IEO Grammar and Sentence Correction 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Identify the error in the sentence: 'He don't know the answer.'
- 'He' should be 'They'
- 'don't' should be 'doesn't' (Correct answer)
- 'know' should be 'knew'
- 'the' should be 'a'
Correct answer: 'don't' should be 'doesn't'
With third-person singular subjects (he, she, it), we use 'doesn't' not 'don't'.
In English, the auxiliary verb 'do' changes form based on the subject. With third-person singular (he/she/it), we use 'does' and its negative 'doesn't'. 'Don't' is used with I, you, we, they. Correct sentence: 'He doesn't know the answer.'
Question 2: Choose the grammatically correct sentence:
- She is more smarter than her sister.
- She is smarter than her sister. (Correct answer)
- She is most smart than her sister.
- She is more smart than her sister.
Correct answer: She is smarter than her sister.
For one-syllable adjectives, we add '-er' to form the comparative. 'Smarter' is correct; 'more smarter' is a double comparative error.
In English, comparative adjectives follow specific rules. Short adjectives (one or two syllables) typically add '-er': smart → smarter. Using both 'more' and '-er' together (more smarter) is incorrect as it creates a double comparative. Correct: 'She is smarter than her sister.'
Question 3: Which sentence uses the correct form of the verb?
- The news are shocking.
- The news is shocking. (Correct answer)
- The news were shocking.
- The news have shocked.
Correct answer: The news is shocking.
'News' is an uncountable noun and always takes a singular verb.
'News' appears plural due to its -s ending but is grammatically singular. It always takes singular verbs: 'The news is good today.' Other similar nouns include mathematics, physics, economics — all singular despite the -s ending.
Question 4: Find the incorrect sentence:
- I have been waiting for two hours.
- She has written three novels.
- They had finished the work before we arrived.
- He have gone to school already. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: He have gone to school already.
With third-person singular 'he', the present perfect auxiliary is 'has', not 'have'.
In the present perfect tense, 'have' is used with I/you/we/they, while 'has' is used with he/she/it. The sentence 'He have gone' is incorrect. The correct form is 'He has gone to school already.' This is a common subject-verb agreement error.
Question 5: Choose the correct sentence:
- Neither the boys nor the girl are present.
- Neither the boys nor the girl is present. (Correct answer)
- Neither the boys nor the girl were present.
- Neither the boys nor the girl have been present.
Correct answer: Neither the boys nor the girl is present.
When using 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. The closest subject is 'the girl' (singular), so the verb should be 'is'.
This is the 'proximity rule' in grammar. With 'neither...nor' and 'either...or' constructions, the verb agrees with the subject that is closest to it. Since 'girl' (singular) is nearest to the verb, we use 'is'. If it were 'Neither the girl nor the boys...', we'd use 'are'.
Question 6: Identify the grammatical error: 'Each of the students have submitted their assignment.'
- 'Each' should be 'All'
- 'have' should be 'has' (Correct answer)
- 'their' should be 'its'
- 'submitted' should be 'submits'
Correct answer: 'have' should be 'has'
'Each' is a singular pronoun and requires the singular verb 'has', not 'have'.
Indefinite pronouns like 'each', 'every', 'either', 'neither', 'one', 'anyone', 'someone' are always grammatically singular and take singular verbs. Correct sentence: 'Each of the students has submitted their assignment.' (Note: 'their' is acceptable as a gender-neutral singular pronoun.)
IEO Grammar and Sentence Correction 1
Identify the error in the sentence: 'He don't know the answer.'