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Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
As part of our ongoing series on English usage we bring you a new set of quiz questions to test your knowledge of the language.
Language expert Preeti Shirodkar recently shared with us the most common blunders that Indians make while writing in and speaking English.
See Part 1 here: 11 Blunders to avoid in spoken and written English
See Part II here: Most common blunders in English usage
We also ran a quiz challenging you, our readers, to test your knowledge of the language many of us so often take for granted.
So you scored superbly in that test? Good! Here's one more coming your way!
1. Sir, ___________ I come in?
a. could
b. may
c. would
The correct answer is b. 'May' involves permission, while the other two reflect a possibility; and, in order to be polite one needs to seek permission.
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
2. I ______________ at home this evening
a. am eating
b. will eat
c. don't eat
The correct answer is b. While 'will eat' shows a desire, 'am eating' reflects an action that one is currently engaging in and 'don't eat' shows a continued course of action. For example, I don't eat at home in the evenings
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
3. The hair on her head _________________ in a neat bun.
a. were tied
b. was tied
c. either of the above
The correct answer is a. Hair here being plural, reflected by them being tied in a bun, will take the verb phrase 'were tied'; whereas, while referring to a single strand of hair one would use 'was'.
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
4. She ___________ better in the last exam, as against the one held in this semester.
a. had fared
b. will fare
c. has fared
The correct answer is a. The tense required here is past perfect, as the action referred to is one that has occurred in the past.
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
5. I don't know why it didn't agree with her, as she ________________ this fruit since her childhood.
a. has been eating
b. will be eating
c. could have eaten
The correct answer is a. Since it refers to an action which has been unfolding over a span of time, it would involve the perfect (have + en) coupled with the present continuous (be + ing), rather than 'will be eating', which reflects the future, and 'could have eaten', which reflects a complete action, from the past.
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
6. The basket of flowers _____________________ on the table
a. were lying
b. was lying
c. either of the two
The correct answer is b. The verb phrase needs to agree with 'basket', which is the main word, and not 'flowers'; hence 'was' not 'were'.
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
7. _____________ you need anything, do let me know.
a. should
b. may
c. could
The correct answer is a. 'Should' can be used to replace 'if' at times, as is the case here; whereas 'could' and 'may' both define possibilities.
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
8. He _______________________ soundly, when he fell off the bed.
a. might have been sleeping
b. must have been sleeping
c. either of the two
The correct answer is c. If one of the phrases were to be given preference over the other, it would need to be on the basis of how sure the person is about/well the person knows the character being referred to in the sentence. So both are correct depending upon the context in which you use them.
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
9. She will call you back, since currently she ____________ her dinner.
a. was having
b. is having
c. will be having
The correct answer is b. Since the action is unfolding at the given moment.
Part II: The English language quiz you MUST take!
10. You ________________ tomorrow, since you have a bad cold, will you?
a. won't come
b. shouldn't come
c. couldn't come
The correct answer is a. Since a question tag has been added, one would use 'won't come', which reflects a doubt, rather than 'shouldn't come', which embodies an instruction and 'couldn't come', which is a verb phrase in the past tense.