This set has twelve original questions. They cover joining sentences, clear reference, strength, word families and shortening, in roughly that order, from easier to harder. Every sentence was written for this page and none comes from an exam paper.
How should you use this set?
Write your answer on paper before you open the explanation. Many questions have more than one good answer, so compare your version with the model and check the reasoning, not only the wording. Give yourself a short limit for each question, because real tasks are timed.
Use the summary selection and paraphrase studio to try your own sentences, and record each error in the mistake log and retest queue. The writing revision compare view helps you see what your edits changed. Return to the module overview in sentence building and paraphrase if you want the study order.
Questions
1. Combine into one sentence with a link that shows result: The rain stopped. The match continued.
Show answer
The rain stopped, so the match continued. The second event follows from the first, so so shows the result, with a comma before it. The match continued after the rain stopped is also correct.
2. Correct the run-on: Hana practises every day, her pronunciation is improving.
Show answer
Hana practises every day, and her pronunciation is improving. Two full sentences need more than a comma. A semicolon or a full stop would also work. Because Hana practises every day, her pronunciation is improving shows the cause.
3. Combine into one sentence: The museum is free. It is close to the station. Many tourists visit it.
Show answer
Because the museum is free and close to the station, many tourists visit it. The first two facts are reasons for the third. They share a subject, so and joins them without a second the museum is.
4. Remove the repeated noun: The school has a new library. The library has two quiet rooms.
Show answer
The school has a new library, which has two quiet rooms. A relative clause joins the second fact to the noun. It would also work, but which keeps the link tight.
5. Why is this unclear? Rewrite it. When Ben met Omar, he was carrying a heavy box.
Show answer
He could be Ben or Omar. Choose the one you mean: When Ben met Omar, Ben was carrying a heavy box, or Ben, who was carrying a heavy box, met Omar. Repeating a name is better than a guess.
6. Which keeps the strength of Regular sleep can improve concentration? (a) Regular sleep always improves concentration. (b) Regular sleep is able to improve concentration. (c) Regular sleep will certainly improve concentration.
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(b). Can and is able to both express possibility. Always and will certainly are much stronger claims than the original makes.
7. Paraphrase with the same quantity: Nearly every visitor complained about the queue.
Show answer
The great majority of visitors complained about the queue. Nearly every and the great majority of are both close to all. Keep complained, because were unhappy slightly softens the force. Some visitors would be wrong.
8. Fill the gap with the correct form: The guide gave us very ______ (inform) answers.
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informative. The gap comes between very and the noun answers, so an adjective is needed. Information is the noun and does not fit here.
9. Fill the gap with the correct form: Everyone admired her ______ (determine) to finish the race.
Show answer
determination. After her, we need a noun. Determined is an adjective and would be used as her determined effort.
10. Shorten, keeping both conditions: You may enter the laboratory only when a teacher is present and only if you are wearing safety glasses.
Show answer
Enter the laboratory only with a teacher present and while wearing safety glasses. The two conditions are a teacher and safety glasses. Both remain, joined by and, and only still governs them.
11. Shorten without losing a condition: The shop will give you a refund if you bring the receipt within fourteen days, unless the item was on sale.
Show answer
Refunds need a receipt within fourteen days, except for sale items. The conditions are the receipt, the fourteen days and the sale exception. A version ending Refunds need a receipt within fourteen days loses the exception, so it is wrong.
12. Write one clear sentence from these four: The bus was very late. It was raining heavily. The students waited. The students got wet.
Show answer
The students got wet while they waited in the heavy rain for the late bus. Here, heavy rain and late bus replace two sentences by moving the description into noun phrases. Another good answer is Because the bus was late and it was raining heavily, the students got wet while they waited. Check that all four facts remain.
If you got these wrong
Sort each miss by the type of error, then go back to the matching lesson.
| Questions | Error type | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3 | run-on, weak link or choppy sentences | combining short sentences without a run-on |
| 4, 5 | unclear or repeated reference | replacing a repeated noun with clear reference |
| 6, 7 | paraphrase changed the certainty or quantity | restating an idea without changing its strength |
| 8, 9 | wrong word form for the slot | using word families in the correct grammatical role |
| 10, 11, 12 | a condition or a fact was lost | shortening a sentence without losing a condition |
If a mistake looks like two types at once, fix the meaning error first. A sentence with perfect grammar and the wrong meaning still loses the point.
Self-study can be enough when you can find and fix most of these by yourself on a second read. If the same type keeps returning, it can help to work through your own sentences with a teacher in online one-to-one English as a Second Language tuition.