Sentence Improvement — Practice Set-1 — Solved in Hindi & English

1. I told him that I waited for him for an hour the previous day.
A) had waited        B) had been waiting
C) was waiting        D) No improvement

2. When you will write the book I shall help you.
A) you get to write the book    B) you write the book
C) will you write the book    D) No improvement.

3. When he fell down the ditch, he shouted with all his might, so that to catch someone’s attention.
A) such that to catch        B) so as to catch
C) so then to catch        D) No improvement.

4. Will you tell me who did accompany you to the airport?
A) When did accompany you        B) Who must be accompanied you
C) Who accompanied you        D) No improvement

5. The teacher did not ask any questions to Rinky.
A) any questions of Rinky        B) any questions from Rinky
C) Rinky any questions        D) No improvement

6. Do how I say.
A) as        B) what
C) like        D) No improvement

7. Mr. Dev will not go to the wedding reception without being called.
A) if he is not invited        B) till he is invited
C) Unless he is invited        D) No improvement

8. Why should you be despaired of your success of your undertaking?
A) you despair of the success of your undertaking        B) you despair of success of undertaking
C) you be despaired of the success of your undertaking        D) No improvement

9. The office is soon to be closed.
A) just to        B) about to
C) immediately to        D) No improvement

10. You didn’t need be lying when the judge asked you where you were when the crime was committed.
A) have told a lie        B) have told lie
C) to tell a lie        D) No improvement

Answer Key

1. A

2. B

3. B

4. C

5. C

6. A

7. C

8. A

9. B

10. C

Solution with explanation (in Hindi)

1. Option ‘A’ (had waited). इस sentence में देखिये THE PREVIOUS DAY दिया गया है, ये सिर्फ Past Perfect Tense में ही use किया जा सकता है.

2. Option ‘B’ (you write the book). दिया गया sentence अशुद्ध है. Clause I SHALL HELP YOU हमें बता रहा है कि इस sentence में future time में कुछ घटित होने की बात हो रही है. WHEN के साथ जब future में कुछ घटित होने की बात हो तो Present Simple Tense use किया जाता है कोई future tense नहीं; जैसे

INCORRECT: When the new park will open, I’ll go there every day.
CORRECT: When the new park opens, I’ll go there every day.

Option ‘A’ अशुद्ध है क्योंकि इस अर्थ में GET के साथ TO-INFINITIVE का use नहीं किया जाता. ऐसा हम तभी करते हैं जब GET का अर्थ ‘कुछ करने के अवसर को प्राप्त करने का संयोग हो. जैसे

Did you get to visit your uncle when you were in Mumbai?

3. Option ‘B’ (so as to catch). किसी infinitive (TO+V1) के पहले SO AS use किया जाता है, SO THAT नहीं. TO CATCH एक infinitive है.

4. Option ‘C’ (who accompanied you). इस sentence में दो clause दिए गये हैं, वे हैं WILL YOU TELL ME और WHO DID ACCOMPANY YOU. दूसरे clause का subject WHO दिया हुआ है, जब भी WHO, WHAT, WHICH अथवा WHOSE में से कोई एक किसी clause/sentence का subject होता है तो present simple and past simple tenses में किसी helping verb का use नहीं किया जाता. क्योंकि इस clause का tense Past Simple Tense है और helping verb DID का use किया हुआ है; अतः यहाँ से DID को हटाना पड़ेगा.

5. Option ‘C’ (Rinky any questions). Verb ASK के साथ कभी कोई preposition use जैसे  TO/FROM अदि का use नहीं होता; जैसे

INCORRECT: The speaker asked to the men how many children they had.
CORRECT: The speaker asked the men how many children they had.

INCORRECT: It is an interesting question that every person should ask to himself.
CORRECT: It is an interesting question that every person should ask himself.

6. Option ‘A’ (as). DO AS I SAY एक proverb होती है जिसका अर्थ है ‘वैसे ही करो जैसा कि मैं कहूँ’.

7. Option ‘C’ (unless he is invited). दिया गया वाक्य अशुद्ध है क्योंकि verb CALL का use किसी को invite करने के लिए नहीं किया जाता. Option ‘A’ इसलिए गलत है क्योंकि इसका use करने से वाक्य का अर्थ हो जायेगा कि वह reception में जायेगा ही नहीं, अर्थ होना चाहिए की अगर उसको invite कर लिया जाता है तो वह अवश्य जायेगा, इस अर्थ के लिए UNLESS शब्द का प्रयोग ही उचित है.

8. Option ‘A’ (you despair of the success of your undertaking). दिया गया वाक्य passive voice में है. अगर सही से देखा जाए तो इसे active voice में होना चाहिए था. DESPAIR (verb) = उम्मीद छोड़ देना. SHOULD का use हम किसी बात की सार्थकता (reasonableness) बताने के लिए भी करते हैं. UNDERTAKING का अर्थ है काम/कार्य

Hindi translation: क्या ये सही बात है कि तुम अपने काम की सफलता के बारे में संदेह करो/उसकी उम्मीद छोड़ो?

9. Option ‘B’ (about to). तत्काल भविष्य को जताने के लिए phrase BE ABOUT का use किया जाता ही. बात पर जोर देने के लिए इससे पहले शब्द JUST को लगाया जा सकता है, या फिर इसके स्थान पर be on the point of + gerund का use भी किया जा सकता है; जैसे

a) I’m about to leave. (means I’ll leave just now)
b) I’m just about to leave.
c) I’m on the point of leaving.
d) He was just about to dive when he saw the crocodile.

10. Option ‘C’ (to tell a lie). दिए गये वाक्य में NEED main verb है. NEED जब main verb होती है तो इसके साथ full infinitive (to+V1) का use किया जाता है; अतः यहाँ TO TELL A LIE सही होगा.

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Solution with explanation (in English)

1.  Option ‘A’ (had waited). The adverb The previous day is only used  for the Past Perfect Tense.

2. Option ‘B’ (you write the book). The given sentence is incorrect. It’s clear from the clause I SHALL HELP YOU that we are talking about something happening at sometime in future. To represent future we use the Present Simple Tense in the clause beginning with WHEN, not a future tense; e.g.

INCORRECT: When the new park will open, I’ll go there every day.
CORRECT: When the new park opens, I’ll go there every day.

Option ‘A’ is incorrect as we do not use TO-INFINITIVE after GET in this meaning. We do this when GET means ‘to have the chance to do something’; e.g.

Did you get to visit your uncle when you were in Mumbai?

3. Option ‘B’ (so as to catch). Before an infinitive (TO+V1) we use SO AS, not SO THAT. TO CATCH is the infinitive.

4. Option ‘C’ (who accompanied you). This sentence has two clauses, they are WILL YOU TELL ME and WHO DID ACCOMPANY YOU. The subject of the 2^nd clause is WHO, when WHO, WHAT, WHICH or WHOSE itself is the subject of a clause we do not use a helping verb in present simple and past simple tenses with it. You see DID is the helping verb there. As it’s the simple past tense here we will say WHO ACCOMPANIED YOU.

5. Option ‘C’ (Rinky any questions). The verb ASK is never used with  the preposition TO/FROM. It takes a direct personal object; e.g.

INCORRECT: The speaker asked to the men how many children they had.
CORRECT: The speaker asked the men how many children they had.

INCORRECT: It is an interesting question that every person should ask to himself.
CORRECT: It is an interesting question that every person should ask himself.

6. Option ‘A’ (as). DO AS I SAY is a proverb. It means — obey my instructions.

7. Option ‘C’ (unless he is invited). The given sentence is wrong as verb CALL does not mean INVITE. Option ‘A’ is incorrect as when the main clause is negative the conditional clause can’t begin with IF.

8. Option ‘A’ (you despair of the success of your undertaking). The given sentence is in the passive voice. If you understand it well you’ll see that it should be in the active voice. DESPAIR (verb) = to loose hope. In one of the uses of SHOULD it’s also used for reasonableness of something. UNDERTAKING here means JOB/TASK.

Hindi translation: क्या ये सही बात है कि तुम अपने काम की सफलता के बारे में संदेह करो/उसकी उम्मीद छोड़ो?

9. Option ‘B’ (about to). We use BE ABOUT to express the immediate future. We can also add JUST to it, or can use be on the point of + gerund to emphasize; e.g.

a) I’m about to leave. (means I’ll leave just now)
b) I’m just about to leave.
c) I’m on the point of leaving.
d) He was just about to dive when he saw the crocodile.

10. Option ‘C’ (to tell a lie). Here NEED is the main verb. As a main verb takes full infinitive (to+V1); therefore TO TELL A LIE is correct.

For English Practice Sets on various topics read the following book authored by me.

Link for buying the above book

CLICK HERE TO BUY