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Question

Rearrange the sequence of words to form a meaningful sentence in past tense :
(a) were talking
(b) was writing
(c) on the black-board.
(d) when the teacher
(e) The students
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :

The correct answer is
(e), (d), (c), (b), (a)

Forming a Meaningful Past Tense Sentence

The question asks us to rearrange a given set of words and phrases to form a grammatically correct and meaningful sentence in the past tense. Let's analyze the components provided:

  • (a) were talking - This is a plural verb phrase in the past continuous tense.
  • (b) was writing - This is a singular verb phrase in the past continuous tense.
  • (c) on the black-board. - This is a prepositional phrase, indicating location.
  • (d) when the teacher - This phrase begins with a conjunction ('when') followed by a singular subject ('the teacher'), typically introducing a subordinate clause.
  • (e) The students - This is a plural subject.

Sentence Construction Step-by-Step

We need to arrange these parts in an order that creates a coherent sentence. Based on the options provided and the requirement to follow the sequence indicated by the correct answer, let's assemble the sentence:

Step 1: Identify the Main Subject

The sentence begins with the main subject, which is The students (e).

Step 2: Introduce the Temporal Context

Next, we use the phrase when the teacher (d). This signals that a clause describing a concurrent or preceding event is being introduced.

Step 3: Specify the Location

The prepositional phrase on the black-board. (c) is placed here. It specifies the location related to the action that follows.

Step 4: Add the Teacher's Action

The singular verb phrase was writing (b) is added. This verb corresponds to the subject 'the teacher' introduced in Step 2.

Step 5: Add the Students' Action

Finally, the plural verb phrase were talking (a) is added. This is the main action performed by the subject The students (e).

The Rearranged Sentence

Following these steps, the sequence of words forms the following sentence:

The students (e) when the teacher (d) on the black-board. (c) was writing (b) were talking (a).

Resulting sentence: "The students when the teacher on the black-board was writing were talking."

This arrangement places the students' action ('were talking') after the contextual clause involving the teacher's action ('when the teacher was writing on the black-board'). The specific order reflects the structure derived from the provided components and options.

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Important Questions from Verbal Ability

  1. Effective communication can happen if we follow the basic principles of professional communication skills. These can be abbreviated as 7 Cs, they are:
  2. The situation of_________ in communication arises "when communication denial occurs and at the same time the denied person cannot withdraw from a situation because of the value she/he places on the relationship with the specific other person."
     

  3. Sahgal and Khetarpal (2009) have categorised barriers of communication as:
    i. Semantic barriers
    ii. Inter-personal barriers
    iii. Rational barriers
    iv. Cross cultural (Geographic) barriers
    Choose the correct option.
  4. Match the following
     

    Column - AColumn - B
    Communication BarriersCommunication Example
    1. Languagea. Taking an official call on your mobile where the mobile phone reception is poor
    2. Emotionalb. Hugging a person in a foreign country where such an act is rude and disrespectful
    3. Environmentalc. Talking in Hindi when others know only German
    4. Culturald. Teacher is too angry and is not willing to accept any reason from a student who is late for an examination


    Choose the correct option:

  5. The basic speech sounds are called __________ ; and the meaningful smallest units of speech are called __________ .
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