been the focus of a global public
health campaign since 1986, the frequency of the parasitic Guinea worm
e) Having been found even in ancient Egyptian mummies and being the focus of a global public
health campaign since 1986, the parasitic Guinea worm species

3. Alpacas' fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding
specimen bringing upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches only $80 to
$240.
a) Alpacas' fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding
specimen bringing upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches
b) Alpacas' fleece is worth surprisingly little in comparison with its market value; a top breeding
specimen bringing upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetches
c) The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to its market value, while a top
breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece fetch
d) The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to the animal's market value; a
top breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetch
e) The worth of the alpaca's fleece is surprisingly little compared to the animal's market value; a
top breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece
fetches

4. During the past decade, the labor market in France has not been operating according to free
market principles, but instead stifling functioning through its various government regulations
restricting the hiring and firing of workers.
a) principles, but instead stifling functioning through its various government regulations
restricting the hiring and firing of workers
b) principles, instead it has been functioning in a stifled manner as a result of various
government regulations that restrict the hiring and firing of workers
c) principles, rather functioning despite being stifled as a result of government regulations that
variously restrict worker hiring and firing
d) principles; the hiring and firing of workers is restricted there by various government
regulations, its functioning being stifled
e) principles; instead, its functioning has been stifled by various government regulations
restricting the hiring and firing of workers

5. The relationship between cell phone use and the incidence of brain tumors is still unclear, this
is because some studies show a causal relationship while others do not.
a) is still unclear, this is because some studies show
b) is still unclear; some studies show
c) are still unclear because some studies show
d) is still unclear because: some studies show
e) is still unclear; the reason is that some studies show

237
6. In his laws of motion, which now form the core of classical mechanics, Isaac Newton clearly
and concisely introduced three important physical ideas: the concept of inertia, the
relationship between force and acceleration, and the coupled nature of forces.
a) three important physical ideas: the concept of inertia, the relationship between force and
acceleration, and the coupled nature of forces
b) three important physical ideas; the concept of inertia, the relationship between force and
acceleration, and that forces were coupled in nature
c) three important physical ideas; the concept of inertia, force and acceleration were related, and
the coupled nature of forces
d) three important physical ideas, the concept of inertia, the relationship between force and
acceleration, and he also introduced the coupled nature of forces
e) three important ideas that were physical in nature: the concept of inertia, the relationship
between force and acceleration, and the coupled nature of forces

7. In the 1980s advertising revenues accounted for approximately 40% of operating profits of a
typical local newspaper; in the 1990s this proportion increased to 57%.
a) newspaper; in the 1990s this proportion increased to 57%.
b) newspaper; in the 1990s they increased by 57%.
c) newspaper, in the 1990s they increased to 57%.
d) newspaper; increasing to 57% in the 1990s.
e) newspaper, which increased to 57% in the 1990s.

8. The newspaper story accurately recounted the history of the colonial mansion, that it contained
thirteen rooms, and that it had a reputation for being a haunted house.
a) mansion, that it contained thirteen rooms, and that it had a reputation for being a haunted house
b) mansion, that it contained thirteen rooms, and that it had a reputation of being haunted
c) mansion, that the mansion contained thirteen rooms, and said that it had a reputation for being
haunted
d) mansion, said that it contained thirteen rooms and had a reputation for being a haunted house
e) mansion and said that the mansion contained thirteen rooms and had the reputation of being
haunted

9. Municipal governments are beginning to confront the growing pension liabilities; this leads
local politicians throughout the country to become increasingly vocal about restraining costs
and limiting services.
a) the growing pension liabilities; this leads
b) their growing pension liabilities; leading
c) the growth in their pension liabilities, which leads
d) their growing pension liabilities, leading
e) their growing pension liabilities, that leads

10. The nature trail slithers through the forest like a snake curving, and bending along the banks of
the river.
a) NO CHANGE

238
b) snake, curving and bending
C) snake curving and bending,
D) snake, curving, and bending,
E) None of these

11. The county cleared this path and paved it with packed gravel, so people would have a peaceful
place to hike and bike.
a) path, paving
b) path and then paved
c) path before paving
d) path paved
e) None of these

12. I ride this trail nearly every day–not on a bike, but on "Luigi."
a) NO CHANGE
b) day; not on a bike
c) day not on a bike
d) day, not on a bike;
e) None of these

13. “Yes”, Jim said. “I’ll be home by ten.”

a) NO CHANGE
b) “Yes,” Jim said.
c) “Yes, Jim said.”
d) “Yes” Jim said.
e) None of these

14. There was only one thing to do; study till dawn.
a) NO CHANGE
b) to do, study
c) to do study
d) to do-study
e) None of these

15. The automobile dealer handled three makes of cars, Volkswagens, Porsches, and Mercedes
Benz.
a) NO CHANGE
b) cars, Volkswagens, Porsches and Mercedes Benz
c) cars: Volkswagens, Porsches, and Mercedes Benz
d) cars. Volkswagens, Porsches, and Mercedes Benz
e) None of these

Punctuation Solutions

1. A
The original sentence is correct.

239
 2. A
The original sentence is correct.
3. D
The punctuation and grammar of this sentence is correct.
4. E
The original sentence creates a confusion regarding the subject of the 2 nd clause. Moreover,
since the two clauses are closely related, they need to be separated by a semi colon.
5. B
The original sentence contains comma splice. Option B corrects this and is more concise
compared to other options.
6. A
The original sentence is correct.
7. A
The original sentence is correct. Option A has correct use of punctuation.
8. E
Use of several commas and multiple clauses makes the sentence structure vague and
incorrect in parallelism. Option E corrects the errors despites its wordiness.
9. D
Option D fixes the parallelism error while being concise.
10. B
Since features of a snake are described, the comma must be placed after the word ‘snake’.
11. B
Two different actions are described, hence ‘and’ must be used.
12. A
The original sentence is correct.
13. B
Commas must be placed inside quotation marks.
14. D
Because the ‘one thing’ is being referred to, hyphen must be used.

15.C
Since numerous classifications are listed, colon must be used after ‘cars’

Common Errors

Segment - 1

1. Select the best option.

a) You can use these machines only between 9 A.M and 5 A.M.
b) You can use these machines only 9 A.M and 5 A.M.

240
 c) You can use this machines only between 9 A.M and 5 A.M.
d) You can use these machines just only between 9 A.M and 5 A.M.
e) You can use these machines between only 9 A.M and 5 A.M.
2. Select the best option.
a) The four basic elements that make up all but one percent of terrestrial matter include
carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen is also.
b) The four basic elements that make up all but one percent of terrestrial matter including
carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen is also.
c) The four basic elements that making up all but one percent of terrestrial matter including
carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen is also.
d) The four basic elements that make up all but one percent of terrestrial matter include
carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen also.
e) The four basic elements which make up all but one percent of terrestrial matter including
carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen is also.
3. He is ____ he sleeps almost all day long.
a) such lazy that
b) so lazy such that
c) so lazy that
d) so lazy so as to
e) as lazy as
4. The spy managed to pass on the message though the police were watchful.
(Find the missing word if any)
a) if
b) their
c) even
d) for
e) No word is missing
5. He could not scarcely but hold back his tears when he heard the sad song.
(Choose the best alternative for the underlined part of the sentence)

a) could not scarcely but hold

b) could not hardly but hold

c) could scarcely hold

d) can scarcely hold

e) None of these

6. One would think that the job is simple, since all you have to do is to make sure that
A B C
everyone is seated before the performance begins. No Error
D E

7. There are now many kinds of dictionaries, such as a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms, a
biographical dictionary, and a geographical dictionary with pronunciations given.

241
 (Choose the best alternative for the underlined part of the sentence)
A) with pronunciations given
B) that has pronunciations given
C) with pronunciations' given
D) that have pronunciations given
E) that do have pronunciations given

8. Find the Incorrect sentence

a) The couple in the garden is having a healthy rendezvous.

b) He hurriedly came downstairs with a knife, in his hand.

c) The councilor is not disinterested in my eyes and for that I prevented his taking part in the
meeting.

d) Would it be all right if I came around about seven tomorrow?

e) None of those are incorrect.

9. Find the Incorrect sentence

a) The couple in the garden is having a healthy rendezvous.

b) He hurriedly came downstairs with a knife, in his hand.

c) The councilor is not disinterested in my eyes and for that I prevented his taking part in the
meeting.

d) Would it be all right if I came around about seven tomorrow?

e) None of those are incorrectly.

10. He was aggravated than we were by the boy’s behavior.

(Choose the best alternative for the underlined part of the sentence)

a) more aggravated than we were

b) more aggravated than us

c) more annoyed than us

d) more annoyed than we were

e) none of these

Segment-2

11. Your argument is no different from the last speaker who also opposes this timely legislation.
A B C D

242
 No error.

12. Much as I would like to see Jon on the iron throne, him not petting Ghost cannot be

A B C D

excused. No error.

13. Whether Bran respected Tyrion’s advice enough to make him his hand or he made Tyrion his hand

just out of his gratefulness to Tyrion is something that will always be under speculation. No error.

A B C D E

14. No Arya, it’s not funny comparing an apple pie to a Frey pie. No error.

A B C D E

15. The iron throne, that had been a symbol of power for so many years, was destroyed by

A B C

Drogon in just a minute. No error.

D E

16. Isn’t this piece more expansive than usual for a watch? No error.

A B C D E

17. I had no idea what was going on in that room, if I had known that the students were giving

A B C

their exams in there, I never would have entered. No error.

D E

18. The exam was postponed due to the ongoing political turmoil. No error.

A B C D E

19. Gregor and Sandor wanted to kill one another all their lives, only to be killed by fire in the

A B C D

end. No error.

243
20. If a storm destroys IBA today, classes can be suspended tomorrow. No error.

A B C D E

Segment-3

21. No matter how much he tried to convince me of his disinterest, I believe that he will always

A B

be biased so long as he’s concerned for the election committee. No error.

C D E

22. It’s been a while since I lost the book, I think it’s about time I searched it. No error.

A B C D E

23. The number of artists that are talented are reducing every year, no wonder the music

A B

nowadays is of such poor taste. No error.

C D E

24. If I agreed with the decision my father made for me, that would be the end of my career

A B C

right there. No error.

D E

25. If I were offered a million dollars to murder the head of state, I’d buy a lot of chicken wings

A B C

with the money. No error.

D E

26. Grameenphone currently has the largest mobile subscribers base in the country. No error.

A B C D E

27. If I were to ever work for a multinational company, my monthly wage would have been in

A B C D

the six digits. No error.

28. I like handsful of coffee in my tea, your not liking any is something that bothers me.

A B C D

244
No error.

29. I am contemplating if I should buy a gaming PC or a PS4. No error.

A B C D E

30. Who does all the thinking in this household? Who else but her? No error.

A B C D E

Common Errors Solution

1. A
Option A is the only alternative which has proper subject verb agreement. Other options
contain structural errors or redundancy.
2. D
‘is also’ cannot be used at the end of a sentence.
3. C
‘So + Adjective + That’ is the correct structure.
4. C
If ‘though’ is not used in the beginning of a sentence, it must be preceded by ‘even’.
5. C
Using both ‘Could not but’ and ‘scarcely’ is a redundancy error. Past tense must be used here.
6. A
If a sentence being with the pronoun reference ‘One’, the subsequent references must be ‘one’.
Since it is not the case in this sentence, ‘one’ is incorrect.
7. B
Since a specific type of dictionary is described here, ‘that’ must be used.
8. B
The comma is misplaced; it should be after the word ‘downstairs’.
9. D
Since it is implied that the last speaker already spoke, past tense must be used.
10. B
Since it is an objective phrase, the objective pronoun ‘us’ must be used.
11. B
The comma is misplaced; it should be after the word ‘downstairs’.
12. D
A possessive pronoun is used before gerunds. The correct word here is ‘his’.
13. A
Definite article is never used before a possessive pronoun.
14. B
The correct structure is [adjective + infinitive]. Hence, it should be ‘to compare’.
15. A
Since a specific object is referred to here, ‘which’ should be used instead of ‘that’.

245
16. B
The correct word here is ‘expensive’, not ‘expansive.’
17. B
The sentence is a run-on sentence. It should be separated into two distinct sentences after
the word ‘room’.
18. E
The sentence contains no errors.
19. A
The correct phrase here is ‘each other’.
20. B
Since it is a hypothetical situation, ‘could’ must be used.
21. C
The correct phrase is ‘as long as’.
22. A
‘It’s’ is an abbreviation of ‘It is’. The correct phrase here is ‘It has’.
23. B
Singular verb should be used. [The number of + plural subject + singular verb]
24. C
Since the initial verb is past indefinite tense, the correct verb here is ‘would have been’.
25. E
The sentence contains no errors.
26. C
Noun adjectives must always be in singular form.
27. A
In order to maintain consistency with the rest of the sentence, the correct verb here is ‘ever
worked’.
28. A
The proper plural form is ‘handfuls’, not ‘handsful’.
29. A
When comparing between two things, ‘whether’ should be used, not ‘if’.

30. E

The sentence contains no errors.

246
Chapter – 12

Reading Comprehensions

Reading comprehensions and churning out the specific parts needed for the answers is one of the
most tedious things in the IBA examination. There are different forms of passages that might come
in the exam and each set of passage comes with questions that need to be answered. Based on the
questions that usually appear you can differentiate the types that can appear in the exam.

In the IBA examination, the passages that are given are usually lengthy and complex. Skimming
through them will not necessarily help you if a specific part contains a key element that might help
you to answer a question. Before delving into the types of passages that usually appear let us look at
some techniques with the help of which reading in general becomes easy.

Helpful pointers:

1. Do not take too much time reading the passage. It’s important to be thorough but since after reading
a question, the answer to which is contained in a specific part based on what you skimmed, you will
probably come back to read that part again. So, spending too much time initially just wastes time on
your end. Try to avoid such things.

2. If there are multiple passages, begin with the easiest one. After you churn down one passage, it is
easier to move onto a harder one since it bolsters your confidence a lot and that is necessary in an
exam that can be quite stressful on the mind.

3. In case you are zoning out while reading a passage, try to mark or white down some important
pointers on the side of the question so that you do not have to read that entire section again. After
doing that, stop reading for a bit. Regain your focus and start again. Just because things are getting
blurry and you are losing concentration, it does not mean that you give up. Take a short break and
crack at it again.

4. If you have read the passage and are trying to answer a question and you are not sure about the
answer, do not just skip it. Based on the time you spent there must be some choices that you can
eliminate. Eliminate those and try to answer again. If you still cannot find it then skip the question and
move on to the next. If you do this, then after you have done answering the rest and have a few
seconds left on the clock, you can come back and attempt the question again and this time it has

247
lesser options since you eliminated some at the first try. Think of the longer game when it comes to
passages. It is important that you understand the necessity of it and act accordingly.

5. The basic suggestion for increasing your base reading capabilities is practice. Read fiction,
documents about any topic, articles on your phone and any source of writing that is from a credible
source. This not only keeps you updated about the contemporary pop-culture and how things are
going on in the world but also helps you to have a faster skimming rate when it comes to passages.
The faster you can read a passage in an efficient manner, the more time you have to answer the
questions and get down to the correct option. This practice is necessary.

Now let us look at the types of passages that can appear in the IBA examination.

- a) Basic

- b) Informative

- c) Analytical

- d) Critical

- e) Inference Question Based

Let us understand what these types are how to solve questions appearing from these passages.

a) Basic –

This is your standard passage that talks about a certain topic and has a general outline of that topic.
It might be about an event or a person or something abstract. This form of a passage is usually
labelled with questions that can be easily found but you have to read the entire thing since all the
answers are not in one part of the passage. It’s spread throughout.

Example -

Cats do get diseases, and prevention is better than cure. It is most important to get a young cat
vaccinated against some of the deadliest diseases. If a cat gets a disease, a veterinarian (animal
doctor) can offer help. Some cats, depending on breed, gender, age, and general health, may be more
susceptible to disease than others. Regular visits to a vet can keep a cat alive many extra years by
catching sickness and disease early. Cats that roam outside will get fleas at some time. Cat fleas will
not live on people, but fleas will not hesitate to bite anyone nearby. Owners may choose to buy anti-
flea collars, but any areas where the cat normally sleeps need to be cleaned up. A vet or local pet-shop
may offer advice about fleas. It is recommended that people quickly act when a cat gets fleas because
fleas can make cats uncomfortable. House cats can become overweight through lack of exercise and
over-feeding. When they are spayed or neutered ("fixed"), they tend to exercise less. Spaying is done

248
for queens, and neutering is done for toms. It is important to fix cats, and here are some reasons. First,
if a female cat has kittens, they will need homes. Finding homes for kittens is often quite difficult. If a
tom is not fixed, it develops a disgusting smell. Breeders who have entire toms keep them in a special
hut outside the house, for that reason. Fixing also helps to avoid over-population. Over-population
means that there are too many cats, and some will be put to sleep (put down) in animal pounds (animal
shelters).

i) Which of the following describes the act of a veterinarian the best?

o Animal curator

o Animal hunter

o Child specialist

o Animal doctor

o Animal trainer

ii) Why are regular visits to a vet important?

o It can keep a human being warm

o Vets are purveyors of magic and they have the ability to give you wings and flight

o Children are often too naughty to be controlled at home and so they should be taken to the vet

o Any diseases that animals might suffer from can be caught early which provides a few extra years
to the life expectancy of the said animal

o Vets are cool and people should hang out with them

iii) What can you infer about fleas from the passage?

o Fleas are helpful insects in general and keep a good balance between all animals

o Fleas will not live on people but that doesn’t mean they won’t bite people if the opportunity presents

o Fleas will get inside the cat and weaken the cat from within as soon as they come in contact with
the cat

o Fleas have magical powers

o Fleas are control agents sent to keep tabs on cats by vets

249
iv) Spaying is done for queens and ___________ is done for toms.

o Nomenclature

o Neutering

o Nonsensical

o Negating

o Neutralizing

v) What happens when a tom is not fixed?

o It tends to cause trouble for the queens nearby

o It can attack nearby animals and cause a pandemic

o It develops a disgusting smell

o It develops a rabid nature and attacks nearby human beings

o It grows in size and becomes insanely difficult to handle

This is the example of a basic passage and the questions it can have. The passage is about cats and
the diseases they have in general and how it is treated. It has no depth in terms of interpretation and
can be solved easily by carefully reading the entire passage. Let us read the passage once and try to
answer the questions.

- The answer to the first question is **animal doctor**. It is directly given in the passage.

- The answer to the second question **is any diseases that animals might suffer from can be caught
early which provides a few extra years to the life expectancy of the said animal.** This information is
directly provided in the fifth line of the passage.

- The answer to the third question is **fleas will not live on people but that does not mean they will
not bite people if the opportunity presents.** This information is given in the sixth and seventh line if
the passage.

- The answer to the fourth question is **neutering**. This is given at the beginning of the 13th line of
the passage.

250
- The answer to the last question is **it develops a disgusting smell.** This is given in the 15th line of
the passage.

Solving a passage like this is easy. Just read and find out the answer from the passage.

b) Informative –

This type of a passage usually contains a lot of information and you need to read the question
carefully to understand exactly what is being asked of you. Since there is a bombardment of
information and the options are relatively close (mostly done to confuse you) you need to be vigilant
while reading the passage.

Example -

Tesla Motors, an automobile manufacturing company is one example of a successful enterprise.

Since the inception of the company in 2003, Tesla Motors has carved a niche in the automobile
industry with the manufacture of energy efficient and electric cars.

Tesla Motors was founded by like-minded engineers who had a flare for electric vehicles.
Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Tesla Motors deployed its first set of cars (Tesla Roadster) in
early 2008. It also has the Model S to its credit and plans to commission Model X, which would see
the world’s transition to “electric mobility”. Tesla Motors hopes to cooperate with other automobile
manufacturing companies to produce more electric vehicle in the most cost-effective way.

Tesla Motors hopes to become a household name as they plan to gain more presence that is global
and expand their business in the international market. They have commissioned a lot of stores and
service centers in almost all the states in the United States. They also have plant in Canada and are
planning to expand to other parts of the world especially Europe and Asia through foreign direct
investment. This move has great potentials and will better the lot of the company. Currently, Tesla
Motors has stores and service centers in America and Canada, across Europe in Austria, Belgium,
Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
and across Asia in Hong Kong and Japan, and Australia.

i) What sort of a company is Tesla?

o A think tank featuring the best scientists from all over the world

o An automobile manufacturing company

251
o A tech company that has the latest inventions to help bolster the growth of the world

o A manufacturing company that mostly deals with lower market labors

o A power company that delivers to South African countries only

ii) What sort of cars does Tesla make and how does it position itself in the automobile market?

o They make mechanical cars and position themselves as oil-efficient and sturdy

o They make diesel-based cars and position themselves as inefficient in terms of mileage

o They make toy cars and position themselves as a brand that spreads happiness in a more profound
way than Lego

o They make electric cars and position themselves as a brand that is energy efficient

o None of the above

iii) Which model of Tesla is destined to become the face of “electric mobility” for the world?

o Model Y

o Model S

o Model K

o Model X

o Model P

iv) How does Tesla plan to become a household name in the global scale?

o By manufacturing more power cells in order to fuel the first generation of Terminators which will
eventually take over the planet

o By enabling a data-based hacking program that will take control of the database management of
most firms in the world

o By engulfing the data centers of the world and wreaking havoc on the population of the world

o By commissioning a lot of stores and services centers across major regions which enables them to
expand their business in the international markets

o By decoding a sequence-based genome that causes infection to people in general

v) How does Tesla plan to tap the European and Asian markets?

252
o By creating plants

o By foreign retailing

o By foreign persuasion

o By foreign direct investment

o By foreign invasion

Therefore, this is a form of passage that is very informative, and all the parts are knit in a close manner.
In order to answer the questions, we need to read the passage very objectively and understand exactly
what is being asked in the question and answer that part only. Let us now read the passage once and
try to find out the answer to the questions.

- The answer to the first question is **an automobile manufacturing company**. It is given in the first
line of the passage.

- The answer to the second question is that **they make electric cars and position themselves as a
brand that is energy efficient**. It is given in the last line of the first paragraph.

- The answer to the third question is **Model X**. It is given in the sixth line of the passage.

- The answer to the fourth question is **by commissioning many stores and services centers across
major regions, which enables them to expand their business in the international markets.** This is
mentioned in the eighth line of the passage. Careful reading needs to be done here and after that you
can easily see that this is the only viable answer from the bulk of the options.

- The answer to the fifth question is **by foreign direct investment**. This is given in the fifth line of
the last paragraph of the passage.

Solving this form of a passage needs acute attention to the entire passage and each part needs to be
read carefully in order to understand where the answer might be. Practice reading different texts and
documents with focused attention at the informative parts in order to do better in this segment in
general.

c) Analytical –

The analytical passage is a format that often appears in the entrance exam. One of the key things over
here is understanding the gist of the passage and answering on that basis. A direct answer will not be

253
available most of the time. There are descriptions of a certain topic, which are presented with pros
and cons in general in order to give a diversified context which can confuse the reader to a certain
extent. So, understanding the entire thing properly is very important here.

Example -

An important difference between James and his mother is their method of dealing with the pain they
experience. While James turns inward, his mother Ruth turns outward, starting a new relationship,
moving to a different place, keeping herself busy. Ruth herself describes that, even as a young girl,
she had an urge to run, to feel the freedom and the movement of her legs pumping as fast as they
can. As an adult, Ruth still feels the urge to run. Following her second husband’s death, James points
out that, “while she weebled and wobbled and leaned, she did not fall. She responded with speed and
motion. She would not stop moving”. As she biked, walked, rode the bus all over the city, “she kept
moving as if her life depended on it, which in some ways it did. She ran, as she had done most of her
life, but this time she was running for her own sanity”. Ruth’s motion is a pattern of responding to the
tragedy in her life.

As a girl, she did not sit and think about her abusive father and her trapped life in the Suffolk store.
Instead, she just left home, moved on, and tried something different. She did not analyze the
connections between pain and understanding, between action and response, even though she seems
to understand them. As an adult, she continues this pattern, although her running is modified by her
responsibilities to her children and home.

i) Whose context of dealing with pain has been mostly talked about in this passage?

o Jeremy

o Johanasson

o Luther

o Ruth

o Amanda

ii) Does the outward concept of dealing with pain set a specific tone about the personality of a person
here?

o Yes, it does and the tone suggest a method of deflecting the entire prospect

o No, it doesn’t and it is purely subjective to the prospect of a person and his/her thoughts

254
o Yes, it does and it ensures a tone of not bottling to pressure and taking a course of action that
suggest self- importance and preferring one’s own sanity

o No, it doesn’t and this ensures ambiguity throughout

o Yes, it does and it ensures a tone of solidarity and self-harm

iii) What specific interpretation would suit best to the way James described his mother?

o The response with speed and motion was never a solid plan but it was met effectively by her to gain
her own solace from the tragedies of life

o The response with speed and motion did not turn out to be good in any sense and this will not help
her in a good manner whatsoever

o The response with speed and motion has a reverse effect on the psychology that in imprinted in the
basic psyche and this change is something that cannot be enacted on a nominal basis

o The response with speed and motion has a direct effect on the psychology that in imprinted in the
basic psyche

o The response with speed and motion has no direct correlation here and that is just banal

iv) The emotional coping mechanism of Ruth is a pattern that responds to the __________ of her life.

o Joy

o Decadence

o Tragedy

o Prejudice

o Dichotomy

v) Does the author make any direct correlation to the childhood pattern in Ruth’s behavior to how she
handles tragedy in general and is there any direct basis to that?

o Yes, the author does that but does not provide a direct correlation

o No, the author does not make a direct correlation and this can be inferred over here.

o Yes, the author makes a direct correlation here and constructs a basis of that by referring to the way
she handled things in her childhood and how that molded into her perception of actions in her adult
life when it comes to confronting tragedy

o No, the author makes no direct correlation here but there is a base to assume this thing based on
the other information in the passage

o None of the above

255
Therefore, the passage itself is not that large but the entire thing needs to be understood. Therefore,
a direct understanding of the passage is necessary over here. There are constructs of both ends here
and they need to be understood. Let us read the passage and try to find out the answer to the
questions.

- The answer to the first question is **Ruth.** That is the main individual about whom the entire
passage is constructed around.

- The answer to the second question is, **Yes, it does and it ensures a tone of not bottling to pressure
and taking a course of action that suggest self-importance and preferring one’s own sanity.** The
entire prose is set about Ruth when her concept of dealing with tragedy with the prospect of moving
outward. None of the other answers over here has a similar semblance and this is the only one that
talks about the importance of self-sanity and preference, something that Ruth is preferably inclined
to.

- The answer to the third question is, **The response with speed and motion was never a solid plan
but it was met effectively by her to gain her own solace from the tragedies of life**. The premise for
this is set when James declares that while she weebled, wobbled, and leaned towards the prospect of
going outward. The idea was not intact but it worked out since Ruth was concerned for the sanctity
of her own sanity. Therefore, this is the appropriate answer for this question.

- The answer to the fourth question is, **Tragedy.** Over here, the basis of the entire interpretation is
based on this. Therefore, this answer is obvious.

- The answer to the fifth question is, **Yes, the author makes a direct correlation here and constructs
a basis of that by referring to the way she handled things in her childhood and how that molded into
her perception of actions in her adult life when it comes to confronting tragedy.** The way Ruth did
not restrict herself to an inward life after the tantrums of her father and left the house to become more
self-reliant and giving importance to herself is a way of understanding how her development with age
matured her perception of that outward nature to cope with tragedy. Modifications came into place
but the core nature of shifting from things and prioritizing her happiness is how she deflects from
tragedy.

Therefore, from this passage and the answers we can easily understand that there is a direct
correlation to the way this can be solved. The understanding of the entire passage is necessary here.
A thorough reading will not just do. You have to value the pros and cons and then look at the question
and options to find the correct answer. Some options can be eliminated easily but most others can
be confusing. Therefore, a proper base for answering is required.

256
d) Critical –

The critical passage is like the next level of analytical where the boundaries of understanding and
information assimilation is pushed. Here the understanding the passage is as crucial as
understanding the question as well. In most cases the question seems to be about something but in
reality, it is about something else altogether. This form of a comprehension tries to question regarding
why the author said the things he/she said in the comprehension. Therefore, a thorough read is very
important in this regard. Let us now look at a comprehension and understand how it can be solved.

Example -

While the Gutenberg press was perhaps one of the greatest inventions of all time, we should not let
its importance blind us to other very important events in the history of linguistic development.
Granted, the efficiency of printing allowed for the dissemination of much learning in Europe. Still, such
printing was not unique to Europe, and even in the scope of world history, there are several events
that are equally as miraculous regarding the transmission of knowledge.

For instance, most people overlook the amazing nature of the first time that human beings
communicated with spoken language. Perhaps there were simple signs by which these early humans
could indicate their needs to each other; however, when the first event of person-to-person speech
occurred, it was far more marvelous than simple practical communication. Such speech was like a
sharing in ideas. When true speech happened, persons were able to communicate knowledge to each
other, freeing it from its isolation in one lonely person. By means of such speech, knowledge could be
orally transmitted from generation to generation, thus preserving wisdom in a way that is completely
impossible without speech.

Of course, such spoken tradition is very fragile, relying on memories and stories that are passed down
from generation to generation. For this reason, the invention of writing is extremely important. In
contrast to the spoken word, the written word can continue to exist and be useful so long as it can be
read intelligently. Likewise, much more can be recorded than ever could be remembered by someone
with the best of memories. Indeed, once these records are written, copies can be sent to anyone who
is able to read the language in question. Just so, it can be translated into written copies to be read by
others. For these (as well as many other reasons) the invention of writing was a very significant event
in history, greatly expanding the possibilities for the exchange of knowledge.

Thus, the printing press is quite important, but it is part of a larger story. Like both spoken and written
communication, it allows human beings to communicate knowledge not only to each other but also

257
across multiple generations. Often, we think of the press merely in its ability to provide a great number
of books in a short period; however, when considered as a chapter in this longer tale, it likewise
appears as the means by which humanity is able to conquer time by allowing the knowledge of today
to live for multiple generations.

i) What is the main idea of this passage?

o The Gutenberg press is the single greatest achievement in the history of humanity.

o The Gutenberg press is a rather unimportant invention in contrast to many other ones over the
evolution of the linguistic iteration of human language.

o Historians should ignore the Gutenberg press in general for it does not have much effect on how life
goes on in general.

o The Gutenberg press should be understood as part of a longer history of the development of human
communication.

o The Gutenberg press is a fascinating case study but nothing more in reality.

ii) What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

o To show the worthiness of speech

o To introduce and explain the benefits of the written word

o To transition back and forth from the discussion of the importance of speech to the relative
importance of the Gutenberg press

o To give an example of the inventiveness of humans in general

o To explain the first historical event of writing

iii) What is the importance of the first paragraph to this entire passage?

o It sets the tone for the importance of the Gutenberg press and then delves into the prospect of
showing examples of how and when it directly affected the human communication throughout
history.

o It sets the tone for the Gutenberg press to be one of the most redundant things out there and that
historians should try to work with better things in general.

o It sets the tone for the Gutenberg press to be an important stepping-stone in the history of human
communication but also dilutes the importance of it and goes on to show that it was small fragment
in a much larger picture for the development of our linguistics.

258
o It sets the tone for the Gutenberg press to be heralded as the most important and undoubtedly the
most miraculous thing in the history of humanity.

o It sets the tone for the Gutenberg press to be a writing mechanism that conspires to fiddle with the
human mind and goes on to show as to how it should be stopped from meddling with our perception.

iv) Why does the author give more importance to the first event of a person-to-person speech than the
prospect of written format dissemination via press?

o The prospect of spoken communication is much more important in human history than written
forms of communication

o The prospect is given more importance simply because the author is more biased towards a spoken
form of communication

o The prospect is given more importance, as using speech to deliver ideas was far more prominent
than simpler forms of communication and compared to written communication via press; it holds
more importance as it was the first incident to incite human communication to begin with. Written
mode of communication came later as a means to preserve our history.

o The prospect of talking to another person is more interesting in general compared to the prospect
of writing or disseminating written word altogether

o None of the above

v) What is the main theme of the entire passage here?

o A contrast of opinions

o A unison of opinions stated and referred to with examples

o Deflecting a fact in a negative manner to put emphasis on the larger picture overall

o Paraphrasing a segment and reiterating it with a different meaning

o None of the above

As you can clearly see, the passage itself and the questions are totally on a different level compared
to the ones, which we did before. This is because of the nature of the passage in general. It’s critical
and it tries to put you into the mind of the author and expects you to find out his/her thinking process.
Let us try to answer these questions after reading the passage thoroughly.

- The answer to the first question is, The **Gutenberg press should be understood as part of a longer
history of the development of human communication.** Here the main idea from the perspective of
the author is to find a degree of importance for the development of the entire linguistic evolution of
humankind. The way the Gutenberg press is adhered for its dissemination of the written word is

259
something the author feels is slightly over hyped in comparison to the advent of free speech or verbal
communication in general. The author feels that it is a part of the entire cog that went on to develop
the human communication, as we know today. So this is the viable option from the rest.

- The answer to the second question is, **to introduce and explain the benefits of the written word.**
Here the answer is obvious since this passage transitions into the prospect of the written word being
a form of communication that can help to preserve our stories and histories for a long time. It can
also be disseminated to others, something speech cannot do when all the parties involved perish or
cease to exist.

- The answer to the third question is, **it sets the tone for the Gutenberg press to be an important
stepping-stone in the history of human communication but also dilutes the importance of it and goes
on to show that it was small fragment in a much larger picture for the development of our linguistics.**
This question needs to be understood properly. The entire passage when read can give a more holistic
idea about the way the author thinks. However, the first passage has been given here not to undermine
the Gutenberg press, which is something that might seem like the case initially. It has undermined
with respect to the other important things in the evolution of human communication and this has been
done to bring the concept of free speech and the pros of the written word later on. So logically, this is
the fitting answer for this question.

- The answer to the fourth question is, **the prospect is given more importance, as using speech to
deliver ideas was far more prominent than simpler forms of communication and compared to written
communication via press; it holds more importance as it was the first incident to incite human
communication to begin with. Written mode of communication came later as a means to preserve our
history.** This question is also based on the perspective of the author. To the author the advent of
free speech is something that is more important than the dissemination of the written word which
came as something in a far more advanced form of the human communication modulus. Without
speech itself, communication wouldn’t have even gone to the prospect of the written word. So this is
the appropriate answer here from the perspective of the author.

- The answer to the fifth question is, **Deflecting a fact in a negative manner to put emphasis on the
larger picture overall.** Here the entire thing stands out in the regard of how the author envisioned
the passage. The Gutenberg press was important and this is factual. However, the importance was
deflected to put an emphasis on the entire modality of the evolution of the human communication
and then the author took us through the different stages altogether. Therefore, this is the proper
answer here with respect to the other choices.

Therefore, as you can clearly see this is a form of passage that pushes your reading and thinking skills
to the limit and the IBA admission exam has passages like this. A critical passage usually always
comes and acing this is very important. Like the other sections, the suggestion for this section is very
similar. Read and develop your skills. Try to get a passage done in a shorter time so that more focus
can be given on the questions. Critical passages always have the perspective of the author set and
answers should be given in that regard. This is how they are different from analytical passages. They

260
have facts stated and you need to find out and interpret the answer in that regard. However, in critical
passages, the perspective of the author can be swayed in a specific direction. Answers need to be
given in that basis. So critical passages are a bit tougher. Nevertheless, with practice, you can achieve
anything. So start reading more often from now on to develop your skills in this sector.

e) Inference Question Based –

This is somewhat like a critical passage. Here clues and different statements are given in general
about a certain topic. An inference is to be made from these and the best possible answer needs to
be chosen. Grasping the meaning of the passage without being given all the information is important
over here. Here the passage needs to be tackled and rephrasing some of the lines can help to get to
the answer faster. Since the prospect is inferred, direct answers are not mostly available for this type
of a passage. Let us look at an example for a better understanding.

Example -

On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with less than a hundred crew
members to discover a new route to Asia. After spending a difficult time at sea, the party sighted land
early on the morning of October 12, 1492. They set foot on an island in the Bahamas, which they
named Al Salvador. Columbus presumed that the indigenous people were Native Indians as he was
under the mistaken belief that he had set foot on Indian soil. Probably some 10 million American
Indians were natives to the land before the large-scale habitation by Europeans and subsequent
annihilation of Native Americans started.

However, it took more than a hundred years after Columbus discovered America for the Europeans to
finally take the important decision to make the New World their home.

The Native Americans actually welcomed the pale-skinned visitors primarily out of curiosity than
anything else. They were fascinated by the steel knives and swords, fire spewing cannons, brass and
copper utensils, etc. that these visitors brought with them. Eventually, cultural differences erupted.
The natives could not stomach the arrogance of the newcomers and the scant respect they paid to
nature. The European settlers viewed every resource — plants, animals, and people as something to
be commercially exploited.

The native Indians were vastly outnumbered in the wars that ensued. The resistance they put up never
proved enough to stop the European settlers. The nomadic lifestyle of the Indians, the relatively
unsophisticated weapons at their disposal, the unwillingness of some of their own people to defend
themselves, and the diseases of the white men — all contributed to the virtual elimination of their race.
Some of the diseases brought by Europeans from their overcrowded cities that decimated the natives

261
were - small pox, plague, measles, cholera, typhoid, and malaria. These deadly diseases, to which most
natives had developed no resistance, devastated many tribes between 1775 and 1850. America was
named after an Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, who explored the Northern parts of South America
in 1499 and 1500 and later announced to the world about the discovery of a new continent.

i) The primary purpose of this passage is to –

o Disprove the notion that Columbus named America.

o Provide a snapshot about the discovery of America and the early years of settlement.

o Explain how the Europeans eliminated the native Americans in their own land.

o Discuss how the process of colonization of America started.

o None of the above.

ii) From the passage we can infer that compared to the Europeans, Native Americans were –

o Careless about their environment

o A very unhealthy lot

o More respectful of nature

o Ignorant about sanitation

o Afraid of outsiders

iii) What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

o The Native Americans did not have any weapons with which they could defend themselves

o The Native Americans attached a lot of importance to nature and had an unwillingness to defend in
general, coupled with external factors that were against them leading to a negative outcome

o The Native Americans attached a lot of importance to nature and had an unwillingness to defend in
general, coupled with external factors that were against them leading to a positive outcome

o The early settlers became arrogant as they could exploit commercially viable resources in a steady
manner

o The Native Americans were arrogant in general and this lead to the demise of the entire group
altogether

iv) Based on the information from the passage, which one of the following cannot be inferred?

262
- a) Alien diseases wiped out certain portions of a large population of the Native American tribes.

- b) The early settlers eliminated the Native Americans totally.

- c) To the early settlers, even people were resources to be exploited commercially.

o Only a

o Only b

oa&b

o Only c

o None of the above

v) How many years did it take after Columbus discovered America for the Europeans to take the New
World as a part of their home?

o About one thousand years

o About two hundred years

o About fifty years

o About one hundred years

o About ten years

For this sort of a paragraph an inference is drawn and the cues need to be identified properly for the
answer to be interpreted in the right manner. The question needs to be understood and that specific
part of the passage needs to be read. After doing that you need to understand what inference needs
to be drawn and after drawing that, the options need to be checked. A correct answer can be identified
then. Let us look at the questions and solve this passage.

- The answer to the first question is, **Provide a snapshot about the discovery of America and the
early years of settlement.** Once the passage is read, this answer is pretty simple to find. The
components of the passage provide a snapshot of the events that took place after the discovery of
Columbus and talks about those events in a specific manner.

- The answer to the second question is, **More respectful of nature.** This is not directly stated in the
passage but this needs to be inferred from the specific set of options that have been given. Comparing
the activities done by the Europeans in the passage we can see that the Native Americans are more
respectful of their nature and activities in general. They are not harsh and rash or disrespectful in
nature. Therefore, this is the answer that can be inferred from the passage in general.

263
- The answer to the third question is, **The Native Americans attached a lot of importance to nature
and had an unwillingness to defend in general, coupled with external factors that were against them
leading to a positive outcome**. This option is the only one that fully describes the reason for the loss
of the position of the Native Americans to that of the Europeans. They are more respectful of their
nature and the people around them. They are not hostile and these inferences can be drawn from the
passage about them. The external factors over here are more prominent with that of the nature of the
Europeans. Therefore, this is the obvious answer over here.

- The answer to the fourth question is, **Only b.** Here the answer is set on the basis of the usage of
the adverbial. They were not eliminated. They were virtually eliminated according to the passage. So
this option is clearly wrong and based on the information from the passage this inference can be
properly analyzed. The other options are perpetually redundant to the question over here.

- The answer to the fifth question is, **about one hundred years.** This is directly given in the passage.
No inference needs to be drawn over here.

Therefore, we can easily see that these are the cues which, are needed in order to solve an inference
based passage. This sort of a passage in less difficult than a critical passage. A proper inference
needs to be drawn and the answers need to be given on that basis. Proper practice of reading should
give a proper understanding of this form of a passage.

So this is how reading comprehension can appear in the IBA Examination and these are the helping
pointers to solve comprehensions. In reality, there are no short-cuts to solving reading
comprehension. Read and genuinely try to understand what is being said. The answer will reveal itself
to you.

---

264
Reading Comprehension Exercises

Basic

The "Old Man of the Mountain" was not really an old man, but a rock formation that resembled the
face of an old man in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The natural formation was at least 40
feet high and 25 feet wide. It became such a symbol of the state of New Hampshire, that "he" was
featured on the back of the state's quarter in the year 2000. Old Man of the Mountain was also honored
on a United States Postage Stamp in 1955.

The old man, however, did not last forever. On May 3, 2003, he crumbled to the ground, despite efforts
made by the state of New Hampshire to keep him atop the mountain for the last 75 years! People were
so sad that some placed flowers at the base of his mountain.

**1. The Old Man of the Mountain was _____.**

a. a real person.

b. a symbol of the state of Hampshire.

c. never really on the mountain.

d. not connected with the soul of the community.

e. removed from the mountain by park rangers.

**2. Why did some people place flowers at the base of the mountain?**

a. To make the area more colorful.

b. They were happy to see the Old Man of the Mountain.

c. They were sad that the Old Man of the Mountain crumbled to the ground.

d. People thought flowers were a sign of disrespect.

e. Mostly because they saw other people doing it.

**3. What happened first?**

265
a. The Old Man of the Mountain was honored on a postage stamp.

b. The Old man of the Mountain was honored on the New Hampshire state quarter.

c. The Old Man of the Mountain crumbled to the ground.

d. People placed flowers at the mountain.

e. The legacy of the Old Man remained.

**4. To the state of New Hampshire, the Old Man of the Mountain was ______.**

a. significant

b. unknown

c. inconsequential

d. monotonous

e. nugatory

**5. What does “resembled” mean in the first sentence of the passage?**

a. crumbled from

b. looked like

c. had the composition of

d. was not connected to

e. honored

Informative

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. His career in exploration started when he was very
young. As a teenager he traveled the seas and eventually made Portugal his base. He appealed to the
kings of Portugal, France, and England to finance a westward trip to the Indies, but all denied his

266
request. After ten years of monumental efforts but fruitless results, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
of Spain agreed to finance Columbus in the hopes of acquiring great wealth. On August 3, 1492, at the
age of forty, Columbus and three ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, left Palos, Spain and headed
westward.

After stopping in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, Columbus's ships hit the open seas.
Covering about 150 miles a day, the trip was long and arduous. The crew was afraid of sea monsters
and grew more restless every day land was not sighted. Columbus offered a reward for the first person
to sight land. On October 12, a crew member aboard the Pinta sighted one of the Bahama Islands.
Columbus set foot on what he believed was one of the Spice Islands, a group of islands in Asia (now
known as Indonesia), where valuable spices and riches came from. He named the land San Salvador.
Columbus failed to find the riches he expected, and continued to search for China. He next visited
Cuba and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic). He encountered native peoples who he named "Indians"
because he believed they were inhabitants of the Indies.

Columbus returned to Spain a hero. He was named viceroy of the Indies. He soon returned to the New
World but never found the riches he expected. Some began to believe that Columbus had found "a
new world" rather than a shortcut to the Indies.

Christopher Columbus made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of the world - North
America. Though he probably wasn't the first explorer to see the continent, and he believed until his
death that the islands he encountered were in the Asian continent, his discoveries were instrumental
in the establishment of Spanish colonies in North America. Today, we celebrate Columbus Day in
October to commemorate his discoveries.

**6. Which of the following is closest in meaning to “fruitless”?**

a. Without fruit

b. Without success

c. Without any cost

d. Broken promise

e. Without intention

**7. What country eventually agreed to finance Christopher Colombus’ trip?**

a. Portugal

b. France

267
c. England

d. Spain

e. Germany

**8. Columbus thought he could find a shortcut to the Indies by sailing _____.**

a. North

b. South

c. East

d. West

e. None of the above

**9. On October 12, 1492, where did Colombus think he was?**

a. North America

b. Asia

c. Africa

d. Dominican Republic

e. Australia

**10. When was Columbus born?**

a. 1442

b. 1452

c. 1462

d. 1492

e. 1432

Analytical

Among predatory dinosaurs, few flesh-eaters were bigger, faster and nastier than the "tyrant lizard" of
popular imagination, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. At least, that is what we have been led to believe. Now

268
research suggests that, far from being the Ferrari of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex, whose ferocious
reputation has fascinated generations of schoolchildren, was in fact a cumbersome creature with a
usual running speed of twenty-five kilometres an hour. This is a mere snail's pace compared with
modern animals such as the cheetah. Unlike some of the predators of today's African Savannah, which
can change direction almost immediately, the dinosaur would have had to turn slowly or risk tumbling
over.

Moreover, while a human can spin forty-five degrees in a twentieth of a second, a Tyrannosaurus
would have taken as much as two seconds, as its long tail would have hampered it. Thankfully,
however, all its prey, such as triceratops, would have been afflicted with the same lack of speed and
agility. The findings were reached after researchers used computer modelling and bio-mechanical
calculations to work out the dinosaur's speed, agility and weight. They based their calculations on
measurements taken from a fossil dinosaur representative of an average Tyrannosaurus and
concluded the creatures probably weighed between six and eight tons. Calculations of the leg muscles
suggest that the animal would have had a top speed of forty kilometres an hour, which is nothing
compared to a cheetah’s one hundred kilometres an hour. It is sobering to reflect, though, that an
Olympic sprinter runs at about thirty-five kilometres an hour, not sufficient to outrun a Tyrannosaurus,
should Man have been around at that time!

**11. Being known as the ‘Ferrari of dinosaurs’ means Tyrannosaurus Rex:**

a. wore shoes.

b. was a quick and agile creature.

c. was a hunting machine.

d. was the most ferocious of dinosaurs.

e. None of these.

**12. In turning, a Tyrannosaurus would have been hampered by:**

a. its weight.

b. its bulky leg muscles.

c. its overall size.

d. its tail length.

e. All of the above.

**13. In calculating the size, speed and agility of Tyrannosaurus Rex, scientists used:**

269
a. examination of fossils.

b. bio-mechanical calculations and computer models.

c. comparisons with modern animals.

d. both A and B.

e. both B and C.

**14. The overall theme of the passage is:**

a. Because it was cumbersome, Tyrannosaurus Rex was lucky to survive.

b. Tyrannosaurus Rex’s speed and agility were still superior to those of other dinosaurs.

c. Tyrannosaurus Rex’s fierce reputation is now laid to rest.

d. Compared to modern predatory animals, Tyrannosaurus Rex was slow and cumbersome.

e. None of these.

Critical

If you plan on going to Hawaii, do not bring any pets. Hawaiians are wary of letting in foreign animals.
Your beloved Rex or Fi-fi could spend up to 120 days in quarantine. They have strict rules for importing
animals. They carefully screen all incoming pets. Who could blame them? They've had problems with
new animals in the past.

The black rat was introduced to Hawaii in the 1780s. These ugly suckers **originated** in Asia, but
they migrated to Europe in the 1st century. Since then they have snuck on European ships and
voyaged the world with them. These rats carry many diseases including the plague. They are also
good at surviving and tend to displace native species. That means that after they infest an area, there
will be fewer birds and more black rats. Most people prefer living around birds.

Since their arrival in Hawaii, black rats have been pests. They have feasted on sea turtle eggs. They
have eaten tree saplings, preventing trees from being reforested. In addition, they have been a leading
cause in the extinction of more than 70 species of Hawaiian birds. They love to climb trees to eat bird
eggs. They also compete with forest birds for food, such as snails, insects, and seeds. Perhaps more

270
troubling, black rats threaten humans. They spread germs and incubate disease. They are a vector for
more than 40 deadly illnesses. Some think that rat-borne diseases have killed more people than war
in the last 1,000 years. Rats also eat our food. They eat more than 20% of the world's farmed food.
Moreover, that is why the mongoose was brought to Hawaii.

During the mid-1800s, the Hawaiian sugar industry was thriving. Americans were just realizing that
they loved sugar. Hawaii was pretty much the only place in America where one could grow sugarcane.
Nevertheless, those filthy vermin were tearing up the fields. Black rats were destroying entire crops.
What is a plantation owner to do? The answer is simple. Import an animal known to kill rats. What
could go wrong with that? In 1883, plantation owners imported 72 mongooses and began breeding
them.

People **revere** the mongoose in its homeland of India. They are often kept tame in Indian
households. Mongooses feed on snakes, rats, and lizards, creatures that most people dislike. They
are also cute and furry. In addition, they kill deadly cobras. What has not to love? Sadly, India is a much
different place than Hawaii. When the mongooses got to Hawaii, they did not wipe out the rats as
plantation owners hoped. Instead, they joined them in ravaging the birds, lizards, and small plants that
were native to Hawaii. It is not that the mongooses became friends with the rats. They still ate a bunch
of them. However, mongooses are not too different from most other animals: they go for the easy
meal. In Hawaii they had a choice. Pursue the elusive black rat or munch on turtle eggs while tanning
on the beach. Most took the easy route.

Now Hawaii has two unwanted guests defacing the natural beauty. The Hawaiians have learned their
lesson. Talks of bringing in mongoose-eating gorillas have been tabled. So do not get uptight when
they do not welcome your cat Mittens with open arms. They are trying to maintain a delicate
ecosystem here.

**15. Based on the text, which best explains how black rats were introduced to Hawaii?**

a. The native Hawaiians imported them to solve a problem with their crops.

b. The Asians brought them to Hawaii when they first arrived.

c. The Europeans transported them on their marine vehicles.

d. The rats were able to swim to Hawaii from Asia

e. A merchant smuggled them into Hawaii by illegal means.

271
**16. Which best defines the word originate as it was used in the second paragraph?**

a. To come from a place

b. To go to a place

c. To become independent

d. To wander the world

e. To escape

**17. Which event happened first?**

a. The mongoose was introduced to Hawaii

b. The black rat was introduced to Hawaii

c. The black rat migrated to Europe

d. Plantation owners bred mongooses

e. The experiment of the plantation owners failed.

**18. Which statement is false according to information in the text?**

a. Rats eat lots of vegetation and crops.

b. Mongooses eat sea turtle eggs.

c. Rats climb trees and eat bird eggs.

d. Mongooses have spread more than 40 diseases.

e. The intention of the plantation owners wasn’t materialized.

**19. Which best express the author's main purpose in writing this text?**

a. To persuade readers to protect the endangered mongoose.

b. To describe the habits and hazards of the black rat.

c. To inform readers about species that have invaded Hawaii.

d. To entertain readers with tales of a mongoose's adventures

272
e. To shed light upon the rivalry between the black rat and mongoose.

**20. Which best explains why plantation owners imported mongooses to Hawaii?**

a. Mongooses eat rats.

b. Mongooses are fuzzy and adorable.

c. Mongooses make great household pets.

d. Mongooses kill deadly cobras.

e. Mongooses are harmless.

**21. Which best defines the word revere as it is used in the fifth paragraph?**

a. To dislike someone or something

b. To respect someone or something

c. To hunt someone or something

d. To get rid of someone or something

e. To detest someone or something

**22. Which title best expresses the main idea of this text?**

a. Travel Procedures: Getting in and out of Hawaii with Pets

b. Unwanted: The Journey of the Black Rat to Hawaii

c. Uncovered: What the Real Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is Like

d. Backfired: Solving Problems with Problems in Hawaii

e. None of the above

Inference Question Based

By the time a child is six or seven she has all the essential avoidance well enough by heart to be
trusted with the care of a younger child. Moreover, she develops a number of simple techniques. She
learns to weave firm square balls from palm leaves, to make pinwheels of palm leaves or frangipani
blossoms, to climb a coconut tree by walking up the trunk on flexible little feet, to break open a coconut
with one firm well-directed blow of a knife as long as she is tall, to play a number of group games and

273
sing the songs which go with them, to tidy the house by picking up the litter on the stony floor, to bring
water from the sea, to spread out the copra to dry and to help gather it in when rain threatens, to go
to a neighboring house and bring back a lighted faggot for the chief's pipe or the cook-house fire. But
in the case of the little girls all these tasks are merely supplementary to the main business of baby-
tending. Very small boys also have some care of the younger children, but at eight or nine years of
age, they are usually relieved of it. Whatever rough edges have not been smoothed off by this
responsibility for younger children are worn off by their contact with older boys.

For little boys are admitted to interesting and important activities only so long as their behavior is
circumspect and helpful. Where small girls are brusquely pushed aside, small boys will be patiently
tolerated and they become adept at making themselves useful. The four or five little boys who all wish
to assist at the important business of helping a grown youth lasso reef eels, organize themselves into
a highly efficient working team; one boy holds the bait, another holds an extra lasso, others poke
eagerly about in holes in the reef looking for prey, while still another tucks the captured eels into his
lava-lava. The small girls, burdened with heavy babies or the care of little staggers who are too small
to adventure on the reef, discouraged by the hostility of the small boys and the scorn of the older ones,
have little opportunity for learning the more adventurous forms of work and play. Therefore, while the
little boys first undergo the chastening effects of baby tending and then have many opportunities to
learn effective cooperation under the supervision of older boys, the girls' education is less
comprehensive. They have a high standard of individual responsibility, but the community provides
them with no lessons in cooperation with one another. This is particularly apparent in the activities of
young people: the boys organize quickly; the girls waste hours in bickering, innocent of any technique
for quick and efficient cooperation.**

**23. The primary purpose of the passage with reference to the society under discussion is to**

a. explain some differences in the upbringing of girls and boys

b. criticize the deficiencies in the education of girls

c. give a comprehensive account of a day in the life of an average young girl

d. delineate the role of young girls

e. show that young girls are trained to be useful to adults

**24. The word ‘brusquely’ means**

a. quickly

b. gently

c. nonchalantly

d. abruptly

274
e. callously

**25. The list of techniques in paragraph one could best be described as**

a. household duties

b. rudimentary physical skills

c. important responsibilities

d. useful social skills

e. monotonous tasks

**26. It can be inferred that the ‘high standard of individual responsibility’ is**

a. developed mainly through child-care duties

b. only present in girls

c. taught to the girl before she is entrusted with babies

d. actually counterproductive

e. weakened as the girl grows older.

**27. The expression ‘innocent of’ is best taken to mean**

a. not guilty of

b. unskilled in

c. unsuited for

d. uninvolved in

e. uninterested in

**28. It can be inferred that in the community under discussion all of the following are important
except**

a. domestic handicrafts

b. well-defined social structure

c. fishing skills

275
d. formal education

e. division of labor

**29. Which of the following if true would weaken the author's contention about 'lessons in
cooperation'?**

a. Group games played by younger girls involve cooperation

b. Girls can learn from watching boys cooperating

c. Individual girls cooperate with their mothers in looking after babies

d. The boys and girls both organize diligently without wasting time

e. None of the above

**30. Which of the following is the best description of the author's technique in handling her
material?**

a. Both description and interpretation of observations.

b. Presentation of facts without comment.

c. Description of evidence to support a theory.

d. Generalization from a particular viewpoint.

e. Close examination of preconceptions.

---

Additional Reading Comprehensions (for practice)

The Story of Spam

How did the term “spam” come to mean unsolicited commercial e-mail? Flash back to 1937, when
Hormel Foods creates a new canned spiced ham, SPAM. Then, in World War II, SPAM luncheon meat
becomes a staple of soldiers’ diets (often GIs ate SPAM two or three times a day). Next, SPAM’s
wartime omnipresence perhaps inspired the 1987 Monty Python skit in which a breakfast seeking
couple unsuccessfully tries to order a SPAM-free meal while a chorus of Vikings drowns them out,
singing “Spam, spam, spam, spam . . . .” To computer users drowning in junk e-mail, the analogy was
obvious. “Spam,” they said, “it’s spam.”

276
**1. The tone of the passage can best be characterized as**

A) nostalgic

B) sardonic

C) detached

D) chatty

E) didactic

**2. The parenthetic remark in (“often . . . day”) serves primarily to**

A) establish the soldiers’ fondness for SPAM

B) provide evidence of SPAM’s abundance

C) refute criticisms of wartime food shortages

D) illustrate the need for dietary supplements

E) point out the difference between military and civilian diets

<ins>**The perspective of art**</ins>

How does an artist train his eye? “First,” said Leonardo da Vinci, “learn perspective; then draw from
nature.” The self-taught eighteenth century painter George Stubbs followed Leonardo’s advice. Like
Leonardo, he studied anatomy, but, unlike Leonardo, instead of studying human anatomy, he studied
the anatomy of the horse. He dissected carcass after carcass, peeling away the five separate layers
of muscles, removing the organs, baring the veins and arteries and nerves. For 18 long months he
recorded his observations, and when he was done he could paint horses muscle by muscle, as they
had never been painted before. Pretty decent work, for someone self-taught.

**3. The primary purpose of the passage is to**

A) explain a phenomenon

B) describe a process

C) refute an argument

D) urge a course of action

E) argue against a practice

277
**4. The use of the phrase “pretty decent” conveys**

A) grudging enthusiasm

B) tentative approval

C) ironic understatement

D) bitter envy

E) fundamental indifference

The Truth Behind Symbols

One of the current definitions of a symbol is that it is “something that stands for something else.” We
can differentiate between three kinds of symbols: the _conventional_, the _accidental_, and the
_universal_ symbol.

The _conventional_ symbol is the best known of the three, since we employ it in everyday language. If
we see the word “table” or hear the sound “table,” the letters _t-a-b-l-e_ stand for something else. They
stand for the thing “table” that we see, touch, and use. What is the connection between the _word_
“table” and the _thing_ “table”? Is there any inherent relationship between them? Obviously not. The
_thing_ table has nothing to do with the _sound_ table, and the only reason the word symbolizes the
thing is the convention of calling this particular thing by a name. We learn this connection as children
by the repeated experience of hearing the word in reference to the thing until a lasting association is
formed so that we don’t have to think to find the right word.

There are some words, however, in which the association is not only conventional. When we say
“phooey,” for instance, we make with our lips a movement of dispelling the air quickly. It is an
expression of disgust in which our mouths participate. By this quick expulsion of air we imitate and
thus express our intention to expel something, to get it out of our system. In this case, as in some
others, the symbol has an inherent connection with the feeling it symbolizes. But even if we assume
that originally many or even all words had their origins in some such inherent connection between
symbol and the symbolized, most words no longer have this meaning for us when we learn a language.

Words are not the only illustration for conventional symbols, although they are the most frequent and
best-known ones. Pictures also can be conventional symbols. A flag, for instance, may stand for a
specific country, and yet there is no intrinsic connection between the specific colors and the country
for which they stand. They have been accepted as denoting that particular country, and we translate
the visual impression of the flag into the concept of that country, again on conventional grounds.

278
The opposite to the conventional symbol is the _accidental_ symbol, although they have one thing in
common: there is no intrinsic relationship between the symbol and that which it symbolizes. Let us
assume that someone has had a saddening experience in a certain city; when he hears the name of
that city, he will easily connect the name with a mood of sadness, just as he would connect it with a
mood of joy had his experience been a happy one. Quite obviously, there is nothing in the nature of
the city that is either sad or joyful. It is the individual experience connected with the city that makes
it a symbol of a mood.

The same reaction could occur in connection with a house, a street, a certain dress, certain scenery,
or anything once connected with a specific mood. We might find ourselves dreaming that we are in a
certain city. We ask ourselves why we happened to think of that city in our sleep and may discover
that we had fallen asleep in a mood similar to the one symbolized by the city. The picture in the dream
represents this mood, the city “stands for” the mood once experienced in it. The connection between
the symbol and the experience symbolized is entirely accidental.

The _universal_ symbol is one in which there is an intrinsic relationship between the symbol and that
which it represents. Take, for instance, the symbol of fire. We are fascinated by certain qualities of fire
in a fireplace. First of all, by its aliveness. It changes continuously, it moves all the time, and yet there
is constancy in it. It remains the same without being the same. It gives the impression of power, of
energy, of grace and lightness. It is as if it were dancing, and had an inexhaustible source of energy.
When we use fire as a symbol, we describe the _inner experience_ characterized by the same elements
which we notice in the sensory experience of fire—the mood of energy, lightness, movement, grace,
gaiety, sometimes one, sometimes another of these elements being predominant in the feeling.

The universal symbol is the only one in which the relationship between the symbol and that which is
symbolized is not coincidental, but intrinsic. It is rooted in the experience of the affinity between an
emotion or thought, on the one hand, and a sensory experience, on the other. It can be called universal
because it is shared by all men, in contrast not only to the accidental symbol, which is by its very
nature entirely personal, but also to the conventional symbol, which is restricted to a group of people
sharing the same convention. The universal symbol is rooted in the properties of our body, our senses,
and our mind, which are common to all men and, therefore, not restricted to individuals or to specific
groups. Indeed, the language of the universal symbol is the one common tongue developed by the
human race, a language which it forgot before it succeeded in developing a universal conventional
language.

**5. The passage is primarily concerned with**

A) refuting an argument

B) illustrating an axiom

C) describing a process

D) proving a thesis

279
E) refining a definition

**6. The term “stand for” in the second paragraph means**

A) tolerate

B) represent

C) withstand

D) endorse

E) rise

**7. According to lines in the second and third paragraph, “table” and “phooey” differ in that**

A) only one is a conventional symbol

B) “table” is a better-known symbol than “phooey”

C) “phooey” has an intrinsic natural link with its meaning

D) children learn “phooey” more readily than they learn “table”

E) only one is used exclusively by children

**8. It can be inferred from the passage that another example of a word with both inherent and
conventional associations to its meaning is**

A) hiss

B) hike

C) hold

D) candle

E) telephone

**9. The author contends that conventional symbols**

A) are less meaningful than accidental ones

B) necessarily have an innate connection with an emotion

C) can be pictorial as well as linguistic

280
D) are less familiar than universal symbols

E) appeal chiefly to conventionally minded people

**10. Which of the following would the author be most likely to categorize as a conventional symbol?**

A) a country road

B) a patchwork quilt

C) a bonfire

D) the city of London

E) the Statue of Liberty

**11. According to the author’s argument, a relationship between the city of Paris and the mood of joy
can best be described as**

A) innate

B) dreamlike

C) elemental

D) coincidental

E) immutable

**12. A major factor distinguishing a universal symbol from conventional and accidental symbols is**

A) its origins in sensory experience

B) its dependence on a specific occasion

C) the intensity of the mood experienced

D) its unmemorable nature

E) its appeal to the individual

**13. By saying “Take . . . the symbol of fire” (seventh paragraph), the author is asking the reader to**

A) grasp it as an element

B) consider it as an example

281
C) accept it as a possibility

D) prefer it as a category

E) assume it as a standard

**14. Which of the following would the author most likely categorize as a universal symbol?**

A) the letters f-i-r-e

B) the letters p-h-o-o-e-y

C) a red dress

D) an American flag

E) water in a stream

**15. The word “properties” in the last paragraph means**

A) possessions

B) attributes

C) investments

D) titles

E) grounds

**16. The author contends in the last paragraph that the language of the universal symbol**

A) antedates the development of everyday conventional language

B) restricts itself to those capable of comprehending symbolism

C) should be adopted as the common tongue for the human race

D) grew out of human efforts to create a universal conventional language

E) developed accidentally from the human desire to communicate

282
Ovenden and his planetary thoughts

“Idle speculation” has no place in science, but “speculation” is its very lifeblood, a well-known physicist
believes.

“The more fundamental and far-reaching a scientific theory is, the more speculative it is likely to be,”
Dr. Michael W. Ovenden, author and lecturer at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, states in his book
“Life in the Universe.” Dr. Ovenden says it is erroneous to believe that science is only concerned with
“pure facts,” for mere accumulation of facts is a primitive form of science. A mature science tries to
arrange facts in significant patterns to see relationships between previously unrelated aspects of the
universe.

A theory that does not suggest new ways of looking at the universe is not likely to make an important
contribution to the development of science. However, it is also important that theories are checked by
new experiments and observations.

Dr. Ovenden discusses recent discoveries in biology, chemistry and physics that give clues to the
possibility of life in the solar system and other star systems. He discusses conditions on Mars, Venus,
Jupiter and Saturn, and considers whether or not the same conditions may be found on planets of
other stars.

Only the planets Venus, Earth, and Mars lie within the temperature zone, about 75,000,000 miles wide,
in which life can exist. Venus is covered by a dense layer of clouds which permits no observation of
the surface, and the surface temperature of the planet is not known. Mars is colder than Earth, the
average temperature being about minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, compared with plus 59 degrees
Fahrenheit as the average for Earth. However, near the Mars poles during the summer season,
temperatures may rise to as much as 70 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas winter temperatures may fall
to minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because of the extreme difference in the Martian seasons, the only life-forms expected to exist,
without a built-in temperature control such as warm-blooded animals and humans have, are those
which would stay inactive most of the year. These life-forms may be a kind of vegetation that opens
its leaves to the sun in the daytime, stores water and closes its leaves in the night for protection
against the cold.

Attempts have been made to detect in the spectrum of the dark markings on Mars the absorption lines
due to chlorophyll. So far the test has not succeeded. But the infrared spectrum of the Martian
markings has been found to be very similar to the spectrum of Earth vegetation when studied at high
altitudes.

283
**17. The word “idle” in the first line most nearly means**

A) resting

B) lazy

C) empty

D) lethargic

E) leisurely

**18. “Speculation is its (science’s) very lifeblood” means that scientists**

A) are gamblers at heart

B) must concern themselves with provable facts

C) must understand all forms of science

D) must form opinions about the data they gather

E) must keep abreast of new developments

**19. According to the second paragraph, a mature science**

A) concerns itself exclusively with gathering and recording facts

B) dismisses speculative thinking as overly fanciful

C) connects hitherto unlinked phenomena in meaningful ways

D) subordinates speculative thought to the accumulation of facts

E) differentiates between hypotheses and speculation

**20. The similarity from high altitudes between the infrared spectrum of the Martian markings and
the Earth spectrum suggests**

A) the value of speculative thinking

B) the absence of chlorophyll on Mars

C) a possibility that Mars has vegetation

D) that Mars’s surface has been cultivated

E) the effect of cold on the color of the spectrum

284
**21. The author does all of the following EXCEPT**

A) make an approximation

B) use a metaphor

C) state a resemblance

D) make a conjecture

E) deny a contradiction

Fun with Fitzgerald

_Answer questions 22 to 30 based on the pair of passages below –_

> **Passage 1**

The defects of _This Side of Paradise_ should not blind the reader to its importance in Fitzgerald’s
career. It marked his movement, clumsy and pasted together as the novel often is, from a clever short-
story writer and would-be poet to an ambitious novelist. All his life he was to think of himself primarily
as a novelist, to save his best work for his novels, to plunder his published short stories for usable
material for them. If he achieved nothing else in this first novel, he had at least taken his scattered
literary effusions and his undescribed experiences, sifted them, shaped and reshaped them, often
looked at them ironically, and fashioned them into a sustained narrative. Compared with the material
he took directly from his _NassauLit_ stories, the writing had improved greatly. In many rewritten
passages, _This Side of Paradise_ shows Fitzgerald moving to that freshness of language which
became his identifying mark.

The novel took the bold step that Fitzgerald needed: it confirmed his ideas about the importance of
his feelings and about his ability to put them down. It helped Fitzgerald thrash out those “ideas still in
riot” that he attributes to Amory (the novel’s main character) at the close of the book: his ideas about
love and women, about the Church, about his past, about the importance of _being_ as contrasted
with _doing_. Though it borrowed heavily from the many writers to whom he was attracted, the book
still has Fitzgerald’s own stamp: the naiveté and honesty that is part of “the stamp that goes into
(each of) my books so that people can read it blind like Braille.” If Amory is not as honest with himself
as Fitzgerald’s later characters can be, it is chiefly from a lack of perception rather than from a
deliberate desire to deceive.

Finally, though Fitzgerald placed his twin hopes of money and the girl in the book’s great success, the
book is not merely contrived to achieve these aims. The badness in it is not that of the professional

285
who shrewdly calculates his effects; it is that of the ambitious amateur writer who produces what
seems to him to be witty, fresh, and powerful prose. It is a much better book than _The Romantic
Egotist_, the version he finished before he left Princeton. For Fitzgerald at twenty-three, it was the
book he wanted to write, the book he could write, and the book that did get written. Before it even
reached its audience, Fitzgerald had found his craft.

> **Passage 2**

It has been said by a celebrated person that to meet F. Scott Fitzgerald is to think of a stupid old
woman with whom someone has left a diamond; she is extremely proud of the diamond and shows it
to everyone who comes by, and everyone is surprised that such an ignorant old woman should
possess so valuable a jewel; for in nothing does she appear so inept as in the remarks she makes
about the diamond.

The person who invented this simile did not know Fitzgerald very well and can only have seen him, I
think, in his more diffident or uninspired moods. The reader must not suppose that there is any literal
truth in the image. Scott Fitzgerald is, in fact, no old woman, but a very good-looking young man, nor
is he in the least stupid, but, on the contrary, exhilaratingly clever. Yet there _is_ a symbolic truth in
the description quoted above; it is true that Fitzgerald has been left with a jewel which he doesn’t
know quite what to do with. For he has been given imagination without intellectual control of it; he
has been given the desire for beauty without an aesthetic ideal; and he has been given a gift for
expression without very many ideas to express.

Consider, for example, the novel—_This Side of Paradise_—with which he founded his reputation. It
has almost every fault and deficiency that a novel can possibly have. It is not only highly imitative but
it imitates an inferior model. Fitzgerald, when he wrote the book, was drunk with Compton Mackenzie,
and it sounds like an American attempt to rewrite _Sinister Street_.

Now, Mackenzie, in spite of his gift for picturesque and comic invention and the capacity for pretty
writing that he says he learned from Keats, lacks both the intellectual force and the emotional
imagination to give body and outline to the material which he secretes in such enormous abundance.
With the seeds he took from Keats’s garden, one of the best-arranged gardens in England, he
enfloreated (generated flowers) so profusely that he blotted out the path of his own. Michael Fane,
the hero of _Sinister Street_, was swamped in the forest of descriptions; he was smothered by
creepers and columbines. From the time he went up to Oxford, his personality began to grow dimmer,
and, when he last turned up (in Belgrade) he seemed quite to have lost his identity. As a consequence,
Amory Blaine, the hero of _This Side of Paradise_, had a very poor chance of coherence: Fitzgerald did
endow him, to be sure, with a certain emotional life which the phantom Michael Fane lacks; but he
was quite as much a wavering quantity in a phantasmagoria of incident that had no dominating
intention to endow it with unity and force. In short, one of the chief weaknesses of _This Side of
Paradise_ is that it is really not _about_ anything: its intellectual and moral content amounts to little
more than a gesture—a gesture of indefinite revolt.

286
The story itself, furthermore, is very immaturely imagined: it is always just verging on the ludicrous.
And finally, _This Side of Paradise_ is one of the most illiterate books of any merit ever published (a
fault which the publisher’s proofreader seems to have made no effort to remedy). Not only is it
ornamented with bogus ideas and faked literary references, but it is full of literary words tossed about
with the most reckless inaccuracy.

**22. The author of Passage 1 thinks that _This Side of Paradise_ demonstrates Fitzgerald’s ability
to**

A) compose both long stories and short novels

B) write short stories

C) include poetic language in his writing

D) tell a long story

E) edit his own writing

**23. The author of Passage 1 believes that Fitzgerald’s reputation as a writer rests on**

A) his original use of words

B) his compelling narratives

C) the suspensefulness of his plots

D) his use of irony

E) using bits and pieces to create coherent stories

**24. Passage 1 suggests that Amory, the main character of _This Side of Paradise_,**

A) is a serious and responsible person

B) is a thinly disguised version of Fitzgerald

C) represents all that Fitzgerald admired

D) symbolizes what Fitzgerald wanted to be

E) is a composite of people that Fitzgerald knew

287
**25. By hoping that people could read his books “blind like Braille” (the second paragraph of Passage
1), Fitzgerald meant that his writing was**

A) vivid and sensual

B) deep and full of meaning

C) sophisticated and subtle

D) plain and direct

E) truthful and innocent

**26. Throughout Passage 1, the writing of Fitzgerald is characterized as**

A) egotistical

B) immature

C) phony

D) optimistic

E) deceptively easy to read

**27. The author of Passage 2 relates the anecdote of the old woman and the diamond in order to**

A) disturb Fitzgerald’s readers

B) belittle Fitzgerald as a writer

C) clarify a mistaken view of Fitzgerald

D) suggest that Fitzgerald is preoccupied with wealth

E) explain an aspect of Fitzgerald’s personality

**28. The author’s assertion that “Fitzgerald has been left with a jewel which he doesn’t know quite
what to do with” (second paragraph of Passage 2) most nearly means that**

A) Fitzgerald’s exceptional talent as a writer needs polishing

B) Fitzgerald should take more writing courses

C) Fitzgerald’s writing needs better editing

D) Fitzgerald will probably become a bestselling author

288
E) Fitzgerald is destined to become one of the great American writers

**29. According to the author of Passage 2, _Sinister Street_ can best be described as**

A) highly inferior to _This Side of Paradise_

B) more engrossing than _This Side of Paradise_

C) a pale imitation of _This Side of Paradise_

D) an unfortunate model for _This Side of Paradise_

E) more realistic than _This Side of Paradise_

**30. The author of Passage 2 bases much of his criticism of _Sinister Street_ on the grounds that**

A) the book’s hero is sadly overemotional

B) its flowery prose overshadows its hero’s story

C) it deals with a conventional subject

D) the book lacks wit and inventiveness

E) the novel will fail to interest most readers

The Duality of Prejudice

_The following passages, written in the 1960s, explore the roots of anti-Japanese and anti-Jewish
feelings in America during the first half of the twentieth century. _

**Passage 1**

Prejudice, the sociologists tell us, is learned behavior. Twentieth-century Californians learned the
lesson well. Although racial prejudice, directed at various ethnic groups, flourished throughout the
United States during the period under discussion, nowhere north of the Mason-Dixon line did any
single group encounter the sustained nativist assault that was directed against California’s Japanese.
There seem to be four chief reasons for this. First, the Japanese were of a distinct racial group; no
amount of acculturation could mask their foreignness. Second, unlike the Chinese, they rapidly began
to challenge whites in many businesses and professions— as a group, Japanese in the United States
became very quickly imbued with what, in Europeans, would be called the Protestant ethic. Third, the
growing unpopularity of their homeland . . . further served to make immigrants from Japan special
objects of suspicion. These three conditions would have made any large group of Japanese a

289
particularly despised minority anywhere in the United States. Finally, the fact that most of the
Japanese were in California probably made things worse, for California probably had a lower boiling
point than did the country at large.

California, by virtue of its anti-Chinese tradition and frontier psychology, was already conditioned to
anti-Orientalism before the Japanese arrived. Other special California characteristics abetted the
success of the agitation. In the prewar years, the extraordinary power of organized labor in northern
California gave the anti-Japanese movement a much stronger base than it would have enjoyed
elsewhere; in the postwar years, open-shop southern California proved almost equally hospitable to
an agitation pitched to middle-class white Protestants. In the two periods anti-Japanese sentiment
flourished among completely disparate populations: the first- and second-generation immigrants who
were the backbone of California’s labor movement, and the Midwestern émigrés who came to
dominate the southern California scene. For most of these Californians, opposition to the Japanese
was based upon fears which were largely irrational.

**Passage 2**

To say that anti-Semitism in America sprang chiefly from the difficulties of integrating large numbers
of first- and second-generation immigrants is, inferentially, to stress its similarity to other kinds of
anti-immigrant sentiment—to put it in the same class with dislike of the Irish, Italians, Japanese,
Mexicans and other transplanted minorities, while making allowances for the differential
characteristics of each group. Likewise, this approach minimizes distinctions often made between
different kinds of anti-Semitism, in that it relates all of them to a common root. Yet we must also
consider the role of irrational anti-Semitic fantasies that had no direct connection with real problems
of ethnic integration. The ideological hatreds spread by the agitator and the fanatic have had a place
in American history, too.

Unlike . . . more ordinary social prejudices . . . , ideological anti-Semitism condemns the Jews as
incapable of assimilation and disloyal to the basic institutions of the country. In its more extreme
forms, it portrays them as

leagued together in a vast international conspiracy. The alleged plot usually centers on gaining control
of the money supply and wrecking the financial system; sometimes it extends to polluting the nation’s
morals through control of communications and entertainment. The supposed eventual aim is to
overthrow the government and establish a super state. In America, anti-Semitism of this kind has not
been so well organized or so productive of violence as other racial and religious phobias. But it has
enjoyed an unusually rich and complex imagery.

Religious motifs, by and large, have not figured prominently in American anti-Semitic thought. Except
among certain preachers spawned by the Fundamentalist movement of the 1920s (notably Gerald
Winrod and Gerald L. K. Smith), one looks in vain for a clearly religious animus. Though not entirely
lacking in references to the treachery of Judas, ideological anti-Semitism has always dwelled mainly

290
on the power of Shylock. Whether the Jew appears in his traditional role as exploiter or in his later
incarnation as Bolshevik, his subversive influence supposedly flows from an unwillingness or inability
to abide by the existing economic morality.

**31. The author of Passage 1 makes the point that prejudice against the Japanese in the twentieth
century**

A) began in California

B) was comparable to racial prejudice in the South

C) was taught in the schools of California

D) often bred violence

E) was a shameful chapter in the history of California

**32. Passage 1 implies that the Japanese would not have faced such intense prejudice if**

A) their physical appearance had been different

B) they had arrived in California via New York

C) they had emigrated to California a century earlier

D) they had settled in southern California

E) Californians had themselves been recent immigrants

**33. Passage 1 suggests that, after Japanese immigrants arrived in California, they**

A) joined unions

B) often went on welfare until they got jobs

C) created Japanese ghettos in several cities

D) worked hard to be successful

E) contributed technical skills to the state’s work force.

**34. According to information in Passage 1, World War II**

A) provided California’s Japanese population temporary relief from prejudice

291
B) caused prejudice against the Japanese to intensify

C) had little impact on prejudice against the Japanese

D) diverted the hatred from Japanese civilians to the Japanese military

E) shifted the center of anti-Japanese feeling in California

**35. One can infer from Passage 1 that hostility toward the Japanese flourished in California
because**

A) California was closer to Pearl Harbor than any other state

B) Californians are more intolerant than other Americans

C) Japan-bashing was an official policy of the labor unions in the state

D) Japanese were quickly buying up buildings, land, and other property throughout the state

E) American workers felt threatened by Japanese workers

**36. The author of Passage 2 believes that anti-Semitism in America differs from other forms of
prejudice because**

A) it is based on a long tradition

B) anti-Semites tend to be more hateful than other types of bigots

C) most anti-Semites are fanatics

D) it comes in many forms and guises

E) each ethnic minority experiences prejudice in a different way

**37. The term “ideological hatreds” in Passage 2 refers to prejudice**

A) only against Jews

B) that is openly declared in public

C) that existed in an earlier era

292
D) that is inspired by the victims’ beliefs and values

E) that has gone out of control

**38. The author of Passage 2 implies that violence against Jews in the United States has been**

A) fed by social anti-Semitism rather than ideological anti-Semitism

B) has been directed mostly at first-generation Jewish immigrants

C) has helped other minorities to cope with violence against them

D) has been more verbal and psychological than physical

E) has been less severe than violence against other minorities

**39. Passage 2 indicates that avid anti-Semites fear Jews for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
that**

A) it is hard to tell a Jew from a non-Jew

B) Jews crave power

C) Jews are immoral

D) the media are controlled by Jews

E) Jews do not value democracy

**40. Gerald Winrod and Gerald L. K. Smith are cited as anti-Semites**

A) who advocated the violent treatment of Jews

B) whose hatred of Jews was based largely on religion

C) who sought to convert Jews to Christianity

D) who alleged that Jews were a danger to the United States

E) who founded the Christian Fundamentalist movement in the United States

**41. Based on the two passages, it is fair to say that prejudice against the Jews in the United States
compared to prejudice against the Japanese**

A) has been more violent

293
B) has been more strenuously opposed by fair-minded people

C) is more complex and diffuse

D) has a longer history

E) has increased at a greater rate since World War II

**42. The authors of both passages appear to agree that**

A) prejudice in the United States is gradually diminishing

B) prejudice in the United States is gradually increasing

C) prejudice is based on irrational thinking

D) physical appearance is a major cause of prejudice against both Jews and Japanese

E) stereotypes are hard to break

**43. In their explanations of the causes of prejudice, both authors**

A) stress economic reasons

B) focus on the historical roots of prejudice in America

C) are hopeful that justice will eventually prevail

D) agree that the Japanese and the Jews have been scapegoats

E) think that extreme nationalism may lie at the heart of bigotry

Kiowas and Comanches

_In this excerpt from_ The Way to Rainy Mountain, _the writer N. Scott Momaday tells of his
grandmother, a member of the Kiowa tribe, who was born at a key time in Kiowa history._

I like to think of my grandmother as a child. When she was born, the Kiowas were living the last great
moment of their history. For more than a hundred years they had controlled the open range from the
Smoky Hill River to the Red, from the headwaters of the Canadian to the fork of the Arkansas and
Cimarron. In alliance with the Comanches, they had ruled the whole of the southern Plains. War was
their sacred business, and they were among the finest horsemen the world has ever known. But
warfare for the Kiowas was preeminently a matter of disposition rather than of survival, and they never
understood the grim, unrelenting advance of the U.S. Cavalry. When at last, divided and ill provisioned,
they were driven onto the Staked Plains in the cold rains of autumn, they fell into panic. In Palo Duro
Canyon they abandoned their crucial stores to pillage and had nothing then but their lives. In order to

294
save themselves, they surrendered to the soldiers at Fort Sill and were imprisoned in the old stone
corral that now stands as a military museum. My grandmother was spared the humiliation of those
high gray walls by eight or ten years, but she must have known from birth the affliction of defeat, the
dark brooding of old warriors.

Her name was Aho, and she belonged to the last culture to evolve in North America. Her forebears
came down from the high country in western Montana nearly three centuries ago. They were a
mountain people, a mysterious tribe of hunters whose language has never been positively classified
in any major group. In the late seventeenth century they began a long migration to the south and east.
It was a journey toward the dawn, and it led to a golden age. Along the way the Kiowas were befriended
by the Crows, who gave them the culture and religion of the Plains. They acquired horses, and their
ancient nomadic spirit was suddenly free of the ground. They acquired Tai-Me, the sacred Sun Dance
doll, from that moment the object and symbol of their worship, and so shared in the divinity of the sun.
Not least, they acquired the sense of destiny, therefore courage and pride. When they entered upon
the southern Plains they had been transformed. No longer were they slaves to the simple necessity
of survival; they were a lordly and dangerous society of fighters and thieves, hunters and priests of
the sun. According to their origin myth, they entered the world through a hollow log. From one point
of view, their migration was the fruit of an old prophecy, for indeed they emerged from a sunless world.

**44. The author of this passage indicates in lines in the first paragraph that the Kiowas waged war
predominantly because they**

A) feared the Comanches

B) wanted more land

C) were warlike in nature

D) had been humiliated by the cavalry

E) believed they would perish otherwise

**45. Compared to the Kiowa warriors, the cavalrymen were**

A) more idealistic about warfare

B) exceptionally fine horsemen

C) vulnerable to divisiveness

D) unswerving in determination

E) less given to brooding

**46. The author’s grandmother directly experienced**

295
A) imprisonment at Fort Sill

B) the bleak attitude of the older Kiowa men

C) the defeat at Palo Duro Canyon

D) the loss of the tribe’s provisions

E) surrender to the white soldiers

**47. The author views the Kiowas of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with a sense of**

A) urgency

B) ambivalence

C) remorse

D) admiration

E) irony

**48. By “their ancient nomadic spirit was suddenly free of the ground”, the author most nearly
means**

A) the wanderers were now free to worship the sun

B) the acquisition of horses liberated them to rove more freely

C) they did not have to pay the Crows for the gift of horses

D) the oldest of the migratory Kiowas lacked ties to the soil

E) they no longer believed in the earth spirits of their ancestors

**49. An “origin myth” in the second paragraph as used by the author is**

A) a theory of reproduction told to Native American children

B) a religion the Kiowas learned from the Crows

C) a type of tale known only to Kiowas

D) an explanation of how the Kiowas came into being

E) a natural tale about trees and the sun

296
Two Fathers

_These passages are portraits of two fathers. The first appeared in a contemporary novel, the second
in a memoir written in the 1990s by a person looking back on experiences in the San Francisco Bay
area._

> **Passage 1**

In 1948 my father was serving his second term as sheriff of Mercer County, Montana. We lived in
Bentrock, the county seat and the only town of any size in the region. In 1948its population was less
than two thousand people. . . .

Many of the men in Mercer County had spent the preceding years in combat. (But not my father; he
was 4-F. When he was sixteen a horse kicked him, breaking his leg so severely that he walked with a
permanent limp, and eventually a cane, his right leg V-ed in, his right knee perpetually pointing to the
left.) When these men came back from war they wanted nothing more than to work their farms and
ranches and to live quietly with their families. The county even had fewer hunters after the war than
before.

All of which made my father’s job a relatively easy one. Oh, he arrested the usual weekly drunks,
mediated an occasional dispute about fence lines or stray cattle, calmed a few domestic disturbances,
and warned the town’s teenagers about getting rowdy in Wood’s Cafe, but by and large being sheriff
of Mercer County did not require great strength or courage. The ability to drive the county’s rural roads,
often drifted over in the winter or washed out in the summer, was a much more necessary skill than
being good with your fists or a gun. One of my father’s regular duties was chaperoning Saturday night
dances in the county, but the fact that he often took along my mother (and sometimes me) shows
how quiet those affairs—and his job—usually were.

And that disappointed me at the time. As long as my father was going to be sheriff, a position with so
much potential for excitement, danger, and bravery, why couldn’t some of that promise be fulfilled?
No matter how many wheat fields or cow pastures surrounded us, we were still Montanans, yet my
father didn’t even look like a western sheriff. He wore a shirt and tie, as many of the men in town did,
but at least they wore boots and Stetsons; my father wore brogans and a fedora. He had a gun but he
never carried it, on duty or off. I knew because I checked, time and time again. When he left the house
I ran to his dresser and the top drawer on the right side. And there it was, there it always was. Just as
well. As far as I was concerned it was the wrong kind of gun for a sheriff. He should have had a nickel-
plated Western Colt .45, something with some history and heft. Instead, my father had a small .32
automatic, Italian-made and no bigger than your palm. My father didn’t buy such a sorry gun; he
confiscated it from a drunken transient in one of his first arrests. My father kept the gun but in fair
exchange bought the man a bus ticket to Billings, where he had family.

297
> **Passage 2**

He was good-looking, in a Southern, romantic poet sort of way. He needed those good looks, one of
the aunts said; why else would my otherwise sensible mother have married a man like him, an actor-
writer hyphenate who lived on dreams and spent his free evenings carrying a spear at the Opera
House. But that was in later times, when he had moved out of the rundown communal house in the
Berkeley Hills, leaving my mother and the ever-changing cast of nominal uncles and aunts to patch
the ancient water heater and pump out the basement when the over pressured valve finally blew. He
needed separateness to write, he said, solitude, something we’d never given him, and he was tired,
tired of being dragged from his study to tend to the latest household eruption that bubbled up “like
gas from a Calistoga mud bath,” he said, with relentless regularity.

He looked tired by then, as tired of us as we were of him, of forgotten birthdays and surprises that
failed to surprise. When he did bring us a present, I even wondered why, for it was always somehow
off: last season’s hot toy no one played with any more, or a complicated model no boy could assemble
without a father’s help. Which we never got. He was an actor, after all, not tech crew, an artist, not
someone who could fix a toy.

If he was an actor, we were props at best. Reluctant ones—had there been a Plantagenet Pleasure
Faire, he would have strutted his hour as Wicked Dick III, while Geoffrey and I, thrust into burlap sacks,
were hauled off, two little princes in shabby tights, to be disposed of elsewhere. That was his glory,
kinging it. Living History, he called it, and in the early days he followed the fairs up and down the state,
living the Renaissance first in Agoura, then in Marin, finally winding up the acting season with
Victoria’s England in San Francisco or even Oakland for one or two slow years.

Not that anyone ever hired him to act the king. No, he was a minor figure even on that rude stage, a
charming but lesser nobleman in Elizabeth’s court, an attentive councilor in Victoria’s entourage. But
he shared the perks of royalty, such as they were, stood center stage in black velvet pantaloons while
the September sun burned overhead, or posed handsomely (in a Prince Albert coat, no less) as the
royal party made its way through the Christmas crowds at Dickens Fair. Why he stuck to it, I never
understood. Certainly not for the pay.

Between fairs he wrote, or thought of writing, shut up in his study, into which we children were not
allowed, or did research for his one-man-shows (in which he played a series of writers, one per show,
so that one year we saw his Edgar Allan Poe, another year, his Ambrose Bierce). He was a writer, or at
least a writer once removed, writing down other men’s words and speaking them as if they were his
own. At times it seemed he thought they were his own, he paraphrased them so freely, vamping upon
the themes of _The Devil’s Dictionary_. And he probably thought we were his own as well, as little
acquainted with us as he was. And so we were, if only by example and heredity.

**50. In Passage 1 the narrator uses the parenthetical material to**

298
A) suggest that his father became sheriff to compensate for his disability

B) highlight the difference between his father and other men in Mercer County

C) justify his father’s peaceful nature

D) belittle his father

E) indicate that the voters felt sorry for his father when they elected him sheriff

**51. Mentioning that Mercer County “had fewer hunters after the war than before” (Passage 1) is the
author’s way of saying that**

A) the men had had their fill of shooting and death

B) the men worked long hours and had no time for hunting

C) the narrator’s father prevented the men from hunting

D) the men thought hunting was too dangerous

E) many of the hunters were killed in the war

**52. By describing his father’s work clothes (in Passage 1, last paragraph), the narrator is suggesting
that his father**

A) wanted to dress like other men

B) didn’t take the sheriff’s job seriously

C) was pretty dull

D) was a nonconformist

E) was concerned about his image

**53. By wishing that his father had a gun with “some history and some heft” (in Passage 1, last
paragraph), the narrator means**

A) an antique gun

B) a more expensive gun

C) a gun used in the war

D) a gun that could be worn in a holster

299
E) a more impressive gun

**54. In Passage 1 which of the following best describes the narrator’s feelings about his father?**

A) Regret

B) Hostility

C) Resentment

D) Affection

E) Indifference

**55. The narrator of Passage 2 compares himself and his brother to “props” because they -**

A) reinforced their father’s image as a parent

B) were assets to theatrical productions

C) were physical objects handled onstage

D) supported their father’s dramatic efforts

E) possessed essential attributes their father lacked

**56. In line Passage 2 (fourth paragraph), “rude” most nearly means**

A) roughly made

B) deliberately impolite

C) highly vigorous

D) inconsiderate

E) tempestuous

**57. The narrator mentions his father’s sharing the perks of royalty (Passage 2, fourth paragraph) in
order to emphasize that his father**

A) had gone far in his chosen field

B) wanted to share these privileges with his children

C) had a particularly regal demeanor

300
D) demanded only the best for himself

E) received very little for his efforts

**58. In Passage 2, which of the following is NOT an accurate description of the narrator’s father?**

A) He was not dependable to his children.

B) He enjoyed being the center of attention.

C) He had an appealing appearance.

D) He was well liked by those who shared his home.

E) He was uncomfortable with his responsibilities.

**59. The narrator’s purpose in writing this portrait of his father was**

A) to show readers the effects of a bohemian lifestyle on one man

B) to help himself understand his complex feelings toward his father

C) to illustrate the importance of open communication among members of a family

D) to tell about the difficulties of his boyhood

E) to praise his father, a man he both loved and feared

**60. In which respect is the portrait of the father in Passage 1 similar to the portrait in Passage 2?**

A) In both passages we see the father through the eyes of a young boy.

B) Both passages portray the father as deficient in some important way.

C) In both passages we get to know intimate details of the father’s life.

D) Both passages tell us as much about the narrator as about the father.

E) Both passages imply that the narrators would like to emulate their fathers.

**61. As presented in the two passages, the relationship between each narrator and his father is**

A) loving

B) competitive

301
C) cautious

D) distant

E) tense

**62. The authors of both passages come across as**

A) loyal sons

B) intolerant of their fathers

C) respectful of their fathers

D) rebellious sons

E) puzzled by their fathers

---

Important Reading Comprehensions

*These reading comprehensions are structured in a specific way to test your skills better. In the recent
years of the IBA Admission examination, these types questions have appeared. Go through this set
after you have completed all the previous Reading Comprehension exercises*

Incentives and Disincentives

(1) Almost everyone knows about incentives and disincentives, even if they never actually heard the
words.(2) People choose to do things because they perceive a benefit to doing them, or avoid things
for which they perceive they will be punished.(3) That thing that makes them want to do it is called an
incentive, and what makes them not want to do them would be a disincentive.

(4) Business people are encouraged to make more money for the company through incentives like
bonus pay and perks.(5) Students are constantly exposed to incentives like peer pressure, parental
guilt and grades.(6) Peers use incentives to persuade others to become part of a group so that the
group's influence can grow.(7) Parents use bribery or guilt to encourage you to behave in a way that
makes them proud.(8) Teachers try to make their students do what they want by holding the grade-
book that may determine their future.

302
(9) But what is surprising is that incentives don't always work in the way like they're supposed to.(10)
For instance, in some schools they paid kids to read books one summer. (11) But people who studied
such programs discovered that the kids ended up reading less in the long run, because paying them
took the fun out of it.(12) Also, a daycare center that imposed a 3 dollar an hour penalty on parents
for picking up their kids late discovered that more parents, not fewer, started picking up their kids
late.(13) This was because the parents no longer felt guilty because now they were paying the school
for the extra service, but the penalty was cheap enough that they considered it a good deal.(14) The
bottom line is that people who try to reward or punish things shouldn’t assume that either rewards or
punishments work the way they think they should.

**1. In context, which of the following is the best revision of sentence 3 (reproduced below)?**

_That thing that makes them want to do it is called an incentive, and what makes them not want to do
them would be a disincentive._

A) It is an incentive making someone want to do something, and a disincentive making them not want
to do it.

B) An incentive is what makes someone want to do something, and a disincentive is what makes
someone want to avoid doing something.

C) Incentives make someone want to do things, but disincentives are the things making them not want
to do it.

D) People are made to want to do something by incentives, and a disincentive is for not wanting to do
it.

E) It is incentives that make people want to do something, disincentives on the other hand being what
makes people want to avoid doing something.

**2. Which of the following changes to sentence 7 would best improve the coherence of the first
paragraph?**

A) Change “you” to “their children.”

B) Change “use” to “also use.”

C) Begin the sentence with “Nevertheless.”

D) Begin the sentence with “For instance.”

E) Change “to behave” to “behaving.”

**3. Where is the best place to insert the following sentence?**

303
_Incentives are used to influence people in many walks of life._

A) after sentence 2

B) after sentence 3

C) after sentence 4

D) after sentence 5

E) after sentence 6

**4. Which of the following is the best version of sentence 9 (reproduced below)?**

_But what is surprising is that incentives don't always work in the way like they’re supposed to. _

A) (as it is now)

B) It is the surprising fact that incentives don’t always work like they’re supposed to.

C) What is surprising, incentives don’t always work like they should.

D) Incentives don’t always work as they should, it is surprising.

E) Surprisingly, incentives don’t always work as they should.

**5. In context, what is the best version of the under-lined portion of sentence 10 (reproduced
below)?**

_For instance, in some schools they paid kids to read books one summer._

A) in some schools where they

B) some schools are where they

C) some schools implemented programs that

D) programs in some schools were where they

E) in some school programs they

**6. Which is the best sentence to insert between sentence 13 and sentence 14?**

304
A) Examples such as this demonstrate that incentives can be very effective.

B) If the penalty had been greater, perhaps it would have had the desired effect.

C) Clearly, rewards are more effective in most situations than punishments.

D) Many schools have also implemented effective after-school reading programs.

E) I’m not sure what the school decided to do with the program, since it wasn’t working.

Something about Crocodiles

(1) Crocodiles descended from creatures that walked on their hind legs, and lived during the late
Triassic period.(2) The crocodiles having survived the still unknown factors wiping out most of the
reptile class at the end of the Mesozoic period.(3) The skull and hind legs of the crocodile still
resemble in many ways those structures of its primitive relatives.(4) Walking on four legs, their two
legged ancestry is revealed by their hind legs, which are longer than their front legs, making them slant
forward when they stand.(5) The crocodile has a rather long, pointed skull, especially in the fish eating
species of crocodiles.

(6) The palate is the flat bony part at the roof of the mouth.(7) In its relatives, the nostril holes in the
palate were located under the outer nostrils, which were shifted to the far back of their snout.(8)
However, in crocodiles, the nostrils are located at the front of the snout.(9) A problem came from this
in keeping the breathing passages from filling with water.(10) Millions of years of evolution have
solved this problem.(11) A second palate was formed, channeling the air above the mouth and into
the throat passageway, where it can be opened and closed by a special flap or valve of skin.

(12) Crocodiles are actually classified on the basis of how far back their secondary palate extends,
ranging from those that have no secondary palate to those with a fully formed palate separating the
air they breathe from the water in their mouths.

**7. In context, which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 2 (reproduced below)?**

_The crocodiles having survived the still unknown factors wiping out most of the reptile class at the
end of the Mesozoic period._

A) (As it is now)

B) Crocodiles were somehow able to survive the unknown factors that wiped out most of the reptile
class

305
C) It is not clear how or why, but Crocodiles were able to survive the unknown factors wiping out most
of the reptile class

D) Having survived the unknown factors that wiped out most of the reptile class,it is not clear why
crocodiles remained

E)Most of the reptile class was wiped out by unknown factors but the crocodiles still have survived

**8. In context, which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 4 (reproduced below)?**

_Walking on four legs__, their two-legged ancestry is revealed by their hind legs, which are longer than
their front legs, making them slant forward when they stand._

A)Though modern crocodiles walk on four legs,

B)Four legged walkers,

C)Modern crocodiles, despite walking on four legs,

D)As four legged walkers, modern crocodiles,

E)Having four legs,

**9. Which of the following should be done with sentence 5 (reproduced below)?**

_The crocodile has a rather long, pointed skull, especially in the fish-eating species of crocodiles._

A) Insert the phrase “In addition” at the beginning.

B) Delete it; the sentence does not contain relevant information.

C) Move it to the beginning of the essay as an introduction.

D) Move it to the middle of paragraph 2 after sentence 10.

E) Insert the word “Interestingly” at the beginning.

**10. Which of the following is the best sentence to insert at the beginning of the second paragraph?**

A) Crocodiles are able to run at incredible speeds despite their small stature.

B) There are 23 living species of crocodile found mostly in the southern hemi-sphere, a living
throwback to the age of the dinosaurs.

306
C) The first crocodilians were called Protosuchians, living during the late Triassic to early Jurassic
times.

D)The most prominent change in the crocodile since its early days has been the change in its palate.

E)Beginning in the Jurassic period, crocodiles became large and fully aquatic reptiles

**11. In context, which of the following is the best way to revise and combine sentences 8 and 9
(reproduced below)?**

_However, in crocodiles, the nostrils are located at the front of the snout. A problem came from this
in keeping the breathing passages from filling with water._

A) No change is necessary

B) However, because a crocodile’s nostrils are located at the front of the snout, it's breathing passages
often filled with water

C) The nostrils of a crocodile are located at the front of the snout; however difficult it was to keep the
breathing passages from filling with water.

D) It was difficult keeping the breathing passages of the crocodile’s nostrils from filling with water
however, because they would be located at the front of the snout.

E) Located at the front of the snout, water would get into the breathing passages of the crocodiles
because of its nostrils.

**12. In context, which is the best version of sentence 10 (reproduced below)?**

_Millions of years of evolution have solved this problem._

A) (As it is now)

B) This problem having been solved thanks to millions of years of evolution.

C)It was after millions of years of evolution that the crocodile was able to solve this problem.

D)This problem was no longer an issue after millions of years of evolution solving it.

E)The solver of this problem, after millions of years, being evolution.

307
The Modality of Culture

(1) Even in today’s modern society, many people still perform rituals on a daily basis; they knock on
wood to ward off bad luck or throw salt over their shoulders to repel evil spirits.(2) Every culture has
its own superstitions, and now anthropologists and psychologists think they know why.

(3) It is because our brains are always working to find the causes of the significant events that we
perceive.(4) When something strange happens that we can’t explain, our minds are uncomfortable
with the uncertainty.(5) However, we fill this cognitive gap with whatever explanations are available
to us, and superstitions provide a simple way to explain mysterious events.(6) They believe that spirits
that live in wood have to be appeased, or that throwing salt blinds the devil.(7) Our minds are capable
of great things, as anyone who has studied famous artists and inventors knows.(8) Superstitions may
seem silly to nonbelievers not sharing them.(9) To believers those rituals on the other hand are
providing a sense of control over situations otherwise which would be unsettling.

(10) But they can also sometimes cause great harm.(11) For instance, in Angola, some villagers still
believe in witches.(12) If someone dies of a strange disease or a sudden misfortune befalls a family,
the villagers might assume it is because someone in the family has secretly cast a spell.(13)
Sometimes children will be taken by members of their own family and beaten, disowned or even killed.

(14) People should be careful not to let superstitions get in the way of their compassion for others.
(15) They might also be better off using science to explain strange events whenever possible.

**13. In context, which of the following is the best revision of the underlined portion of sentence 3
(reproduced below)?**

_It is because our brains are always working to find the causes of the significant events that we
perceive._

A) (As it is now)

B) They are saying that it is

C) For example, it is, these scientists say,

D) These scientists believe we adopt superstitions

E) Furthermore, the scientists say it is

**14. In context, which is the best replacement for _However_ In sentence 5?**

308
A)Conversely

B)Therefore

C)As this demonstrates

D)As I personally believe

E)Otherwise

**15. In context, which of the following changes best improves sentence 6?**

A) replacing “They” with “For instance, we are inclined to”

B) replacing “that spirits” with “about spirits”

C) deleting “that live in wood”

D) replacing “have to be” with “would have been”

E) replacing “or” with “but”

**16. In context, which of the following is the best way to revise and combine sentences 8 and 9
(reproduced below)?**

_Superstitions may seem silly to nonbelievers not sharing them. To believers those rituals on the other
hand are providing a sense of control over situations otherwise which would be unsettling._

A) The superstitions seeming silly to nonbelievers who don’t share them, however to believers those
rituals provide a sense of control over otherwise unsettling situations.

B) They seem silly to those nonbelievers who don’t share the superstitions, but the rituals providing a
sense of control over otherwise unsettling situations to believers.

C) Although such superstitions may seem silly to nonbelievers, to believers those rituals provide a
sense of control over otherwise unsettling situations.

D) Instead of the superstitions seeming silly to those who don’t believe in them, these rituals give
believers a sense of control to situations otherwise unsettling.

E)They may seem silly to nonbelievers who don’t share the superstitions; hence those rituals provide
a sense of control to believers over otherwise unsettling situations.

309
**17. In context, which of the following is the most effective revision of the underlined portion of
sentence 10 (reproduced below)?**

_But they can also sometimes cause great harm._

A) On the other hand,

B) Furthermore,

C) Another issue is the fact that

D) To my knowledge,

E) Consequently,

**18. Which of the following sentences should be omitted to improve the unity of the passage?**

A) Sentence 1

B) Sentence 2

C) Sentence 4

D) Sentence 7

E) Sentence 11

Memoirs of Greece

(1) My parents used to put olives on everything.(2) Salads, pizza, pasta, chicken, even some
desserts.(3) In those days we used to eat many black olives before they got the high fat content bad
name.(4) I never ate green olives.(5) For some reason, the little pimentos that protrude out of them
turned me off.

(6) But then, many years later, I actually visited Greece, where I was first introduced to the green olive
I had always resisted.(7) At a market in Athens, I found a vendor selling dozens of different kinds of
olives.(8) Each type having been made with a different type of vinegar, spices or mixed with different
vegetables including small onions or even little pickled carrots.(9) How had I never tried green olives
before?(10) I was hooked.

(11) Now I find it hard to believe that I ever had such bad thoughts about green olives.(12) They are
even better than black olives.(13) I put them on everything!(14) I also put pepper on most of the food

310
that I eat.(15) When I have children, I will definitely expose them to green olives at a young age so that
they don’t miss out on them for as long as I did.

**19. Which of the following, if inserted before sentence 1, would make a good introduction to the
essay?**

A) Growing up as part of a Greek American family that takes its cuisine very seriously, I was exposed
heavily to many of the classic Greek foods: olives, feta cheese, and stuffed grape leaves to name a
few.

B) The olive tree is among the oldest known cultivated trees in the world.

C) In the past several hundred years the olive has spread to North and South America, Japan, New
Zealand and Australia.

D) My experience with olives started when I was very young.

E) People living in the Mediterranean area who use olive oil as their main source of fat have
surprisingly low susceptibility to heart disease.

**20. Which of the following is the best version of the ideas conveyed in sentences 1 and 2
(reproduced below)?**

_My parents used to put olives on everything. Salads, pizza, pasta, chicken, even some desserts._

A) (As it is now)

B) My parents used to put olives on everything; salads, pizza, pasta, chicken, even some desserts.

C) My parents used to put olives on everything, salads, pizza, pasta, chicken, even some desserts.

D) My parents used to put olives on everything: salads, pizza, pasta, chicken, and even some desserts.

311
E) My parents used to put olives on everything; including salads, pizza, pasta, chicken, even some
desserts.

**21. In context, which of the following is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 3
(reproduced below)?**

_In those days we used to eat many black olives before they got the high fat content bad name._

A) (As it is now)

B) In those days, before having found the high fat content in black olives, we used to eat many of
them.

C) Before black olives were considered unhealthy due to high fat content, we ate lots of them.

D) Until black olives had a high fat content, we used to eat many of them.

E) Black olives were consumed in high numbers before the high fat content bad name was given.

**22. All of the following devices are used by the writer of the passage EXCEPT**

A) sentence length variation

B) personal narration

C) detailed description

D) rhetorical question

E) metaphor

**23. In context, what is the best way to deal with sentence 8?**

A) Change “mixed” to “mixing.”

B) Insert “However” at the beginning.

312
C) Change “having been” to “was.”

D) Delete “including small onions or even little pickled carrots.”

E) Change “made with” to “made for.”

**24. The final paragraph would be improved by the deletion of which sentence?**

A) Sentence 11

B) Sentence 12

C) Sentence 13

D) Sentence 14

E) Sentence 15

My President

(1) For most young people in America who are approaching voting age, choosing a president is very
much like the process by which you choose a homecoming queen. (2) They simply select the
candidate whose personality they like the most. (3) They don’t realize that choosing a leader is a much
more serious task than that. (4) The more informed the voters are, the more likely it is that they will
pick a good and capable leader. (5) Pretty simple honestly.

(6) The first step to making a reasonable choice for president is to read a good international
newspaper every day. (7) This will give you a better perspective on both domestic and international
issues. (8) The next step is to decide what issues are most important to you? (9) What are your
interests that the president has some control over? (10) For instance, one candidate might want to
eliminate environmental regulations so his industrial supporters can get richer. (11) But you have
asthma that is affected by the pollution or you’d rather not swim in a lake that has become polluted
because of it. (12) Or, you might be just the right age for a draft and one of the candidates wants to
fight a new war that you don’t approve of. (13) So many political commercials seem to focus on cutting
the opponent down rather than discussing the important issues. (14) The fact is that the president
can do a lot of things that influence your life and you may not be aware of it.

(15) Also, very few young adults really think about what kinds of qualifications and what skills the
candidates might or might not have, they just pick the one whom their parents or their friends like.
(16) They should be asking whether this person is going to solve the problems that are important to
me because he or she is qualified to solve them? (17) For instance, is someone who has been in
Congress his whole adult life really prepared to represent people who run small businesses, or work
in manual labor, or teach school? (18) Even if you may like someone’s personality from an ad, they still
might not be making very good decisions for you and your family. (19) It’s important to look into a

313
candidate’s past for yourself rather than relying on political ads to tell you what the candidates are
like. (20) Then, become an active participant in the political process rather than a passive observer.

**25. Which of the following is the best revision of the underlined portion of sentence 1 (reproduced
below)?**

_For most young people in America who are approaching voting age, choosing a president is very
much like the process by which you choose a homecoming queen._

A) (as it is now)

B) the process of choosing a homecoming queen

C) that of choosing a homecoming queen

D) the way you choose a homecoming queen

E) choosing a homecoming queen

**26. Which of the following is the best way to combine sentences 2 and 3 (reproduced below)?**

_They simply select the candidate by picking the one whose personality they like the most. They don’t
realize that choosing a leader is a much more serious task than that._

A) They don’t realize that choosing a leader is more serious than that, selecting the one whose
personality they like the most.

B) Selecting the one that has the personality they like most, they don’t realize that it’s more serious
than that.

C) Not realizing how serious a task it is to choose a leader; they simply select the candidate whose
personality they like most.

D) Because of not realizing how serious it is choosing a leader, they simply select the candidate whose
personality they like most.

E) Because they simply select the candidate with the personality, they like the most, they don’t realize
that choosing a leader is more serious than that.

314
**27. Which of the following is the best version of the underlined portions of sentences 10 and 11
(reproduced below)?**

_For instance, one candidate might want to eliminate environmental regulations so his industrial
supporters can get richer. But you have asthma that is affected by the pollution or you’d rather not
swim in a lake that has become polluted because of it._

A) (as it is now)

B) for the financial benefit of his industrial supporters, but to the detriment of your asthma and your
favorite swimming lake, which are harmed by pollution.

C) for his industrial supporters’ wealth, but you have asthma and your favorite swimming lake is
getting worse because of pollution.

D) for his industrial supporters’ wealth, but not for your asthma and your favorite swimming lake is
harmed by pollution.

E) for the financial benefit of his industrial supporters, but to the detriment of your asthma and your
favorite swimming lake are harmed by pollution.

**28. Which of the following sentences contributes least to the unity of the second paragraph?**

A) Sentence 10

B) Sentence 11

C) Sentence 12

D) Sentence 13

E) Sentence 14

**29. Which of the following is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 15 (reproduced
below)?**

_Also, very few young adults really think about what kinds of qualifications and skills the candidates
might or might not have, they just pick the one whom their parents or their friends like._

315
A) (as it is now)

B) the qualifications and skills of the candidates, but instead

C) what kinds of qualifications and skills the candidates might have, they instead

D) the qualifications and skills of the candidates, they

E) what are the qualifications and skills of the candidates, they instead

**30. Which of the following is the best revision of the underlined portion of sentence 16 (reproduced
below)?**

_They should be asking whether this candidate is able to solve the problems that are important to me
because he or she is qualified to solve them?_

A) the candidate is qualified to solve the problems that are important to them.

B) the candidate is qualified to solve the problems that are important to me?

C) is this candidate able to be qualified to solve the problems that are important to me?

D) the candidate is qualified to solve the problems that are important to him or her.

E) the candidate is or is not qualified to solve the problems that are important to him or her.

---

Reading Comprehension Solutions

1. **b)** The Old Man of the Mountain was a symbol of the state of Hampshire. None of the other
options is nearly as accurate as this one.

2. **c)** It is specifically mentioned that the people were sad when the Old Man of the Mountain
crumbled to the ground and hence they placed the flowers at the base of the mountain as a means to
pay respect.

316
3. **a)** The Old Man of the Mountain was honored on a postage stamp first. This comes first if a
chronological event based metric is set for the events that took place in the passage.

4. **a)** It was significant. That is why it came as a postage stamp and later when it crumbled people
paid their respects by placing flowers at the base of the mountain.

5. **b)** It signifies the semblance and so the answer will be it “looked like”

6. **b)** It is a phrase that generally means “without success”

7. **d)** Spain. The king and queen later on gave him three ships.

8. **d)** West. That is the measure he took in order to find the New World later on.

9. **b)** Asia. He thought he was there but in reality, it was North America.

10. **b)** 1452. This is directly given in the passage.

11. **b)** This is a figure of speech which has been used to define that animal as quick and agile.
Ferrari is a car company that produces some of the fastest sports cars in the world. This inference
can be drawn from that.

12. **d)** Its tail length. This has been directly given in the passage.

13. **d)** both A and B. The examination of fossils were done as well as the biochemical calculations
with computer modeling.

14. **d)** This is a statement that has been drawn analytically from the comparison of the current
animals like Cheetah and other African savants. They have much more agile and fast movement
compared to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. So the Tyrannosaurus Rex was slow and cumbersome
compared to them

15. **c)** The Europeans transported them on their marine vehicles. This is the first event of their
arriving at Hawaii.

317
16. **a)** To come to a place. This is evident from the narrative of the passage.

17. **c)** The black rat migrated to Europe first. This event took place first from all the other events
labelled in the options.

18. **d)** The Mongooses do not spread diseases in general, let alone 40.

19. **c)** To inform readers about species that have invaded Hawaii in general and how they have
done it. More emphasis has been given on that.

20. **a)** Because they ate rats. This was the primary purpose.

21. **b)** Revere generally relates to adulation or respect. Therefore, to respect someone or
something is the best use here.

22. **d)** Backfired: Solving problems with problems in Hawaii. This describes the passage best.

23. **a)** It is primarily to explain the differences in the upbringing of girls and boys in some context
to the society mentioned in the passage.

24. **d)** It means abruptly.

25. **d)** These are useful social skills to say the least.

26. **a)** It is developed mainly through child-care duties as it has been mentioned in the passage.

27. **b)** unskilled in. This phrase best describes the nature of being a greenhorn in the context of
the passage.

28. **d)** formal education. That is something, which is missing from the set of activities that have
been labelled across the passage.

318
29. **d)** The boys are more organizing but the girls bicker and waste time according to the passage.
So both of them organizing well would actually weaken the authors’ contention the most. Therefore,
this option best describes the answer to the stated question.

30. **a)** Both description and interpretation of observations. This is apparent from the way the
statements have been made and then backed analytically throughout the passage. This narrative is
written through observation and then subsequent interpretation.

---

> <ins>**Additional Reading Comprehension Solutions**</ins>

**1. D**

From its casual direction, “Flash back to 1937,” to its quotes from computer users, the passage has a
chatty, informal tone.

**2. B**

Given that SPAM was available for the soldier to eat three times a day, clearly it was abundant
(plentiful).

**3. B**

The author’s primary purpose is to describe a process—the process by which Stubbs taught himself
to draw horses.

**4. C**

It is clear that the author admires Stubbs’s achievement. To teach oneself to paint horses as they had
never been painted before is a major accomplishment. To term that accomplishment only “pretty
decent” is an example of ironic understatement.

**5. E**

319
The author begins by giving a definition of the term symbol and proceeds to analyze three separate
types of symbols. Thus, he is refining or further defining his somewhat rudimentary original definition.

**6. B**

For a group of letters to stand for an object, the letters must in some way represent that object to the
people who accept the letters as a conventional symbol for the object.

**7. C**

In describing the associations of the word “phooey,” the author states that “the symbol has an inherent
connection with the feeling it symbolizes.” In other words, there is an intrinsic natural link between
the symbol and its meaning.

**8. A**

When we say “hiss,” we expel air in a sibilant manner, making a sharp “s” sound as we thrust our
tongue toward the tooth ridge and dispel the air quickly. Thus we express our disapproval of
something, our desire to push it away from us, so that the meaning of “hiss” has both inherent and
conventional associations.

**9. C**

The author gives the example of the flag as a conventional symbol that is pictorial rather than
linguistic.

**10. E**

To the author, the Statue of Liberty would be a conventional symbol, one agreed upon by a group of
people to stand for the abstract idea of freedom.

**11. D**

320
If by some accident you were to have a memorably joyful time in Paris, the city of Paris might come
to have some symbolic value for you, bringing a mood of joy to your mind. However, the relationship
between the city and the mood is not an inherent, built-in one; it is purely coincidental.

**12. A**

The author describes how one’s inner experience of a universal symbol is rooted in or grows out of
one’s sensory experience.

**13. B**

The author offers fire as an example of a universal symbol and asks the reader to consider it.

**14. E**

Like fire, water is a universal symbol that we experience through our senses, feeling its fluidity, its
movement, its power. The words “fire” and “phooey” are conventional symbols, as is the flag. A red
dress, if it has any symbolic value at all, is an accidental symbol at best.

**15. B**

The “properties” mentioned here are our body’s attributes or characteristics. To answer vocabulary-
in-context questions, substitute each of the answer choices in the sentence in place of the word in
quotes.

**16. A**

The closing sentence states that the human race forgot the language of universal symbols before it
developed conventional language. Thus, the language of the universal symbol antedates or comes
before the development of our everyday conventional tongues.

**17.** **C**

Ovenden clearly approves of speculation (pondering; evolving theories by taking a fresh look at a
subject or concept). However, he approves of purposeful speculation, speculation that has as its goal

321
the discovery of new ways of looking at the universe. Pointless, idle, _empty_ speculation or
woolgathering he finds unscientific.

**18.** **D**

By asserting that “Speculation is its [science’s] very lifeblood,” Ovenden says that science cannot exist
without speculation. Scientists must speculate, must evolve theories, must _form opinions about the
data they gather._

**19.** **C**

A mature science tries “to see relationships between previously unrelated aspects of the universe,”
that is, to _connect hitherto unlinked phenomena in_ significant patterns or _meaningful ways_.

**20.** **C**

The similarities of the spectrums suggest the _possibility of vegetation_ on Mars.

**21.** **E**

Use the process of elimination to find the correct answer to this question.

• The author _makes an approximation_: he indicates the temperature zone in which life can exist is
“about [_approximately_] 75,000,000 miles wide.” Therefore, you can eliminate A.

• The author _uses a metaphor_: he implicitly compares speculation to blood. Therefore, you can
eliminate B.

• The author _states a resemblance_: in the last sentence of the passage, he says “the infrared
spectrum of the Martian markings has been found to be very similar to the spectrum of Earth
vegetation.” Therefore, you can eliminate C.

• The author _makes a conjecture_ about the sort of life-forms “without a built-in temperature control”
that might exist on Mars: in the last sentence of the next-to-last paragraph, he conjectures (guesses;

322
speculates) they “may be a form of vegetation” that closes its leaves at night. Therefore, you can
eliminate D.

• Only E is left. At no time does the author _deny a contradiction_. The correct answer is E.

**22.** **D**

Passage 1 says that in _This Side of Paradise_, Fitzgerald managed to turn a mass of diverse material
“into a sustained narrative”, indicating that Fitzgerald knew how to _tell a long story_.

**23.** **A**

Passage 1 says that “freshness of language” is Fitzgerald’s “identifying mark.” In other words,
Fitzgerald built his reputation on _his original use of words_.

**24.** **B**

The author of Passage 1 claims that _This Side of Paradise_ helped “Fitzgerald thrash out those ‘ideas
still in riot’ that he attributes to Amory”. Amory, therefore, seems to be a _thinly disguised version of
Fitzgerald_ himself—a young man trying to find himself and make sense of life.

**25.** **E**

In Passage 1, Fitzgerald’s words are quoted in the context of a discussion of the “naiveté and honesty”
of his work. The quotation confirms that Fitzgerald’s writing is characteristically _truthful and
innocent._

**26.** **B**

The entire passage describes the problems of Fitzgerald’s _immature_ writing. In comparison to the
writing in Fitzgerald’s earlier work, the writing in _This Side of Paradise_ had “improved greatly”.
Nevertheless, the author of the passage still regarded Fitzgerald as an “ambitious amateur”.

**27.** **C**

323
The paragraph following the anecdote rebuts _a mistaken view of Fitzgerald_. These portray
Fitzgerald as anything but a “stupid old woman.”

**28.** **A**

The “jewel” refers to Fitzgerald’s exceptional talent with words. Talent is not enough, however.
_Fitzgerald’s talent needed polishing._

**29.** **D**

Stating that _This Side of Paradise_ “is not only highly imitative but…imitates an inferior model”, the
author indicates that _Sinister Street_ was an _unfortunate_ choice for a _model_ on which Fitzgerald
might base his book.

**30.** **B**

The author describes how the hero of _Sinister Street_ is “swamped in the forest of descriptions”. The
author of the novel uses so many flowery descriptive phrases that the reader cannot keep track of the
novel’s plot. In other words, his pretty writing or _flowery prose overshadows_ the _hero’s story_.

**31.** **B**

In the first paragraph the author, by likening the prejudice against the Japanese to the prejudice below
the Mason-Dixon line, argues that anti-Japanese feeling _was comparable to racial prejudice in the
South_.

**32.** **A**

The intensity of anti-Japanese feeling is explained in part by the fact that the Japanese “were of a
distinct racial group; no amount of acculturation could mask their foreignness”. Logically, then, had
_their physical appearance been different_, they might not have experienced such intense hatred.

**33.** **D**

324
Among the causes of prejudice against the Japanese was the rapidity with which the Japanese
immigrants adopted the so-called Protestant ethic, which includes the notion that you must _work
hard to be successful_.

**34.** **E**

Before the war, anti-Japanese feelings were most intense in northern California. Afterward, southern
California became the locus of prejudice. World War II, then, _shifted the center of anti-Japanese
feeling_.

**35.** **E**

The passage explains that labor unions provided the base of the anti-Japanese movement.
Presumably, labor unions voiced their opposition because members felt that their jobs were being
_threatened by Japanese workers_.

**36.** **D**

The author of Passage 2 cautions readers not to confuse anti-Semitism with other forms of anti-
immigrant sentiment, but to be mindful of “different kinds of anti-Semitism.” The passage then
describes _many forms and guises_ (appearances) of anti-Semitism.

**37.** **D**

The author refers to ideological anti-Semitism as that which has “no direct connection with . . . ethnic
integration.” In other words, it is hatred of others’ assumed _beliefs and values_, such as the anti-
Semitic notion cited in the passage that Jews want to take control of the United States.

**38.** **A**

According to the passage, ideological anti-Semitism has not been as “productive of violence as other
racial and religious phobias.” When violence has occurred, therefore, it has been inspired or _fed by
social anti-Semitism_.

**39.** **A**

325
The second paragraph of the passage lists several explanations for hatred of Jews, but not that _it is
hard to tell a Jew from a non-Jew_.

**40.** **B**

In the third paragraph Winrod and Smith are cited as examples of anti-Semites _whose hatred of Jews
was based largely on religion_. As the passage says, except for Winrod and Smith, “one looks in vain
for a clearly religious animus” to explain anti-Semitic feelings.

**41.** **C**

The first passage pinpoints California as the center of anti-Japanese feeling and gives several precise
explanations for its growth in that state. In contrast, Passage 2 portrays anti-Semitism as a _more
complex and diffuse_ (widespread) form of bigotry. It describes various reasons for anti-Semitism and
fails to identify a place or region where it is concentrated.

**42.** **C**

Both authors cite _irrational thinking_ as the cause of prejudice. The first says the “opposition to the
Japanese was based upon fears which were largely irrational”, while the second refers to the role
played by “irrational anti-Semitic fantasies”.

**43.** **A**

_Economic reasons_ dominate both authors’ explanations of prejudice. The Japanese were hated for
challenging whites in many businesses and professions, for working hard, and for competing with
American workers for jobs. Jews were accused of plotting to take control of America’s money supply,
wrecking the financial system, and taking over the communications and entertainment industries.

**44.** **C**

The author states that warfare for the Kiowas “was preeminently a matter of disposition rather than
of survival.” In other words, they _were warlike in nature_.

**45.** **D**

326
The author comments that the Kiowas “never understood the grim, unrelenting advance of the U.S.
Cavalry.” They lacked the _unswerving determination_ that kept the cavalrymen pursuing their foes
long after a band of Kiowas would have changed its course.

**46.** **B**

Born too late to experience the actual fighting and famine, the author’s grandmother did experience
_the bleak,_ cheerless _attitude_ of the defeated warriors, “the dark brooding” _of the older Kiowa
men_.

**47.** **D**

Describing the Kiowas as “a lordly and dangerous society of fighters and thieves, hunters and priests
of the sun”, members of a courageous and proud tribe, the author clearly regards them with
_admiration_.

**48.** **B**

Before they acquired horses, the Kiowas were tied to the ground, forced to move slowly in the course
of their journey toward the dawn. Once they had horses, however, they were _liberated to roam more
freely_; their wandering spirit was no longer tied down.

**49.** **D**

The Kiowas’ origin myth describes how “they entered the world through a hollow log.” Thus, it is _an
explanation of how they came to be_ on Earth.

**50.** **C**

Throughout the passage, the narrator, a small boy, wishes that his father had been a tougher, more
heroic sheriff. _To justify his father’s peaceful nature_ to himself as well as to his reader, he explains
why his father had not gone to war like other men.

**51.** **A**

327
We are told that, when the men returned from war, they “wanted nothing more than to work their farms
and ranches and to live quietly with their families.” In essence, the war veterans _had had their fill of
shooting and death_.

**52.** **C**

The narrator disapproves of his father’s clothes. At least the other men “wore boots and Stetsons.” All
told, the boy thinks that his father is _pretty dull_, especially for a sheriff in Montana.

**53.** **E**

The boy wishes that his father carried a “nickel-plated Western Colt .45,” perhaps one that had been
carried by a gun slinging sheriff in the old West. In short, his gun should to have been a _more
impressive_ firearm.

**54.** **A**

The passage is tinged with the boy’s _regret_ that his father was not a tougher, more glamorous
sheriff. In fact, he says that aspects of his father’s job “disappointed” him.

**55.** **C**

Theatrical properties or props are usually movable items (not costumes or furniture) that actors use
onstage during a performance. Note how the author describes the boys’ likely fate, to be hauled
offstage as if they were inanimate _physical objects_.

**56.** **A**

The stage is rude in the same sense that “the rude bridge that arched the flood” is rude: it is a _roughly
made_, somewhat primitive structure.

**57.** **E**

328
The narrator uses the phrase “such as they were” to dismiss the supposed perks or privileges of stage
royalty. Considering that his father’s reward was to stand under a hot sun wearing a heavy costume,
it is clear that his father _received very little for his efforts_.

**58.** **D**

Given that he forgot their birthdays and never helped them fix their toys, the narrator’s father clearly
was “not dependable to his children.” He “enjoyed being the center of attention”: he gloried in acting
like a king and starring in one-man shows. He “had an appealing appearance,” evinced by the good
looks that attracted his wife. He “was uncomfortable with his responsibilities,” tired of dealing with
household problems. All he lacked was the liking of _those who shared his home_, who grew to be as
tired of him as he asserted he was of them.

**59.** **B**

The narrator has told the story of his father to better _understand his complex feelings toward his
father_, who abandoned his family responsibilities in pursuit of ambitions the narrator neither shares
nor fully understands.

**60.** **B**

The authors of the two passages portray their fathers as _deficient in some important way_. The father
in Passage 1 is not tough and courageous enough to suit his son, and the father in Passage 2 is flawed
in many ways—from his inability to succeed in his career to his destructive self-centeredness.

**61.** **D**

Neither son seems to have a close relationship with his father. In essence, they are _distant_.

**62.** **E**

The author of Passage 1 seems to be asking how a man can be both a sheriff in Montana and a wimp
at the same time. It’s _puzzling_ to the boy. The author of Passage 2 analyzes his father closely, but
not with a sense of confidence in his findings. In many ways the father remains _puzzling_. As the
passage says, the author never understood why the father endured his low-paid, uncelebrated career
as an actor working for fairs.

329
---

> <ins>**Important Reading Comprehensions**</ins>

1. **B.** The sentence is defining two terms, and choice B does so most effectively and concisely.
Choice A uses the pronoun _it_ without a clear antecedent, and uses two awkward participial phrases.
Choice C is wordy and uses the pronoun it without a clear antecedent. Choices D and E are both non
parallel and awkward.

2. **A.** Since the paragraph is talking about general trends in behavior, the subjects and objects of
discussion should all be in the third person. The pronoun ‘you’ is therefore inappropriate and should
be changed to their children.

3. **B.** This sentence is best inserted after sentence 3 because it is a logical introduction to a
discussion of specific uses of incentives, which is presented in sentences 4 through 8.

4. **E.** The original sentence is wordy and uses the unidiomatic phrase _in the way like_. The most
effective and idiomatic option is E. Choice B is needlessly wordy, and choices C and D contain run
ons.

5. **C.** The pronoun _they_ had no clear antecedent in the original phrasing. The same error is
repeated in choices A, B, D, and E. Choice C, although not the most concise, is the most effective and
grammatically correct.

6. **B.** The inserted sentence follows a sentence discussing the reasons that a particular incentive
program was ineffective, and precedes the concluding sentence of the passage. Therefore, the most
effective sentence to insert here provides a concluding thought to the discussion of the incentive
program, which choice B does. Since the paragraph discusses the reasons for the program’s
ineffectiveness, sentences A and D are illogical. Since, the passage does not discuss the relative value
of rewards and punishments, choice C is inappropriate. Sentence E does not convey any relevant
information to the discussion at all.

7. **B.** The original phrasing is not a complete sentence. Answer choice B provides the most logical,
concise and clear phrasing.

8. **A.** The original sentence contains a dangling modifier that needs to be corrected. The sentence
suggests a bit of a contrast, so the _though_ is an important addition to the correct selection.

330
9. **B.** Sentence 5 does not contribute to the unity of the passage. The skull is not talked about in
the rest of the passage.

10. **D.** Answer choice D serves as a good introduction to the topic of the second paragraph since
that paragraph focuses on the palate of the crocodile.

11. **B.** Answer choice B provides the most logical and clear phrasing. Answer choice C creates an
illogical contrast with its use of however. Answer choice D contains verb tense errors. Answer choice
E creates a dangling modifier error.

12. **A.** The sentence is best as written.

13. **D.** In context, the pronoun _it_ has no clear antecedent. The second part of the sentence begins
with _because_, and therefore is giving a reason for something mentioned in the first part of the
sentence. Clearly, it is explaining why _we adopt superstitions_, according to the scientists mentioned
in the previous sentence.

14. **B.** Since this sentence does not convey an idea that contrasts with the previous one, the
transition however is illogical. It describes a consequence of the fact in the previous sentence, so
therefore is more logical.

15. **A.** In context, the pronoun _They_ has no clear antecedent. The sentence provides some
examples of specific superstitions, so the transition for example, _we are inclined to_ is much more
effective.

16. **C.** The term _nonbelievers_, in this context, refers to people who do not share the superstitions.
Therefore, phrases like _nonbelievers not sharing_ _[the superstitions]_ are redundant. Notice that
choices A, B, and E contain similar redundancies. Choice D is illogical because it does not show an
idea that is _instead of_ (that is, replacing) the other.

17. **A.** This sentence represents a shift in the discussion from the benefits of superstitions to the
pitfalls of superstitions. Therefore, the transition _on the other hand_ is most logical.

18. **D.** Sentence 7 is in a paragraph discussing the process by which superstitions are formed, as
silly as they may seem to others. Therefore, a sentence about _the great things our minds are capable
of_ is inappropriate.

331
19. **D.** The passage focuses on an individual’s personal experience with olives. So, the introductory
sentence should give personal background information about that person that relates to her life
history with olives.

20. **D.** As currently written, the second sentence is a fragment. Because the second clause
contains a list of examples to support the first clause, the two sentences should be connected by a
colon.

21. **C.** The sentence is conveying the notion that they behaved a certain way until they learned
something about olives. Choice C creates the proper temporal relationship.

22. **E.** The passage clearly contains sentence length variation as some sentences contain 3 words
and others contain more than 10 words. The passage is most certainly being personally narrated by
an individual who grew up in a Greek-American household. The passage contains detailed
descriptions: I found a vendor selling dozens of different kinds of olives (sentence 7) and the little
pimentos that protrude out of them turned me off (sentence 5). Sentence 9, How had I never tried
green olives before? contains a rhetorical question. The passage lacks metaphor.

23. **C.** The verb phrase having been should be changed to the simple past tense form was.

24. **D.** Sentence 14 tells us that she puts pepper on a lot of the food that she eats. The entire
passage focuses on olives. This sentence is unrelated to the rest of the passage.

25. **E.** The comparison requires parallel form: choosing… is like choosing.

26. **C.** Choice C coordinates the ideas most logically, without the use of any unclear pronoun
antecedents.

27. **B.** The ideas are coordinated most logically in choice B.

28. **D.** Sentence 13 is out of place because the main idea of the sentence is about how voters
should inform themselves about political candidates and issues, not about the negativity of political
ads.

29. **B.** The original phrasing is needlessly wordy and awkward. Choice B is preferable to D because
D creates a run-on sentence.

332
30. **A.** Choice A is best because it is concise and avoids the pronoun shift of the others.

333