Sentence Improvement
Find and replace awkward or incorrect parts to make sentences clear, grammatical, and idiomatic.
What is sentence improvement?
You’ll see a sentence with an underlined portion (or clearly problematic phrase). Choose the best revision that fixes grammar, usage, and style without changing the intended meaning.
| Error Type | What to watch for | Example (Fix) |
|---|---|---|
| Subject–verb agreement | Plural subjects with plural verbs; collective nouns by sense | The data are consistent. (formal scientific) |
| Pronoun reference | Clear, unambiguous antecedent | When students submit forms, they get receipts. (they = students) |
| Parallelism | Match forms in lists/comparisons | to analyze, to test, and to report |
| Modifier placement | Avoid dangling/misplaced modifiers | After reviewing the file, the auditor signed it. |
| Word choice / idiom | Correct prepositions & collocations | capable of leading; responsible for costs |
| Redundancy / wordiness | Cut repeats & fillers | absolutely essential → essential |
| Register / tone | Match formality to context | request (formal) vs ask (neutral) |
“Good revisions are accurate, concise, and idiomatic—never merely longer.”
Quick checklist
- Agreement and tense consistent?
- Modifiers close to what they modify?
- Parallel structure in lists?
- Natural collocations and register?
Awkward → Improved
| Original (Awkward/Wrong) | Improved | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Each of the reports are missing pages. | Each of the reports is missing pages. | Subject = “Each” (singular). |
| Walking to the lab, the results were discussed. | While we were walking to the lab, we discussed the results. | Fix dangling modifier; add clear subject. |
| The committee are divided on the issue. | The committee is divided on the issue. | Collective noun as a unit → singular in AmE. |
| We will do a decision after the review. | We will make a decision after the review. | Collocation: “make a decision”. |
| The policy is more better than before. | The policy is better than before. | Comparative already expresses degree. |
If two fixes seem fine, choose the more concise, idiomatic option.
Mini Reference
- Agreement: subjects with verbs; pronouns with antecedents
- Parallelism: match forms in lists/paired ideas
- Modifiers: place near target; avoid dangling
- Idiom: make a decision; take responsibility; on behalf of
Revise for meaning first, then polish form and style.
Practice
A) Improve the underlined part
-
Each of the proposals are compelling.
is were have been being
-
Walking to the venue, the plan was finalized by the team.
the team finalized the plan the plan finalized itself we had the plan finalized finalizing the plan by the team
-
The committee are considering the proposal.
is has were be
B) Choose the best rewrite
-
We will do a decision after the audit.
make a decision take a decision perform a decision shape a decision
-
The results were more better than last year.
better much more better most better gooder
-
The manager is responsible of the budget.
for to about on
C) Improve the sentence (free response)
Due to the fact that the meeting was scheduled at a later time, we postponed the review to a subsequent date.
Task: Make it concise and natural without losing meaning.
D) Tiny code sample (formatting test)
// Naive heuristic for concision (demo only)
const concise = (s) => s
.replaceAll("due to the fact that","because")
.replaceAll("in order to","to")
.replaceAll("at this point in time","now");Short Task
Improve: Owing to the fact that the equipment was unavailable, the experiment did not get conducted by us yesterday.
Hint: Prefer active voice, concise connectors, and natural word order.
Show Suggested Answers
A) Improve the underlined part
- is
- the team finalized the plan
- is
B) Best rewrite
- make a decision
- better
- for
C) Free response (one possible)
Because the meeting was moved later, we postponed the review.
Short Task
One natural answer: Because the equipment was unavailable, we didn’t conduct the experiment yesterday.
Exam tips
- Fix meaning first; then grammar; then concision.
- Keep modifiers close; avoid dangling structures.
- Prefer idiomatic collocations and consistent register.
- Don’t add information not present in the original.
