Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1Despite the late start, we managed to finish the report ............... the deadline.
Wrong!
Use "in time for" to mean early enough before a deadline or event.
2Neither the manager nor the assistants ............... willing to take responsibility for the error.
Wrong!
Use "were" because the verb agrees with the nearer plural noun, "assistants."
3I’d rather you ............... me about the change before telling the whole team.
Wrong!
After "I’d rather you," use "told" for a present or future preference about another person’s action.
4Hardly ............... the meeting started when the fire alarm went off.
Wrong!
Use "had" after "Hardly" to form the inverted structure "Hardly had" with the past perfect.
5She’s one of the few people who ............... calm when everyone else panics.
Wrong!
Use "remain" because "who" refers to the plural noun "people."
6If I ............... you, I’d ask for the terms in writing before agreeing.
Wrong!
Use "were" in the fixed hypothetical advice pattern "If I were you."
7This is the first time I ............... such a convincing argument for that policy.
Wrong!
Use "have heard" with "This is the first time" to connect the experience to the present.
8The more carefully you read the contract, the ............... likely you are to miss hidden fees.
Wrong!
Use "less" in the comparative pattern "the more..., the less...."
9He insisted on paying for dinner, ............... I offered to split the bill twice.
Wrong!
Use "even though" before a full clause to show contrast.
10She’s ............... honest person, but she can be blunt in meetings.
Wrong!
Use "an" because "honest" begins with a vowel sound.
11I have ............... finished the draft, so please don’t send it to the client yet.
Wrong!
Use "not yet" to show that the draft is still unfinished now.
12No sooner ............... I sat down than my phone started ringing again.
Wrong!
Use "had" after "No sooner" to form the inverted structure "No sooner had" with the past perfect.
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- Despite the late start, we managed to finish the report in time for the deadline.
- Neither the manager nor the assistants were willing to take responsibility for the error.
- I’d rather you told me about the change before telling the whole team.
- Hardly had the meeting started when the fire alarm went off.
- She’s one of the few people who remain calm when everyone else panics.
- If I were you, I’d ask for the terms in writing before agreeing.
- This is the first time I have heard such a convincing argument for that policy.
- The more carefully you read the contract, the less likely you are to miss hidden fees.
- He insisted on paying for dinner, even though I offered to split the bill twice.
- She’s an honest person, but she can be blunt in meetings.
- I have not yet finished the draft, so please don’t send it to the client yet.
- No sooner had I sat down than my phone started ringing again.
