Episode 8 — Aptitude and Reasoning / 8.27 — Sentence Improvement
8.27 -- Quick Revision: Sentence Improvement
Approach (5 Steps)
- Read the full sentence; focus on the bold/underlined part.
- Identify the problem (grammar, idiom, wordiness, modifier, parallelism).
- Predict the correction mentally.
- Match your prediction with the options.
- Verify by reading the full sentence with the replacement.
Most Common Improvement Types
| Type | What to Fix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tense | Match tense to time markers; "since" = perfect | "is working since" --> "has been working since" |
| Preposition | Use correct preposition for verb/adjective | "discussed about" --> "discussed" |
| Subject-Verb Agreement | Verb must match subject (not nearest noun) | "The news are" --> "The news is" |
| Wordiness | Replace wordy phrases with concise equivalents | "due to the fact that" --> "because" |
| Modifier | Opening phrase must modify the following subject | "Walking fast, the bus was caught" --> "Walking fast, he caught the bus" |
| Parallelism | List items in same grammatical form | "reading, to swim, painting" --> "reading, swimming, painting" |
| Voice | Prefer active over unnecessary passive | "was written by her" --> "she wrote" |
Key Verb Patterns
| Verb | Correct Pattern | Wrong Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Tell | tell + person + to do | tell to person |
| Suggest | suggest that + clause | suggest someone to do |
| Make (causative) | make + person + base verb | make person to do |
| Let | let + person + base verb | let person to do |
| Would rather | would rather + base verb | would rather to do |
| Need not | need not + base verb | need not to do |
| Insist | insist on + gerund | insist to do |
Key Preposition Rules
| Correct | Wrong |
|---|---|
| Discuss (no prep) | Discuss about |
| Comprise (no prep) | Comprise of |
| Reach (no prep) | Reach to/at |
| Superior to | Superior than |
| Prefer A to B | Prefer A than B |
| Senior to | Senior than |
| Cope with | Cope up with |
| Avail oneself of | Avail (direct) |
| Angry with (person) | Angry on |
| Good at | Good in |
| Married to | Married with |
Tense Quick Rules
| Situation | Correct Tense |
|---|---|
| Since + point in time | Present perfect / Present perfect continuous |
| For + duration | Present perfect / Present perfect continuous |
| Definite past time (yesterday, last year) | Simple past (NOT present perfect) |
| Universal truth (in reported speech) | Simple present |
| Reported speech (past reporting verb) | will --> would, can --> could, is --> was |
| If (unreal present) | If + past simple...would + base verb |
| If (unreal past) | If + past perfect...would have + past participle |
Wordiness Cheat Sheet
| Wordy | Concise |
|---|---|
| In spite of the fact that | Although / Despite |
| Due to the fact that | Because |
| At this point in time | Now |
| In order to | To |
| For the purpose of | For / To |
| Has the ability to | Can |
| Make a decision | Decide |
| Give consideration to | Consider |
| In the near future | Soon |
Redundancy Quick List
| Redundant | Correct |
|---|---|
| Return back | Return |
| Revert back | Revert |
| Repeat again | Repeat |
| Reason is because | Reason is that |
| Free gift | Gift |
| Past history | History |
| Combine together | Combine |
Correlative Conjunctions
| Correct Pair | Wrong Pair |
|---|---|
| No sooner...than | No sooner...when |
| Hardly/Scarcely...when | Hardly...than |
| Not only...but also (parallel) | Not only...but also (non-parallel) |
| Either...or | Either...nor |
| Neither...nor | Neither...or |
Article Quick Rules
| Use "an" before | Use "a" before |
|---|---|
| honest (silent h) | university (yoo- sound) |
| hour (silent h) | European (yoo- sound) |
| MBA (em- sound) | one (wun- sound) |
| heir (silent h) | useful (yoo- sound) |
Degree Errors
| Wrong | Correct |
|---|---|
| More smarter | Smarter |
| Most fastest | Fastest |
| More better | Better |
| Most unique | Unique (absolute -- no degrees) |
Modifier Rule
The opening participial phrase must modify the subject immediately after the comma.
Wrong: Being tired, the bed looked inviting. Right: Being tired, she found the bed inviting.
Elimination Checklist
Eliminate an option if it:
- Introduces a new grammar error
- Changes the meaning of the sentence
- Is more wordy than the original
- Uses a wrong idiom or preposition
- Uses informal language
"No Improvement" Checklist
Choose "No improvement" only when:
- Grammar is correct (agreement, tense, articles, prepositions)
- Idioms and phrases are standard
- The sentence is concise (no unnecessary words)
- Modifiers are correctly placed
- Parallel structure is maintained
- Language is formal
Exam Target: Under 30--45 seconds per question. Predict the answer before reading options. Use elimination for tricky questions.