English Grammar Exercise

There are several ways to deal ……1……. (in / with / to) the tendency to
procrastinate.

Break ……2…… (off / out / down) the task into manageable pieces and knock
them ……3… (out / off / up) one at one time. Focus ……4…… (at / on / over)
accomplishing what’s right in front of you ……5……… (in / at / on) this moment.
Planning ahead ……6… (of / for / to) the next year may seem overwhelming for
some people. So take just one day ……7…….. (in / at) a time. Don’t look any
further ahead ……8……. (than / then) that.

Set a time frame ……9……. (to / for) accomplishing the task. You’ll be surprised
– just by thinking ……10………(across / through / along) and planning you’re
setting ……11……. (you / yourself) to accomplish the goal unconsciously and you
may even beat your own deadline!

We know how important writing is ……12…… (for / to / with) goal setting. It is

equally important to ……13……. (beat / beating) procrastination. Keep a diary of
your activities. It forces you to see ……14…….. (what / that) you’re actually
doing, and what you’re not doing. Be aware ……15…… (of / off) the distractions,
detours, and downright wastes of time you engage ……16…….. (on / in / with)
during the course of a day. Once you are aware of these distractions, you can work
towards getting rid ……17…….. (of / off) them. Try it. It works!

Answers
1. With; 2. Down; 3. Off; 4. On; 5. At; 6. For; 7. At; 8. Than; 9. For; 10. Through;
11. Yourself; 12. To; 13. Beating; 14. What; 15. Of; 16. In; 17. of

2 .Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word or phrase.

1. One day scientists will —————– find a cure for cancer.

a) Can
b) be able to
c) been able to
d) have been able to

2. What have you —————— to find out?

a) been able
b) able
c) were able
d) had been

3. I am interested in —————— to cook.

a) to learn
b) learning
c) to learning
d) learn

4. You don’t look happy —————— me.

a) to see
b) to seeing
c) in seeing
d) at seeing

5. That dress is new, ——————-?

a) isn’t it?
b) aren’t they
c) doesn’t it
d) won’t it
6. It was —————– that I could hardly work.

a) so warm a day
b) a so warm day
c) so warm day
d) none of these

7. I don’t know why they decided to split. They were ————- in love with each
other.

a) mad
b) madly
c) badly
d) madden

8. She was —————- injured in the crash.

a) fatally
b) fatal
c) deadly
d) deathly

9. You can speak —————–. I won’t tell anyone what you say.

a) free
b) freely
c) with freedom
d) none of these

10. I very much enjoy ————-

a) swimming
b) to swim
c) swim
d) to swimming

11. She would never —————— if she hadn’t changed jobs.

a) had been promoted

b) have been promoted
c) have promoted
d) had promoted
12. I don’t trust politicians. I never have, and I ——————–.

a) will never
b) never will
c) never does
d) never would

13. I am going to do my exams, and ——————– I am going to study medicine.

a) after
b) afterwards
c) afterward
d) later

14. I expected to fail the exam, but I passed ————-

a) at all
b) finally
c) after all
d) nevertheless

15. When I was ——————- I was working.

a) at your age
b) your age
c) of your age
d) at the age of you

Answers with explanations

1. be able to
2. been able
3. learning (The adjective interested is followed by in + noun/-ing form.)
4. to see (Some adjectives are followed by infinitives. Happy is one of them.)
5. isn’t it?
6. so warm a day
7. madly
8. fatally (Deadly is an adjective and it means fatal. The adverb for this meaning is
fatally.)
9. freely (Free means without payment. Freely means without restriction.)
10. swimming (The verb enjoy can be followed by a noun/pronoun/-ing form. It
cannot be followed by an infinitive.)
11. have been promoted (The sentence is in the type three conditional. Here we use
a past perfect in the if-clause and would have + past participle in the result clause.)
12. never will (parallel structure)
13. afterwards
14. after all
15. your age (The structure is/am/are etc. + … age is used without a preposition.)

This grammar exercise tests a student’s ability to form grammatically correct

sentences in English. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word or phrase.

Thousands of youngsters ………1…….. their eye sight by buying fashionable

sunglasses ………2……. offer little or
………3…….. protection from harmful UV rays. Experts …….4…….. wearing
poor-quality sunglasses could damage
eyes and ……5……. the risk of cataracts, which can cause …….6……. of sight in
later life.

1. a) are risking; b) were risking; c) risking; d) risked

2. a) what; b) that; c) those; d) these
3. a) any; b) no; c) some; d) less
4. a) say; b) says; c) had said; d) have said
5. a) increases; b) increase; c) increasing; d) increased
6. a) lose; b) loss; c) losing; d) loose
Answers
Thousands of youngsters are risking their eye sight by buying fashionable
sunglasses that offer little or no
protection from harmful UV rays. Experts say wearing poor-quality sunglasses
could damage eyes and increase
the risk of cataracts, which can cause loss of sight in later life.

Prepositions

Space exploration has always been a matter ………………….. (of / for / with)
pride for big nations. Space race began …………………… (with / from / for) the
launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957. Russians led the race during the
first few years, but the Americans outwitted them ………………….. (in / on / at)
1969, with the first human landing …………………….. (on / in / at) moon. The
space shuttle era began in 1981. Though the Russians too managed to send a
shuttle …………………. (for / to / from) space, the US was ahead
…………………… (with / of / from) them. With the collapse of Soviet Union in
1989, the space race almost ended. Russia no longer competes ………………….
(with / for / to) the US. But the US has found another rival …………………. (at /
in / on) ESA (European Space Agency). Other countries like Japan, China and
India are also emerging as new players in space.

Answers

Space exploration has always been a matter of pride for big nations. Space race
began with the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957. Russians led the
race during the first few years, but the Americans outwitted them in 1969, with the
first human landing on moon. The space shuttle era began in 1981. Though the
Russians too managed to send a shuttle to space, the US was ahead of them. With
the collapse of Soviet Union in 1989, the space race almost ended. Russia no
longer competes with the US . But the US has found another rival in ESA
(European Space Agency). Other countries like Japan , China and India are also
emerging as new players in space.

Exercise : What do you see when you look deep ………1……… (into / in / at / to)
a friend’s eyes? Well, you would like to see his or her thoughts and dreams, but
more likely, you’ll simply see an image ………..2………… (of / for / off) yourself
—and whatever lies ……………3………….. (back /behind /in front / beneath)
you.

Our eyeballs are like small, round mirrors. Their surfaces reflect light just like the
surface ……….4……….. (of / on / over) a pond does. If you look closely into a
person’s eye, you’ll see a reflection ………..5……….. (of / for / off / on) the scene
………….6…………. (in front / in front of / before) the person. By analyzing the
eye reflections of people ………7…………. (on / at / in) photos, scientists have
figured ……….8……… (up / out / over) how to re-create the world reflected ……
9……….. (in / on / at) someone’s eyes.

 Answers
What do you see when you look deep into a friend’s eyes? Well, you would like to
see his or her thoughts and dreams. But more likely, you’ll simply see an
image of yourself—and whatever lies behind you.
Our eyeballs are like small, round mirrors. Their surfaces reflect light just like the
surface of a pond does. If you look closely into a person’s eye, you’ll see a
reflection of the scene in front of the person. By analyzing the eye reflections of
people in photos, scientists have figured out how to re-create the world
reflected in someone’s eyes.

Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks.

In humans, the sense of balance (a) …………………… by a complicated set of

relationships between the eyes, ears, skeletal and central nervous systems, and the
brain, which (b) ……………… information from all these senses. Balance
problems (c) ……………….. when the brain (d) ………………. conflicting
information from the different sense organs, or when disease (e) ………………..
one or more of these organs.
Of all the organs that (f) ………….. maintain the sense of balance, perhaps the
most important is the ear. Let’s examine the ear’s anatomy to understand how the
ear (g) ………………… us to maintain our sense of balance. The outer ear which
(h) ……………… of the visible part of the ear and the ear canal primarily (i)
…………………… the hearing system. It (j) ……………… as a type of
preamplifier by collecting sounds from the environment and funneling them to the
eardrum.

(a) i) maintained; ii) maintains; iii) is maintained; iv) has maintained

(b) i) is processing; ii) processes; iii) process; iv) processed
(c) i) are occurring; ii) occurs; iii) can occur; iv) will be occurring
(d) i) receive; ii) receives; iii) is receiving; iv) was receiving
(e) i) affects; ii) is affecting; iii) affected; iv) affect
(f) i) are helping; ii) helps; iii) help; iv) have helped
(g) i) will help; ii) helps; iii) is helping; iv) will be helping
(h) i) is consisting; ii) consist; iii) consists; iv) consisted
(i) assisted; ii) assists; iii) is assisting; iv) has assisted
(j) i) acts; ii) is acting; iii) acted; iv) has acted

Solution
a) is maintained
b) processes
c) can occur
d) receives
e) affects
f) help
g) helps
h) consists
i) assists
j) acts

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate article or determiner. You can learn
about determiners here.
1. I know ………………………. writer you are talking about. ( a / the)

2. She doesn’t have ……………………………. relatives in this town. (many /

much)
3. He didn’t pay ……………………………. attention to what I was doing. (any /
many / some)

4. I waited for ………………………….. more hours and then I went home. (few /
a few / the few)

5. I have got ……………………………….. water if you are thirsty. (little / a

little / the little)

6. ………………………. students who are interested should register their name

before Friday. (Some / Those / That)

7. I forgot ……………………….. (the / my) umbrella in ………………………..

classroom (a / the).

8. Are there ………………………… museums in this city? (any / some)

9. That shop belongs to ………………………. (the / a) man who works in Canada.

10. I drank …………………………. water I had. (little / the little)

11. She is very close to ………………………………. friends she has. (few / a few
/ the few)

12. She has authored ………………………….. books. (many / much / more)

13. She doesn’t have ………………………. interest in politics. (many / much /

most)

14. ……………………….. criminals are non-violent. (Most / The most / Most of)

15. You can take ……………………….. of these four shirts. (any / either / both)

Answers
1. I know the writer you are talking about. (Use the to talk about a particular
person.)
2. She doesn’t have many relatives in this town.
3. He didn’t pay any attention to what I was doing.
4. I waited for a few more hours and then I went home. (A few indicates a small
number.)
5. I have got a little water if you are thirsty. (A little indicates a small quantity.)
6. Those students who are interested should register their name before Friday.
7. I forgot the umbrella in the classroom.
8. Are there any museums in this city?
9. That shop belongs to a man who works in Canada.
10. I drank the little water I had.
11. She is very close to the few friends she has.
12. She has authored many books. (Use many with plural nouns.)
13. She doesn’t have much interest in politics. (Use much with uncountable
nouns.)
14. Most criminals are non-violent. (Before a noun without an article or another
determiner we use most.)
15. You can take any of these four shirts. (Either and both are used to talk about
two peop

Combine the following sentences using not only…but also….

If you would like to learn the correct use of not only… but also before doing this
exercise, go to this study page.
Exercise
1. There are problems with the children. There are problems with their parents.

2. He can make people laugh. He can make people cry.

3. She writes plays for television. She acts in movies.

4. I sent him many letters. I also tried to telephone him.

5. We visit our grandfather’s house in summer. We visit our grandfather’s house in

winter.

6. She can dance. She can sing.

7. They need food. They need medicine.

8. He has been late four times. He hasn’t done any work.

9. She was upset. She was angry.

10. In winter the days are short. They are also cold and dark.

Answers
1. There are problems not only with the children but also with their parents.
2. He can not only make people laugh, but also make them cry. / Not only can he
make people laugh; but he can also make them cry.
3. She not only writes plays for television but also acts in movies.
4. I not only sent him many letters but also tried to telephone him.
5. We visit our grandfather’s house not only in summer but also in winter.
6. She can not only dance but also sing.
7. They need not only food but also medicine.
8. Not only has she been late four times; but she has also not done any work.
9. She was not only upset but also angry.
10. In winter the days are not only short but also cold and dark.