Sentence Improvement — 30 PSC-Pattern Questions with Solutions

Sentence Improvement is a standard question type in Kerala PSC exams (1-3 questions per paper). You are given a sentence with an underlined part and must choose the best replacement. If the sentence is already correct, choose “No improvement.”

1. Key Grammar Rules for Sentence Improvement

Rule	Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
Subject-verb agreement	The team are playing well.	The team is playing well.	Collective nouns take singular verbs (unless members act individually)
Tense consistency	He went to the market and buys vegetables.	He went to the market and bought vegetables.	Keep tenses parallel
Correct preposition	He is good in mathematics.	He is good at mathematics.	”Good at” is the correct collocation
Pronoun reference	Each student must bring their ID.	Each student must bring his or her ID.	”Each” is singular
Parallel structure	She likes to read, writing, and to swim.	She likes reading, writing, and swimming.	Keep structure parallel
Correct conjunction	Although he is poor, but he is honest.	Although he is poor, he is honest.	”Although…but” is redundant
Double negatives	He doesn’t know nothing.	He doesn’t know anything.	Avoid double negatives
Misplaced modifier	Running quickly, the bus was caught.	Running quickly, he caught the bus.	Modifier must relate to the subject
Redundancy	He returned back home.	He returned home.	”Return” already means “go back”
Correct article	He is a honest man.	He is an honest man.	”Honest” starts with a vowel sound

2. Questions 1-10: Basic Level

Q1

Sentence: He told me that he has completed the work yesterday. Options: (a) had completed (b) was completed (c) has been completed (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Has completed” (present perfect) cannot be used with “yesterday” (past time reference)
Rule	Past perfect (“had completed”) is needed because the action was completed before the telling
Answer	(a) had completed

Q2

Sentence: The furniture in the room are very old. Options: (a) is (b) were (c) have been (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Furniture” is an uncountable noun — takes a singular verb
Answer	(a) is

Q3

Sentence: She is more taller than her sister. Options: (a) taller (b) most taller (c) very taller (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”More” + comparative (“taller”) is a double comparative
Rule	Use either “more tall” (unusual) or “taller” — not both
Answer	(a) taller

Q4

Sentence: He insisted to go there. Options: (a) insisted on going (b) insisted for going (c) insisted in going (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Insist” takes “on + gerund” — not infinitive
Answer	(a) insisted on going

Q5

Sentence: I am working here since 2015. Options: (a) have been working (b) was working (c) had been working (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Since 2015” indicates an action starting in the past and continuing — requires present perfect continuous
Answer	(a) have been working

Q6

Sentence: One of the boys have finished the test. Options: (a) One of the boys has (b) One of the boy has (c) One of the boys had (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”One of the boys” — the subject is “one” (singular), so the verb must be singular
Answer	(a) One of the boys has

Q7

Sentence: He gave me an useful advice. Options: (a) a useful (b) an useless (c) the useful (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Useful” starts with a consonant sound (/juː/), so “a” is correct, not “an”. Also, “advice” is uncountable — “a piece of advice” is better, but among options, (a) is best
Answer	(a) a useful

Q8

Sentence: The news are very shocking. Options: (a) is (b) were (c) have been (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”News” is always singular despite the -s ending
Answer	(a) is

Q9

Sentence: He denied to help the poor man. Options: (a) refused (b) rejected (c) declined (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Deny” means to say something is not true. “Refuse” means to decline to do something
Rule	”Deny” + gerund (“denied helping”); “Refuse” + infinitive (“refused to help”)
Answer	(a) refused

Q10

Sentence: I prefer tea than coffee. Options: (a) prefer tea to coffee (b) prefer tea over coffee (c) prefer tea from coffee (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Prefer” takes “to” (not “than”). “Than” is used with “would rather”
Answer	(a) prefer tea to coffee

3. Questions 11-20: Intermediate Level

Q11

Sentence: If I was you, I would accept the offer. Options: (a) If I were (b) If I am (c) If I had been (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	Subjunctive mood: hypothetical/unreal condition requires “were” for all persons
Answer	(a) If I were

Q12

Sentence: He is one of those who believes in hard work. Options: (a) who believe (b) who is believing (c) that believes (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Who” refers to “those” (plural), so the verb must be plural: “believe”
Answer	(a) who believe

Q13

Sentence: The committee have submitted their report. Options: (a) has submitted its (b) have submitted its (c) has submitted their (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Committee” acting as a single body takes singular verb “has” and singular pronoun “its”
Answer	(a) has submitted its

Q14

Sentence: Hardly had he reached the station than the train left. Options: (a) when the train left (b) that the train left (c) before the train left (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Hardly…when” or “No sooner…than” — don’t mix them
Answer	(a) when the train left

Q15

Sentence: He is senior than me in the office. Options: (a) senior to (b) more senior than (c) senior from (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	Latin comparatives (senior, junior, superior, inferior, prior, posterior) take “to” not “than”
Answer	(a) senior to

Q16

Sentence: She availed the opportunity. Options: (a) availed herself of (b) availed of (c) availed with (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Avail” requires reflexive pronoun + “of”: “availed herself of”
Answer	(a) availed herself of

Q17

Sentence: He said me to wait outside. Options: (a) told me (b) asked me (c) said to me (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Said” cannot take an indirect object directly. Either “said to me” or “told me” or “asked me”
Rule	With instruction/request, “told me” or “asked me” is better
Answer	(b) asked me (for a polite request) or (a) told me (for a directive)

Q18

Sentence: Despite of being ill, he came to work. Options: (a) Despite (b) In spite (c) Inspite of (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Despite” does not take “of”. “In spite of” takes “of”
Answer	(a) Despite

Q19

Sentence: He is comparatively better than the other candidates. Options: (a) better (b) comparatively good (c) more better (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Comparatively” is redundant before a comparative (“better”); “better” already implies comparison
Answer	(a) better

Q20

Sentence: Each of the student were given a certificate. Options: (a) students was (b) student was (c) students were (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Each of the” + plural noun + singular verb. So: “Each of the students was”
Answer	(a) students was

4. Questions 21-30: Advanced Level

Q21

Sentence: No sooner did he arrive when it started raining. Options: (a) than it started (b) then it started (c) before it started (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”No sooner…than” is the correct pair (not “when”)
Answer	(a) than it started

Q22

Sentence: The reason is because he was late. Options: (a) reason is that (b) reason was because (c) reason is due to (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Reason is because” is redundant. “Reason” already implies cause
Answer	(a) reason is that

Q23

Sentence: He could not help but laugh. Options: (a) could not help laughing (b) could not help but laughing (c) could not help to laugh (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Note	”Could not help but laugh” is grammatically acceptable in formal English, BUT “could not help laughing” is more standard
Answer	(a) could not help laughing

Q24

Sentence: Neither the teacher nor the students was present. Options: (a) were present (b) is present (c) has been present (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Rule	In “neither…nor” constructions, the verb agrees with the NEARER subject. “Students” (plural) is nearer, so “were”
Answer	(a) were present

Q25

Sentence: He hanged the picture on the wall. Options: (a) hung (b) had hung (c) was hanging (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Hang” has two past forms: “hung” (for objects) and “hanged” (for execution). Pictures are “hung”
Answer	(a) hung

Q26

Sentence: Supposing if he comes, what will you do? Options: (a) Supposing (b) If supposing (c) Suppose if (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Supposing” and “if” are redundant together — both introduce a condition
Answer	(a) Supposing

Q27

Sentence: He did not know nothing about the incident. Options: (a) know anything (b) knew nothing (c) know something (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	Double negative (“did not” + “nothing”). Use “anything” with “did not”
Answer	(a) know anything

Q28

Sentence: The two first chapters of the book are interesting. Options: (a) first two chapters (b) two beginning chapters (c) chapters first two (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	Ordinal (“first”) comes before cardinal (“two”) in English
Answer	(a) first two chapters

Q29

Sentence: She is one of the best player in the team. Options: (a) one of the best players (b) one of the better player (c) one among the best player (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”One of the” always takes a plural noun
Answer	(a) one of the best players

Q30

Sentence: I would rather die than to beg. Options: (a) than beg (b) than begging (c) rather than to beg (d) No improvement

Analysis	Detail
Error	”Would rather…than” takes bare infinitive (without “to”) on both sides
Answer	(a) than beg

5. Common Errors Summary Table

Error Type	Wrong	Correct
Although…but	Although he was tired, but he worked.	Although he was tired, he worked.
Unless…not	Unless you do not try, you won’t succeed.	Unless you try, you won’t succeed.
Hardly…when (not than)	Hardly had I sat down than…	Hardly had I sat down when…
No sooner…than (not when)	No sooner did he come when…	No sooner did he come than…
Prefer…to (not than)	I prefer tea than coffee.	I prefer tea to coffee.
Senior/junior…to (not than)	He is senior than me.	He is senior to me.
Return back (redundant)	He returned back.	He returned.
Revert back (redundant)	Please revert back.	Please revert.
Discuss about (redundant)	Let us discuss about the plan.	Let us discuss the plan.
Enter into (redundant for rooms)	He entered into the room.	He entered the room.