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Sentence Improvement Questions with Solutions

Sentence Improvement asks for the best replacement for an underlined part of a sentence — sometimes the original is already correct. The same grammar rules from Spotting Errors apply here, just in a pick-the-fix format instead of find-the-fault. Here’s the approach, four fully worked examples, and a few to try yourself.

The approach, quickly

  • Unlike Spotting Errors, which only asks you to locate a mistake, Sentence Improvement asks you to pick the best replacement — and sometimes the original is already correct, so "No improvement" is the right answer.
  • Judge each option using the same core rules as grammar generally: subject-verb agreement, the correct fixed preposition, consistent tense, and matching conditional forms.
  • Read the WHOLE sentence with each option substituted in, not just the underlined phrase alone — an option can fix the original problem while quietly introducing a new one.
  • Longer or more formal-sounding is not automatically more correct, and shorter is not automatically better — judge only by whether the grammar and meaning are right.

Worked examples

1. Improve the underlined part: "She has been working here since five years." (A) for five years (B) from five years (C) since five years’ time (D) No improvement

Solution

  1. "Since" pairs with a specific POINT IN TIME (since 2020, since Monday); "for" pairs with a DURATION (for five years, for two hours).
  2. "Five years" is a duration, not a point in time, so "since five years" is wrong — it should be "for five years".

Answer: (A) for five years

2. Improve the underlined part: "He does not know how to swim and nor can he dive." (A) and neither can he dive (B) and he also cannot dive (C) nor can he dive (D) No improvement

Solution

  1. "Nor" already carries the "and...not" meaning by itself — pairing it with "and" ("and nor") is redundant.
  2. The correct form simply drops "and": "...nor can he dive".

Answer: (C) nor can he dive

3. Improve the underlined part: "If I had worked harder, I would pass the exam." (A) I will pass the exam (B) I would have passed the exam (C) I had passed the exam (D) No improvement

Solution

  1. "If I had worked harder" is a past-hypothetical condition (third conditional) — describing something that did not actually happen.
  2. The matching result clause for a third conditional is "would have + past participle", not plain "would + base verb" — so it should be "I would have passed the exam".

Answer: (B) I would have passed the exam

4. Improve the underlined part: "Each of the players were given a medal." (A) was given a medal (B) have been given a medal (C) were giving a medal (D) No improvement

Solution

  1. "Each of + plural noun" is treated as a singular subject, so the verb must be singular, not plural.
  2. "were given" is plural; it should be "was given".

Answer: (A) was given a medal

Try these yourself

Read the whole sentence with each option, then check against the answer.

1. Improve the underlined part: "Neither Rahul nor his friends was present at the meeting." (A) were present (B) are present (C) had being present (D) No improvement

Answer: (A) were present — with "neither...nor", the verb agrees with the nearer subject, and "his friends" (plural) is closer to the verb

2. Improve the underlined part: "This is one of the best movie I have seen this year." (A) one of the best movies (B) one of the best movie’s (C) one among the best movie (D) No improvement

Answer: (A) one of the best movies — "one of the best + plural noun" always needs a plural noun

3. Improve the underlined part: "Hardly he had reached the station when the train left." (A) Hardly had he reached (B) Hardly he reaches (C) Hardly does he reach (D) No improvement

Answer: (A) Hardly had he reached — a sentence starting with "Hardly" requires the subject and auxiliary verb to invert

Where this comes up

Sentence Improvement is a regular topic in the English Language section of every exam Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk.

Practice more Sentence Improvement questions

This page covers the approach and a handful of worked examples. Pariksha Saathi has full topic-wise practice sets for Sentence Improvement (and every other English/Reasoning/Quant topic) with instant scoring and explanations — free, no account required.

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