Sentence Improvement
🔒 Log in to trackPrecision fixes: articles, prepositions, pronouns, word choice
🔒 Log in to trackSome bold parts have no verb. The fault is a wrong small word: an article, a preposition, a pronoun, or a word that repeats another. The options then differ by one or two words. Learn the fixed partners well, because meaning alone will pull you towards the wrong one.
Small words, big marks
Many bold parts hold only an article, a preposition or a doubled word. The fix is small. Speed comes from knowing the fixed pairs.
Articles follow sound
The sound of the next word decides a or an, not its spelling.
- Vowel sound gives an: an hour, an honest man, an MLA, an X-ray.
- Consonant sound gives a: a university, a European, a one-day match.
- A ancient route becomes an ancient route.
Rule: Say the next word aloud. Listen to its first sound.
Preposition partners
Each word has its own fixed preposition.
| Word | Partner |
|---|---|
| approve, insist, fond, afraid, capable | of, on, of, of, of |
| agree | with (a person), to (a proposal) |
| angry | with (a person), at (a thing) |
| apply | to (an office), for (a post) |
| abide, comply | by, with |
When only the preposition is bold, recall the partner and choose it.
Cut the echo
Some pairs say one idea twice. Keep the single strong word.
revert back becomes revert. return back becomes return. repeat again becomes repeat. final conclusion becomes conclusion.
The right option is simply shorter.
Swapped twins
| Wrong twin | Right twin | Why |
|---|---|---|
| advise (noun slot) | advice | advice is the noun, advise is the verb |
| effect (verb slot) | affect | affect is the verb, effect is the noun |
| loose (misplace) | lose | loose means not tight |
| principal (a rule) | principle | a principle is a rule |
More pairs to keep ready
- win / beat: India beat Australia. India won the match.
- say / tell: She said that ... She told me that ... (tell needs a person).
- hear / listen: hear is by chance. Listen to is on purpose: listen to the news.
- die of / die from: die of a disease, die from an injury.
- comprise: The team comprises eleven players (no of).
- cope with is right. Cope up with is wrong.
Pronouns after prepositions
Use the object form after a preposition: between you and me, for him and me. The reflexive myself never replaces me.
Watch: Also, despite of is wrong. Use despite or in spite of.
Few and a few, elder and older
- Few means hardly any. It has a negative feel: Few people came.
- A few means some. It has a positive feel: A few people came, so we began.
- Elder is for family members and is not followed by than: my elder brother. Use older with than.
- Farther is about distance. Further is about more of something: further details.
Method
- Name the job of the small word: article, preposition or pronoun.
- Recall the rule or the fixed pair.
- Choose the option that changes only the faulty word.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Preposition partner repair
The bold part is (or holds) the preposition after a verb or adjective. The options are preposition swaps.
Find the verb or adjective the preposition hangs on.
Recall its fixed partner: approve of, insist on, fond of.
Ignore options that change the rest of the phrase.
Preposition questions test memory. Usage picks the partner, not logic.
The committee does not approve for the proposal. (of / No substitution required / with / to)
Show solutionHide solution
The verb is 'approve'.
Its fixed partner is 'of'.
The other prepositions belong to other verbs.
of
Article sound repair
The bold part is an article + a word, and the article disagrees with the word's first sound (a honest, an useful, a MLA).
Say the word after the article aloud.
Vowel sound: an. Consonant sound: a.
Ignore the spelling. Hour and university are the classic traps.
The rule follows speech. Setters pick words where spelling and sound disagree.
The temple was built near a ancient trading route. (an ancient / No substitution required / a ancients / the ancients)
Show solutionHide solution
'Ancient' starts with a vowel sound.
So the article is 'an'.
Only the article needs repair.
an ancient
Redundancy cut
The bold part has an echo (return back, revert back, repeat again). The right option is simply shorter.
Ask: does one word already hold the other's meaning?
Keep the single strong word.
Reject options that keep the echo.
The echo feels natural in speech, so the eye skips it.
Please revert back to my mail by Friday. (revert to / No substitution required / revert back to / reversing to)
Show solutionHide solution
'Revert' already means to come back.
'Back' repeats the idea.
Cut it and keep 'to': 'revert to'.
revert to
Swapped twin repair
The bold word is the wrong member of a twin pair: advice / advise, effect / affect, lose / loose, principal / principle.
Decide the slot's job: noun or verb?
Map the job to the twin: advice (noun), advise (verb).
Reject options that change the form further (advising).
Both twins are real words. Only the noun or verb test shows the wrong one.
The doctor's advise was to rest for a week. (advice / No substitution required / advises / advising)
Show solutionHide solution
The slot is a noun, because 'the doctor's ___' names a thing.
The noun is 'advice'.
'Advise' is the verb.
advice
Win / beat and say / tell
The bold verb takes the wrong object: a match after 'beat', an opponent after 'win', or a person after 'say'.
Check the object: a person or team, or a prize or match?
beat + opponent; win + match or prize.
say + that; tell + person.
These pairs look alike but each verb takes one kind of object.
India won Australia in the final. (beat / No substitution required / had won / was winning)
Show solutionHide solution
The object is 'Australia', an opponent.
An opponent goes with 'beat'.
'Win' goes with the match or the prize.
beat
Shortcuts that save time
Read only the small words in the bold part: a, an, the, in, on, at, me, myself. A wrong one usually stands alone. Fix it and finish.
She is a honest woman. (an honest / the honest / honest / No substitution required)
Show solutionHide solution
'Honest' starts with a vowel sound, because the h is silent.
A vowel sound needs 'an'.
'Honest' alone leaves 'She is honest woman', which is not correct.
an honest
A reflexive like 'myself' never replaces a plain object pronoun. Any option that offers 'myself' where 'me' belongs is a decoy.
Learn the fatal pairs: return back, repeat again, revert back, final conclusion. When one is bold, the shorter option is the key.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Judging a / an by spelling (a hour, an university).
Judge by sound: an hour, a university.
Choosing 'myself' as a polite word for 'me'.
Use 'me' as the object. 'Myself' needs the same person as the doer.
Changing few to a few (or back) without checking the meaning.
Few means hardly any. A few means some.
Writing 'despite of'.
Write 'despite' or 'in spite of'.
Choosing a preposition by meaning alone.
Recall the fixed partner: approve of, insist on, fond of.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
a / an follows sound: an hour, an MLA, a university, a European.
approve of, insist on, fond of, agree with a person, agree to a plan.
revert back, return back, repeat again: cut the echo.
advice (noun) / advise (verb); affect (verb) / effect (noun); lose / loose.
Between you and me. Myself never replaces me.
win a match, beat a team; say that, tell a person.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 6 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.