English Grammar MCQS

The error in the sentence "Either Sana or her sisters is coming" is found in the subject-verb agreement, specifically with "sisters is." When two subjects are joined by correlative conjunctions such as "either...or" or "neither...nor," the verb must agree with the subject that is closest to it.

In this particular sentence, the two subjects are "Sana" (which is singular) and "her sisters" (which is plural). Since "her sisters" is the subject immediately preceding the verb, and it is plural, the verb must also be plural. Therefore, "is" should be corrected to "are."

The grammatically correct sentence should be: "Either Sana or her sisters are coming." This rule, often referred to as the rule of proximity, is fundamental for ensuring proper subject-verb agreement in complex sentences and maintaining clarity and correctness in written and spoken English.

The error in the sentence "I have not met him since five months" is the incorrect use of the word "since." In English grammar, "since" is used to indicate a specific starting point in time from which an action or state has continued (e.g., "since Monday," "since 2005," "since he left").

However, when referring to a duration or a period of time, the preposition "for" should be used. "For" specifies the length of time an action has occurred (e.g., "for five months," "for two hours," "for a decade"). In this sentence, "five months" clearly denotes a duration, not a starting point.

Therefore, "since" must be replaced with "for" to make the sentence grammatically correct. The accurate sentence is: "I have not met him for five months." This distinction between "since" and "for" is vital for expressing temporal relationships accurately, especially when using perfect tenses in English.

The sentence "Despite working hard, he could not __________ success" implies a contrast: even with significant effort, a desired positive outcome (success) was not attained. We need a verb that conveys the idea of reaching or gaining success.

• A: achieve means to successfully bring about or reach (a desired objective or result) by effort, skill, or courage. This fits the context perfectly, indicating that despite his hard work, success remained out of his grasp.
• B: failed is a verb meaning to not succeed. If used, the sentence structure would be different, such as "he failed to achieve success" or "he failed to succeed." It doesn't fit directly after "could not."
• C: lose means to be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something). This is contrary to the idea of gaining success.
• D: avoid means to keep away from or stop oneself from doing (something). This is the opposite of what someone working hard for success would do.

Therefore, "achieve" is the only word that logically completes the sentence, conveying the intended meaning of not attaining success despite diligent effort.

The sentence states that "The CEO's speech was __________ and inspired everyone." The key phrase here is "inspired everyone," which suggests that the speech was highly effective, persuasive, and impactful. We need an adjective that describes a speech capable of achieving such a positive effect.

• A: boring would have the opposite effect; a boring speech would not inspire anyone.
• B: eloquent means fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing. An eloquent speech is characterized by clear, powerful, and moving language, which is precisely the kind of speech that would inspire an audience. This aligns perfectly with the outcome described.
• C: confusing implies a lack of clarity, making it difficult to understand, and thus unlikely to inspire or motivate.
• D: brief describes the length of the speech, not its quality or impact. While a brief speech can be inspiring, "brief" itself doesn't directly convey the quality of inspiration.

Therefore, "eloquent" is the most fitting adjective to describe a speech that had such a profound and inspiring effect on the audience, indicating both its quality and its power to move people.

The correct answer is A: melts. This sentence exemplifies a zero conditional structure, which is used to describe general truths, scientific facts, or situations where the outcome is always the same. The structure for the zero conditional is 'If + present simple, present simple'. In this case, 'If you heat ice' (present simple) leads directly to 'it melts into water' (present simple). This grammatical rule highlights a cause-and-effect relationship that is universally true. Other options like 'melted' (past tense), 'will melt' (future tense, used for first conditional or predictions), or 'would melt' (conditional, often for hypothetical situations) are incorrect because they do not fit the context of a universal truth. The consistent and predictable nature of ice turning into water when heated makes the simple present tense the only appropriate choice for both clauses in this type of conditional sentence.

The correct answer is A: have / seen. This sentence requires the present perfect tense, which is used to describe an action or state that occurred at an unspecified time in the past and has relevance to the present, or an experience that has happened up to now. The present perfect is formed using 'have' or 'has' followed by the past participle of the main verb. Since the subject is 'I', we use 'have'. The past participle of 'see' is 'seen'. The word 'never' is a common adverb used with the present perfect to indicate that an experience has not occurred at any point up to the present moment. Therefore, 'I have never seen' correctly conveys the meaning of not having experienced seeing such a beautiful place before. Options B, C, and D use incorrect auxiliary verbs, incorrect forms of the main verb, or an inappropriate tense for describing a past experience with present relevance.

The correct answer is B: had left. This sentence describes two past actions, where one action happened before the other. To correctly express this sequence of events, we use the past perfect tense for the action that occurred first, and the past simple tense for the action that occurred second. In this sentence, 'the train leaving' happened before 'we reached the station'. Therefore, 'had left' (past perfect of 'leave') is used for the earlier action, and 'reached' (past simple of 'reach') is used for the later action. The past perfect is formed with 'had' + the past participle of the main verb. Options A ('left', simple past), C ('leaves', simple present), and D ('has left', present perfect) are incorrect because they do not accurately convey the sequence of two completed actions in the past, where one preceded the other.

The correct answer is A: Delicious meals are prepared by the chef. To transform an active voice sentence into the passive voice, several steps are followed. First, the object of the active sentence ('delicious meals') becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Second, the verb form changes to 'be' + the past participle of the main verb. Since the original sentence 'The chef prepares delicious meals' is in the simple present tense, and the new subject 'delicious meals' is plural, the correct form of 'be' is 'are', and the past participle of 'prepares' is 'prepared'. Finally, the original subject ('the chef') can be included as an agent, introduced by 'by'. Options B, C, and D are incorrect because they either use the wrong tense ('were prepared'), incorrect subject-verb agreement ('is prepared'), or do not correctly form the passive voice ('prepare').

The correct answer is B: was written. This sentence is in the passive voice because the subject, 'The letter', is receiving the action of being written, rather than performing it. The phrase 'yesterday' clearly indicates that the action took place in the past. Therefore, we need to use the past simple passive form. The past simple passive is constructed using 'was' or 'were' (depending on the subject's number) followed by the past participle of the main verb. Since 'The letter' is singular, 'was' is the correct auxiliary verb. The past participle of 'write' is 'written'. Thus, 'was written' correctly forms the past simple passive voice. Options A ('is written', present passive), C ('wrote', active past simple), and D ('writes', active present simple) are incorrect as they do not fit the passive voice requirement for a past action.

The original sentence, "They are building a new hospital," is in the present continuous active voice. To transform it into the passive voice, we need to follow a specific structure:

• The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Here, "a new hospital" is the object.
• The auxiliary verb "to be" is used in the same tense as the active verb, followed by "being" for continuous tenses. Since the active sentence uses "are building" (present continuous), the passive form will use "is being" (because "a new hospital" is singular).
• The main verb is changed to its past participle form. The past participle of "build" is "built."

Combining these elements, "A new hospital is being built" correctly forms the present continuous passive voice. Option B, "A new hospital was built," is past simple passive. Option C, "A new hospital builds," is present simple active. Option D, "A new hospital is built," is present simple passive. Therefore, option A is the only correct choice that maintains the original tense and meaning in the passive voice.

This sentence requires a passive voice construction because the subject, "The assignment," is the recipient of the action, not the performer. Assignments do not submit themselves; they are submitted by someone. When a modal verb (like "must," "can," "should," "will") is used in the passive voice, the structure is modal verb + be + past participle of the main verb.

• The modal verb in this sentence is "must."
• Following the modal, we need "be."
• The main verb is "submit," and its past participle form is "submitted."

Therefore, combining these, the correct phrase is "must be submitted." Option A, "submit," is in the active voice and would imply the assignment performs the action. Option C, "submitted," is a past participle but lacks the auxiliary "be" required for the passive construction with a modal. Option D, "submitting," is a present participle and would be used in an active continuous tense. Thus, "be submitted" is the only grammatically correct and contextually appropriate choice for the passive voice.

The question "Who __________ this painting?" is asking for the agent who performed the action of creating the painting. This implies an active voice construction, where the subject (whoever "Who" refers to) is performing the action. Since the painting already exists, the action of creating it must have happened in the past. Therefore, the simple past tense active voice is required.

• "Created" is the simple past tense of the verb "create." It correctly indicates a completed action performed by the subject.
• Option A, "was created," is in the past simple passive voice. This would be used if the painting were the subject and the creator was unknown or less important (e.g., "This painting was created by an unknown artist"). However, the question "Who" specifically asks for the active agent.
• Option C, "is created," is present simple passive.
• Option D, "were created," is past simple passive plural, which is incorrect for a singular painting and the active nature of the question.

Hence, "created" is the appropriate choice, directly asking for the person who actively performed the creation.

When converting direct speech to indirect (or reported) speech, several changes typically occur, especially when the reporting verb (like "said") is in the past tense. This is known as 'backshift' of tenses.

• Reporting Verb: "He said" remains the same.
• Conjunction: We usually add "that" to introduce the reported statement, though it's often optional.
• Pronoun Change: The pronoun "I" in direct speech refers to the original speaker (He), so it changes to "he" in indirect speech.
• Tense Change (Backshift): The present simple tense "am busy" in direct speech shifts one step back to the past simple tense in indirect speech. So, "am" becomes "was."

Applying these rules, "He said, 'I am busy'" transforms into "He said that he was busy." Option A ("he is busy") fails to backshift the tense. Options C and D ("I am busy," "I was busy") fail to change the pronoun from "I" to "he," which is crucial for accurate reporting. Therefore, option B is the correct conversion.

Converting a direct question into indirect (reported) speech involves specific rules, especially for 'yes/no' questions like "Will you help me?"

• Reporting Verb: The reporting verb "said" changes to "asked" because it's a question.
• Introducing the Question: For 'yes/no' questions, we use "if" or "whether" to introduce the reported clause.
• Pronoun Changes: "You" refers to the person being asked (the listener, implied as 'me' in the reporting context), so it changes to "I." "Me" refers to the speaker (She), so it changes to "her."
• Tense Change (Backshift): The future simple tense "Will" shifts to the conditional past tense "would."
• Word Order: The question word order (auxiliary verb before subject) changes to a statement word order (subject before verb). So, "Will you help" becomes "if I would help."

Following these rules, "She said, 'Will you help me?'" correctly becomes "She asked if I would help her." Option B fails to backshift the tense. Options C and D are grammatically incorrect and do not follow the structure for reporting questions.

The correct answer is B: The teacher ordered not to make noise. This question tests your understanding of converting direct speech into indirect speech, specifically for imperative sentences (commands or requests).

When an imperative sentence like "Don't make noise" is converted to indirect speech, the reporting verb often changes to reflect the nature of the command, such as 'ordered', 'requested', 'advised', or 'told'. In this case, 'ordered' is highly appropriate. The imperative verb is then introduced by an infinitive. For negative imperatives, the structure becomes "not to + verb".

• Option A is incorrect because it retains the direct speech structure.
• Option C uses "said to not make noise," which is grammatically less preferred than "ordered not to make noise" for conveying a command, and "to not make" is a split infinitive, generally avoided in formal writing.
• Option D uses "tells," which is in the present tense, but the original reporting verb "said" is in the past tense, requiring consistency in the indirect speech.

Therefore, "The teacher ordered not to make noise" accurately transforms the command into indirect speech, maintaining the correct tense and structure.

The correct answer is B: He said that he had finished his work. This question assesses your knowledge of converting direct speech into indirect speech, focusing on tense changes and pronoun shifts.

When a declarative sentence in direct speech is converted to indirect speech, the tense typically shifts backward (known as backshift). The original sentence, "I have finished my work," uses the Present Perfect tense. In indirect speech, the Present Perfect tense backshifts to the Past Perfect tense. Therefore, "have finished" becomes "had finished."

• The pronoun "I" changes to "he" to reflect the speaker.
• Similarly, "my work" changes to "his work."
• Option A is incorrect because "finished" (Simple Past) is not the correct backshift for Present Perfect.
• Option C is incorrect as it retains the Present Perfect tense ("has finished") and omits "his work," failing to apply the necessary backshift and pronoun change.
• Option D is incorrect because the pronoun "I" is not changed to "he."

Thus, "He said that he had finished his work" correctly applies all the rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech.

The correct answer is B: She exclaimed with sorrow that she had failed the test. This question tests your ability to convert exclamatory sentences from direct to indirect speech, paying attention to emotional expression and tense changes.

The interjection "Alas!" expresses sorrow or regret. When converting such a sentence to indirect speech, an appropriate reporting phrase like "exclaimed with sorrow" or "exclaimed sadly" is used. The conjunction "that" then introduces the reported statement.

Crucially, the tense must backshift. The original sentence, "I failed the test," uses the Simple Past tense. In indirect speech, the Simple Past tense backshifts to the Past Perfect tense. Therefore, "failed" becomes "had failed." The pronoun "I" also changes to "she" to match the subject of the reporting clause.

• Option A is incorrect because it retains the Simple Past tense ("failed") instead of backshifting to Past Perfect.
• Option C and D are incorrect because they use the present tense reporting verb "says" instead of the past tense "said," and their tenses for the reported action are also incorrect.

Therefore, "She exclaimed with sorrow that she had failed the test" is the most accurate conversion.

The correct answer is C: is. This question focuses on subject-verb agreement with collective nouns. A collective noun, such as "flock," "team," "committee," "family," or "audience," refers to a group of individuals. When the group acts as a single, unified entity, the collective noun takes a singular verb. In this sentence, "the flock of birds" is acting together as one unit, flying in a single direction.

Consider these points:

• Unified Action: The birds are flying together as one cohesive group, hence the singular verb "is."
• Collective Noun Rule: When a collective noun emphasizes the group as a whole, it requires a singular verb.

If the sentence implied that the individual members of the flock were acting separately or disagreeing, a plural verb might be used (e.g., "The flock are scattering in different directions"). However, "flying south" indicates a unified action. Options A ("are"), B ("were"), and D ("have") are all plural verb forms and are incorrect because "flock" is treated as a singular unit in this context.

The correct answer is B: went. This question tests your understanding of verb tenses, specifically the simple past tense. The key indicator in the sentence is the adverb of time, "yesterday." "Yesterday" clearly specifies that the action of going to Lahore occurred in the past and is now completed.

Here's why "went" is the correct choice:

• Simple Past Tense: The simple past tense is used to describe actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past. "Went" is the simple past tense form of the verb "to go."
• Time Adverb: "Yesterday" explicitly places the action in the past, making the simple past tense the appropriate choice.

Let's look at the other options:

• A: go is the simple present tense.
• C: gone is the past participle, used with auxiliary verbs (e.g., "has gone," "had gone").
• D: goes is the simple present tense for third-person singular subjects.

Since the action happened "yesterday," only the simple past tense form "went" correctly conveys the timing of the event.

The correct answer is C: will have completed. This sentence requires the future perfect tense, which is used to describe an action that will be completed before a specific point in the future. The phrase "By next year" clearly indicates a deadline or a future point in time by which the action of completing the degree will be finished. The structure of the future perfect tense is "will + have + past participle."

Let's look at why the other options are incorrect:

• A: complete (Simple present) is used for habitual actions or facts, not for an action completed by a future deadline.
• B: will complete (Simple future) indicates an action that will happen in the future, but it doesn't emphasize completion before a specific future time. It suggests the action will simply occur at some point next year, not necessarily be finished by then.
• D: completed (Simple past) refers to an action that finished in the past, which contradicts the "By next year" timeframe.

Therefore, "will have completed" is the only option that correctly conveys the idea of the degree being finished before the end of next year.

The correct answer is B: was cooking. This sentence uses the past continuous tense, which is perfect for describing an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted by another past action. The structure of the past continuous is "was/were + verb-ing." In this context, "he was cooking dinner" describes an activity that was in progress when the speaker "arrived," which is a specific, shorter past action that interrupted or occurred during the longer cooking activity.

Let's examine why the other options are unsuitable:

• A: cooks (Simple present) is used for habitual actions or general truths, not for a specific past event.
• C: cooked (Simple past) would imply that he finished cooking dinner at the moment I arrived, or that he cooked dinner and then I arrived, which doesn't capture the sense of an ongoing action.
• D: has cooked (Present perfect) connects a past action to the present, suggesting the cooking is either recently finished or has an effect on the present, which doesn't fit the narrative of an interruption by a past event ("when I arrived").

Thus, "was cooking" accurately portrays the continuous nature of the action at the moment of arrival.

The correct answer is B: querulous. This question assesses your vocabulary and ability to choose the most appropriate word based on context.

The sentence states that the customer "complained about everything on the menu." This action clearly indicates a negative and fault-finding disposition. We need a word that describes someone who is prone to complaining.

• The word querulous means complaining in a petulant or whining manner. It perfectly describes a customer who finds fault with every item and expresses dissatisfaction.
• Option A: happy is the opposite of someone who complains.
• Option C: silent means not speaking, which contradicts the act of complaining.
• Option D: satisfied is also the opposite of someone who complains about everything.

Therefore, "querulous" is the only word among the choices that accurately and effectively describes a customer who complains about everything on the menu, making it the best fit for the blank.

The correct answer is A: are. This question tests your understanding of subject-verb agreement, particularly with collective nouns.

A collective noun, such as "committee," can take either a singular or a plural verb depending on whether the members of the group are acting as a single, unified entity or as separate individuals. In this sentence, the phrase "divided in their opinion" is the key indicator. The word "divided" explicitly states that the members of the committee are acting individually, holding different opinions, rather than as one cohesive unit.

• When the members of a collective noun are acting individually or are in disagreement, the verb should be plural. Hence, "are" is the correct choice.
• If the committee were acting as a single unit (e.g., "The committee is meeting today"), a singular verb would be appropriate.
• Option B: is is singular and incorrect here because of the division.
• Option C: was is past tense singular and does not fit the present tense context implied by the lack of a past tense indicator.
• Option D: has is a singular present perfect auxiliary verb, which is also incorrect for a plural action.

Therefore, "The committee are divided in their opinion" correctly reflects the individual actions of the committee members.

The correct answer is C: was. This question tests your understanding of subject-verb agreement, specifically with indefinite pronouns. The word "each" is an indefinite pronoun that always takes a singular verb, even when it is followed by a prepositional phrase like "of the players." Although "players" is plural, it is part of the prepositional phrase and not the true subject of the sentence. The subject is "each," which refers to every single player individually.

Consider these points:

• "Each" as a singular subject: When "each" functions as the subject, or is part of a compound subject where it modifies a singular noun, the verb must be singular.
• Prepositional phrases: Words within a prepositional phrase (like "of the players") do not affect the number of the verb. The verb must agree with the actual subject.

Therefore, since "each" is singular, the singular past tense verb "was" is required. Options A ("were"), B ("have been"), and D ("are") are all plural forms and would be incorrect in this context.

The correct answer is C: were. This question addresses subject-verb agreement when using correlative conjunctions like "neither...nor." When "neither...nor" connects two subjects, the verb must agree with the subject that is closer to it. In this sentence, the two subjects are "the teacher" (singular) and "the students" (plural).

Let's break it down:

• Proximity Rule: The subject closest to the verb is "the students," which is a plural noun.
• Verb Agreement: Because "the students" is plural, the verb must also be plural.

Therefore, "were" is the appropriate plural past tense verb. If the order were reversed, for example, "Neither the students nor the teacher __________ present," the correct verb would be "was" because "the teacher" (singular) would be closer to the verb. Options A ("was"), B ("is"), and D ("has") are all singular forms and are incorrect because the closest subject, "the students," is plural.