Understanding the Sentence Structure and Filling the Blank

The question asks us to select the most appropriate word or group of words to fill the blank in the sentence: "He is one of the ________________ in the country."

To answer this question correctly, we need to look at the structure of the sentence, especially the phrase "one of the".

Analyzing the Grammar Rule: "One of the"

The grammatical structure "one of the" is used to indicate one item from a group of items. Therefore, the noun or noun phrase that follows "one of the" must be in the plural form.

• Correct: One of the students (plural noun)
• Incorrect: One of the student (singular noun)
• Correct: One of the best restaurants (plural noun phrase)
• Incorrect: One of the best restaurant (singular noun phrase)

Following this rule, the word or group of words that fills the blank must be a plural noun or a plural noun phrase.

Evaluating the Options

Let's examine each option based on the "one of the + plural noun" rule:

• Option 1: well-known journalists
• journalists is a plural noun. well-known journalists is a plural noun phrase. This fits the grammatical rule.
• Option 2: well-known journalist
• journalist is a singular noun. well-known journalist is a singular noun phrase. This does not fit the grammatical rule.
• Option 3: well-renowned journalists
• journalists is a plural noun. well-renowned journalists is a plural noun phrase. This also fits the grammatical rule. "Well-renowned" is a synonym for "well-known", meaning famous or highly regarded.
• Option 4: journalist  
• journalist is a singular noun. This does not fit the grammatical rule.

Determining the Correct Option

Based on the grammatical rule, both Option 1 ("well-known journalists") and Option 3 ("well-renowned journalists") are grammatically correct as they use a plural noun phrase after "one of the". Option 2 and Option 4 are incorrect because they use a singular noun or noun phrase.

Between the two grammatically correct options, we choose the one that most appropriately completes the sentence. In this case, "well-known journalists" is a common and appropriate phrase to describe someone who is among the famous journalists in a country.

Conclusion

The most appropriate word group to complete the sentence and adhere to the grammatical rule is "well-known journalists".

The complete sentence is: "He is one of the well-known journalists in the country."

Revision Table: Key English Grammar Points

Here's a quick review of the grammar concepts relevant to this question:

• "One of the": Always followed by a plural noun or a plural noun phrase. It selects one item from a group.
• Singular Noun: Refers to one person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., journalist).
• Plural Noun: Refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., journalists).
• Noun Phrase: A group of words that functions as a noun (e.g., well-known journalists).

Additional Information: Common Phrases with "One of the"

Understanding phrases like "one of the" is crucial for correct sentence construction in English. Here are a few more examples:

• One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
• She is one of the smartest students in the class.
• This is one of the biggest challenges we face.
• That was one of the funniest movies of the year.

Notice how in all these examples, the noun or noun phrase following "one of the" is plural (places, students, challenges, movies).