Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "Scarcely had the verdict been announced when the crowd erupted into applause."

Scarcely the verdict had been announced when

Hardly had the verdict been announced then

Scarcely had the verdict been announced than

Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "Being a rainy day, the match was cancelled."

Rainy day being, the match was cancelled

Because of rainy day, the match was cancelled

Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "No sooner he saw the police than he ran away."

No sooner did he see the police when

No sooner he had seen the police than

No sooner he saw the police than

Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "He is one of the best lawyer in the city."

one of the best lawyer's in the city

one of the best lawyer in the city

English · Micro-test

Sentence Correction and Improvement

Sentence correction questions give you a full sentence with one part marked, and ask you to choose the best replacement from several options, including sometimes the original.

10 questions · 5 minutes · instant scoring

Updated 10 September 2026

What this topic actually tests

Sentence correction differs from error-spotting in what it demands of you: error-spotting only requires locating which part of a sentence is wrong, while sentence correction requires actively selecting the specific replacement that fixes the problem correctly, among several options that may each fix it partially, incorrectly, or introduce a new error. This makes sentence correction a stricter test, because a distractor option might correct the original mistake while introducing a different one, or might "over-correct" a sentence that was already grammatically acceptable. Several rule clusters recur heavily: verb tense sequencing, especially the third conditional structure ("if the contract had been signed earlier, the dispute could have been avoided" — not "would have been signed" in the if-clause, since English conditionals never use "would have" in the condition itself, only in the result); the subjunctive mood used for hypothetical or wishful statements ("I wish I were taller," not "I wish I was taller," because the subjunctive "were" is required after "wish" and after hypothetical "if" regardless of subject number); inversion structures following negative adverbials such as "no sooner," "scarcely," and "hardly," which require an auxiliary verb inversion and specific pairing words ("no sooner... than," but "scarcely/hardly... when," never "no sooner... when" or "scarcely... than"); and dangling or misplaced modifiers, where an introductory phrase must logically describe the subject immediately following it ("being a rainy day, the match was cancelled" is wrong because the match, not the day, is the subject — the corrected version needs "as it was a rainy day" or "it being a rainy day" to supply a logical subject for the participial phrase). The method is to first identify which rule category the underlined portion implicates, then test each option against that specific rule rather than against a vague sense of "sounding right," since fluent-sounding options are frequently the intended distractors.

The common trap on this topic

The most frequent mistake is selecting an option that fixes the obvious surface issue but violates a secondary rule the test-taker overlooked — for instance, correctly changing a singular-plural mismatch while failing to notice the same option also shifted the sentence into the wrong tense. A second trap is "hypercorrection": choosing a more complex or formal-sounding replacement for a sentence that was already grammatically correct as given, because the underlined portion looks unusual or old-fashioned (constructions like "scarcely had the verdict been announced when the crowd erupted" are correct standard English, yet aspirants often "fix" them unnecessarily since inversion is uncommon in casual speech). A third trap is misapplying an inversion rule from one negative adverbial to another — "no sooner" strictly pairs with "than," and "scarcely" and "hardly" strictly pair with "when," but these pairings are frequently swapped by aspirants who remember that inversion is required without remembering which connecting word belongs to which adverbial. Always isolate the specific grammatical rule being tested before comparing the answer options against each other.

Sentence Correction and Improvement: answers and explanations

Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "The judge held that the evidence were insufficient to convict the accused."
Answer: B. was insufficient
"Evidence" is an uncountable noun in standard English and always takes a singular verb. The correct form is "was insufficient," making option B the right replacement.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "Despite having submitted the application on time, he was informed that it has arrived late."
Answer: C. had arrived late
Since the informing happened in the past ("was informed") and the arrival occurred even earlier, the earlier event requires the past perfect tense. The correct form is "had arrived late," making option C correct.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "The report suggested that the company should reduces its carbon emissions by half."
Answer: C. should reduce
A modal verb such as "should" must always be followed by the base form of the verb, never a conjugated or inflected form. The correct form is "should reduce," making option C correct.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "If the contract would have been signed earlier, the dispute could have been avoided."
Answer: B. had been signed
In a third conditional sentence, the if-clause takes the past perfect ("had been signed"), while "would have" is reserved for the result clause only ("could have been avoided" already fills that role). Option B is correct.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "Scarcely had the verdict been announced when the crowd erupted into applause."
Answer: B. Scarcely had the verdict been announced when
The original sentence is already correct: "scarcely" requires inversion ("had the verdict been announced") and must pair with "when," not "than." No improvement is needed, so option B, the original, is correct.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "Being a rainy day, the match was cancelled."
Answer: B. As it was a rainy day, the match was cancelled
The introductory participial phrase "Being a rainy day" illogically modifies "the match," which is not itself a rainy day — a dangling modifier. Supplying a proper subject with "As it was a rainy day" corrects the error, making option B correct.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "The petitioner, along with his lawyers, were present in the courtroom."
Answer: B. was present
The phrase "along with his lawyers" is a parenthetical addition and does not change the number of the true subject, the singular "petitioner." The correct form is "was present," making option B correct.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "No sooner he saw the police than he ran away."
Answer: D. No sooner had he seen the police than
"No sooner" requires subject-auxiliary inversion and pairs specifically with "than," using the past perfect tense: "No sooner had he seen the police than..." Option D satisfies both requirements correctly.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "I wish I was taller."
Answer: C. I wish I were taller
After "wish," expressing a hypothetical or unreal wish requires the subjunctive mood, which uses "were" for all subjects regardless of number. The correct form is "I wish I were taller," making option C correct.
Choose the best replacement for the underlined portion: "He is one of the best lawyer in the city."
Answer: C. one of the best lawyers in the city
The construction "one of the + superlative + plural noun" requires a plural noun, since it describes one member of a larger plural group. The correct form is "one of the best lawyers in the city," making option C correct.

FAQ

What is the difference between error spotting and sentence correction on CLAT?

Error spotting asks you to identify which segment of a sentence is wrong, without providing a fix. Sentence correction asks you to select the specific replacement phrase that correctly fixes an underlined portion, testing your ability to produce the correction, not just locate the problem.

How do I know if a sentence correction option is "No improvement" or the original is already correct?

Check the underlined portion against the specific grammar rule it implicates (tense sequencing, subjunctive mood, inversion, modifier placement). If it already satisfies that rule precisely, the original is correct and any "corrected" alternative is likely an unnecessary or incorrect hypercorrection.

Why do conditional sentences trip up so many aspirants in sentence correction?

Because spoken English frequently (and incorrectly) uses "would have" in the if-clause of a third conditional, aspirants internalise this error as normal. Standard written English restricts "would have" to the result clause only, using the past perfect ("had + past participle") in the if-clause.

Keep practising

Ready to see the full picture?

This micro-test covers one topic. The full CLAT diagnostic covers all five sections in 30 minutes and gives you a section-wise breakdown of where you actually stand.

Take the Full Diagnostic →