Editing Paragraph Exercises With Answers
The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Identify the error, correct it and write your answers in the respective blank spaces. Underline the correct answer. The first one has been done for you.
| Error | Correction | |
| The first recording proposal to dam Narmada and direct its (a) | recording | recorded |
| water to irrigate crops in Gujarat had made in 1863. The first (b) | ||
| plan was devised on 1947. In 1961 the then Prime Minister of India (c) | ||
| Jawaharlal Nehru lay the foundation stone of the Narmada water (d) | ||
| management project and preliminary construction works get (e) | ||
| underway. Sardar Sarovar was declaring a multi-state project (f) | ||
| in 1979. Its work begun in 1987. In 2000 Supreme Court upheld (g) | ||
| the construction of Sardar Sarovar on a height of 138 metres. (h) |
Answers
a) Error – recording / correction – recorded
b) Error – had / correction – was
c) Error – on / correction – in
d) Error – lay / correction – laid
e) Error – get / correction – got (Use the simple past to talk about finished events.)
f) Error – declaring / correction – declared
g) Error – begun / correction – began
h) Error – on / correction – to
Paragraph Editing Exercise 2
| Error | Correction | |
| Weird things are happening at Saturn’s moon Enceladus. It is now (a) | at | on |
| part of a small group of places in the solar system that would possibly (b) | ||
| support life. Discovering in 1789 by William Herschel, Enceladus is (c) | ||
| only 483 km wide. Planetary scientists expected that it will be nothing (d) | ||
| more than a frozen chunk of ice and rock. Though the images and data (e) | ||
| collected by Nasa’s Cassini aircraft reveals another picture. The aircraft (f) | ||
| have spotted eruptions of icy crystals on the planet, suggesting that (g) | ||
| there shall be pools of liquid water just below its surface. (h) |
Answers
a) Error – at / correction – on (We use on with planets, satellites, moons etc. At is used to indicate position at a point.)
b) Error – would / correction – could
c) Error – discovering / correction – discovered
d) Error – will / correction – would (When the main clause is in the past tense, use would, not will, in the subordinate clause.)
e) Error – though / correction – but (Though is a subordinating conjunction; clauses beginning with subordinating conjunctions cannot stand alone. But is a coordinating conjunction. Coordinate clauses can stand alone.)
f) Error – reveals / correction – reveal (Here the subject is the plural noun images and data.)
g) Error – have / correction – has (The subject is the singular noun has.)
h) Error – shall / correction – could / might (Use could or might to indicate weak possibility.)