Directions: Select the alternative that will improve the underlined part of the sentence. In case there is no improvement select ‘No improvement’. Priya has been working in this school from June 2017 .
since June 2017
Improving Sentence Structure: Using 'Since' with Time
The original sentence is "Priya has been working in this school from June 2017". The phrase "has been working" indicates the present perfect continuous tense, which describes an action that started in the past (specifically in June 2017) and continues up to the present moment.
When we use the present perfect or present perfect continuous tense to indicate an action that started at a specific point in the past and is still ongoing, the correct preposition to use with that specific point in time is 'since'.
Analyzing the Original Sentence Error
The original sentence uses 'from' with the time reference "June 2017" alongside the present perfect continuous tense ("has been working"). While 'from' can indicate a starting point, it is typically used with simple past or present tense, or paired with 'to' or 'until' to show a duration (e.g., "The school was open from 8 AM to 3 PM" or "She worked there from 2015 until 2018"). It is not the correct preposition to use with perfect tenses to show a starting point of an ongoing action.
Evaluating the Improvement Options
Let's examine the given alternatives to find the one that correctly improves the underlined part:
| Option | Phrase | Analysis | Correctness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | for June 2017 | 'For' is used with a duration of time (e.g., for two years, for three months). "June 2017" is a specific point in time, not a duration. | Incorrect |
| 2 | on June 2017 | 'On' is typically used with specific dates (e.g., on June 15th), specific days (e.g., on Monday), or holidays (e.g., on Christmas Day). It is not used with months or years to indicate the start of an ongoing action with perfect tenses. | Incorrect |
| 3 | No improvement | The original sentence is grammatically incorrect as explained above. Therefore, improvement is needed. | Incorrect |
| 4 | since June 2017 | 'Since' is used with a specific point in time (like a date, month, year, or event) to indicate when an action or state began, which has continued up to the present. This usage is correct with perfect tenses (present perfect and present perfect continuous). | Correct |
The Correct Usage of 'Since'
The word 'since' connects a past starting point to the present. When combined with the present perfect continuous tense, it clearly shows that an activity started at that specific past time and is still happening now.
- Correct Example: "She has been learning Spanish since last year." (Learning started last year and continues now).
- Correct Example: "They have lived here since 2010." (Living started in 2010 and continues now).
Applying this rule to the original sentence, "Priya has been working in this school" should be followed by "since June 2017" to indicate that her work started in June 2017 and is still ongoing.
Conclusion
Based on the analysis of prepositions used with time and perfect tenses, the correct phrase to improve the sentence "Priya has been working in this school from June 2017" is "since June 2017".
The improved sentence is: Priya has been working in this school since June 2017.
Revision Table: Prepositions of Time
| Preposition | Usage with Time | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Since | Starting point of an action that continues until now (often with perfect tenses). | since 2010, since Monday, since her birthday |
| For | Duration of time. | for two hours, for many years, for a week |
| From | Starting point (often paired with 'to' or 'until', less common with perfect tenses for ongoing actions). | from 9 AM to 5 PM, from 2015 until 2018 |
| On | Specific days or dates. | on Monday, on December 25th, on her birthday |
Additional Information: Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The present perfect continuous tense is formed using has/have + been + verb(-ing).
It is used to talk about:
- Actions that started in the past and continue up to the present.
- Actions that have recently stopped, but the results are visible now.
When used for actions continuing to the present, it is often paired with 'since' or 'for' to specify the duration or starting point.
Important Questions from Phrase Replacement
In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which will improve the underlined part of the sentence. In case no improvement is needed, select “No improvement”
My old teacher gave many poor students money in spite of he was poor.
In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which will improve the underlined part of the sentence. In case no improvement is needed, select “No improvement”.
You should to read the newspaper regularly if you want to be well-informed.
In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which will improve the underlined part of the sentence. In case no improvement is needed, select “No improvement”.
If he had listening to me he would not have got lost.
In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which will improve the underlined part of the sentence. In case no improvement is needed, select “No improvement”
He asked for a bank loan also he didn't have sufficient resources.
In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which will improve the underlined part of the sentence. In case no improvement is needed, select “No improvement”.
I went to the shop to buy some stationeries .
