Grammar Practice: Sentence Completion
This question tests the ability to correctly complete a sentence using appropriate grammatical phrasing. The sentence describes a robbery and requires a phrase to specify a characteristic of the group of men involved.
Analyzing Sentence Structure
The sentence is structured as follows: "The local bank was robbed by a group of men, ________ were armed." The blank needs a phrase that refers back to "a group of men" and introduces the clause "were armed". This phrase should indicate that a certain number (four) from that group possessed weapons.
Evaluating Option Choices
Let's examine each option:
- 1. four of whom: The relative pronoun 'whom' is used to refer to people, often as the object of a verb or preposition. 'Of whom' correctly refers to a subset of a group of people. Grammatically, this is often considered a standard and correct choice for this type of sentence structure.
- 2. four of these: 'These' is a demonstrative pronoun used to point out things or people nearby or just mentioned. It doesn't function as a relative pronoun in this context to introduce a descriptive clause about the men.
- 3. four of those: 'Those' is also a demonstrative pronoun. In this context, 'four of those' refers to four individuals selected from the group of men previously mentioned ('those men'). While 'four of whom' is typically preferred in formal writing, 'four of those' can be used, especially in less formal contexts or when emphasizing the selection from the larger group. This option specifies that a specific number, four, from the group of men were armed.
- 4. four whom: This option is grammatically incomplete. The relative pronoun 'whom' requires a preposition like 'of' when specifying a subset of a group in this manner.
Conclusion on Correct Phrasing
Based on the grammatical function and common usage, the phrase needs to link back to 'a group of men' and specify a subset that was armed. Option 3, 'four of those', effectively serves this purpose by indicating four members from the previously mentioned group of men were armed. It functions similarly to saying 'four members of that group'.
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Important Questions from Fill in the blanks
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Light is _____ than sound. - The sentences given with blanks are to be filled with an appropriate word(s). Four alternatives are suggested for each question. For each question, choose the correct alternative.
The man _____ for the purpose never did what was expected of him. - The sentences given with blanks are to be filled with an appropriate word(s). Four alternatives are suggested for each question. For each question, choose the correct alternative.
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The starving man _____ able to walk.Fill in the blank with an appropriate word(s).
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