Examkin

All practice questions

13931 questions

All types13,931Multiple choice7,139True / False771Numeric1,526Matching2,583Ordering631Fill in the blank1,223Short answer58
Question 2221Question →

Identify the word from the given list that contains the target diphthong sound.

Fill in the blanks below

From the set of words (plait, gauge, tread, friend), the word that features the diphthong sound /eɪ/ is .
Show answer & explanation

Answer

gauge
The word 'gauge' is pronounced /ɡeɪdʒ/ and contains the diphthong sound /eɪ/. Although words like 'plait', 'tread', and 'friend' feature double-vowel spellings, their phonetic transcriptions demonstrate pure monophthong sounds (/plæt/, /trɛd/, and /frɛnd/ respectively).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phonetic pronunciation of each word in the provided set.
'plait' is pronounced /plæt/, 'tread' is pronounced /trɛd/, 'friend' is pronounced /frɛnd/, and 'gauge' is pronounced /ɡeɪdʒ/.
Vowel graphemes in English spelling often obscure whether the underlying sound is a monophthong or a diphthong.
2
Match the target diphthong sound /eɪ/ with the correct word.
'gauge' (/ɡeɪdʒ/) contains the diphthong /eɪ/.
The vowel sound in 'gauge' involves a glide from /e/ to /ɪ/, forming the diphthong /eɪ/, whereas the other listed words contain pure monophthong vowels.

Key Concept

Diphthong sound identification and distinguishing diphthongs from deceptive monophthong spellings
Question 2222Question →

Consider the statement made by the lead researcher during the symposium: "Unless the committee approves our revised ethics protocol by tomorrow, we will have to halt the ongoing trials immediately." Which of the following options correctly converts this sentence into indirect (reported) speech?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: The lead researcher remarked that unless the committee approved their revised ethics protocol by the following day, they would have to halt the ongoing trials immediately.

Answer

The correct indirect speech conversion is the statement: 'The lead researcher remarked that unless the committee approved their revised ethics protocol by the following day, they would have to halt the ongoing trials immediately.'
The correct choice accurately shifts the simple present verb 'approves' to the simple past 'approved', the modal 'will' to 'would', the first-person pronouns 'our' and 'we' to third-person 'their' and 'they', and the time reference 'tomorrow' to 'the following day'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the reporting verb and its tense.
The reporting verb 'remarked' is in the past tense, requiring backshifting of tenses and changes to pronouns and time expressions.
When the reporting clause is in the simple past tense, the verbs and time expressions in the reported clause must shift accordingly.
2
Perform tense backshifting on the verbs in the subordinate and main clauses.
Simple present 'approves' becomes simple past 'approved'; modal future 'will have to' becomes modal past 'would have to'.
Grammatical rules of reported speech demand moving present tense verbs one step back into the past when reporting past utterances.
3
Adjust first-person plural pronouns and time adverbials.
'our' changes to 'their', 'we' changes to 'they', and 'by tomorrow' changes to 'by the following day'.
Pronouns shift from first-person to third-person relative to the reporter, and temporal adverbs shift to reflect time elapsed since the original statement.

Key Concept

Direct to Indirect Speech Transformation with Past Reporting Verbs
Question 2223Question →

Select the word that contains the same monophthong (pure vowel) sound as the one represented by the underlined letters in the word below:

says

Show answer & explanation

Answer: leopard

Answer

The word containing the same monophthong sound as 'says' is 'leopard'.
The target word 'says' is pronounced phonologically as /sez/, featuring the short pure vowel /e/. Among the choices, 'leopard' is pronounced /ˈlepəd/, where the spelling 'eo' produces the exact same short monophthong /e/ sound.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the phonetic sound of the underlined vowel pattern in the target word.
In the word 'says' (/sez/), the underlined spelling 'ay' represents the short monophthong (pure vowel) /e/.
Although 'ay' usually spells the diphthong /eɪ/, 'says' is an irregular pronunciation pronounced with the short pure vowel /e/.
2
Analyze the vowel sound in each of the given options to find the matching monophthong.
'leopard' is pronounced /ˈlepəd/ (contains /e/);
'days' is pronounced /deɪz/ (contains /eɪ/);
'feet' is pronounced /fiːt/ (contains /iː/);
'paid' is pronounced /peɪd/ (contains /eɪ/).
Only 'leopard' shares the exact short monophthong /e/ sound found in 'says'.

Key Concept

Monophthong (Pure Vowel) Identification
Question 2224Question →

Complete the sentence below by supplying the grammatically correct verb form that satisfies the rules of subject-verb concord.

Fill in the blanks below

The lead scientist, together with her assistants, conducting the final trial of the new vaccine tomorrow.
Show answer & explanation

Answer

is
The correct verb is 'is' because the grammatical subject of the sentence is the singular noun phrase 'The lead scientist'. Parenthetical additions introduced by 'together with' do not make a singular subject plural.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical subject of the sentence.
The core subject is 'The lead scientist', which is singular.
Intervening prepositional phrases introduced by expression markers like 'together with', 'as well as', or 'alongside' do not alter the grammatical number of the main subject.
2
Select the verb form that agrees with the singular subject in the present continuous tense.
The singular auxiliary verb 'is' agrees with 'The lead scientist'.
Singular subjects demand singular verbs regardless of any plural nouns occurring within parenthetical phrases.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Parenthetical Expressions
Estimated Time:45s
Question 2225Question →

Match each target word in the left column with the word in the right column that contains the exact same diphthong vowel sound.

Click a left item, then click its matching right item

Items

drought
paradigm
feint
croak

Matches

Show answer & explanation

Answer

The correct matches are: 'drought' pairs with 'browse' (/aʊ/), 'paradigm' pairs with 'guile' (/aɪ/), 'feint' pairs with 'stray' (/eɪ/), and 'croak' pairs with 'foam' (/əʊ/).
Each left-column word is correctly matched to its right-column partner sharing the identical diphthong sound despite deceptive spelling: 'drought' and 'browse' both produce /aʊ/, 'paradigm' and 'guile' both produce /aɪ/, 'feint' and 'stray' both produce /eɪ/, and 'croak' and 'foam' both produce /əʊ/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary diphthong sound in each target word on the left.
'drought' contains /aʊ/, 'paradigm' contains /aɪ/ in its final syllable, 'feint' contains /eɪ/, and 'croak' contains /əʊ/.
Phonetic identification requires looking past non-standard orthography such as the silent 'g' in 'paradigm' or the multi-letter 'ough' spelling in 'drought'.
2
Analyze the vowel sounds in the right column words.
'browse' contains /aʊ/, 'guile' contains /aɪ/, 'stray' contains /eɪ/, and 'foam' contains /əʊ/.
Matching requires isolating the gliding vowel quality regardless of spelling differences.
3
Form the corresponding pairs based on identical diphthong glides.
'drought' -> 'browse' (/aʊ/); 'paradigm' -> 'guile' (/aɪ/); 'feint' -> 'stray' (/eɪ/); 'croak' -> 'foam' (/əʊ/).
Each pair shares the precise target diphthong sound.

Key Concept

Diphthong Sound Identification and Orthographic Variation
Question 2226Question →

What is the correct indirect speech transformation of the following statement?

The magistrate declared, 'The court will grant bail to the suspect only if the surety produces a valid tax clearance certificate today.'

Show answer & explanation

Answer: The magistrate declared that the court would grant bail to the suspect only if the surety produced a valid tax clearance certificate that day.

Answer

The magistrate declared that the court would grant bail to the suspect only if the surety produced a valid tax clearance certificate that day.
When converting direct speech into reported speech with a past-tense reporting verb ('declared'), the modal verb 'will' shifts to 'would', the simple present verb 'produces' shifts to the past tense 'produced', and the adverb of time 'today' converts to 'that day'. The correct choice is the only option that accurately executes all three required changes.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the reporting verb and its tense.
The reporting verb 'declared' is in the past tense, which mandates tense backshifting and time adverb changes in the reported clause.
A past-tense reporting verb dictates that verbs and temporal markers inside reported speech shift to reflect the past perspective.
2
Backshift the verb tenses in the subordinate clause.
'will grant' backshifts to 'would grant', and simple present 'produces' backshifts to simple past 'produced'.
Future modal auxiliaries shift to conditional forms, and simple present verbs shift to simple past tense.
3
Adjust the time adverbial expression.
'today' changes to 'that day'.
Adverbs referencing the current time in direct speech must be transformed into relative past time markers in indirect speech.

Key Concept

Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech tense backshift and adverbial adjustments
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 2227Question →

Which of the options provided below correctly completes the sentence?

"Supposing the head of department ________ the revised curriculum last month, the faculty would not be facing accreditation issues now."

Show answer & explanation

Answer: had approved

Answer

The correct option is 'had approved'.
The verb phrase 'had approved' completes the past perfect aspect necessary for a counterfactual past condition introduced by 'supposing' when paired with the past temporal phrase 'last month'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence structure and temporal indicators
The clause opens with 'Supposing', establishing a hypothetical condition, while 'last month' specifies a past timeframe.
Identifying the mood and time frame determines the required verb tense and aspect.
2
Determine the appropriate conditional tense aspect
An unfulfilled condition in the past that produces a present result ('would not be facing... now') requires a mixed conditional structure with the past perfect tense ('had' + past participle) in the conditional clause.
Unreal past conditions require the past perfect auxiliary to convey counterfactual meaning.
3
Select the corresponding verb option
'had approved' correctly satisfies the past perfect requirement.
It fulfills both the past temporal reference and the subjunctive counterfactual aspect.

Key Concept

Mixed Conditionals and Unreal Past Aspect
Question 2228Question →

Complete the sentence below by supplying the grammatically correct past perfect form of the verb to show the proper sequence of past events.

Fill in the blanks below

Before the rain began, the farmer all the harvested crops into the barn.
Show answer & explanation

Answer

The past perfect tense 'had moved' (or 'had stored' / 'had carried') correctly completes the sentence to indicate an action completed prior to another past event.
The past perfect tense formed with 'had' and a past participle is required because the action of taking the crops inside was completed prior to another definite past event (the rain beginning).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the timeline of the two past events in the sentence.
The action of storing/moving the crops occurred prior to the rain starting ('began').
When two events occurred in the past, the earlier event requires the past perfect tense (had + past participle).
2
Select the correct auxiliary verb and main verb form.
Combine the auxiliary verb 'had' with the past participle form of the action verb.
The temporal preposition 'Before' reinforces that the first action was completed prior to the past simple reference point ('began').

Key Concept

Sequence of Tenses: Past Perfect vs. Simple Past
Estimated Time:45s
Question 2229Question →

Complete the sentence below by filling in the blank with the correct pronoun that maintains proper pronoun-antecedent agreement in standard formal English.

Fill in the blanks below

Neither the principal nor the teachers realized that actions would have such a profound impact on the school's reputation.
Show answer & explanation

Answer

their
In standard formal English, when antecedents are joined by correlative conjunctions like 'neither... nor' or 'either... or', the pronoun must agree in number and person with the antecedent closest to the pronoun slot. In this sentence, the plural noun 'teachers' is closer to the blank than the singular noun 'principal', requiring the plural possessive pronoun 'their'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the compound antecedent and its connecting structure in the sentence.
The subjects 'the principal' (singular) and 'the teachers' (plural) are joined by the correlative conjunction 'neither... nor'.
Recognizing correlative conjunctions is essential for applying the correct grammatical rule.
2
Apply the rule of proximity for pronoun-antecedent agreement.
The pronoun must agree in number with the antecedent closest to it, which is the plural noun 'teachers'.
When subjects are joined by 'neither... nor', the pronoun agrees with the nearer antecedent, not the farther one.
3
Select the appropriate third-person plural possessive pronoun.
The correct possessive pronoun is 'their'.
'Their' correctly agrees in number with the plural antecedent 'teachers'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Correlative Conjunctions
Question 2230Question →

The senior analyst is one of those dedicated employees who ______ consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership during company crises. Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: have

Answer

The correct option is 'have'. In the construction 'one of those [plural noun] who...', the relative pronoun 'who' refers to the plural noun 'employees', which serves as its antecedent. Consequently, the verb in the relative clause must agree in number with 'employees' and take the plural form 'have'.
The verb form 'have' is correct because the relative pronoun 'who' takes its grammatical number from its antecedent, the plural noun 'employees'. In sentences adhering to the structure 'one of the [plural noun] who...', the verb in the relative clause must be plural to agree with the plural noun.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the relative clause and its antecedent.
The relative clause is 'who ______ consistently demonstrated...', and the relative pronoun 'who' refers back to the plural noun 'employees'.
In relative clause structures preceded by 'one of those [plural noun]', the relative pronoun modifies the plural noun that immediately precedes it, not the singular word 'one'.
2
Apply the rule of relative pronoun concord.
The verb following 'who' must be plural to agree with the plural antecedent 'employees'.
A verb in a relative clause must agree in number and person with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.
3
Select the correct plural auxiliary verb form.
'have' is the correct plural auxiliary verb completing the present perfect verb phrase 'have demonstrated'.
'has', 'was', and 'is having' are singular verb forms and violate grammatical concord in this context.

Key Concept

Relative Pronoun Concord (One of those... who)
Question 2231Question →

English orthography frequently masks the underlying phonetic structure of words through deceptive spelling patterns. Which of the following words contains the exact same monophthong (pure vowel) sound as the underlined letter in c<u>o</u>lonel?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: scourge

Answer

The word containing the exact same monophthong sound is 'scourge'.
In the word 'colonel' (/ˈkɜːn.əl/), the first vowel sound represented by the letter 'o' is the long central monophthong /ɜː/. The word 'scourge' (/skɜːdʒ/) also uses the monophthong /ɜː/ represented by the spelling 'our'. Thus, both words share the exact same pure vowel sound.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the phonetic transcription and specific monophthong in the target word.
The word 'colonel' is transcribed phonetically as /ˈkɜːn.əl/. The underlined letter 'o' represents the long central monophthong /ɜː/.
Identify the underlying target vowel sound independent of orthographic representation.
2
Analyze the vowel sounds in each of the given options.
'scourge' contains /ɜː/ (/skɜːdʒ/), 'colonial' contains /əʊ/ (/kəˈləʊniəl/), 'cough' contains /ɒ/ (/kɒf/), and 'colander' contains /ɒ/ (/ˈkɒlɪndə/).
Isolate the primary monophthong or diphthong sound present in each candidate option.
3
Match the target monophthong /ɜː/ to the correct option.
'scourge' is the only option that shares the monophthong /ɜː/.
Both words feature the same long central unrounded pure vowel.

Key Concept

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)
Question 2232Question →

Read the sentence below and identify the verb form required to complete it correctly.

If the environmental agency had enforced the waste disposal regulations five years ago, the river ________ clean enough for domestic use today.

Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: would be

Answer

The verb form 'would be' correctly completes the sentence.
The sentence requires a mixed conditional construction because it pairs an unfulfilled condition in the past ('had enforced five years ago') with a hypothetical outcome in the present ('today'). The modal auxiliary 'would' combined with the base verb 'be' correctly expresses this present unreal result.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the dependent conditional clause
The clause 'If the environmental agency had enforced...' uses the past perfect tense, denoting a hypothetical or unfulfilled past condition.
Identifying the condition's time frame is essential for selecting the corresponding result tense.
2
Analyze the main clause's temporal marker
The word 'today' at the end of the sentence specifies that the hypothetical result belongs to the present time frame.
The temporal marker determines whether the main clause requires a past result (third conditional) or a present result (mixed conditional).
3
Select the appropriate mixed conditional verb form
Pairing a past condition with a present result requires 'would + base verb' ('would be').
Mixed conditional rules state that when a past past-perfect condition affects the present state, the main clause takes 'would' plus the infinitive form of the verb.

Key Concept

Mixed Conditional (Past Condition with Present Result)
Question 2233Question →

English orthography often masks phonetic structures. Which of the following words contains the diphthong sound /əʊ/?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: tableau

Answer

The word 'tableau' contains the diphthong sound /əʊ/.
The correct choice is the word 'tableau' because its final syllable is pronounced with the diphthong glide /əʊ/ (/ˈtæbləʊ/).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Transcribe the phonetic vowel sound of the target word 'tableau'.
The word 'tableau' is phonetically transcribed as /ˈtæbləʊ/.
The spelling 'eau' borrowed from French produces the English diphthong glide /əʊ/.
2
Analyze the vowel sounds of the remaining choices to identify monophthongization traps.
'broad' is /brɔːd/ (long monophthong /ɔː/), 'cough' is /kɒf/ (short monophthong /ɒ/), and 'quay' is /kiː/ (long monophthong /iː/).
These words feature monophthongs that are commonly misidentified due to deceptive spelling patterns.

Key Concept

Identification of the Diphthong /əʊ/
Estimated Time:45s
Question 2234Question →

Which of the following sentences expresses the intended meaning clearly and grammatically without a dangling modifier?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: After entering the newly renovated library, the students noticed that the ambient noise level was remarkably low.

Answer

The sentence 'After entering the newly renovated library, the students noticed that the ambient noise level was remarkably low.' is correct because the introductory modifier phrase 'After entering the newly renovated library' properly modifies the subject 'the students', who logically performed the action of entering.
The correct option places 'the students' immediately after the introductory phrase 'After entering the newly renovated library'. Because the students are the ones who entered the library, the modifying phrase is properly attached to its logical subject.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory modifying phrase and its implied action.
The phrase is 'After entering the newly renovated library', which describes the action of entering a building.
Participial and prepositional phrases placed at the beginning of a sentence must logically modify the subject of the main clause.
2
Examine the main clause subject in each option to ensure logical alignment.
In the correct sentence, the subject of the main clause is 'the students', who are capable of entering the library.
Abstract concepts or inanimate things like 'noise level', 'study environment', or 'quietness' cannot physically enter a library.
3
Confirm grammatical accuracy and clarity.
The sentence clearly connects the modifier to the correct agent without creating ambiguity.
Proper modifier placement prevents dangling modifier errors.

Key Concept

Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 2235Question →

Fill in the blank with the grammatically correct verb form that satisfies the rules of subject-verb concord.

Fill in the blanks below

Neither the chief prosecutor nor the defense attorneys satisfied with the ruling delivered at yesterday's court session.
Show answer & explanation

Answer

The correct verb form to complete the sentence is 'were'.
In English grammatical concord, when two subjects are connected by 'neither... nor', the principle of proximity applies. The verb must agree with the subject closest to it. Here, the plural noun phrase 'the defense attorneys' immediately precedes the verb slot, and the phrase 'yesterday's court session' specifies a completed past action. Therefore, the past plural verb 'were' is grammatically required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the structural rule governing the subject joined by correlative conjunctions.
The sentence uses the correlative conjunction 'Neither... nor', which joins two subjects: 'the chief prosecutor' (singular) and 'the defense attorneys' (plural).
When subjects are joined by 'neither... nor', the rule of proximity concord dictates that the verb must agree in number with the subject noun phrase closest to it.
2
Determine the nearest subject and its grammatical number.
The subject closest to the verb blank is 'the defense attorneys', which is plural.
Proximity concord requires matching the verb to 'defense attorneys' rather than 'chief prosecutor'.
3
Select the appropriate verb tense and form.
The temporal marker 'yesterday's court session' establishes that the action occurred in the past tense. The past tense plural form of the auxiliary verb 'be' is 'were'.
A plural subject ('defense attorneys') combined with a past tense context requires the past plural verb 'were'.

Key Concept

Proximity Concord with Correlative Conjunctions
Question 2236Question →

Match each word below with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbol that represents its primary monophthong (pure vowel) sound.

Click a left item, then click its matching right item

Items

boot
book
bet
bat

Matches

Show answer & explanation

Answer

'boot' matches /u:/, 'book' matches /ʊ/, 'bet' matches /e/, and 'bat' matches /æ/.
Each target word is correctly matched to its standard RP monophthong sound: 'boot' contains /u:/, 'book' contains /ʊ/, 'bet' contains /e/, and 'bat' contains /æ/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Pronounce each word and isolate the main vowel sound.
The vowel sounds identified are /u:/ for 'boot', /ʊ/ for 'book', /e/ for 'bet', and /æ/ for 'bat'.
Isolating the vowel sound allows accurate mapping to phonetic symbols.
2
Pair each word with its corresponding IPA monophthong symbol.
'boot' pairs with /u:/, 'book' pairs with /ʊ/, 'bet' pairs with /e/, and 'bat' pairs with /æ/.
Each IPA symbol represents the precise quality and length of the monophthong in the target word.

Key Concept

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)
Question 2237Question →

Read the direct speech statement below and complete the indirect speech sentence by supplying the appropriate expressions for each blank.

Fill in the blanks below

Direct Speech: The defense minister declared, "Our troops will complete the evacuation mission by tomorrow evening."

Reported Speech: The defense minister declared that their troops the evacuation mission by .
Show answer & explanation

Answer

The first blank requires 'would complete' and the second blank requires 'the following evening' (or 'the next evening').
When transforming a direct declarative statement into indirect speech with a past-tense reporting verb ('declared'), the modal auxiliary 'will' backshifts to 'would', and the temporal expression 'tomorrow evening' changes to 'the following evening' or 'the next evening'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Apply tense backshift to the modal auxiliary verb.
The future modal 'will complete' backshifts to the conditional modal past form 'would complete' because the reporting verb ('declared') is in the past tense.
When converting direct speech to reported speech with a past tense reporting verb, simple future modal verbs ('will') backshift to their past forms ('would').
2
Adjust temporal adverbials to match the shifted point of reference.
'tomorrow evening' changes to 'the following evening' or 'the next evening'.
Time expressions indicating the future relative to the speech moment ('tomorrow') must be shifted to reflect the perspective of the past reporting frame.

Key Concept

Tense backshifting of modal auxiliaries and time adverbial transformations in reported speech.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 2238Question →

English spelling patterns can be deceptive when determining vowel sounds. Which of the options below contains the identical diphthong sound present in bough?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: drought

Answer

drought
The target word 'bough' contains the diphthong vowel sound /aʊ/. Among the choices, 'drought' is also pronounced with the /aʊ/ diphthong, making it the correct phonetic match.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the phonetic vowel sound in the target word 'bough'.
The word 'bough' is pronounced as /baʊ/, which contains the diphthong /aʊ/.
Identifying the target sound establishes the baseline for phonetic comparison.
2
Transcribe and analyze the vowel sounds of the candidate options.
'drought' is pronounced /draʊt/ (/aʊ/), 'cough' is /kɒf/ (/ɒ/), 'rough' is /rʌf/ (/ʌ/), and 'dough' is /dəʊ/ (/əʊ/).
Evaluating each option isolates diphthongs from monophthongs and distinguishes between different diphthong glides.
3
Select the option sharing the exact phonetic diphthong.
'drought' matches the /aʊ/ sound found in 'bough'.
Both words contain the same vocalic glide /aʊ/ despite differing orthography.

Key Concept

Diphthong Sound Identification (/aʊ/)
Question 2239Question →

Which verb form correctly completes the sentence below according to the rules of subject-verb concord?

Fill in the blanks below

Neither the lead researcher nor the laboratory assistants aware of the security breach that occurred last night.
Show answer & explanation

Answer

The correct verb form to fill the blank is 'were'.
According to the principle of proximity concord, when two subjects are connected by correlative conjunctions such as 'neither... nor', the verb must agree in number with the subject closer to it. Here, the noun phrase closest to the blank is the plural noun 'laboratory assistants', which requires the plural past-tense auxiliary verb 'were' to match the time frame 'last night'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the syntactic structure connecting the subjects.
The compound subject is connected by the correlative conjunction 'neither... nor' joining 'the lead researcher' (singular) and 'the laboratory assistants' (plural).
Correlative conjunctions require applying the rule of proximity concord.
2
Apply the rule of proximity concord to select the proper verb agreement and tense.
The verb must agree with the nearer subject ('laboratory assistants', plural) in the past tense ('last night'), yielding 'were'.
In 'neither... nor' constructions, the verb agrees with the subject noun phrase immediately adjacent to the verb position.

Key Concept

Proximity Concord with Correlative Conjunctions
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 2240Question →

Read the direct speech statement below and complete the reported speech sentence by supplying the appropriate grammatical expressions for the blanks. Which words correctly complete the indirect speech transformation?

Fill in the blanks below

Direct Speech: The senior archivist announced, 'We have already transferred these historical records to the central repository today.'

Indirect Speech: The senior archivist announced that they already transferred those historical records to the central repository .
Show answer & explanation

Answer

The correct words to fill the blanks are 'had' for the first blank and 'that day' for the second blank.
When converting direct speech to reported speech governed by a past-tense reporting verb ('announced'), the present perfect auxiliary 'have' backshifts to the past perfect auxiliary 'had'. Additionally, time expressions referring to the current day ('today') change to 'that day' to reflect the shift in temporal perspective.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the tense of the main verb in the reporting clause and direct speech.
The reporting verb 'announced' is in the past tense, which mandates backshifting. The direct speech verb phrase 'have... transferred' is in the present perfect tense.
When the reporting verb is in the past tense, present tenses in direct speech backshift to their corresponding past forms.
2
Backshift the present perfect verb into the past perfect tense.
The auxiliary verb 'have' changes to 'had', yielding 'had already transferred'. Thus, the first blank is 'had'.
Present perfect ('have transferred') backshifts directly to past perfect ('had transferred').
3
Transform the temporal adverbial to align with indirect speech rules.
The time expression 'today' shifts to 'that day'. Thus, the second blank is 'that day'.
Adverbs of time indicating present reference ('today') must shift to past reference ('that day') when reported from a past perspective.

Key Concept

Tense Backshift and Temporal Adverbial Shift in Indirect Speech
Estimated Time:1m 30s
PreviousPage 112 / 697Next
All practice questions — JAMB UTME | Examkin