Each item has two grammatical options. Choose by meaning, write a short reason, then open the answer. The matching lessons are in grammar choices that change meaning.
Part A: Tense and agreement
1. “Rizal (lived / has lived) in Kuantan since 2022, so he knows the town well.” Which form fits?
Answer
“has lived”. “Since 2022” shows the living continues to now, which is the present perfect. “Lived” would mean he no longer lives there.
2. “When the teacher walked in, the students (finished / had finished) the quiz.” Which fits if the quiz was complete before she entered?
Answer
“had finished”. The finishing came first, and the past perfect shows that order. “Finished” would suggest the two events happened close together.
3. “The committee of parents, together with two teachers, (is / are) planning the event.” Choose the verb.
Answer
“is”. The subject is “committee”, and “together with” adds no second subject. If the writer means the parents and teachers equally, use “and” and the verb “are”.
4. “A number of tickets (is / are) still unsold.” Choose the verb.
Answer
“are”. “A number of” works like “some”, so the real subject is “tickets”, which is plural. “The number of tickets” would take “is”.
Part B: Clauses and conditionals
5. Explain the difference: (a) “The players who trained daily won.” (b) “The players, who trained daily, won.”
Answer
In (a), only the players who trained daily won, so other players may have lost or not played. In (b), all the players trained daily, and all of them won. Commas turn a defining clause into extra information.
6. Add commas if needed: “My cousin who lives in Sabah is a pilot.” The writer has four cousins.
Answer
No commas. With four cousins, the clause identifies which one. Commas would suggest the writer has only one cousin.
7. “If I (win / won) the lottery, I would buy a house.” The writer never buys tickets. Choose the form.
Answer
“won”. The situation is imagined, so the second conditional pairs “won” with “would”. “Win” would suggest a real possibility, which does not fit a person who buys no tickets.
8. The test is next week. Choose: “If you (study / studied) tonight, you (will / would) feel calmer.”
Answer
“study” and “will”. The test is real and upcoming, so the first conditional fits. “Studied” and “would” would suggest the test is imagined or already over.
If you got these wrong
- Items 1 and 2: choosing a tense from the time relationship.
- Items 3 and 4: agreement when a phrase separates subject and verb.
- Items 5 and 6: defining clauses versus extra information.
- Items 7 and 8: correcting conditionals while keeping the meaning.
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