ENGLISH LANGUAGE REVISION

GRAMMAR
SYNTHESIS OF SENTENCES

Join the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using and,
but or so. Choose the correct option.
1. He saw me. He ran away.
(a) Seeing me, he ran away.
(b) When he sees me, he ran away.
(c) She ran away because he saw me.
(d) He ran away after he had seen me.
2. He is very weak. He cannot walk.
(a) He is very weak and cannot walk.
(b) He is so weak that he cannot walk.
(c) He is too weak to walk.
(d) Because he is weak, he cannot walk.
3. The boy failed. It was unfortunate.
(a) It was the boy’s misfortune so he failed.
(b) It was unfortunate that the boy failed.
(c) Unfortunately, the boy had failed.
(d) The boy failed due to his not being fortunate.
4. They returned home. It was evening.
(a) In the evening they returned home.
(b) As soon as it was evening, they returned home.
(c) They will return home when it is evening.
(d) They returned home in the evening.
5. The dinner was over. We left the place.
(a) The dinner being over, we left the place.
(b) The dinner was over and we left the place.
(c) We left the place since the dinner was getting over.
(d) The dinner will be over and we can leave the place.
6. I received no answer. I knocked a second time.
(a) I knocked again when I received no answer.
(b) On receiving no answer, I knocked a second time.
(c) I received no answer so I knocked a second time.
(d) I knocked a second time since I had received no answer.

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 7. A farmer sowed corn in his field. Cranes came to eat the corn.
(a) A farmer sowed corn in his field and the cranes came to eat it.
(b) Cranes came to eat the corn that the farmer had sown.
(c) Cranes came to eat the corn that a farmer had sown in his field.
(d) In a field a farmer had sown corn which the cranes came to eat.
8. Everyone should be honest. Our country expects this.
(a) Everyone needs to be honest as it is expected by our country.
(b) Everyone should be honest since it is expected by our country.
(c) Our country expects every man to be honest.
(d) Our country expects everyone to be honest.
9. I cast my eyes towards the summit of a hill. It was not far from a rivulet.
(a) I cast my eyes towards the summit of a hill which was not far from a
rivulet.
(b) I cast my eyes towards the summit of some hills which were not far
from a rivulet.
(c) The summit of the hill that I cast my eye on was not far from the rivulet.
(d) The rivulet was close to the summit of a hill on which I cast my eyes.
10.The ship went down. There were two hundred passengers on board.
(a) The ship had gone down with two hundred passengers on board.
(b) The ship that went down had almost two hundred passengers on board.
(c) The ship went down with two hundred passengers on board.
(d) The ship was going down with two hundred passengers on board.
TRANSFORMATION OF SENTENCES

Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given after each
sentence. Choose the correct option.
1. As soon as the alarm rings, mother gets up. (Begin: No sooner…..)
(a) No sooner did the alarm ring than mother gets up.
(b) No sooner did the alarm rang when mother gets up.
(c) No sooner the alarm rings than mother gets up.
(d) No sooner does the alarm ring than mother gets up.
2. Platinum is more expensive than gold. (Begin: Gold….)
(a) Gold is not as expensive as platinum.
(b) Gold is lesser in expense than platinum.
(c) Gold is not expensive like platinum.
(d) Gold is less expensive when compared to platinum.

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3. “What have you to sell, dear lady?” he asked. (Begin: He asked…..)
(a) He asked what the lady had to sell.
(b) He asked what the lady was selling.
(c) He asked the lady politely what she had to sell.
(d) He asked if the lady was selling anything.
4. My brother drives very dangerously. (Use: ‘carefully’)
(a) My brother is not careful when he is driving.
(b) My brother does not drive carefully.
(c) My brother does not know how to drive carefully.
(d) My brother cannot drive carefully.
5. The apples weren’t ripe. (Add a question tag)
(a) The apples weren’t ripe, were they?
(b) The apples weren’t ripe, are they?
(c) The apples weren’t ripe, aren’t they?
(d) The apples weren’t ripe, isn’t it?
6. Hamlet is the best tragedy written by Shakespeare. (Use: ‘better’)
(a) Hamlet is better than other tragedies by Shakespeare.
(b) Hamlet is better than all the other tragedies written by Shakespeare.
(c) Hamlet is better than the other tragedies that Shakespeare wrote.
(d) Hamlet is better than any other tragedy by Shakespeare.
7. I have never been so happy in my life. (Begin: Never….)
(a) Never I have been so happy in my life.
(b) Never has happiness come to me in life.
(c) Never have I been so happy in my life.
(d) Never have I been happy in my life.
8. It is delightful to be in the hills at this time of the year. (Begin: How…..)
(a) How delightful it is to be at this time of the year in the hills.
(b) How delightful it is to be in the hills at this time of the year.
(c) How delightful it is to have been in the hills at this time of the year!
(d) How delightful it is to be in the hills at this time of the year!
9. He is so simple-minded that he cannot be a successful agent. (Use: too)
(a) He is too simple-minded to be an agent who is successful.
(b) He is so simple-minded to be a successful agent.
(c) He is simple-minded so he cannot be a successful agent.
(d) He is too simple-minded to be a successful agent.
10.Had it not been for her weakness in English, she would have topped the
class. (Begin: But…..)
(a) But for being weak in English, she would have topped the class.
(b) But being weak in English, she cannot top the class.
(c) But for her weakness in English, she would have topped the class.
(d) But she is weak in English so she cannot top the class.

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11.Mount Everest is higher than all the other peaks in the world. (Change to
Positive degree)
(a) Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.
(b) No other peak in the world is as high as Mount Everest.
(c) No other peak is as high as Mount Everest.
(d) Mount Everest is the highest among all the other peaks in the world.
12.“When is the football match going to start?” she asked. (Begin: She asked
when…..)
(a) She asked when the football match was going to start.
(b) She asked me when the football match was starting.
(c) She asked when is the football match going to start?
(d) She asked when is the football match starting?
13.She agreed to the proposal joyfully. (Use the noun form of ‘joyfully’)
(a) She agreed to the proposal joyously.
(b) She agreed to the proposal with joy.
(c) She agreed to the joyful proposal.
(d) She agreed to my proposal with joy.
14.He will not show me his papers, he will not tell me who he is. (Use:
neither…nor)
(a) Neither he will show me his papers nor tell me who he is.
(b) Neither will he show me the papers nor tell me who he is.
(c) He will neither show me his papers nor tell me who he is.
(d) He will neither show the papers to me nor tell me who he is.
15.If you do not work hard, you will not succeed in life. (Begin: Unless….)
(a) Unless you work hard, you will not succeed in life.
(b) Unless you work hard, you will never succeed in life.
(c) Unless you work hard you will not succeed in life.
(d) Unless you do not work hard, you will not succeed in life.
16.Some boys in the class are cleverer than Peter. (Begin: Peter…..)
(a) Peter is not so clever as other boys in the class.
(b) Peter is less clever than some other boys in the class.
(c) Peter is not as clever as the other boys in class.
(d) Peter is almost as clever as some other boys in the class.
17.The school results this year pleased the Managing Committee. (Change the
Voice)
(a) The Managing Committee seemed pleased by the school results this
year.
(b) The school results were pleasing to the Managing Committee.
(c) The Managing Committee was pleased by the school results this year.
(d) The school results were a pleasure for the Managing Committee.

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 18.Besides playing well, he also won the match. (Use: Not only…but also)
(a) Not only he played well but also won the match.
(b) Not only he was playing well but had also won the match.
(c) Not only did he played well but also won the match.
(d) Not only did he play well but also won the match.
19.Very few British monarchs were as popular as Queen Elizabeth II. (Use:
‘more popular’)
(a) Queen Elizabeth II was more popular than any other British monarch.
(b) Queen Elizabeth II was more popular than most other British monarchs.
(c) Queen Elizabeth II is more popular than most other British monarchs.
(d) Queen Elizabeth II is more popular than other British monarchs.
20.He will not pay unless he is compelled. (Use: ‘compulsion’)
(a) He will pay only under compulsion.
(b) He will pay under compulsion.
(c) He will pay if he is under compulsion.
(d) He will not pay till compulsion is there.
PREPOSITIONS

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.

1. We set off …… Mussoorie in the morning.
2. He told us ……… the first flight he made from London to Paris in a small
aeroplane.
3. She acted ……… my advice.
4. He was afraid …….. telling the truth.
5. Nobody is exempt ……. paying the Government its taxes.
6. I was cautioned …….. believing rumours.
7. People resort …….. unfair means to further their prospects.
8. A natural calamity does not distinguish ………. the rich and the poor.
9. The surgery was accompanied ………. a lot of pain.
10.I have not met him …….. last year.
11.The beggar is blind ……… one eye.
12.They came ……….. the enemy all of a sudden.
13.The whole case hinges ……… this point.
14.He was greatly amused …….. my ignorance.
15.The great scientist succeeded …….. discovering a new compound.
16.Fortune smiled ……… him in all his projects.
17.It is not wise to go ………… appearances.
18.The miser fell a victim …….. his own greed.
19.He is liberal ………. making promises but does not honour them.
20.He was greatly oppressed ……….. his enemies.

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TENSES
Exercise 1

Till 1879, Procter & Gamble were dealing in candles but the company (0)___ (be)
in trouble. Thomas Edison (1)___ (invent) the light bulb, and it looked as if
candles had become obsolete. Their fears (2)_____ (become) reality when the
market for candles plummeted since they were sold only for special occasions.
However, at this time, it seemed that destiny (3)____ (play) a dramatic role in
(4)___ (pull) the struggling company out from the clutches of bankruptcy. A
forgetful employee at a small factory forgot to turn off his machine when he went
for lunch. When he (5)___ (go) back, there was a frothing mass of lather filled
with air bubbles. He almost (6)___ (throw) the stuff away but then decided to
make it into soap. The soap (7)___(float) on water. Thus, Ivory Floating Soap
(8)____ (born) and became the mainstay of the Procter & Gamble Company.

Exercise 2

Students should know that sleep …..0….. (enhance) memory. This is because the
brain …..1….. (need) rest to process and store the information we have …..2…..
(feed) into it. When we do not get the right amount of sleep, the brain is too blurry
…..3….. (retain) the information, so …..4….. (study) all night before an
examination is not a good idea. Exercise promotes physical …..5….. (exert) and
therefore, …..6….. (guarantee) a good night’s sleep. People who are sedentary
are more …..7….. (like) to suffer from sleep problems or insomnia. Insomnia
pushes many people to take …..8….. (sleep) pills.

Exercise 3

Alice was beginning to get very tired of (1) _____ (sit) by her sister on the bank
and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had (2) _____ (peep) into the book
her sister was reading, but it (3) _______ (have) no pictures or conversations in
it, “and what is the use of a book,” (4) ______ (think) Alice, “without pictures or
conversations?” Alice wondered whether the pleasure of (5) ______ (make) a
daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies,
when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes (6) _____ (run) close by her. Alice
did not think this was very remarkable, until the Rabbit actually (7) ______ (take)
a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, (8) ________ (look) at it, and then hurried
on.

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Exercise 4

It was (1) ______ (gaze) at its own reflection in the mirror. I (2) ______ (go) for
grandfather but by the time we (3) _______ (return) to the room, the python (4)
______ (move) on. He was seen in the garden and once the cook saw him (5)
_______ (crawl) up the ladder to the roof. Then we (6) _______ (find) him on the
dressing table again (7) ________ (admire) himself in the mirror. “He’s trying to
look better for Aunt Mabel,” I said. I (8) ________ (regret) this remark
immediately because grandmother overheard and held up my pocket money for
the rest of the week!
Exercise 5

He rubbed his fingers nervously against the small notebook in his pocket and (1)
_____ (tell) himself to be patient. The old man in the toy booth (2) ______ (argue)
with the girl. She (3) ______ (be) about Hugo’s age and he often saw her go into
the booth and (4) ______ (disappear) behind the counter. The old man (5) ______
(look) agitated today. Had he figured out some of his toys were (6) ______
(miss)? Well, there was nothing to be (7) ______ (do) about that now. The old
man and the girl argued some more and finally she closed her book and (8)
______ (run) off.

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