In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which will improve the bracketed part of the sentence. In case no improvement is needed, select "no improvement". Thus we (going) back to what might be termed as old values.
Went
Analyzing the Sentence Improvement Question
The question asks us to find the best way to improve the bracketed part of the sentence: "Thus we (going) back to what might be termed as old values." The bracketed part "(going)" is grammatically incorrect as it stands. A participle ("going") cannot function as the main verb of a sentence without a helping verb (like 'am', 'is', 'are', 'was', 'were', 'have', 'has', 'had').
Evaluating the Improvement Options
Let's examine each of the given options to see which one provides a grammatically correct and contextually appropriate improvement.
- Option 1: Went
If we replace "(going)" with "Went", the sentence becomes: "Thus we went back to what might be termed as old values." "Went" is the simple past tense of "go". This makes the sentence grammatically correct. It implies that the action of returning to old values is something that happened in the past.
- Option 2: Gone
If we replace "(going)" with "Gone", the sentence becomes: "Thus we gone back to what might be termed as old values." "Gone" is the past participle of "go". It requires a helping verb like "have" or "had" to form a correct verb phrase (e.g., "we have gone", "we had gone"). Without a helping verb, "gone" is grammatically incorrect in this context.
- Option 3: Was going
If we replace "(going)" with "Was going", the sentence becomes: "Thus we was going back to what might be termed as old values." This option uses the past continuous tense ("was going"). However, the subject "we" is plural, while "was" is a singular helping verb. The correct form for a plural subject in the past continuous is "were going". So, "was going" is grammatically incorrect here.
- Option 4: No improvement
As discussed, the original bracketed part "(going)" is grammatically incorrect on its own as the main verb. Therefore, improvement is needed.
Determining the Best Fit
Comparing the grammatically correct options: "Went" is the only grammatically sound choice among the provided options that improves the sentence. It forms a clear and complete sentence using the simple past tense, indicating a completed action of returning to old values.
Therefore, replacing "(going)" with "Went" provides the necessary grammatical correction and fits the likely meaning of the sentence, which is presenting a conclusion or observation about a past trend or action.
The corrected sentence is: Thus we went back to what might be termed as old values.
| Option | Grammatical Correctness | Contextual Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Going (Original) | Incorrect (Missing helping verb) | N/A |
| Went | Correct (Simple Past Tense) | Good (Completed action) |
| Gone | Incorrect (Missing helping verb) | N/A |
| Was going | Incorrect (Wrong verb form for plural subject 'we') | N/A |
| No improvement | Incorrect | N/A |
Based on the analysis, "Went" is the correct option for improving the sentence.
Revision Table: Sentence Improvement
| Original Phrase | Proposed Improvement | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| (going) | Went | "going" requires a helping verb. "Went" is the simple past tense, forming a complete and grammatically correct verb phrase for the subject "we". |
Additional Information: Verb Forms and Tenses
Understanding different verb forms and tenses is crucial for sentence improvement questions. Let's quickly review the basic forms of the verb "go":
- Base form: go (e.g., I go)
- Third person singular present: goes (e.g., He goes)
- Present Participle: going (Used in continuous tenses, e.g., I am going, They were going)
- Simple Past Tense: went (e.g., I went, We went)
- Past Participle: gone (Used in perfect tenses, e.g., I have gone, They had gone)
In the original sentence, "(going)" was used without a necessary helping verb, creating a grammatical error. Option 1 correctly uses the simple past tense "went" as the main verb, resolving this error.
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”.
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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 .
