Test your understanding of basic grammar rules and sentence patterns with this exercise.
1. The man .................................... I owed money demanded immediate payment.
The man demanded immediate payment. I owed money to him. When we connect these two clauses, the relative pronoun whom replaces the pronoun him. The preposition 'to' is retained.
2. The four brothers are always ready to go to .................................. help.
Each other is used when referring to two people and one another is used when referring to more than two people.
3. This is the woman ........................................... son was abducted.
This is the woman. Her son was abducted. The relative pronoun 'whose' replaces possessive pronouns like her, his and their.
4. The flight ...................................... at 3.30.
We use the present simple to talk about future events that are part of a time table.
5. When I was young, I .................................. cricket every day.
Please select 2 correct answers
To talk about past habits, we can use would + infinitive. The past simple is also possible here.
6. .................................... it possible, I would visit London
Were it possible means the same as if it were possible.
7. ....................................... it prove to be true, I shall resign from the committee.
'Should it prove to be true' means the same as 'If it proves to be true'.
8. ......................................... many faults, he was a good man at heart.
In spite of and despite mean the same. The expression 'despite having' is also possible here.
9. Were you ...................................... to trust him?
As an adverb enough goes after the adjective it modifies, so foolish enough is the correct option. Infinitive structures are not used after so.
10. The faster you run, ............................................... yourself.
The same structure 'the + comparative + subject + verb' is used in both clauses.
11. If you played games regularly, you ...................................... get so fat.
In the second conditional, we use a simple past tense in the if-clause and would + infinitive in the main clause.
12. She ...................................... cooking when the guests arrived.
The past perfect is used to talk about the earlier of two past actions.
Answers
1. The man to whom I owed money demanded immediate payment.
2. The four brothers are always ready to go to one another’s help.
3. This is the woman whose son was abducted.
4. The flight arrives at 3.30.
5. When I was young, I played / would play cricket every day.
6. Were it possible, I would visit London.
7. Should it prove to be true, I shall resign from the committee.
8. In spite of having many faults, he was a good man at heart.
9. Were you foolish enough to trust him?
10. The faster you run, the sooner you exhaust yourself.
11. If you played games regularly, you wouldn’t get so fat.
12. She had not finished cooking when the guests arrived.
