Q4: Sentence correction

Understanding the topic

Four of the eight sentences in this set are testing the same family of error, the modifier attached to the wrong noun, which makes them the easiest five marks in the paper once you can see it.

(i)

Printed: Chewing slowly, the pepperoni pizza tasted delicious

Corrected: Chewing slowly, we found the pepperoni pizza delicious.

Rule: An opening participle attaches to the subject that follows it. As printed, the pizza is doing the chewing.

(iii)

Printed: A young girl in the corner, holding a red balloon.

Corrected: A young girl stood in the corner, holding a red balloon.

Rule: This is a fragment with no finite verb. Supplying one turns it into a sentence.

(v)

Printed: He ordered a meal from the restaurant that was high in protein.

Corrected: From the restaurant, he ordered a meal that was high in protein.

Rule: A relative clause modifies the nearest noun. As printed, the restaurant is high in protein.

(vii)

Printed: The group asked to hear the report that Shirley and me prepared.

Corrected: The group asked to hear the report that Shirley and I prepared.

Rule: The pronoun is the subject of "prepared", so it takes the subjective form. Remove the other name and the ear settles it: "me prepared" is plainly wrong.

(viii)

Printed: I managed finishing the painting.

Corrected: I managed to finish the painting.

Rule: "Manage" in this sense takes an infinitive, not a gerund.

The three not attempted

Sentence (ii) is ambiguous rather than ungrammatical, since the opening participle could attach to either the father or the toddler. Sentence (iv) is already correct as printed, because "whom" is the object of "like". Sentence (vi) is a run-on that needs full stops or semicolons rather than a rewrite.